Author Topic: PSH Hull Paddler  (Read 10613 times)

JillRide45

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PSH Hull Paddler
« on: February 29, 2012, 12:59:13 PM »
Looking for any comments on the PSH Hull Paddler (the hybrid not the ripper).  I just started SUP surfing and got a 9' Naish Mana.  Love the Mana and have been doing great on it.  However, the break I am surfing is slow and I would like to add a board that have more glide than the 9' mana.  Also as a beginner I love the long ride in that this break has so the 9' Mana is a chore to have to paddle back out every time.  Something a little more stable than the Mana would also be nice for the wind chop days.

I was thinking of picking up a second board in the 9'6" to 10' range, but maybe even a 10'6"..  The PSH Hull Paddler sparked my interest, 9'7" x 32".  I am trying to find some where that will let me demo one of these but so far no luck.  32" wide is a lot and 9'7" was not as long as I thought to go but do these boards really paddle better than a normal 9'7".  The waves are slow, sometimes not even breaking, and may have flat slow spots. 

Any help much appreciated.  I will keep the Mana to help me progress on turning and actual surfing but would like something for small days or not ideal conditions.

Cheers, Jill

upwinder

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2012, 01:36:15 PM »
A couple of threads on it from our Aussie site, all very favourable about the board but note that most of the posters are bigger guys and these posts are about the 10'2 and 10'10 boards (at the heavy end of the spectrum the choices are a tad limited) - as a fit lady you'll have a few more options for sure:

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/PSH-Hull-Paddlers/

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/psh-hull-aa-or-naish-mana/

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/PSH-10-2-x-33-Hull-Paddler/

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=11515.0

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/PSH-Hull-Paddler-close-up-with-GoPro/
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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2012, 01:54:37 PM »
I don't know where you're located but I know Blueline in Santa Barbara has the Hull Rippers for demo so they might have the paddlers also...

Dwight (DW)

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #3 on: February 29, 2012, 01:59:03 PM »
Jill,

It sounds like you must demo whatever you're thinking will solve your problems.

The key reason, a bigger board will be heavier and might cause you to miss more waves. My wife hates this. It's like trying to pull a truck. She catches more waves with a lighter board, even if shorter.

Another point, PSH boards are not known for speed outside Hawaii. They have lots of rocker and Vee in the bottoms. In a Hawaiian wave with power, yeah, they're fast.

I really don't think any of us can solve your problems. You're likely to go through lots of boards as your SUP "surfing" skills evolve. Just as you went through piles of boards on the racing side. Been there, done that, ourselves.

Beasho

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #4 on: February 29, 2012, 04:34:33 PM »
I have been about to pull the trigger on a Hull Ripper.  Around here everyone swears by them.  Makes me wonder why everyone hasn't been riding them.  I tried a 9'6" board and found that it paddled 'well' (PSH claims that they paddle 12" longer than they are, I wasn't too convince) buts its turning was grippy and surreal.  Like when you put a snowboard on an edge. The flip tip and rounded bottom also worked well in choppier conditions.

If you doubt their ability check out this sequence from Ocean Beach, San Fran.  The black and white board is a hull ripper, and the blue may/may not be but that guy's (Haley Fiske) goto board is usually a hull ripper.  The guy on the Black and White simply advised to "Sell everything" and buy a hull ripper.   Another mentor, who has owned just about every variant of PSH, has gone to an all Hull Ripper quiver.  He weighs 220 and he has: 3 @ 9'1", 1 @ 9'6" and 1 @ 9'11"  Now we are in Northern California but they also seem to like these boards in zippy shorebreak as well.

(Link may not work properly scroll --> Page #4):
http://norcalsurfphotos.smugmug.com/SurfPhotos2012/San-Francisco-1812/20951146_KWgLzb#!i=1664533556&k=dTnp9CS

AJR

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Re: Re: Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #5 on: February 29, 2012, 04:46:40 PM »
I have been about to pull the trigger on a Hull Ripper.  Around here everyone swears by them.  Makes me wonder why everyone hasn't been riding them.  I tried a 9'6" board and found that it paddled 'well' (PSH claims that they paddle 12" longer than they are, I wasn't too convince) buts its turning was grippy and surreal.  Like when you put a snowboard on an edge. The flip tip and rounded bottom also worked well in choppier conditions.

If you doubt their ability check out this sequence from Ocean Beach, San Fran.  The black and white board is a hull ripper, and the blue may/may not be but that guy's (Haley Fiske) goto board is usually a hull ripper.  The guy on the Black and White simply advised to "Sell everything" and buy a hull ripper.   Another mentor, who has owned just about every variant of PSH, has gone to an all Hull Ripper quiver.  He weighs 220 and he has: 3 @ 9'1", 1 @ 9'6" and 1 @ 9'11"  Now we are in Northern California but they also seem to like these boards in zippy shorebreak as well.


