Board recommendation for a big fast wave?

[eastbound]

+1 re L41 durability--my s3 is near perfect after more than a year, as is my widepoint after several--my AW carbon is a complete beater, after 11 months only. i assumed the L41 would be the weakest of the bunch--wrong--it's been very tough

[PonoBill]

I'm hard on boards OUT of the water. Clumsy and bad shoulders--they give out a lot when I'm picking the board overhead. The L41 is easy to keep pristine because it tosses around like a shortboard. No long nose or tail to whack. I think I'm going of two years with mine without a repair. That's a record for me. My Foote 10'4" doesn't have any repairs either, in fact it hardly has a mark on it, but that's because it's bulletproof and has RSPRo on the rails. It's fast, but not as fast as the L41, which is just a little bullet--once it's in the wave. total dog otherwise, like paddling a manhole cover.

[eastbound]

similar sense here, pb--L41 is great in the wave, very fast down the line, but noticeably more challenging to paddle in and around--and i, too, have rsp on it--i really enjoy this board on nice smoother days--the relative paddling challenge makes it my second choice when im in 15+ lbs of rubber, and if it's windy/sloppy

i have rsp on my AW ltd carbon and the rail under it is perfect, and the uncovered part of the rail is a disgrace--completely chipped from the end of the rsp to the nose, all in many spots on the nose--and it dings easily, too--paddle whacks that might slightly dent my other boards chip the paint, if any had remained on it in the first place, and tend to crunch/powder the carbon layer--i was going to ignore, but when beginning repair of an serious ding (a paddle whack that left a straight line 4 inch crack--wouldnt have even been a problem on my other boards), i sucked on some of the crunched spots--well, they were all leaky, so i had to cut them out and repair 3 add'l dings--lame--disappointing--i hope fanatic has improved their carbon skin, and reformulated their paint---clearly something was wrong with the 2015 in the bond btwn the paint and the carbon skin-and the carbon skin has proven weak also-and the damned thing came in at appx 21lbs with stock fins no leash--very heavy for a carbon board, and only a couple pounds lighter than the aw hrs which ias much cheaper and more durable--bummer pricey board that ill not be able to sell, it looks like such crap now--saving grace is i love the ride, and it's a great winter board for me at my suize--but wow has the construction been a total disappointment

oh and i had to peel of a bit of rsp to access a ding--the paint barely resisted--all the paint under the rail tape pulled right off, as did a bunch that extended beyond what had been under the tape--left a jagged mess of chipped paint--i have pulled back rsp on all my other board, same as with the aw, with a touch of warmth from my heat gun, and there were no paint issues--the 2015 is paint is crap--whatever, ill be done with repairs in time for the weekend. sunday in these parts should proved nice waves for spots that can handle a bit of west in the wind

[wrybread]

I've had similar experiences with the rails on my 10.6x30 Naish. The shell itself holds up alright to chipping (it chips but doesn't seem to be a biggie), but it has artwork stickered on the rails! What genius thought that was a good idea? Even the best paddler knocks their rails from time to time, so its absolutely guaranteed to look beat up after just a few sessions. I tried putting rail tape over it, but once that started peeling I stupidly pulled the rest off and it pulled off not only the stupid artwork but also chunks of gell coat or whatever its called on a SUP.

Crazy.

And don't get me started on the Pau Hana boards. When I first started SUPing I borrowed a friend's pristine Pau Hana "Noserider" to see if I wanted to buy it. I think she'd been on the thing only once, and probably mostly knee paddling. It had logo design on the rails too, and being a newbie at the time of course I bumped it a few times, and then the board didn't look so pristine anymore. And the ridiculous laser cut deck pad peeled too, so I was forced to buy the stupid thing even though I could tell even as a SUP newbie that this thing wasn't actually meant for waves. That board almost turned me off to SUPing, since I thought all SUPs sucked that badly. And she got me good on that one, $1000 for that piece of crap. In her eyes I'd broken it, so I was buying it, nevermind that I completely babied the thing. Oh well, its good to keep around for people with no SUP experience, and I have fantasies of taking it out salmon fishing sometime.

Behold the ridiculous deck padding and logo placement of the Pau Hana boards:

https://cdn-img-1.wanelo.com/p/583/3d0/b91/c487ed1c7c22105c6f03b33/x354-q80.jpg

A monument to stupidity and the tendency of some board manufacturers to make their boards only to look nice on the rack.

