can anyone suggest a sup surf size board for 80kg beginner to intermediate?
I can longboard surf my 14ft x 24" wide board on 1-2-3ft surf.
without testing boards, I'm thinking start somewhere around 9ft by 30 inches wide at around 130ltr or would you suggest go short and less width or long and wide?
don't want go small were it's hard to paddle and catch waves or large board that I'll grow out of it.

Around.. 8'8"x 32"

Your thinking is pretty well spot on. At 80kg if you go wider than 30" I think you will outgrow it pretty quickly. Boards less than 9' long tend to require a bit more experience to paddle and catch waves efficiently. From there it just depends what sort of conditions you want to use it in as to the board shape, rocker etc.

thanks DJ for the short & wide board suggestion.

Th0m0, this board would be use as do all surf condition over 2ft waves.

If you paddle a 14 x 24" and 80kg you are going to want to get something way less than 130 litres.
You will out grow it in a few weeks.
I'm 80kg paddle a 24" 14' like you, I surf a 7'9" x 29" 103l board.
Stick below 110l or it will be too much board.
Either that or get a larger second hand cheap board you can resell in a couple of months with minimal $ loss to get you going and used to surfing than get yourself a smaller board.

really also depends what sort of surfing you want to do, if you want to longboard surf maybe go a 10 footer but get it thinned out and maybe like 27/28 wide, or if your more peformancey surfing then something smaller like the dimensions your looking at would be good maybe 28/29 depending on your height, but also things like the conditions where you will mostly be surfing ie bumpy/smooth etc, if you don't want to out grow it to quickly i would probably not go to wide (30+)

depending on a few things like your budget and if you have really ever surfed a smaller sup, maybe look at demoing board to narrow down what sort of design you like, depending on your budget 2nd hand can be a good buy or even a custom board for the quality is really good middle ground
just a few things to think about

Jarryd

I'm with DJ on this one ..
we all have to go though the stage of learning how to catch waves on a short board .and learning how to move on the wave ..a bit of stability doesn't go a stray will the 32 width ..I started surfing on a 33 wide board.
go too small and you may take longer to learn ..the 8'8 still will be challenging
but will give the thrill you seek .
I do have a 8'8 x32 Hokua .even though it is feeling big for me now ,it did take a while to
go through the learning stage and it still is a loose little mother with the quad .set up
i will be keeping mine .its great on small waves too ..
It will soak up any mistakes you may make along the way .take your TIME and have fun on the way .
don't be scared to fall off .

DONT go too small too soon, it will set you back.

Better to go 130 lts ish x 30" plus, infact some 30" boards are quite unstable so maybe go slightly wider. Try one in the conditions you want to use it in if you can but safer to go slightly big for your first wave board you can drop down at a later date. This way your learning curve will be quicker and less frustrating.

phil

If he can paddle a 24" board it means he has good balance and to much volume or width would be overkill.

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Carbs79 said..
If he can paddle a 24" board it means he has good balance and to much volume or width would be overkill.

A thick boxy 24"x 14' race board on flat water is a completely different kettle of fish.. I have no problem paddling a 26" flat water board but struggle on anything less than 32" in the surf..

Don't listen to any one here (including me) and defiantly don't listen to the shops.. .. Demo, demo, demo.. And demo in challenging conditions.. not in calm flat water.

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JEG said..
can anyone suggest a sup surf size board for 80kg beginner to intermediate?
I can longboard surf my 14ft x 24" wide board on 1-2-3ft surf.
without testing boards, I'm thinking start somewhere around 9ft by 30 inches wide at around 130ltr or would you suggest go short and less width or long and wide?
don't want go small were it's hard to paddle and catch waves or large board that I'll grow out of it.

That's a tough question.... because you are already surfing a 24" wide board.
There is zero chance I could do that... but at 107 kg, I surf 29 wide boards at 130 liters with ease.

If you are a skilled paddler, and already made the "transition" to catching waves, then your learning curve will be minimal.

I would make every effort to test at least 1 board in your thought range.... to give you a frame of reference.
I always walk up and ask anyone with a board "Hi, can I just stand on your board to see what it feels like?"
It's amazing how much I can learn by simply standing on a board in flat water. Every board is different.

Different brands, same size can have totally different feel and stability.

One thing I do is pick a board I am interested in, then PM owners and ask specific questions....
People are awesome, they are always stoked to share what they know.

