Hey. Im brand new to stand up paddle boarding and was after some opinions on the best boards. I'm looking for a flatwater board to begin, possibly to paddle on the ocean on very small dsys as I live by the beach.

I'm 5"7, female and 68kg.

Thank you.

I recon a board 10 ft to 10ft 6inches and between 31-33 inches wide would be a good place to start, others may suggest a 9 ft 5inch which could be good but stay above 31 inches so it's a nice stable board. I personally like the Naish boards but the JP, Fanatic, Sunova, NSP boards are really nice but are premium dollars although I nearly bought a NSP Cocomat board which is strong and light but I liked the look of my Naish Mana better. Depends which state you are in too as Qld and WA have a lot more brands available I think.

At your size, I think you can go smaller and narrower than 10x31. Narrower is faster and 10ft can be unwieldy. Why not a 9x30 or 29.5?

Starboard Converse 9ft 30 wide. I have the inflatable version and an very happy. Male 64kg

Where will you store ?
How will you transport ?
How much weight are you willing to carry ?

If you go less than 10ft I would probably want less rocker so that the board tracks better.

All good points but I was in a charity paddle on my 10 ft Mana and ladies in the 60kg range were on 10'6 boards passing me withou any trouble on flat water, why go small if you are not surfing much?

Hi Kate

This may absolutely not apply to you, but simply what I have witnessed over years of paddling with women and listening to them.
The constant complaint of casual paddlers, was the weight and/or size of the board.
Most had been "sold" a 12'6 raceboard.... so they could go fast, because that's what the guy in the store likes.

Most women I meet don't give a hoot about going fast..... they just wanted to paddle with friends or simply enjoy nature.

In any wind at all, the longer boards were difficult, to impossible, to load on the roof of their car without help.

The weight of cheaper boards 10'6 All-arounders was also very difficult and unwieldy.

Whenever they picked up my boards they freaked out and said "I want one like that!"
What did I paddle? 8'10 to 9'5 Surf SUPs, because that was all I had. (8'10 Fanatic Allwave, 9'5 Naish Mana)
I weigh in at 100 kg+.......
My average trip is 10K... even in winter, snow and wind

I don't care about racing down the middle.
Its the edges, and estuaries that I like to explore.
Smaller boards excel at navigating creeks and tidal marshes.

I now have longboard SUPs that I paddle, but nothing over 10'6 and they are very light.

I have finally found, what I really believe to be a fantastic board for women who want paddling to be easy and fun.
It is the 1st board I have seen that meets all of the "wishes" I have heard.

The 9'5 Sunova Surf.
10.4 kg (23 lbs)
32" wide, 160 liters... big enough for the dog or kid
Small and light enough to throw inside the car and easy to manage onto the roof racks.
It paddles very well, even at my size.

And, when you are ready.....it surfs amazingly well.

In the ECO build (Shown) it is very affordable for the weight class.

Here are some pictures, because I believe they help. They show some of my favorite "flat-water" boards, doing everything.

Supthecreek out of the boards above does sunova have the least rocker ?

Hey Kate
my wife is about your size a little smaller maybe. We got her a 9'6" x 31' wide. We went smaller for exactly the reason Supthecreek said, to make the board more manageable for her so when we are taking 2 or 3 boards down to the water she can take it. Or she can go on her own as she has done.

she has the female version of the Fanatic Allround, paddles well, stable but some rocker so good in chop or small waves. A word of warning we have gone from zero to 3 boards in 2 months, it is a little addictive ;) Enjoy.

X2 for Whassup - 12 months months ago my wife - similar size to you - tried a 10'2 x 32 NSP. It weighed a ton and she hated lumping it up and down the beach. We got her a 9'5 Naish Mana and she loves it. She had never surfed before and loves getting out in little waves riding all the way to the beach hooting her head off. Like Creek says smaller boards are fine for exploring and cruising in flat water.

Kind of agree with STC......at your weight you don't want some thick fat "all round" board.......you could go for a 10 foot or 10'6 longboard sup with thinner rails and a more refined shape that will also be a fun paddle on flat water.
Don't know why he isn't recommending the sunova style though. And there are the Laird Hamilton ones of a similar volume and styling also but maybe they have quality issues?