Interestingly my older Naish (the sadly discontinued 10.6x28) didn't have anything stickered on the rails, and it has a couple of little chips on the rails but its much less prominent when there's not artwork getting ruined.

Anyway, I'm curious about the L41, though it sounds like a vaguely similar board to the Jimmy Lewis Stun Gun, which I didn't like. The board itself is obviously great but its not really appropriate for where I surf, where I have to paddle a good 1/2 mile to get outside on some days, and I'm spoiled and love to get in nice and early. Love the description that its like paddling a manhole cover, I know exactly what you mean.

[eastbound]

L41 is custom and kirk is attentive--least that was my exp a year ago

[SUP Sports ®]

... I'm a little worried about going the custom route just since surf season is already half over, and with the usual delay or two I wouldn't have it until its too late.

While that may be true for some SUP companies that can build custom boards from what some people are saying...it certainly isn't true for my company...;-)

We have a board going to Tony on the Oregon Coast...11 days from the time he ordered and I started working on the CAD file...
In fact, we have powered boards out in 1 week if the planets align...it's shocked a couple of clients because they were still getting their funds together...;-)

http://blog.surfingsports.com/2016/01/california-usa-built-sups.html

We keep lots of CNC cut EPS foam blanks in stock...if the board order is close to one of those then you can save a week or two at the longest waiting for the close tolerance machine cut to get delivered...our vacuum bagged wood veneer boards glassed with a clear cloth material similar to Kevlar and Powerline stringers, take more time...but, still we are kicking these out within 3-4 weeks if we have a blank that's close...and, there isn't a stronger build out there that I have seen in my 11 years of selling SUPs...

http://supsports.com/standup-paddle-boards/california-custom-series

We have a couple of those going through right now on record pace...just came out of the vac bags yesterday after having the wood veneers applied for Mike on the Oregon Coast and a local guy, Brian, back for another custom...in fact, we have lots of repeat clients for our custom boards...as well as our production boards...

http://supsports.com/customer-testimonials

[wrybread]

Frickin awesome Wardog. I'm borrowing a friend's JL Qwad this weekend, if I can secure a loan for a couple of weeks I'll be giving you a call.

[surfafrica]

Anyway, I'm curious about the L41, though it sounds like a vaguely similar board to the Jimmy Lewis Stun Gun, which I didn't like. The board itself is obviously great but its not really appropriate for where I surf, where I have to paddle a good 1/2 mile to get outside on some days, and I'm spoiled and love to get in nice and early. Love the description that its like paddling a manhole cover, I know exactly what you mean.

A lot of the talk is about Kirk's SIMS shape.  He'd talk with you about your needs and would shape a board to fit them (he also makes longboards, guns, shortboards, etc).  My L41 is the most solid custom board I've ever owned (SUP or surf). I'm pretty sure Stretch does his glassing.  Put on carbon rails and a carbon deck patch and it will be rock solid.

A few of my friends ride SUPsports WD/Stokes.  My buddies' boards are too big for my 145 lbs frame, but I really like the shape and rocker on them. One is over 220 lbs and uses the 9'6 x 32".  He loves it. Get the right length/width/volume and one of those could be a good option to consider too (from what I understand what you are looking for).  I've tried three different constructions and some were definitely better than others (cough....go cali built...cough).

[clay]

I hear reluctance, I'd  sure be hesitant to pull the trigger after breaking 3 boards.  Choosing a SUP is challenging and I empathize with your dilemma and sincerely hope you find a great board.

I can recommend carbon rails, I already gave my new Stretch a few good paddle whacks and not a scratch, definitely a great upgrade.

SUP seems so relatively new and unknown to me that I was very reluctant to get a custom, especially since the resale of sups in norcal is so slow.   Then I had an experience that convinced me that a custom SUP is the best for me.  I demoed a production 8'4" simsup and although I loved the light weight I flailed around for 2 hours and didn't catch a single wave.  So I asked Kirk and he recommended I try the 8'8".  I didn't think 4" would make much difference, and I was wrong as I was very stable on that board and had a really fun session.  But the tail seemed so wide and the board a bit clunky so I was hesitant and waited for a used one, fortunately I found a used custom that is 5 litres smaller and the same shape.  Wow!  Huge difference from the production version, the custom feels so alive and responsive.  First SUP session I had that I thought wow I want to try this in the winter.

I wish I had gone custom sooner I'm  sure I would have made the transition from prone to full time SUP a lot sooner if I had the custom boards I have now.

