Hi All,I've been surfing small waves (1-2 feet max) on the mellow beaches of Israel. This is my first water-sport, I'm not very athletic and measure 5'8 and weigh ~170 pounds.
I am addicted to inflatables because they are so safe (never got hurt so far, even though I fell on the board and got hit by the board many times), practical and for my mellow surf I don't think they represent a big compromise. I like that I can go down with the back knee on the board when I need more back weight, and it is harmless.

My trusty JP Australia inflatable, 10'2, 32" wide and 4 inch think (200 liter) is >3 years old, and the time has definitely come for a new ride.

My objective is to keep small wave surf, I don't do 'tricks' or maneuvers - the most extreme would be taking a 45 degree angle to the wave and going all the way - which in my local beach would be a 10-15 second ride tops.
I've tried the Red Paddle 10'6 Ride, which felt a lot like my old JP.
I also tried the Starboard 2016 Whopper Zen. It seemed very nice - very stable at 234 liters, 10' by 35", and felt stiffer and I like the deck, the handle, the US Box main fin.
Still, I did not get to try it in real surf - more like tiny tiny shore waves.

Any advice here? should I go the Red Paddle 10'6 way? The whopper? Or maybe the Widepoint at 10'6 on 32" (same volume as whopper)?Again - my goal is just small wave, fun surf. For touring I have a different board.

I'd recomend get a hard board for surfing..

If you want to progress in your surfing, you'll need to move to a hard board, as DJ says. Inflatables are hard to surf.

But if you really want to stick with a bag of wind, then get a Red Paddle board that is narrower and less volume than your current one. The 9-8 Ride might be an option. Shorter boards are easier to control in surf, although they can be a little harder to get onto the wave in marginal surf.

Probably some people would say go to the 8-10 Whip. That's an option for sure. But you might lose a bit of wave-catching ability that can be all-important in the tiny conditions you surf (me too, sometimes), and it would be a big step up in performance and balance requirements. So it depends how confident you are feeling.

The 10-6 would be ok too, but the tail of these boards is so wide that it might not be too easy to surf well at your weight. Plenty stable though, for sure.

Thanks for the replies gents,Can someone explain to me in simple 'quantitative' terms why a hardboard is better in small surf? I'm not saying it isn't, I just want to understand - is it easier to catch the wave with it? easier to control while riding? Is it faster?thanks,

Pretty much all of the above

Yep, I agree, better in every way.

But it makes less difference if you are a beginner.

ISUPs are also less stable than an equivalent width hard board.

iSUPs are great for many things (I own 2). But surfing is not one of them. They bounce and wobble and it's hard to sink a rail so they are hard to turn.

But they do feel safer to use if you are nervous, for sure. And they are cheaper, easier to store and transport (and keep safe from thieves). So they do have a lot going for them. But if you actually have aspirations for improving your surfing and one day moving beyond your current tiny waves and short rides, then you'll pretty much have to move to a hard board so you can learn the skills to progress.

OK, indeed good points.Allow me to push a bit further: if I replace my current inflatable (10'2X32", 200 liter, 15PSI) by an equivalent or slightly smaller hardboard, will I:1. Be able to tackle bigger waves (given my current rowing/balance ability)?
2. Will succeed in catching a higher percentage of the same size wave?

If so, if I switch dimensions, and assuming I just want to catch the waves, not do maneuvers, what should I change in the dimensions? longer/shorter, wider/narrower, volume?Right now the main reason I seem to lose some waves is insufficient speed/glide - the wave just raises the back of the board and it pearls.thanks again

Something like the Naish Nalu 10-6 (30" wide) would probably suit you.

I surf tiny waves too. Really TINY. Nanowaves. You don't want to go too short with a board (eg. under about 9-6) if you want to increase your wave catching and your waves are absolutely tiny. But it is useful to go *narrower*. Narrower boards accelerate faster when you are paddling for the wave so make them easier to catch (as long as you can balance it ok).

Hard boards are much easier to get onto tiny waves. They plane earlier and don't bounce as much when you are paddling for the wave.

What about the Pendel boards, hard tail, inflatable front 2/3. Anyone ridden one in the surf? Btw I don't think it matters what you ride as long as you're having fun and being safe.

