The Whopper Tastes Good!

[paddledaddy]

I am very happy with the Starboard Whopper in Classic AST that I purchased from Jim K. at Extreme Windsurfing.  If you are not familiar with this board it is 10' x 34" wide and a relatively thin 10.5 cm. The total volume is 168L. After owning 5 other SUPS with more traditional dimensions, the first thing I noticed just looking at the board is that 34" seems very wide; however I think it looks right to people without preconcieved ideas about SUP. In fact I have had more people ask me about this board while it is on top of the car than any other board I have owned. I can put the Naish Glide on the car and very few people say anything. I think it is so long (actually it's the same length as my Mini) that they think it's an old windsurfer or some wierd kayak design, but every time I put the Whopper on top of the car someone says: "Hey is that a Standup Paddleboard?" It just looks like they would expect one to look like.

Once you get over how wide it is you notice the foil and rocker are very surfy and there is nothing not to like here. Alot of nose rocker for easy wave entry and nothing else fancy. The bottow is completely flat and the outline with the squashed pintail is just like a pumpkin seed. Not unlike some egg surfboards out there. The fin setup is 2+1 and I really like the shape of the 6"+ center fin although the FCS side bites it came with are of the lowest quality and probably will get replaced by most people.

On the water the board is incredibly stable and the 168 L volume seems perfect for my 215 lbs. No part of the baord seems to be dragging in the water at any time, but it's not too flaoty either, just right. The board is easily managed under paddle with some yaw (wanting to change direction every second or third stroke) but it took no time to learn to lean the board to the same side I was paddling on to get an extra couple of strokes before switching sides usually about 5 on one side. The speed under paddle is not fast, but the classic AST version is very light so it does accelerate under paddle pressure, it jsut doesn't keep gliding. It's just fine for surfing a beach break where yo do not plan to travel down the coast and back, just surfing in one main spot. Still, it is way more maneuverable than a surfboard and you will have no trouble traveling where you want to avoid other surfers.The lack of glide is okay with me,  I've had two other boards that lacked glide and they didn't catch waves or surf nearly as well as this one. This first time in the water, I was in the bay close to my house and I actually caught the less than ankle high wind swell pushing on to the shore. This thing will catch anything! Next I took it out in the sloppiest stomach high wind chop, shore pound, I have ever considered paddling into. This thing paddled right out through the slop, turned on a dime and caught the first ill formed peak headed generally toward shore. Now here is where it gets really different. This board moves slower on plane than most. That may sound like a detriment but by moving more slowly it actually seems to give me more time to react to the wave and make adjustments keeping me in the pocket more easily than other boards I have used. It's kind of a superhero slow mo deal where everything is just easier for me. I have not had the board in ideal conditions yet, we have had one heck of a long wave slump here but I can come back and report more later.

A few other thoughts: I must admit this thing is so wide and stable it seems like cheating, but if it gets someone (particularly bigger guys over 200lbs) into a shorter board soner or lets you go out into conditions you might otherwise skip than its really worth doing. We have alot of windblown sloppy days on the west coast of Florida and very few ground-swell days with decent form to the waves. So this board will get alot of use on days I might not have bothered to go out.

Also, you may have to deal with the thought that your friends on the beach will not think you are cool with this very wide form under your arm. The comparison to dating a fat girl can not be ignored. But when everyone sees you tearing it up in conditions that would have made you flail like a kook, you will begin to see your Whopper for the great gal that she really is. She will make you look good!

Finally, I really like the Classic AST which has no pad. Instead it has some sort of stickier when wet thin clear ruberized coating on the deck. It is not as grippy as a pad, but it is grippy enogh - pretty close to wax, and with my Vibram five-fingers sticky shoes on, it works great with no mess. Best of all, it's light and it has that close to the board feel that a pad does not offer. If it doesn't hold up or maintain its grippy feel I can always add a pad later on. I wish the Classic AST came with the mast foot attachment screw, because the Whopper would probably make a great sail board but that is available in some other versions.

So to some it all up. The Whopper definitely has a place in my quiver. Right now that's just the Naish Glide and the Whopper, but I can't imagine letting go of this board, even if I had a whole bunch of higher performance boards to go with it. It's not an all around board, but its ideal for sloppy beach breaks. I think it would still be nice to have another more versatile all around surf SUP to go with it, but for what I do, the Whopper is awesome.

Incidentally, I did not post a review of my new Naish Glide, just added some comments to a post asking about it,  but that board is turning out to be a nice do everything board that surfs small waves much better than I expected, and it makes a great board for exploring, and playing with the kids. I have not got it all set up for fishing yet but that is my plan.

[Southbay]

Another board that goes wide and thin is the Amundson Aquaglide.  My friend has this board and I was cracking up when I first saw it, but it surfs really well, and is super light.  I think the 11 fter is a "superlight" at 22lbs.

http://www.bigwinds.com/sup/category/69/product/464

I'll try and take a few pictures of it.

[ColdCerveza]

PaddleDaddy:  I have noticed the same thing....

some yaw (wanting to change direction every second or third stroke) but it took no time to learn to lean the board to the same side I was paddling on to get an extra couple of strokes before switching sides usually about 5 on one side. The speed under paddle is not fast, but the classic AST version is very light so it does accelerate under paddle pressure, it jsut doesn't keep gliding. It's just fine for surfing a beach break where yo do not plan to travel down the coast and back, just surfing in one main spot.

... however, being my first SUP board, i cannot compare it to others.  I have a deckpad version on the way so that may add a bit more weight ... which may translate to better glide... which may be wishful thinking.

Would tweeking the fin setup help with the yaw?  I'm wondering if a larger center fin, place at the front/back of the fin box, would help.  What do you think?