New to SUP and looking for help on first board.

[clinto]

Hello from N. FL. I am looking into a board and really want to make the right choice. I have some buddies that SUP alot and have got some good advice from them on size and shape but it seems like everyone is partial to whatever brand they ride or what their stores carry. To start, i am 6'4" 230lbs. I am in decent shape and have been surfing single fin longboards my whole life of 34 years. I have good balance and do workouts on my indoboard frequently. I have not however been on an SUP before. I am going this weekend with a friend for a lesson on flatwater with a few board options to try. I do want something that can be good in flat water with my 2 yr old and also work in N FL surf. I have 5 that i am considering. i can try the Bote, starboard and riviera, but not the surftech or naish.

-Bote Flood 12'. This board has good float and is set up for fishing/ surfing. I am concerned about its durability though.
https://www.boteboard.com/paddle-boards/2015-flood-12-chainmail-pro/

-Naish Nalu 11'6". I have read good things but it may be too narrow for me even though it has 231L volume.
http://www.the-house.com/nanalus11614zz-naish-paddleboards.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjwz-i3BRDtn53Z5Z7t4PUBEiQA23q2AJVyaOj-dAnkF2dj7WstLLaYmwi_tccAm-EzkAGLBBgaAi1B8P8HAQ

-Starboard 11'2" avanti. Its 36" wide at 230L volume with a ton of float but may be too wide to surf.
https://gainesville.craigslist.org/sgd/5468856224.html

-Surftech Generator 11'6". Has 188L volume and 31.5" wide.
http://www.surftech.com/sup/surftech-generator-coretech

-Riviera 11'6" original at 210 L volume.
http://www.rivierapaddlesurf.com/collections/sup-all-around/products/116-riviera-original

Any guidance would be appreciated. I am really looking forward to getting into Sup this summer.

[JimK]

Welcome to the ZONE lots of great info here

I'm a big guy mostly SUP surf but do it all out of nessity to get in the water
Of the ones you mentioned BY FAR the best board is the

SB Avanti it will do it all and performs remarkably well in the waves to. They aren't cheap but they are made pretty well

Since you are in Florida I'd like you to consider (since they are in Fla too) The Fanatic Fly 11'2 HRS very similar to the Avanti in size but just a bit narrower (34") but plenty stable The HRS construction is much lighter and more durable than the SB. Lastly since you are on the ZONE here you will save a bunch BUying the Fanatic Fly HRS here

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing

[kayadogg]

welcome to the Zone clinto. You can't go wrong with those that you mentioned but I'll throw one more into the mix: the Infinity Wide Aquatic. You've surfed longboards your whole life, so why not consider a board designed by someone who has been shaping longboards for 40+ years? The Wide Aquatic can double as a board to surf but also cruise flat water too. Best part is you can order a custom designed to your specifications or order a production model that will be less than pretty much any board discussed on this thread. It will surf better than some of the boards mentioned, especially the ones with THICK chunky rails. Just my opinion.

[clinto]

I appreciate your insight so far. I have seen a few fanatic SUPs and Infinities on Craigslist but neither of those models yet. I am looking in the sub $1000 for my first board and used seems to be the only way with the higher end stuff. I did find a new Riviera 11'6" for $650 today just a few hours away from me. Great deal but i cant really find too much info on them. I am going to a local shop that has a demo of this model later in the week to see if it works for me. Any thoughts on Riviera in particular? I figure at $650 i could use it for the summer and sell it for a small profit if i want to upgrade later.

JimK, what do you mean that I could save alot of $ with a fanatic Fly if i buy here? I am always interested in a good deal

[kayadogg]

You can't go wrong with your first board being brand new at $650 but don't expect to make a profit on it. Riviera's can be found very cheap, at least on the west coast. Their construction hasn't been the best but they have a new construction this year that looks like it could be better than what they have delivered in the past. I've seen a lot of Riviera's get destroyed after average use but with some care it should last long enough for you to upgrade to your next board.

[spookini]

Look up supthecreek here on this forum.  He's a resident SUP svengali, and a fellow BIG guy.
If memory serves, he started off on the SB Avanti..
Pretty sure he'd tell you that it can be surfed!   

[addapost]

i am 6'4" 230lbs      I do want something that can be good in flat water with my 2 yr old and also work in N FL surf.

