Hey Guys,

Im new to the forum so please gimmi any info that might be shared :)

I used to paddle a Amundson TRX 12'6'' Back in Canada for flat water all the time. Mainly Down winding and the occasional race.

Since moving here I have recently decided to get back to SUP and got my wife a ISUP molokai inflatable 10'2" and I am getting myself a used Starbord BOP 12'6''.

I was curious if anyone surfs with a 12'6 tour/race type board? if so How well does it perform?
I would assume this board will be better with it being a hard shell rail rather than the wifes inflatable 10'2'', But Anyone surf on a inflatable? how does it perform?

any advice helps and I am new to surfing as I have only surfed with a Playboat on a kayak before.
Cheers and thanks!

To answer you question - yes you can surf it, but nothing like a regular surf SUP. The 12'6" are usually used in BOP style races in the surf, and the 14's more for downwinding and racing in the flat water.

More detail: I've just come off a Fanatic Allwave 8'6" x 30 which I used on open beaches, to a 12'6" x 24 Starboard Allstar, as I no longer live on the coast so I'm paddling more in the flat water now.

I took it out a few weeks back, just for **s and g*gs, to some small 1ft river mouth waves up on the Sunny Coast - from a first perspective:

Pros:
Fast to paddle out
Fast coming back in on the wave
Very challenging - like learning how to SUP all over again

Cons:
It is not a surf SUP, you will not be shredding bottom turns.
Super unstable (obviously due to width)
Difficult to turn around - once you are side on to the waves and wind, things get tricky quickly
Deep break/long period/river mouth waves only - forget about trying to surf a shore break/shallow fast wave.

I'm running a race fin, so perhaps I need to find something shorter for the surf. The day I went was way too windy, so if you can pick a nice early morning with 0kts and some smaller/river mouth waves in deeper water, it can definitely be great fun.

Thanks for that! A lot of good info there and I will try it out!

Anyone got any advice on the Sup, I imagine it will maneuver a bit better than my starboard but Not sure how well a inflatable will do.