Hey guys,
I stumbled on the stubby SUP and was wondering if any of you have tried a model like this and can tell me a bit about the strong/weak characteristics .



Naish Raptor Hokua V116 LE x 31 2015-16 Board - Yellow, 7'0

I normally ride a Naish 7'6" x 28.5" in small surf.
I'm 5'10" and 160 lbs., but 72.
Kinda tippy compared to my 9'6" x 30" Fly, fast enough paddling, surfs like a 9' long board.
Normal paddle stance offset feet, even when just paddling straight ahead.
Less rearward bias needed, so al.ost maneuverable on a wave.
Late takeoffs still need angle.
In 2-4 feet surf, I'd rather ride my funboard, but SUP is a different sport.

Check out JB at the 1.10 mark in this vid.. He's on one..

Great little board but I found that your take off point is more critical than normal style boards and they have less glide in flat waves.. and hard to paddle in a straight line.

But they are very fun and turny.. Maybe more suited to beach-break type waves.

I'm a big fan ....particularly as I am a lightweight short ass who surfs in 3 foot or less beach breaks . They let you get the foot right back. I have a 7.5 ECS slab at 28 wide . Have considered the 7'0 version but at 26 wide would be tippy in anything but clean conditions .
These boards are a lot of fun and so easy to manage outside of water .

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Gboots said..
I'm a big fan ....particularly as I am a lightweight short ass who surfs in 3 foot or less beach breaks . They let you get the foot right back. I have a 7.5 ECS slab at 28 wide . Have considered the 7'0 version but at 26 wide would be tippy in anything but clean conditions .
These boards are a lot of fun and so easy to manage outside of water .

I am with you - 5'11 & 85kg and love the 7'5 slab - but for a long paddle your're better off prone paddling it -- you could call them the two stroke of paddle boards but are great fun - doesn't look like they make them anymore though.

The idea of a "stubby" design is to:
- reduce the overall length and width of the board, to reduce swing weight and make the board nimbler in turns
- maximize the stability for a given length+width by spreading the volume on the larger area of a rectangular outline.(*)
- reduce the max paddling speed (drawback in faster/bigger waves), but thus lower the speed at which the planing starts (advantage in smaller/slower waves). In 4s period waves, a 7' will be in planing mode while a 9' will still be in displacement mode.
- have a more efficient planing shape, like a Simmons.

And people can size them in two very different ways:

- by increasing hugely the paddling stability by keeping roughly the overall dimensions they are used to. This is often what beginners do, or people having to go in nasty chop. But by going too big you get a cumbersome barge that will plow in chop.

- by reducing the dimensions while keeping the same stability. This is great for instance to try to reduce volume to get close to a 1:1 "guild ratio" (rider weight in kg / board volume in liters) for progression. Reducing dimensions reduces the weight and swing weight, and can become a killer weapon in small surf if you have the technique to generate speed (and it eases learning it). Plus it planes full in even slow waves. But as the waves get faster, it will plane too much and will tend to not hold the rail and skid all aver the place and spin out.

Basically I love my "Tomos/Stubbies" (Gong Fatal and One) for 7s period swells and less. But use more traditional shapes otherwise.

(*) Gong now provides the surface area of their boards and a volume+width distribution curve to help compare models. There are found as the last image in the set of pics of the boards.

E.g: Here is the one for the 105l Fatal 7'4" ("Stubby" shape):


Here is the one for the 105l Alley 7'8" (performance shape):

Had an Infinity RNB for a while, regretful sale!

Loved it on beach breaks and steep reef breaks, once I got some decent quad fins and worked on footwork it was unstoppable. The fastest I have ever been on a board and did it with ease.

Good fins and footwork essential with a wide tail IMO.

I will get another shape like that at some stage for sure - super stable in bumpy stuff and good fun in short steep waves to attack the lip.

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russh said..