Welcome to the Board! Boy that's a couple requirements that are very far apart on the performance spectrum. lol At your weight plus a child, I would definitely forget the lower volume boards (the Naish, Generator, and the Rivi.) I have paddled all three and in my opinion they do not have enough volume and/or width to happily float your weight plus a child. Of course, those will probably be the best surfing boards on your list. I have not paddled the Bote or the Avanti but I would look at one of those due to their larger size (volume). With no experience on either but just looking at their pics and specs, the Avanti looks like it will surf very nicely for a larger board. If I wanted one board to both surf and flat water 260-300 pounds of humans, I'd probably look at the Avanti first. Have fun, good luck!

[clay]

I haven't ridden any of those boards so I can't comment on them. 

As a fellow big guy I have found 30-32" to be comfortably stable, and for surfing thinned out rails is where it's at for me.  The first SUS I enjoyed was a Laird Pearson Arrow that was 12 x 31.5.  I tried some smaller boards that were wide and had big thick corky rails and did not like them at all.  The surf boards I have now have thin rails.

Also if you are only looking to SUP surf small to really small waves a DW board 12'6" or 14" might be a good choice.  They make really small waves super fun, and if you have DW runs in your area it opens up a whole new world of limitless surf potential.

[clinto]

I appreciate having people that can speak from experience. It seems as though the SB is a winner. I want to throw one more in the mix based on another good deal I found. The starboard big easy 12'. 32" wide and 205L volume. Is there benefit of wider vs longer when it comes down to it and volume is comparable? I can get the big easy for $900 New or the avanti used for $1000.

[kayadogg]

I appreciate having people that can speak from experience. It seems as though the SB is a winner. I want to throw one more in the mix based on another good deal I found. The starboard big easy 12'. 32" wide and 205L volume. Is there benefit of wider vs longer when it comes down to it and volume is comparable? I can get the big easy for $900 New or the avanti used for $1000.

I've never surfed either of these boards but the Avanti is massively wide. You said that you've surfed longboards your whole life, have good balance and even use an Indo board frequently. Without knowing you or seeing you paddle, I would say go with the big easy. 32" is still very stable. That's the width of all the boards that I teach beginners on, and our lesson boards are 10'6 so the extra foot and a half of the big easy will give you a little more stability. I'm a big fan of challenging yourself a little bit. I think 12x32" is very reasonable for what you're looking for.

[raf]

The Avanti is very wide.  Starboard's Atlas comes in a 12' x 33" width, which might be another board to consider.  Little longer and narrower for better glide. 

[JimK]

Clinto,

The Atlas and the Big Easy are only marginal better glide and surf (IMHO) like a "TOAD" maybe in longer frequency waves like on the WC they shine but here in basically wind swell (shorter wave frequency) Not so good I agree about the Riv construction They were our most frequent visitors to our repair OP until the Surf shops stop selling them.

As far as getting a Avanti under your threshold that would be hard We do have ZONER deals on them but pricing is best done directly ( email jim@extremewindsurfing.com or phone 484 515 5758)

Talk to you soon
JimK

[SlatchJim]

Welcome to the forum. I'm also in your weight range but only 6-1 (big boned...).  If you've surfed before and have good balance you'd be happy with a bit of width and a reduction in length.  My advice would be to see Jim K and Supthecreek and a host of other locals with info on your waves.  Demo whenever possible!

[clinto]

After way too much research and consideration, i finally got a board. I ended up with a Bote Flood 12'. It is a great all around board out of Destin FL. I do want to fish eventually as well once i get comfortable enough on an SUP and this board sold me with its versatility. I has alot of options for fishing setup, plenty of volume for me and my little one to ride, great shape for all around use and it looks bad ass too. I took out the same shape but a year older for a lesson/ demo on saturday and fell in love. It was my first time on an SUP and the winds were blowing 25knots + but i did great. Didnt fall and was able to maintain speed directly into the wind. My intentions were to buy the demo board at a good price. Until we finished the session. I stepped off the board and set it down on the sand and the wind gusted so hard it picked the board up 5' off the ground and blew it 20' down the beach slamming into a rock and splitting the rail.  I felt horrible so i naturally went back to the shop, apologized, and bought a brand new 2016 model. So much for staying in budget. Thanks for the guidance so far and i am looking forward to getting way too into SUP. I cant seem to get pics to upload. Once i figure that out ill attach some.

[clinto]

Pics