Gboots,
the Mana and Allwaves have a good amount of "rolled up" tail rocker, that I always felt made them easy to "rock & roll" on a soft shoulder. They made turning easy and fun when there was not much juice.

The RAW had rocker numbers at the tail, but it came from further forward.... the tail angled up from the rocker point and ran rather straight to the tail. The board was easy to throw around because it was light and fast, but I noticed the flatness when I swapped boards with the current owner... I used to love the RAW, but wanted back on my Speeed after a few waves.

The 9'5 SURF has a very simple rocker, not rolled up, but not flat as in the RAW.
I was skeptical as I paddled out the fist time on it.... basically just trying to see if it surfed at all.
My first wave shocked the hell out of me... is was buttery smooth through turns and rather light on it's feet for a 9'5 x 32 at 160 L....
I am now a huge fan of this board. It will fit the bill for many people.

Grizzie..... a few reasons for not mentioning the Style

#1 - I have never seen one, much less ridden one, so I have no experience to draw from.

#2 - The 9'5 Surf has beefier rails, full nose & tail and a very simple flat bottom contour.

#3 - Strictly as a numbers game, the 9'5 Surf has more float than even the 10'6 Style XL, so it will allow for kids and dogs, without the thin foiled rail, and less length fits inside a lot of cars.

STC have you tried the 10'2 Sunova Surf. I would be interested to compare it to the Mana 10 - both surf and flat water- their stats are quite similar. Cheers Charlie

Charlie, I have not.... but I like the 10'2 numbers for folks that want a bit more stability.

I have always been a big fan of the Mana's, having owned 3 of them.

I am looking forward to trying the 10'2, as I think it would be a very relaxing small wave cruiser and super stable flat-water board, without being too long.... and I am sold on their ECO build. It is superior to the Mana's I have had.

My experience with both builds, will put the Surf more durable and considerably lighter than the Mana GS... and probably lighter than the GT.... and lighter on the wallet as well. (my 9'5 SURF is 2.5 kg's lighter than my last 9'5 mana at identical dims and liters)

I'm 5'7", 66kg, my first sup is a JP Allround 10'x29", I love it, it's easy to get on and off the car by myself and good for cruising about, light waves.

Thanks STC; stability is important to me I'm around your weight over 60 and due for a knee replacement sometime in the next few years. Much as I would love a more performance oriented board I would just be kidding myself! I hobble around for a day after a good surf as it is

Just came back from a flat water paddle on my inflatable 9 foot starboard converse. I have used this about 20 times this summer . Basically was a beginner in December. I still find it a challenge to just stay dry on flat water . I have tried sifting a few times on 1 footers a and that's about it. Otherwise just flatwater. Being challenged definitely has its positives. It makes it harder work in the short bord but still have a lot of fun . A bigger board in flat water could be boring after a while . This board I have is 170L and can get a bit corky when wind starts blowing so it's a real effort to stay on. The best thing about it is that it's easy to carry , light and fits in the car. I pretty much leave it inflated.
That said in the next 12 months I would like to get a non inflatable. It would be less than 9 foot 5 so that I can fit in car and garage . Being easy to carry in and out of car is a huge incentive. It's too easy . Although I live to try a longer touring board the practicalities use it out. It's too hard to manage outside of the water .
Big advantages allround in having a shorter board so long as the rocker isn't to full on.
Also if you are shorter I thing you need to think about width otherwise your arc makes it hard to paddle straight . I am currently at 30 wide. Would not want to go wider than 31 unless the board had parallel style rails to help with tracking.
Love this sport . You know you are addicted when your clock says 8:11 and you think it's a minute away from being 9 o clock.

Thank you every one for your replies - I really appreciate your time.

I agree with the points about weight - I have been a little worried about what weight will be manageable for me as I plan on loading it onto my car. I just wasn't sure what size I could get away with for flat water paddling, so this has all been very helpful. Also, I saw some boards that had "surf" in the name and was worried that I wouldn't be able to paddle them well on the flat water, so that was all also very helpful information.

What do you guys think about this one?


