If you could only own one dedicated surf sup what would it be?

[aircube]

If you could only own "one" dedicated surf sup what would it be if you wanted to go out in all conditions; flat and crumbly to fast and hollow from
1-8ft?  What would it be...   Dimensions? Volume? Body weight?  Reasoning?

[supthecreek]

That's ALL you want to know? ... the single BEST board?
Great question

Warning:
IMO....there can't be a short answer that has full value...

I have ridden a LOT of boards, looking for just such an answer, including a fair number of the brandy new spring models.
I've ridden everything from a 7'11 Phoenix on up.

Me:
66 yrs x 5'11
220 lbs in boardies
245 lbs in wet rubber

If I had to just take 1 board... and it was the only board I could ride?

Easy:

My 2013 Hobie RAW 8'11 x 31 x 4.3     ~~~ 125 liters??
14 lbs.... it is extremely light weight
no paint to scratch, chip or look at... a couple of classy decals... does NOT look like a NASCAR promo op.

Having said that... I would have to move some place warm.... or lose 25 lbs.... cuz it's just too much work with a wetsuit on. (underwater)

The 66 yrs part plays into the equation... cuz if I was younger.... the volume would be fine.... it is fairly stable at neutral buoyancy... but I'm not.
Being larger and older... there is a delicate balance between stability and surfability... so it is VERY difficult to find a board that surfs well AND is doable.

Reasoning:

It's simply the best surfing SUP I have ever been on. Period.
It ALL size waves, mushy or perfect.

It catches waves VERY easily 
It turns better than any SUP I have been on.... by FAR
I don't have to accommodate SUP... I just surf.
It is, to date, the only SUP that I can put up on a rail... and it will always do what I want.
            Note:
this is not a problem for the "skinny kid surf team"... they can ride narrower boards, which simply do not have the same liabilities as wider boards

It accelerates out of turns with surprising speed.... and is very fast down the line.
It is effortless off the top
It has a pronounced concave under it's narrow little nose, that I feel , greatly adds to it's wave catching ability.
A nice side benifit? It noserides amazingly well for a performance SUP... on a nice inside section.... you can camp up there... one foot at a time
What can I say... I'm old school... I like to run around on everything

I have ridden 1 foot waves, that weren't even breaking....
2' waves that were clean....
well overhead waves with 20 mph offshores
The RAW excels in all situations.

My problem is... I live in New England.... and 3/4 of the year I gain 25 lbs of ugly black rubber.
I bought a 2014 -  9'4 x 32 (144 liter) Hobie RAW as my winter board... it did NOT surf the same as my 8'11.
All the 2014 models I have seen have wider noses, and NO concave (see picture).... so I can't vouch for them.
I have only seen a few 2014's.... so maybe there are different varieties.

My 8'10 Allwave was great (and easy) in all conditions....and all seasons... but I was ready to go to the next level.

My 2014 - 9'5 Naish Mana is a surprisingly capable board for a big board... but is stupid heavy at 28.5 lbs.... If it could lose 12 lbs... it would be close to a jack of all trades, that really does surf amazingly well in all conditions.... I am still surprised by this... far different from the 2013 Mana

Soon, I will be back on my RAW...with a GoPro... a video review will follow.

For now... still shots of my 8'11 RAW


HEY!!! you asked

[SlatchJim]

I don't have the breadth of experience or surfing refinement that Creek does, but I can see by the Hobie's shape that it would be a highly surfable board at his dimensions.  My lone SUP sports hammer (documented elsewhere)  fits fine at 9-5 x 33 x 4.6.  I'm a bit bigger at 6-1, 250# and I only go up a few pounds in mid winter long johns here in so Cal.  I might change things up a bit on my next ride, but that won't be for a while. Love the speed and stability of the hammer.

[Bean]

It seems that most surfers are always searching for new places and boards to ride. Couple that with the fact that our skills might be improving, an answer to this question today will probably be different in the not too distant future.  But, if I could have only one board (at my local beach break), it would have to be my Phoenix V2.  The increased acceleration is noticeable in our frequently occurring, near-closeout conditions.  BTW, the best "surfing" SUP I've yet to ride was a Jimmy Lewis, Stun Gun, but that wouldn't work as an everyday board for me. 

[supthecreek]

Bean... do you have a Stunn Gun...and what size?
That is on my short list to demo.

[Bean]

No STC, this was a board that I got to ride while on a trip to Maui last year.  It was an 8' 2" and impossible for me to stand up and paddle let alone surf.  But the peer pressure of the line-up was like a tractor beam pulling me into one of the best waves of the trip.  The ride was unreal, I felt like a kid on a short-board.  After the ride, I prone paddled the board back into the line-up and got my (rented) 9"10" 808 back; huge smiles.

