Hi. I am 70 years young and have surfed many years on mini mal and mal but now due to previous knee and foot ops I can't just jump up any more.
I am looking at a secondhand Starboard 11'2" x 36" x 4.7"
Would this be an okay starter board?
Thanks

Welcome.. and how heavy are you?

About 85kgs

Any size recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Hey Watto - that board is pretty big! If you have surfed a lot before, you will get frustrated on a board like that. It is a good place to start, just to get used to stand-up paddling, but pretty quickly, if you intend to get back in the surf, you will want to go a lot smaller.

36" wide is very wide. You could consider 32" wide, which is considered wide (and stable) for boards that you will want to surf.

11'2 is OK for getting on waves early and going straight. It will be fun in certain conditions, and if you have the funds to move to the next board in the next 6 months, then you could certainly start with this board.

Is there any way to rent a board for a day or two? You will find out pretty quickly how your balance has held up.

If you can't buy another one "soon" (assuming you will get in the water reasonably frequently), then I would suggest a board closer to 10' x 32". It should be stable enough to get started, and fun enough in the surf.

Sorry for the long post, but the other factor is how good your balance is now. I am 60 and have been sup-surfing for quite a few years. I have no idea what it will be like in 10 years, especially if I have been out of the water for a little while. I would definitely try and rent one and see how you go.

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Thanks cantsupenough
I really appreciate your thoughts and info.
I have been up on my wife's 9'11" inflatable just in still water which I find boring but I held my balance ok.

My mal is 9'1".

I want to buy second hand and I like the sound of the 10 footer and if I find it a little big after a while I'll pass it onto the wife to use in the lake/still water so don't want it too heavy.
Any brands I should look for in particular?

I'm a similar weight and started in my late 40s with minimal surf experience. First board was a Naish 9 5 and practiced a lot in flat water before venturing into the surf. I think with your surf experience you will find the large boring very quickly. A 10 ' sup with some wave shape will suit you much better and still be great on those small days when you improve. Like using a mal. , then you can grab that second board for the bigger days. Stick to the known brand boards as they are usually put together better and have a better resell. Hope that helps

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watto51 said..

Thanks cantsupenough
I really appreciate your thoughts and info.
I have been up on my wife's 9'11" inflatable just in still water which I find boring but I held my balance ok.

My mal is 9'1".

I want to buy second hand and I like the sound of the 10 footer and if I find it a little big after a while I'll pass it onto the wife to use in the lake/still water so don't want it too heavy.
Any brands I should look for in particular?

I own a lot of Sunnova boards. They have held up very well (never had a quality issue), and they have lots of shapes to choose from. I have heard very good things about Smik, and they are an Australian company.

You will soon see that there basically two shapes of boards: those with pretty straight lines and full or squarish noses (like Sunova Speed and Style) and those that look more like surfboards (like Sunova Flow V2 and many others). As a surfer, you are probably well aware of the differences, but related to sup surfing:

1. Keeping the board paddling in a straight line can be challenging at first: the ones with straight lines are easier to paddle (less yaw)
2. Paddling out through waves can be challenging: boards with pointier noses punch through the wave easier
3. Paddling into the wind can be challenging: boards with pointier noses catch less wind (but you need to get low and paddle hard)

I like pretending I am a real surfer, so I like the boards shaped like surfboards (like the Flow V2), but the straight boards with fuller noses (Speeed and Style) are easier to cruise down the line and nose-ride.

It is also worth saying that stability is not just related to the volume of the board. Some high volume boards have you standing higher above the water (i.e. they are thicker) which gives you a higher centre of gravity. The width of the board is obviously important, but so is the overall surface area of the board and the shape of the rails. It can be tricky looking at a board and determining how stable it will be. Sometimes lower volume boards with water washing over the rails can be quite stable compared to corky high volume boards with fat rails.

If possible, experiment with a few boards before you buy - but that can be difficult to do in reality and sometimes it takes time to 'dial-in' a board...

Hope that helps!

Hey WATTO,
Because you are a mal surfer i would suggest getting a board the surfs like a mal
The Naish Nalu's are your board mate ,I had a few .and still have the 11,4 classic the 10,8 was the one I liked the most and nose rid cool .
I Was also a surfer, and still call myself a surfer ,just a SUP one and getting up became a issue ,SUP will get you back out there ,

Thanks fellas for you advice.
I would like something similar to my mal so I will look around for a Naish Nalu or what else might be similar.
I'll advise what I end up getting and hope I make the best decision ??

Fanatic Stylemaster and Starboard longboard would be other good choices for you, imo.

Just saw for sale not far from me on marketplace a Naish Mana 10'x33"x4 3/4" 190L. Asking $850 ??
And on Seabreeze a Naish Maddog 9'x32" $1200?

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watto51 said..
Just saw for sale not far from me on marketplace a Naish Mana 10'x33"x4 3/4" 190L. Asking $850 ??
And on Seabreeze a Naish Maddog 9'x32" $1200?

Go the Mana, the Maddog is probably a bit small to start off on. The Mad Dog is a great choice as a second one thou

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kato said..

watto51 said..
Just saw for sale not far from me on marketplace a Naish Mana 10'x33"x4 3/4" 190L. Asking $850 ??
And on Seabreeze a Naish Maddog 9'x32" $1200?

Go the Mana, the Maddog is probably a bit small to start off on. The Mad Dog is a great choice as a second one thou

thanks. Will go look at it. :)

I started surfing on a 10 mana ,it was a good stepping stone to how I surf now ,but I learnt a lot and gave me the stability i needed to venture into the waves ,it was a great first board loved it ..I then went to the 9,6 and 9,1 then 8'8 x32 hokua now know as the maddog .The nose is pulled in and more rocker ,so more performance but a little harder to stand on than the mana ,of course there are other brands with similar shape ,sunova one is also a good choice .construction seems a little stronger on the Sunova .I don't think you can go wrong with the 10 mana as a first board ,

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Tardy said..
I started surfing on a 10 mana ,it was a good stepping stone to how I surf now ,but I learnt a lot and gave me the stability i needed to venture into the waves ,it was a great first board loved it ..I then went to the 9,6 and 9,1 then 8'8 x32 hokua now know as the maddog .The nose is pulled in and more rocker ,so more performance but a little harder to stand on than the mana ,of course there are other brands with similar shape ,sunova one is also a good choice .construction seems a little stronger on the Sunova .I don't think you can go wrong with the 10 mana as a first board ,

Thanks Tardy I bought the Mana. Now for some ok weather ??

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Tardy said..
I started surfing on a 10 mana ,it was a good stepping stone to how I surf now ,but I learnt a lot and gave me the stability i needed to venture into the waves ,it was a great first board loved it ..I then went to the 9,6 and 9,1 then 8'8 x32 hokua now know as the maddog .The nose is pulled in and more rocker ,so more performance but a little harder to stand on than the mana ,of course there are other brands with similar shape ,sunova one is also a good choice .construction seems a little stronger on the Sunova .I don't think you can go wrong with the 10 mana as a first board ,

Thanks Tardy I bought the Mana. Now for some ok weather ??

Welcome to the world of SUP .Its good fun and keeps you fit .enjoy