The Naish Alana 9'5"
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/StandUpPaddle-Surfing-and-Cruising-Boards/~v9orv/2015-Naish-Alana-9-5-32-inches.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pWhjfFr!0$S5w==



here are a couple of others I have looked at:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/StandUpPaddle-Surfing-and-Cruising-Boards/~v9q8-/2012-Starboard-Element-9-8-30-inches.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pWhjfFr!0$S5w==


www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/StandUpPaddle-Surfing-and-Cruising-Boards/~vr6ve/Fanatic-Fly-10-0-30-inches.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pWhjfFr!0$S5w==

Do you know about the Naish Hokua?

I'm from NSW and this one is for sale:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/StandUpPaddle-Surfing-and-Cruising-Boards/~tgv1l/2013-Naish-Hookipa-9-0.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pWhjfFr!0$S5w==

Alternatively I am looking at the Mana
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/StandUpPaddle-Surfing-and-Cruising-Boards/~vri6f/2014-Naish-Mana-Gt-Wood-9-5-32-inches.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pWhjfFr!0$S5w==

But I really like the look of the Alana
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/StandUpPaddle-Surfing-and-Cruising-Boards/~v9orv/2015-Naish-Alana-9-5-32-inches.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pWhjfFr!0$S5w==

Which one do you think would be best for me? Also, I live with my niece, who is 3 and about 13kg, would I be able to sit her on any of those boards with me (when I am better at paddling), or are all these ones a bit too small for that?

Select to expand quote

kate92 said..
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281948278483&alt=web

And looking at this one as its currently at $650

Hi Kate

These Hokua boards are surf shapes and would be too difficult to start with if you have no experience.
They would be quite tippy and not suited to put your niece on.
Stick with something about 30"-32" wide, 9'6"-10'6" in length and about 160Lt
Too big and they get heavy and difficult to get on and off cars and hard to manoeuvre when its windy.
The Alana or Mana would be ideal (Happy to be corrected but I think they are the same board in the 9'5" just different construction)
The Fanatic Fly would be the most stable but probably the heaviest.

Hi Kate,
I agree with Flying High above (actually all the advice here sounds good). Definitely the Hokua would be difficult due to its narrow width.

For my money, I would go with the Alana and (once you get your sea legs) you will be fine with your niece on board. My partner is your size, only paddles from time to time and she often takes one of the girls on front with her no problem. I have just bought her an Atlantis Runway which is less than 1k (new) and weighs around 11kg.

She has paddled my 10'4x29 and 9'6x29 and has had no trouble but she prefers the longer board as it tends to track straighter when paddling.... (shorter boards do tend to swing from side to side a bit more till you get your paddling technique sussed)

The starboard would probably be a bit lighter but it is more expensive.

Whatever you choose... you will have a blast!

Paul

Kate,
I see you are in Stanwell Park..... I am in Shell Cove and you are welcome to come and try any of my boards....

Lake Illawarra or Little Lake Warilla are great spots to start.

Hi Kate.
As stated above, the 9'5 Alana and the 9'5 Mana you linked to are the exact same shape, but with different colors.
BUT.... the Mana GT (wood deck) would be lighter by 1 to 2 kgs.
I say spend the extra on the GT.... a very good choice!

Note.... if you find a 10'6 Alana or Nalu.... it is narrower and less stable.

And about the Hokua , a good board once you are ready to rip in the surf, but not nearly as stable or as good of a paddler.

I'm thinking I'll get the Alana 9"5' as its 1200 and i can't afford the extra 600 for the mana GT. I'll also need a paddle. I dont want to spend over 150 for a paddle to begin so will look for a decond hand one. Any suggestions?

re my post above, does anybody know anything about the naish heli semi carbon paddle. The guy selling the Naish board is selling it for $189

re re my posts above (sorrrrrry!!!!)

I can get the Naish Alana 9'5", a naish heli semi carbon paddle, and an ion cover delivered for $1608.

Thoughts? I feel like it sounds good, but let's be honest, I'm clueless!

Sounds like a good deal to me.

Kate the Naish sounds like a great board and the price seems pretty fair.

I was literally about to transfer the money and the bloke sold it to somebody else :(

Hi Kate. My wife and I just bought our boards after a lot of saving and researching and looking.
I would highly recommend the naish Alana, light and one beautiful board.
I will try and send a photo of my wife's.