I've been tempted as well - a friend let me try his HR 9-1 pro and I liked it.  For me at 6-1 210 lbs it was a little too tippy but I was amazed at how it floated me.  I'm considering the 8-9 or the 9-2 (wide version for both).

supthecreek

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #6 on: February 29, 2012, 08:22:51 PM »
The Hull Rippers definitely lay down some sweet track.
What's not to love?

I want one...

Jim

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #7 on: March 01, 2012, 05:11:09 AM »
Looking for any comments on the PSH Hull Paddler (the hybrid not the ripper).  I just started SUP surfing and got a 9' Naish Mana.  Love the Mana and have been doing great on it.  However, the break I am surfing is slow and I would like to add a board that have more glide than the 9' mana.  Also as a beginner I love the long ride in that this break has so the 9' Mana is a chore to have to paddle back out every time.  Something a little more stable than the Mana would also be nice for the wind chop days.

I was thinking of picking up a second board in the 9'6" to 10' range, but maybe even a 10'6"..  The PSH Hull Paddler sparked my interest, 9'7" x 32".  I am trying to find some where that will let me demo one of these but so far no luck.  32" wide is a lot and 9'7" was not as long as I thought to go but do these boards really paddle better than a normal 9'7".  The waves are slow, sometimes not even breaking, and may have flat slow spots. 

Any help much appreciated.  I will keep the Mana to help me progress on turning and actual surfing but would like something for small days or not ideal conditions.

Cheers, Jill

Hi Jill,
I agree with you on the 9' Mana, I keep mine for faster beach breaks and use my Laird Pearson 10'6 on slower waves, perhaps you should be looking at a longboard style SUP with a flat-ish rocker, you'll have the option of learning to cross-step and noseride which will be a lot of fun, especially if you haven't tried it before.
The Laird has great glide and noserides really well and it's more stable than the Mana.
The weight is also good - 26lbs against 23lbs for the Mana - not bad for a 10'6 and lighter than the big Hull Paddlers I believe.
I forget your weight but you might want the Laird 10' instead of the 10'6, I have one on order now, Bob Pearson knows how to shape a good longboard SUP that's for sure, it's a really refined shape that just works unreal - see if you can demo one ;)

JillRide45

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #8 on: March 01, 2012, 07:54:08 AM »
Thanks for the comments.  I will definitely look into the 10' Laird. The Mana is a fantastic board and on my 3rd day out conditions were perfect for it.  I was having a blast learning to turn.  Just having a hard time finding smaller boards to demo.  I will keep trying.

Jill

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #9 on: March 01, 2012, 04:18:11 PM »
A board you might also want to have a look at would be the Surftech Channel Islands (Al Merrick) Caddie.

It is very stable, and my lighter friends love theirs for the nanowaves we often get round here (long, with flat spots etc just as you describe).

You can do just about anything on them, as the video of a UK surfer here, Chris Griffiths, shows:

http://youtu.be/WWEMZwsQDh8

The bonus is that they are surprisingly good paddlers, and for pushing through waves on the way out. And quite light to carry.

Comes in three sizes: 9-1, 9-7, 10-1.

The 9-7 is the one I've tried, and it's very surprisingly stable, easy to handle, and quick to paddle. The 10-1 must be rock solid, but I can't imagine a light person needing a board that big really, even in nanosurf.

If you can demo one, I think that might be time well spent. A board suitable for a very wide range of abilities so you won't grow out of it too quick.

No connection to Surftech.

Hope this helps.

SUPirate

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #10 on: March 01, 2012, 05:41:12 PM »
Jill,

I tried my friends 9-7 hull paddler and unless you are 6 feet and 230 lbs the board will be way too big for you, I tried it and I am 200 lbs and I thought it was way too much board for me.  Try look at the PSH wide rippers instead.

JonathanC

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #11 on: March 01, 2012, 05:54:12 PM »
Hi Jill, have to echo DW's comments here. I don't think a bigger board will really help you, you need time to get used to surfing to work it all out. Any extra width will IMO be a hindrance at your weight.

Even demoing at you level is tricky because it takes time to work a board out in the surf when you are learning.

You will get more speed and faster paddling back out with a narrower board not a wider one, I have a 10'3 x 28 Starboard Gun and I love it, just rips down the line, I know its not meant for mushy beach break but I love the speed.

I'd be looking around for something second hand that you can sell again and not lose too much money. Why don't you give the poor old Mana more time, seems like it is a great board for you at this stage.