Your height and age also make a huge difference
The numbers say that your volume range is 110 to 132
Those numbers will change dramatically with shape
Square shapes = short and wide will be fine at the 110 L,
where narrower calls for higher volume and more length.

consider:
wave size and conditions
comfort level
style riding
performance goals

That will narrow the choices

I'd suggest the 8'5 Jimmy Lewis Striker....works well in every condition...surf's off the tail but you can also get on the nose..Ride the Nose, Hit the Lip. Best of Both Worlds.
Low rocker and full deckpad for nose riding.
Down rails and tight carving tail for high performance turns...Self regulating Gore Vent.
Swept center fin and side bites. JL Signature I-Beam Construction.New:2017 models come in 2 NEW Sizes...8'5" & 10'0"
8'5"x 30" x 4" (116L)
or the NEW Super Frank
Super frank / lean
7'6 x 29.5" liters 100
8'0 x 30" liters 115

It's a tough one. Everyone is different. Personally I don't prescribe to the "must go smaller" thought school of SUP. I did for a while then realised that when I was out the struggling to stand on a tiny narrow board, falling off and not catching waves, that I was no longer having fun. The shortest boards that I found comfortable in the end were both 8'8". One being the Naish X32, the other was the Starboard Airborne. Now my shortest is a 9'0" x 30" shortboard shape. So it really is kinda critical to get out and try as many as you can.

Thanks for the feedback and nice boards as above.
I'm 5'6" height.
Conciously I'm thinking start with good length and wide to catch more waves than falling off most of the time.
Demo is an option though I have to hassle and drive to surf spots and maybe I should because this experiment without demoing might cost time and money.
It will be a budget 1st time sup surf board until the day when the board and me are in $ync.
I notice there's lots of option in the sup surf board world with fins combo to boot/confuse.

DEMOING IS worth the hassle. see people say you need to spend time leaning to catch a wave, some people it takes months or longer, others catching waves in a session or two if you read and watch and get tips. mix with surf knowledge and balance and you can make a lot of shapes work.
i am around same weight, just over, tho 6'2 so my centre of gravity is way over you. being 5'6 will help you.
i went from 9'2x32, was over it in about a month, to a 8'8x30, fantastic til i snapped it multiple times, to 8'1x29 to 7'11x26 1/8.
biggest thing i can recommend to you is buy second hand cos you are probably going to outgrow it like we all do, AND you are definately going to trash it. paddle strikes, falling on it when trying your hardest to get onto a wave, falling off on a wave onto board etc. they get munted. even the strongest of boards are still large beasts that do not like impact load much.
my mate, bout same weight and height had no surfing experience, bit of kiting experience, bit of surfski, but was keen as mustard and had us to push him started on a sunova flow 8'8. A newborn has stunted his progression but he was catching waves in no time and will keep board as a choppy board/backup, it is a real nice board. and doable. and i dont see him outgrowing it for a long time.

personaly i dont think a board over 29 is surfable well. sure it gets u onto waves but it feels like a boat not a surfboard.
guess it depends if you really want to get into sup surfing or just getting onto waves and cruising to the shore on them.
also depends on what sort of wave you have, a cruisy fat roller like the ones DJ scores or heavy dumping shore breaks...
maybe go talk to ur nearest shop and see what locals are buying.

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CAUTION said..
DEMOING IS worth the hassle. see people say you need to spend time leaning to catch a wave, some people it takes months or longer, others catching waves in a session or two if you read and watch and get tips. mix with surf knowledge and balance and you can make a lot of shapes work.
i am around same weight, just over, tho 6'2 so my centre of gravity is way over you. being 5'6 will help you.
i went from 9'2x32, was over it in about a month, to a 8'8x30, fantastic til i snapped it multiple times, to 8'1x29 to 7'11x26 1/8.
biggest thing i can recommend to you is buy second hand cos you are probably going to outgrow it like we all do, AND you are definately going to trash it. paddle strikes, falling on it when trying your hardest to get onto a wave, falling off on a wave onto board etc. they get munted. even the strongest of boards are still large beasts that do not like impact load much.
my mate, bout same weight and height had no surfing experience, bit of kiting experience, bit of surfski, but was keen as mustard and had us to push him started on a sunova flow 8'8. A newborn has stunted his progression but he was catching waves in no time and will keep board as a choppy board/backup, it is a real nice board. and doable. and i dont see him outgrowing it for a long time.

personaly i dont think a board over 29 is surfable well. sure it gets u onto waves but it feels like a boat not a surfboard.
guess it depends if you really want to get into sup surfing or just getting onto waves and cruising to the shore on them.
also depends on what sort of wave you have, a cruisy fat roller like the ones DJ scores or heavy dumping shore breaks...
maybe go talk to ur nearest shop and see what locals are buying.

Definitely agree with CAUTION re: buying second hand. The buy n sell on here has a ton of good options that are well priced.

thanks for the feedback CAUTION & Zeusman.
I understand why you use different types of boards on those conditions (weight/height/experince). But what's with the vanguard sup shape board and are they what the hype to be and I do like the sound these words (more stable, can ride shorter board. etc). I notice locally there's been a lot of custom vanguard sup board had been made.