Gboots said..
I'm a big fan ....particularly as I am a lightweight short ass who surfs in 3 foot or less beach breaks . They let you get the foot right back. I have a 7.5 ECS slab at 28 wide . Have considered the 7'0 version but at 26 wide would be tippy in anything but clean conditions .
These boards are a lot of fun and so easy to manage outside of water .

I am with you - 5'11 & 85kg and love the 7'5 slab - but for a long paddle your better off prone paddling it -- you could call them the two stroke of paddle boards but are great fun - doesn't look like they make them anymore though.

Yeah hopefully they bring in an improved version . I am surprised they no longer sell it

I don't like paddling out over waves with them. Increased nose area catches and makes it harder. Cheers

i'm 5'10 and 77-ish kg. my naish raptor 95 (7'0 x 28) makes small, soft waves so much fun from knee to waist high. it snaps out turns like no other SUP i've ridden, and the quad setup keeps it loose. the flat rocker and wide nose and tail make takeoffs easy and lend it stability.

being short, foot placement is less critical than on bigger boards so it's far more forgiving on the turns than my 7'10 hipster twin when i get footwork wrong

the more i ride this board the more i like it.

the cons are that it digs the nose in on anything steep (very little nose rocker and wide profile), and it skips out of control on larger/faster waves. it also took a long time to get my balance dialled in and stance sorted, but that's due more to me kooking it than the board design...

all up i'm so stoked to have it as my small wave board - it makes mediocre surf enjoyable!

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stamp said...
i'm 5'10 and 77-ish kg. my naish raptor 95 (7'0 x 28) makes small, soft waves so much fun from knee to waist high. it snaps out turns like no other SUP i've ridden, and the quad setup keeps it loose. the flat rocker and wide nose and tail make takeoffs easy and lend it stability.

being short, foot placement is less critical than on bigger boards so it's far more forgiving on the turns than my 7'10 hipster twin when i get footwork wrong

the more i ride this board the more i like it.

the cons are that it digs the nose in on anything steep (very little nose rocker and wide profile), and it skips out of control on larger/faster waves. it also took a long time to get my balance dialled in and stance sorted, but that's due more to me kooking it than the board design...

all up i'm so stoked to have it as my small wave board - it makes mediocre surf enjoyable!

You really "stamp" the fact that stubbies have to be ridden short to avoid the footwork of the lenghy stubby boards making the single stance position works as a shortboard with its advantages during taking off and reentry.
And yes, it makes the small and mediocre surf very enjoyable.

Wow. Thanks for all the elaborate replies. I live on the Mediterranean Sea, so we've got plenty of small mediocre surf. Looks like the stubby could be heaps of fun here. tho, I haven't seen any in the water here. You guys reckon stubby's are popular your end of the world? (Not talking about beers here ;))

Pretty sure this was a clip from the Mediterranean? Gives an idea of the speed of the shape and RNB in

Never been a fan...maybe i dont know how to use them...(probably) had the starboard hypernut 8' , used the JP Australia stubby model for few months ...the board i love is the sunova speed but is it a stubby ? I think those boards are fun IF you use a short one comapre to your normal shredding board but what sense does a 9 or 9.5 stubby makes?

Has to be 7'5 or less IMO. Speeed is not a stubby shape. But the Shroom is i reckon

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colas said..
The idea of a "stubby" design is to:
- reduce the overall length and width of the board, to reduce swing weight and make the board nimbler in turns
- maximize the stability for a given length+width by spreading the volume on the larger area of a rectangular outline.(*)
- reduce the max paddling speed (drawback in faster/bigger waves), but thus lower the speed at which the planing starts (advantage in smaller/slower waves). In 4s period waves, a 7' will be in planing mode while a 9' will still be in displacement mode.
- have a more efficient planing shape, like a Simmons.

And people can size them in two very different ways:

- by increasing hugely the paddling stability by keeping roughly the overall dimensions they are used to. This is often what beginners do, or people having to go in nasty chop. But by going too big you get a cumbersome barge that will plow in chop.

