I been asking this question for awhile and still can't find a good answer. I don't have the opportunity to demo boards so dropping a lot of money, I need to do my homework.

ME: 6'0 190lbs. Good Shortboarder 30yers. Supping last 2 years (loving it) on a Quatro Glide 8'6 SUP AST. Board has been very good in 2'-8' NJ waves - hollow winter waves.

But want more high performance without being tippy and I don't want to sink the sup- defeats the purpose in my mind.

Was considering:

Quatro Glide 8'6 in Pro Material. _same board but light Pro material.
Quatro Carve Pro 8'4 130L 30" wide.
ECS Wideboy- 8'10 135L 29" wide -- (probably going backwards here).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks! Yew!

Is there much of a used market in NJ? We don't have a great one here in OR, but a performance shape in 130L'ish pops up every couple months Id say (I just sold one like new for $700- ouch!). One option would be to go for whatever pops up that's a little more pulled in and thinner rails, or your current shape but a little smaller- is your current board 130L? Like 1.5L/kg?

Had a similar dilemma myself. Got the Quattro glide 8'6 same construction and wanted something with similar 'qualities' but better 'performance potential'. Considered JL SF Lean and Infinity Blur (8'6 and 8'5 I think). However, caught a review on SUPboarder Pro regarding the 2021 Starboard Wedge 8'7 and read a piece by Mango Dingo on here and ended up getting the 8'7. Was a bit doubtful about the volume, jumping from 130 on the Quattro to 143 on the wedge. Didn't need to worry - the Wedge, for me at the moment, an astonishingly good board. Within two weeks my game has improved and surfing to a way better standard. Stability, similarish to Quattro but rails are deffo in/under the water and when stood hybrid over handle the tail is 50/50 level/below surface. wave catching, easy, tracking easy - even with center well forward in box. Easy to turn from the middle, sharp as **ck from the tail, super easy/intuitive. Had me linking stuff and making sections I struggled with prior - absolutely love it! 57, 6'2, 90kg, two years SUP, mainly choppy North Sea (UK).

you could ask the quatro guys how the stability compares on the carve, they are usually pretty helpful

Yes. 130L. I think I might pull the trigger on the 8'4 Quatro Carve at 130L, 30 wide.

The guys at Quatro said it would more tippy and better for clean days. I want to push my SUP surfing. I think this board could help.

One more question... Is shorter always mean high performance? (im coming from the shortboard world).
Could I get as much high performance on a longer more narrow board?

It is between the Starboard Pro Starlight or Quatro Carve - Which one would be less tippy? More high perforance?

Starboard PRO:
8'7 x 4.7" thick x 135L x 29.5" wide 4.7" thick

Quatro Carve:
8'4 x 130L x 30" wide x 18.5" tail.

Select to expand quote

surfmore said..
One more question... Is shorter always mean high performance? (im coming from the shortboard world).

No, because a SUP is already much bigger than a shortboard, so you cannot just have your feet planted in the same place as on a shortboard. 8'4" is really close to 9', and in the prone longboards, the performance ones are the same length as the retro ones.

For SUPs, you must take into account two things:
- the "performance" width will be related to the wave power and your surfing level. You need speed to perform, and if the board is too narrow for your level, or its shape not adapted to the waves, it will bog down.
- the swing weight. A longer but lighter board will perform better.

SUP lengths become critical mostly in very small waves because:
- the speed at which the transition to planing happen is proportional to the length: so a shorter board will be a full plane at slower speeds, and smaller waves are slower. Longer boards may struggle to get out of displacement mode in tiny waves.
- there are no room to fit a longer board to surf vertical in the pocket in small waves: the nose becomes cumbersome.

I can get higher performance from my 7'3" x 29"3/4 in less than waist high waves, but for more than chest high waves, my 7'8" x 27"3/4 will outshine it. And if I was better and younger, the limit would be more towards knee/thigh high waves, as I could push the 7'8" to maintain a higher speed in weaker waves.

In a nutshell: performance is in the shape and lightness rather than some inches in length or half-inch in width.

awesome, thank you for your help! Very useful info!