I hope this helps.

[wrybread]

Thanks all, this has been a great thread. I was in a rush to have something for this swell so I picked up the jl hanalei. Had a nice warmup session two days ago before the main swell got here (but still some fun ones, buoys 10@12) and promptly got one of my best rides of the year. Rides a lot like my nalu but a good notch faster so I kept making sections that I thought were going to be road blocks. And gets in almost criminally easy. Two stoke takeoffs.

Then yesterday I was out in probably the biggest waves I've ever been on, buoy pushing 15 @ 22. Some amazing forerunners to the giant swell. It's a weird swell, very very clean but weirdly slow breaking and soft. Almost like an open ocean swell, and so big that it's crumbling waaaay outside. Very challenging to get into. Of the 6 takers (all prone but me and my friend) most got skunked but we managed a couple. I got my one and done set wave and called it a day.

My other friend broke his board on the paddle out (a Sic "carbon" that upon examination had hilariously little carbon), and I got caught by a few that probably would have broken my nalu again, but my jl is still in one piece and looking beautiful. It's going to take me a little while to get used to its battleship-ness, but that (with smaller fins) plus a smaller  and more playful board for smaller days should make a great quiver. Wardog, we'll be talking.

And a shout out for Stay Covered leashes. I got the 10' heavy leash and it took a beating and didn't snap.

[Beasho]

Then yesterday I was out in probably the biggest waves I've ever been on, buoy pushing 15 @ 22.

OK That's big. 

Great stuff glad you were getting it.  Maybe again today 17 @ 18 feet +?

At this point it gets serious and I am going to emphasize You're crazy unless you:

1) Switch to a Waist Leash
2) Use an 18+ foot leash
3) Wear at least one form of flotation - An O'Neill Gooru under your wetsuit for example

The other day I was out at Mavericks.  I counted 9 out of 10 guys with float.  The lineup now give guys grief if THEY ARE NOT WEARING FLOAT. 

Most use CO2 driven float but think of Garrett MacNamara trying to engage his flotation with a disconnected arm.  FLOAT SHOULD BE ALWAYS ON.

I got pummeled recently after catching a wave, riding and then having it close out at full speed.  This was a big wave, not Mavericks, that my TRACE recorded at 32.7 mph.  Crashing at speed is one of the worst situations because you travel underwater further, and for longer.  I was fine after the first wave.  Then the second wave hit.  I dove under, was dragged and came back up pretty whipped.  Then the 3rd wave hit, I was dragged, running low and came up cooked.  Then the 4th wave hit.  I was beyond cooked, taken down and all I could do go fetal and chill letting my leash pull backwards and me up like a fishing lure confident that my float would bring me to the surface.  Fortunately the beatings ended at 4 and I paddled to safety.  I almost called it a day, you know when your vision turns a little foggy and it feels like the saltwater foam has saturated 1/2" into your skin.  I paddled back out and caught a few more but without float I would have been finished, or worse.   

[wrybread]

Oof yeah I know that foggy vision that you're talking about after a good beating.

And ditto on the floatation, everyone here wears it and helmets (well, most do) when it gets to size. I've been experimenting with wearing  my 7 mil dive suit and it's 7 mil hood vest. That's suuuper buoyant and comparable to a pfd. Really nice to cork up after a beating. Takes some getting used to get under the wave but it's doable. I started the dive suit method when we had that freezing weather with the icy NE winds a few weeks ago, and it was great for that, but it sucked yesterday. I had to go swimming to cool off. And I had so much adrenaline that my arms were getting tired and shaky and the decreased mobility of the thick suit wasn't helping. Next time, traditional pfd.

Interesting about the waist leash, I'll look into that. Got a brand recommendation?

And yeah on giant swell today but I dont think we're going to get a wind window. Tomorrow though is looking promising. I love MLK swells!

[wrybread]

While we're on the subject, add this to the list of safety gear on big days: a whistle. Hell it's a good idea on any sized day. If you're hurt on the inside it might be awhile before someone notices unless you can signal.

I've tried a few of the small whistles and these are by far the loudest I've found:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0011E93XE?vs=1

[Tom]

An O'Neill Gooru under your wetsuit for example

Do you have a special wetsuit made for that?

I know it would be better under the wet suit but Can it be worn on the outside?

[Tom]

fyi

Totos Santos big wave tour is live rite now (9:30 Sun)

http://www.worldsurfleague.com/events/2015/mbwt/1340/todos-santos-challenge/live