Parameters for an easy and turny longboard

Hi
I've always had a shortboard sup, nowadays 7'11" x 28'5" x 100 litres, for my 71 Kg. However, I've been going supping less and less because of my bad fit and crowds in the peaks. I've thought I could get a longboard sup to catch more soft waves in secondary peaks.

However, I know some big, heavy and wide longboards will seem to me dead on turning. I'm thinking in a 9' longboard, 110-115 litres, but I would like to know which other parameters I should take into account to get as much as possible an stable, early soft waves catcher and turny in small waves stepping at the tail. Not interested in waves bigger than 3 or 4 feet.

For example, which is the influence of the width, rocker, etc? Stability is much bigger of a 9'0 compared with a 7'11" having the same width?

Thks

Depends on how you want to surf it also.

If you want a nose rider style board:
Soft rails slow the board down, wide nose helps in nose riding as does straight rail line. Flat nose rocker and mid board. High tail flip helps pivot turn and line it up for another nose ride. Typical boards matching this type is Sunova Style, JL black and Blue.
This type of board is super fun, but you have to be committed to surfing it in the noseriding style - pivot turns, walking etc to really have fun on it. If you try and pump for speed and turn from the tail you'll hate it.

If you want an all rounder / higher performing longboard:
hard edges on back 3rd add speed, narrower nose aids surfability, more overall rocker through the board makes it feel looser, flatter tail helps get more drive from rear foot over the fins.
Typical boards matching this are Smik Hipster Longboard, Sunova Revolution, Infinity New Deal

As you basically say you are a shortboarder at heart (like me) I would say go for the higher performing longboard sup.

71kg only needs 90-110L board at most. a 28" wide longboard sup is so much more stable than a 28" wide shortboard sup; they are almost in different leagues.

The 9'0 x 27" Smik Hipster Longboard would be one of me recommendations (not the pin version), or the Sunova Revolution 9'0 x 28".
Both of these give a surf from the tail attitude, but with much more glide and trim than a shortboard sup. They are both super fun on big points or soft rollers - you can almost take them out in anything you'd likely sup on.

I'd fin the Sunova with Large Side fins and med centre fin. Thruster / Twin+trailer style. The Smik already comes as a Twin+1. Sometimes (like today) i'll just run a big 10" centre and glide for days. depends on your mood

It's all about what you're willing to compromise.

increased board width slows rail to rail - so it is always ideally best to go as narrow as standing on allows IMO.
Wider tails are looser than pin tails as they allow more skate (they sit higher on the water). Boxier tail rails also give more skate. Pin tails and round tails tend to smooth/draw out turns. Squash/square tails and swallow tails tend to let you snap the tail more. Straighter rail lines add speed, more curve slows the board down when not on rail. Banana (continual curve) rocker is looser/free'er than a 3 stage rocker. Single concave/Double/Vee/Spiral/flat etc all change how a board feels. It's about balancing all of these traits in a way that suits the boards intention. The best board designers really understand this - that's why they are the best.

FYI, a wide and very short board can also have lots of glide and be very loose. It's not just about length.

I like both the Hipster and the Revolution as they both have a hip in the outline to allow you to square off turns. The hipster gives a little more speed and snap but they are both great.

I wouldn't get too bogged down in the design differences between them (unless you're just trying to gain more design knowledge) - they both work very well. Just get whichever you can get cheaper - you'll be more than happy with either.

I own a regular Hipster and a custom Sunova longboard SUP, based off a Surf - but tweaked a lot. (rev's weren't released back when I bought it about 9 years ago). My next board will be a smaller version of that Surf - with a couple of little tweaks.

I think hoppo gave good advice check out the Benoit carpenter vids on his starboard sup to see what is possible (but not for us). I have the new deal myself, coming from a shorter sup I have to remember to get back on the tail and move my feet more. Narrower will give better rail to rail and pumping but less stability big surprise. Having so much length stability to open up the sweet spot really helps. If your trying to beat the crowd going 28 width might open up more choppy or bad wave days, 27 would be more hi performance.

IMO The Speeed needs a steeper face to work. It doesn't turn at all from mid board. If the waves are on the fatter/softer end of the spectrum, as you step back to try and turn - the Speeed simply turns off the wave. The tail rocker and hip lose all drive without some push from the wave. It really needs some power in the wave to start to go. I've had 2 of them and it's what drove me to go to a longboard design for most of the waves I sup on.

A Destroyer doesn't really give anything different to what the OP already has. If looking at JL the Striker is easily a better choice.

I would say if not a longboard design a Sunova Skate is perfect. As is an infinity Escape Pod or JL Superfrank.. I've had a Skate before and it is truely made for the conditions described from the OP. It's a very underrated board on this forum. I guess the only drawback is boards like these put your takeoff in the same spot as shortboard surfers. At least with a longboard Sup you can be a little further out and have first choice for waves.

What you want is:

- an ultralight board, so that turning from the rear stays nimble. My 9'0" weights 6.8kg with the pad.
(I hunted a 2nd hand Gong Zero made at a specific time where they were fragile but ultralight)

- a pulled-in nose, both for paddling speed and early wave entry, less wing weight, and not catching a rail in turns.
The Infinity new deal has such a nose

- a tail as big as possible (wide and thick), depending on the strength of your rear leg to push on it.
this way you can take off of the smallest of bumps.
Gong "Moblog" was such a concept: a longboard SUP with the powerful tail of a small wave fish (The Gong Mob: hence Mob + Log = Moblog).
www.gong-galaxy.com/blogs/magazine/gear-surfoil-allvator-availability-9309
I had one, but I wasn't powerful enough in my rear leg to really master it, and I have the paddling stamina and technique to manage short SUPs anyways.
But as you can see, Gong has discontinued it, and not a lot of boards have this shape because it is
quite specialized, most shapers now use a pulled-in tail for control when waves are not tiny.
I guess rear foot surfers tend more to the short & fat solution, such as the Infinity Escape Pod, Gong Mob, etc...

@sideshore, you're basically the same weight and shortboard dims that I'd normally ride and I also just got my first longboard sup (see my 'what is this Sunova post') in the review section.

I honestly thought I'd need something at least 110l and 28" wide, but ended up with 94l and 26.5" wide and it's more stable and paddles faster than my shortboard! I also looked at that first gen 9'2 x 28 hipster LB at 120l, but glad I didn't in hindsight, probably too much board.

The main difference is paddling speed assuming you are stable and a decent paddler you should be able to follow a slower unbroken wave quite a ways just by paddling alone. I've used my longboard to catch waves when I was at least 30 ft too far out just by staying with the wave by paddling. This can be annoying to surfers though ?? The longer the long board the earlier and weaker the wave you should be able to ride.