Maybe you could try staying higher on the wave, a very common thing for people to do when they are learning is to zoom down the face of the wave and end up too far in front and lose all their speed. Then try to bottom turn too late and just lose all their momentum, stay in the steep section and do small turns on the face to start with. At your weight and experience it will be very hard to get the Mana onto the rail to turn back up the face with any real speed.

Enjoy the journey :)



JillRide45

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #12 on: March 01, 2012, 07:21:17 PM »
The Mana is not going anywhere!  When conditions are right it is the perfect board.  But there are days when the waves are slower I would like a longer board.  Living in the land of used SUPs on craigslist allows me to keep my eyes open for a nice used board. 
Cheers, Jill

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2012, 09:07:54 PM »
Hey Jill,
Good to see you and Larry out a few weeks ago at SanO. You looked like you were having a blast. Larry was hang'n in there too. As I was once greeted there by 'SoCal', "Welcome to the dark side"! It's not about winning races, it's about having a blast in the surf. SanO is a longboard break for the most part. 10' or 11' all arounder (nose rider) works great there. I think a hull paddler is for a little faster break. I love to walk the nose on some knee slappers, and that is a good percentage of the days at SanO. The Hull Paddler would be a good board to paddle a few miles down to 'Trails' and surf a faster, steeper wave. See you guys out there. The quiver grows. Tell Larry to take his OC-1 out at SanO, bet he'd have a blast with that.
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

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Re: PSH Hull Paddler
« Reply #14 on: March 02, 2012, 03:26:11 AM »
JonathanC etc have a point about time on the Mana. But as someone who lives right next to a break where fat, slow, but very long, nanowaves are the norm, and sometimes you are surfing on thin air, I can tell you that your belief is right that a board can make a substantial difference to your enjoyment, especially in the early stages.

For this reason, I also tend to surf gun shapes when its small, like JonathanC. I have a PSH 12 gun for when its tiny on outer banks and have a very long way to go, and also a Gong Crusader, which is good for mushy windy small stuff, and a Surftech Munoz 10-5 fun gun for when its small the rest of the time (like Candace is currently seen advertising in the Surftech 2012 online catalogue). If you get a semi-gun shape rather than a full gun (i.e. one that is fairly flat in the rocker, and pointy at both ends), they are fast paddlers and get into waves very well. Then the relatively low swing weight of the noses makes them surprisingly decent in small surf once you are on the wave.

BUT, I did not suggest a gun shape for you because necessarily they tend to be a bit narrow and tippy, and you said you wanted something more stable than the Mana. Some of them also tend to be a heavy construction for obvious reasons (I love the Munoz fun gun, but it feels like it must have a lead stringer!).

IF you go to a much bigger board, this presents its own problems unless you are also big and/or already have good skills. There is a lot of weight to move around, and a long rail length to control. Plus, when you are catching small fat waves, if the wind is offshore, a big longboard style nose will tend to catch the wind and keep you off the wave.

Just as big waves demand special skills and equipment, so do really marginal conditions.

IMO you have three ways to go:

1. The ideal board for the conditions you describe, if you are small and light and are starting out surfing, and want to try as many moves as possible would be : Not too long (say 10ft, maybe up to 10-6 if a gun shape), and not wider than 30" (which will make it slow and hard to paddle for a smaller person), but not less than 28.5" for stability and volume, with a fairly flat rocker, and quite pointy at the front end for paddling speed and paddling back out. A degree of volume in the tail is also helpful to be able to catch the wave, but you don't want so much if you are less than average size that you can't sink the rail at the back.

2. Or, you could just get some cheap secondhand huge longboard-shape board and have an absolute blast, walking the board and doing tricks, but accept that you are not going to be doing much except surfing straight with it. Then wait for bigger conditions for practicing more short-board style moves on your Mana. A female beginner friend of mine has a great time on a Gong NFA 12ft when it is small here, and rarely gets her hair wet.

3. Just surf your race board when it gets really small and fat. If you can learn to surf a race board well, you will find a surf SUP easy when it gets bigger.

A 9-0 board is always going to be hard in *really* small conditions, frankly, until you know what you are doing. Which can take a long time to achieve if you aren't catching any waves... some of the guys on this forum are probably so good, and have access to world-class conditions, that they have forgotten what it is like to be starting out and/or regularly surfing *really* marginal conditions that they would call completely flat. But for some of us, that is our daily reality, and you learn to adapt. When I go to Hawaii I prey for it to be tiny, because when everyone else is missing waves, I'm in my element, having waves to myself. Of course, when it gets bigger, I'm totally stuffed...


 


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