The most important difference when comparing inflatable boards to hard boards is with regard to the rails. An inflatable only has one rail profile, and it's the same rail from nose to tail. Same shape, and most importantly, same thickness. Whereas on solid boards the rail profile changes significantly along the length of the board, and generally thins out quite a lot towards the tail, allowing for easier bite. This is why inflatables are never going to be able to challenge hard boards in the surf - there just isn't any practical way to get around this same-thickness-everywhere issue.

So for this reason you can't really use the rail of an inflatable to grip in the way you do with a solid board. You ain't never going to be throwing much spray on an inflatable! Pretty much the only variable on offer when talking about inflatables for the surf is rail thickness. Which effectively means the board thickness. Inflatables normally come in 100mm, 120mm or 150mm thicknesses, and for surfing an inflatable, it makes a major improvement in terms of rail grip to be on a 100mm board. The thicker boards have notably less grip. However, normally a thinner inflatable means less stiffness (this is why they make them thick, it's the quick and easy way to make the board less flexy). The only 100mm thick inflatables that really have sufficient stiffness to be fun to surf are the Red Paddle Co boards with the RSS stiffening battens, which makes them as stiff as a regular 120mm thick board. (The Red Paddle CO 10'6 is 120mm thickness, just for your reference).

So, my recommendation would be the Red Paddle Co Ride 9'8, which is 100mm thick and definitely feels like you can easily push it around on the wave, but it's still stable and all-round enough to make it easy to get out the back. I've had a lot of fun surfing that board, it's the one I normally take when I travel. The 8'10 Whip is OK but actually a lot smaller and slower and less all round, for the fairly small performance gains it offers.

Uli Boards have patented the Wiki rail, it tries to address the lack of a sharp rail on an inflatable. Looks interesting but I don't think they are available in Oz. Still won't compete with a rigid board but if you want to stay with an inflatable, buying an uli with this rail addition and proper fins will probably improve the performance of an isup.

I had a whopper inflatable as my first sup...good for catching closeouts coz ya don't have to worry about breaking it :)...and if you can be in the pocket you can drive it from the tail then it has a bit of maneuverability but it doesn't noise ride.
My second board an 11 foot fanatic fly was more fun...lots of glide and stability and nice longboard style surfing but at 210L it's a lot of board to handle in the whitewater in bigger waves.
Hard board I think would also be easier on the paddle out too because you can push the nose through the white water easier...with the thickness of the nose on inflatables it's more like a bulldozer :)

Select to expand quote

airsail said..
Uli Boards have patented the Wiki rail, it tries to address the lack of a sharp rail on an inflatable.

Note that a sharp rail has less grip, but more planing speed: the water can escape the rail without drag. Water will try to wrap around round rails on exits, which creates drag... but also provides hold. In a nutshell, the sharp "wiki" rail is for speed (hence the name), not grip, and thus is aimed at sailboading an inflatable.

For SleepLessInTLV: Inflatables can definitively surf, it will make you go through the basic learning stages: learning how to move on the spot, taking off, bottom turning, and following the wave. This should amount to a fair nu,ber of sessions. Afterwards, you can get a rigid board for learning rollers and more advanced surfing. And at this stage you will be more confident to avoid hurting people.
So learning to surf with an inflatable SUP (or surf) is actually a good idea. Try to get a not too thick one (4" / 100mm is OK), and a modern (more rigid) one. Check that it has a good front rocker (nose turned up). Be careful, some brands are really more heavy than others, and a lighter board is more enjoyable.

I have been learning on Starboard Converse Deluxe inflatable . It has been great. 9 footer.
30 wide. 4 inch thick.
Won't kill anyone or myself. Great for one footers and even in close outs . Great for confidence . Won't snap.
1 footers max
Also great at river mouths and near rocks

I took my Naish N1sco 12'6 out one day on a whim in small surf , and couldn't believe how much fun it was! You do need to go to surf stance quickly, though, with your backfoot about 2 steps back from your side by side paddle position...try it ..it brings a new dimension to the board. If you stay side by side stance, it just wants to go straight ahead. Plus I was catching unbroken waves that the guys on short surf sups couldn't catch. Give it ago, it's great for a cruisy style.... For some perspective, I'm a logger [9'6"] and a slogger on a 10'6" Laird Pearson Arrow. I think half the fun is in realising that I'm riding on a flato and loving it.

You virtually need to be in surf stance from the get go