- by reducing the dimensions while keeping the same stability. This is great for instance to try to reduce volume to get close to a 1:1 "guild ratio" (rider weight in kg / board volume in liters) for progression. Reducing dimensions reduces the weight and swing weight, and can become a killer weapon in small surf if you have the technique to generate speed (and it eases learning it). Plus it planes full in even slow waves. But as the waves get faster, it will plane too much and will tend to not hold the rail and skid all aver the place and spin out.

Basically I love my "Tomos/Stubbies" (Gong Fatal and One) for 7s period swells and less. But use more traditional shapes otherwise.

(*) Gong now provides the surface area of their boards and a volume+width distribution curve to help compare models. There are found as the last image in the set of pics of the boards.

E.g: Here is the one for the 105l Fatal 7'4" ("Stubby" shape):


Here is the one for the 105l Alley 7'8" (performance shape):

Hey Colas (and others) - would you consider the Infinity RNB as a stubby with similar optimum periods... or different type of board, thanks

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woodsup said..
Wow. Thanks for all the elaborate replies. I live on the Mediterranean Sea, so we've got plenty of small mediocre surf.

Then a stubby will be nice. I only moved to Hossegor 5 years ago, before this I surfed and SUPed in the Mediterranean Sea.

You can look at my vids, most of them are in crapy small surf, especially the one more than 5 years ago.
youtu.be/ cooolas/videos (remove the space)

However, I would recommend getting a design with a wide tail, but a semi-pointed nose, for paddling speed. Full square noses paddle like an anvil, they push water.

Some crappy summer wind chop in Hossegor.



Some typical Mediterranean waves where I lived (near Cannes). 4s period.



Some wind chop in Corsica, 4s period. Note the low board rocker for maximizing planing:



And it allows to surf alone. On this day, the crowds were huge. Just 50m from me, a better peak (twice as big) was packed with more than 30 surfers... but my little Simmons allowed me to have tons of fun ALONE on these mini-waves.

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Kisutch said..
Hey Colas (and others) - would you consider the Infinity RNB as a stubby with similar optimum periods... or different type of board, thanks

From the outside (I have never ridden it) the RNB seems much more like the Gong Karmen: A very good design that can do everything well in all conditions and all wave periods, perfect for a one-board quiver. It is not really a specialized board like a Tomo / Stubby / MPH / Simmons (I dont think Infinity has one in its production line, you may have to order a custom shape) or "full world cup performance" shape like the Infinity Blurr.

What period do you mean?

Thanks Colas! I meant wave period, cheers

Had a JP Slate a million years ago. Fun in junk. The first gen had points. Caught one in a hollow grinder. Smashed my face. Sold immediately. Second gen round nose..

Scott can make anything!

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woodsup said..
Wow. Thanks for all the elaborate replies. I live on the Mediterranean Sea, so we've got plenty of small mediocre surf. Looks like the stubby could be heaps of fun here. tho, I haven't seen any in the water here. You guys reckon stubby's are popular your end of the world? (Not talking about beers here ;))

I haven't seen any in the water here. You guys reckon stubby's are popular
Mate i have not seen any in the water in the 3 years i have had mine.

As an owner of the 2017 130l version i can answer your initial Qs, i am 6 3 and 94 kg and the first year i surfed it with the factory 3 fin setup. was always impressed on how it went in small to medium waves whether mush burgers or with clean wave faces. In the last year or so i have installed the large fcs 2 power twin fins in the front and the 2 factory 5s in the rear, this has made a huge positive difference. Surfed it in waist high to well overhead clean and mushy stuff , you can feel the hard rail and fins engage early in the drop and then it justs wants to boogey, the steeper the wave the better if your game, very fast as a quad and turns unreal. only negative is materials are a bit precious, rails chip easy

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ladfromsnowy said..
I haven't seen any in the water here.

I think it is because most people have only one board, and since they are a specialized design, Stubbies are not the best for a one board quiver, except for places with mostly slow period (<8s) waves. Plus as they are not used by sponsored riders in contests (pro riders can generate speed even on performance boards), people are reluctant to buy them.