Since advice is free, here is a little more for what its worth. I think that SuptheCreek was spot on when he said a good range for you would be about 110 to 132. I would choose where to fall in that range based on whether you are going to be surfing mostly in smooth glass, or choppy with surge and current. I think that your original idea of around 9'0' X 30 would be just about perfect as a first board. Short and wide outlines with lots of curve are okay in smaller surf, but they tend to be slower due to all of the curve in the rail outline.
As far as the tomo designs; wide square tails are okay in small mushy surf, but really a problem in anything with juice. Parallel rails are certainly faster than round outlines, but you can also get this by just lengthening the outline which will give you more stability, glide, and paddling speed.
My suggestion would be to check out a Sunova 8'10" X 29" Speeed. 130 liters, a wide tomo-ish nose gives it the parallel rail outline for speed, with a nicely pulled in tail that works in any size wave. The length and single concave will make it easy to catch waves, and the tail with the wingers and channels will give you plenty of performance to grow into. I have surfed my Speeed for a couple of years, and have other boards that are very fun in their own ways and in different conditions, but the Speeed is one that I will never grow out of or sell.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!
On a budget co's this my 1st time into sup surf board adventure.
I bought a use Atlantis Runaway 10' x 29" 128ltrs with 2+1 fins (4"ish side & 9" centre) and its in good condition I think, will see long term. I got 8" centre fin to try and will replace the 9" fin next time. The board looks nice and better than I thought.
Its wide at the front and pulled/narrow tail, nice carbon rail all round with thin nose and tail.
The conditions was 2ft point break (backhand) with strong current and side backwash ripples so it wasn't clean. Paddling out is ok though catching wave was a challenge because of the conditions combine with my paddling technique (haha lot to learn but it was fun!). Compare to the 14ft it sinks and yaw-ish but manageable with my 80kg + wetsuit.
I would say it's not a beginners board unless your under 70kg to maybe 75kg total weight.
Caught a few waves and liking this board and its a keeper

It must be longboard season

Cant go past a fanatic allwave for stability and surfability!!

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Chunky101 said..
Cant go past a fanatic allwave for stability and surfability!!

I could do with stability and surfability on that 2ft day and if I had my 14ft it would've double & triple the wave count. This point break was tricky on the inside and fast once you're on it so my novice skill on the 14ft was not ideal. I took the runaway to try and was surprise with the board and myself on how much fun it was

as per Zeus advice,, 8'8" x 32 is a really good minimum to go for.. my buddy and i both started on the 10x34 whopper carbon.. which really sets you up with basic techniques without the frustration of fighting wind,backwash, chop..
true we both burned through that in about 20 days.. but sup has a pretty quick learning curve/progression if you already know how to surf. next step was the Starboard 9'5"x 32 widepoint, which is really an awesome platform, either carbon as my buddy has or the Starlite, which i got. its only about 1.1 kg heavier than full carbon, but excellent value..
once you get 30" and narrower you are really looking at Pro boards with sub 100liter volume, and you will see plenty of those for sale cheap because of the simple fact they are frkn hard to ride!! unless pristine conditions or you have been sup surfing for many years.. I have met a few of those dudes who have 10 years experience, and ride 29 inch or narrower, they are legends.. not where we are at yet.. lol

thanks tkstyle and sounds like you your a tiki board happy customer.
imo the 10x29 128ltr runaway is my limit.

I've tested boards that are the same ltrs: 9 x 29 (too short unstable), 8'9" x 29 (also too short really unstable) and 8'3 x 29.8 x 4.2 vanguard shape (stable but short)

more ltrs: 8'9" x 32 (stable but hard to turn) and 9' x 32 (really stable even harder to turn).

ok..turning is always about getting back foot right back on the tail.. doesnt matter how much stick in front of you,
if the board is properly shaped for surfing, ie: good rocker, good V wide point further toward nose, back section very much just a surfboard design,, then it will loosen it up. we are basically coming from a surfing background so my mate and i have to remember to use our paddles! thats a crucial extra pivot point, and we need to utilise that more.. other wise you start to load your knees up too much,, cheers

from my novice observation this board looks and feels like an enlarged performance surf board with added longboard feel but lots of rocker & wide at the front (high performance longboard I think). Can't wait to surf it in 2ft+ waves.

I do like this board and surf well.
Its easy to nose ride even for beginner like me compare to other long board brand I tested.
Lots of rocker compare to other long board brand I tested though its difficult to swing the board around at the tail.
I wanted to buy the new mistress but this happen so now I'm not so sure and is this probably because is not build right or someone forgot to do their job properly at the factory (need fin box reinforcement, pictured left side bite and center fin). I sold the board as is instead of spending on the repair job and save the money on the next longboard.

Bugger

I think you did the best thing by selling it on though. Now you have a few months experience on that board you'll have a much better idea of what you liked and what you'd change, which will make your next board even better.
.

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JEG said..
I do like this board and surf well.
Its easy to nose ride even for beginner like me compare to other long board brand I tested.
Lots of rocker compare to other long board brand I tested though its difficult to swing the board around at the tail.
I wanted to buy the new mistress but this happen so now I'm not so sure and is this probably because is not build right or someone forgot to do their job properly at the factory (need fin box reinforcement, pictured left side bite and center fin). I sold the board as is instead of spending on the repair job and save the money on the next longboard.

My finbox did the exact same thing on my evoke. Think its just a you get what you pay for.


L