[PonoBill]

Bill Foote 9.0 X 32

[nachoSUP]

naish houkua GT 9´5-140 liters

i´m 80kg, 35 years old, one and a half year SUS (before that board i had a Mistral 10´6/ 190 liters and then a ALLWAVE 9´6/170 liters)

The Naish is my new board and i had 5 session with it so far. From perfect, glassy 8 footers to choopy, mushy 3 foot.

Its seems to have the perfect balance between "stay stand up with ease and surfability"

Its ligth, its agile and fast and there is no problem at all in stability.

But, i have only ride 3 boards so far and i want some comfort (stand up with no problem)

[PDLSFR]

My 8'10 Allwave was great (and easy) in all conditions....and all seasons... but I was ready to go to the next level.

Creek, your 8'10 Allwave or should we say now My 8'10 Allwave was fantastic in some waist high yesterday...actually managed to mimic your fancy foot work and almost master crossing over walking up to the nose and back.....fun times !!!

If I could have just one board for surfing I'd take my 9'6 Focus Torpedo, handles everything well and takes everything I can toss at it (honestly I have yet to try Creeks Hobie Raw, so my dedicated board option could change). 

[mrbig]

Pat Rawson 9'4" RAW 1 custom. 9'4" long, 31'5 " wide, and 4.5 " thick, with a volume of 147 CV. I am 66 and weigh 160; the Rawson works to any size that I want and will work in tiny waves. I  surf year round in New England and my answer reflects a board that still works  in gnarly winter conditions!"

If I give up two feet in winter storm surf my answer is my Angulo 8'8" Surfa in carbon; it is 32" wide and 4" thick. Works unreal in all conditions except full on winter survival mode.

And the answer is - there is no answer; all answers are correct, however!!

[covesurfer]

Dave Peterson, DP 9'8" x29" glass. Swallow tail. Does it all. I don't - especially hollow waves - but the board does.

[Caribsurf]

+ 1 on the 8'11" Hobie RAW  I have ridden many other shorter SUPs and like many of them, but this board is different and performs and feels much more like a surfboard than a SUP

give one a try

[laszlo]

My 2014 - 9'5 Naish Mana is a surprisingly capable board for a big board... but is stupid heavy at 28.5 lbs.... If it could lose 12 lbs... it would be close to a jack of all trades, that really does surf amazingly well in all conditions.... I am still surprised by this... far different from the 2013 Mana

I'm wondering how much has the 2014 changed from the older Mana? Is it better, or just different? Those are pretty subjective definitions anyway. I own a 2011, in the bamboo construction, which I find reasonably light, and very versatile. I'm 66 years old, 6' and 180. It is my default board in SoCal these past two winters, and has worked in two foot swell to well overhead. A one board quiver would have to be an all arounder, by definition, which kind of rules out smaller, less floaty boards.

[kayadogg]

I'm wondering how much has the 2014 changed from the older Mana? Is it better, or just different? Those are pretty subjective definitions anyway. I own a 2011, in the bamboo construction, which I find reasonably light, and very versatile. I'm 66 years old, 6' and 180. It is my default board in SoCal these past two winters, and has worked in two foot swell to well overhead. A one board quiver would have to be an all arounder, by definition, which kind of rules out smaller, less floaty boards.

I was thinking about this too, laszlo.  One of my earlier SUS boards a few years ago was the 9'0 Mana.  At the time, it was a big step down and challenging - but doable.  I still think about that board from time to time and what a blast it was.  Since then my boards have varied quite a bit and gone down quite a bit in volume so of course I have boards that perform better on a wave and I have unlimited boards that will cover distance and flat water effortlessly.  That 2011 9'0 Mana I had could fit the bill at doing a little bit of everything pretty good.  I also had the bamboo version and it was one of the first runs with their ledge handle.  Not too heavy, easy to carry, and a great all around shape.  I really liked knowing that if I had that board with me, I could enjoy any kind of paddling, from flat water to surfing.  My boards are so specific for conditions and the type of paddling that sometimes I wish I only had 1 board again and would make it work based on what I was doing.

[supthecreek]

laszio & kaya

I had a new 2013 that had a warrantee issue, so I upgraded to a 2014, so I got to surf and paddle them a lot, back to back.
I was really happy with the 2013... but I liked the look of the changes.

Kaya.. as you know, I did not like the 2013 in overhead waves we shared that day... it was not an ideal board for those conditions. The updated shape LOVES those waves... absolutely a huge improvement, that I am comfortable on in most situations. Kaya... when you come East this summer.... you will like the updates to an already good board.

Since it is my only flat-water board, (6 miles today) I sadly have to report, that it is not as stable (in flat-water) as the 2013 model, it lacks glide & plows more than the old version..... but still ok.

My 2014  just happens to be freakishly heavy. Hopefully it means stronger
Full review of differences here:
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,23794.0.html