New to Ocean/River Surf SUP

[Sam the Surfer]

Hello,

I'm new to the world of ocean surfing on the SUP, novice long boarder, and solid on SUPs. Because I live in the inland PNW, the ocean trips are about once a year either to the Oregon Coast or Oahu (North Shore). I recently purchased a 9'6" Czar from NRS and took it to the North Shore and it was the first time I SUP on the ocean. Ended up catching some of the best waves of my life, one was overhead and several were just nice and super fast rides. I didn't do any big turns or anything but had a blast! I'm looking for the best iSUP pure surf board made and just didn't know if something like the Red Paddle 8'10" Whip would really be a lot different than my current set up with them both being inflatable? I totally understand the hardboards have rails and perform much better but I need something I can put on a plane for $25 each way.
There is also a really good potential to river surf in my area but would put that behind the best iSUP surf board. The NRS Czar was pretty sweet but the fins did vibrate when I dropped in. The overall shape of the board along with the rocker allowed it to be pretty decent. The waves are FAST on the North Shore!!
I also understand everyone has their biases on what companies are the best which if fine but this is about the best PURE iSUP.
Thanks!
Sam the Surfer

[Zooport]

Is there an inflatable SUP that can handle fast, head-high, Hawaiian waves?  I'm interested in that answer as well.  Pono, Cove, Admin, what do you island boys think?

Welcome to the Zone, Sam; you've come to the right place for answers. 

[SrbSup]

I live in the Canadian prairies, but have a surfing problem;) so have 3 inflatable SUPS (and one inflatable prone board).   
My 9' ULI lopez is an excellent surf SUP.  Been to oahu, maui, and tofino with it; limited more by my own skill than the board.  The biggest challenge is catching the wave; need to start a little deeper (where a surfer would be) and need a few harder strokes to catch, but once on, its all good. 
My 10' ULI steamroller is great too, might be the better starter surf SUP as its a bit more forgiving for balance, but lose a bit on maneuvering.

[Sam the Surfer]

SrbSup,

Thanks for the info! The Lopez 9' ULI looks interesting much like the 8'10" Red Paddle Co? What would the main difference be compared to the 9'6" NRS Czar I'm riding? A huge difference or just a bit better?

http://www.nrs.com/product/86106.03/nrs-czar-6-inflatable-sup-board

I was surprised with how fast the waves were on the North Shore as I was going way faster than when I was surfing on the longboard!

Thanks!

[SrbSup]

never tried the NRS, but its pretty wide at 34" and thick at 6".  Although any iSUP is tough to "rail", 6" thick harder to lean in on than 4". And looked like only 15PSI max pressure.  I would think the big competitors would be red paddle, ULI and Starboard.  All have 9' iSUPS that are 30" wide, go at least 18 PSI (stiffer), are 4" thick, and have fins you can remove.  I'm about 165lb and my 9' ULI handles me fine, I could see it being a challenge if you have much more mass. 
btw Just checked the ULI website, looks like they have a 25% off spring sale on! 

[Sam the Surfer]

The Czar has removable fins but are held in by rails and a flat pin. That's what vibrates. I'm 6'2" 185 lb so ideally a 9 ft board would be fun. I figure if it can surf ocean waves it can do everything else. We are running the Spokane River tomorrow.
ULI looks like a sweet company with lots of technology in their boards. The 9' Lopez is intriguing... as the Red Paddle 8'10" Whip. Do you know anything about the RSS vs. ULI technology? Also, is there anything used in these models anywhere?

[baddog]

There's a huge difference in volume between your board and the Whip and it's a lot narrower, which means you're going to have a much more difficult time balancing and paddling.  At your weight, I'd look at the 9'8" Ride first, maybe even the 10'6".

[powermi]

Onother one here looking for a River and Surf board, I ve test the redpaddle flow and the SB Stream, both are super stable but just for the white water. As I am close to 83 kilos I am considering the 2015 9'8 redpaddle Ride. Think is a good option for surfing and coastal cruising board. Too bad that ULI is not available in Spain.

[Sam the Surfer]

There's a huge difference in volume between your board and the Whip and it's a lot narrower, which means you're going to have a much more difficult time balancing and paddling.  At your weight, I'd look at the 9'8" Ride first, maybe even the 10'6".

Sorry, total newbie here but if I wasn't worried about the river running couldn't I run a smaller volume board to surf? In the end, would like the best surfing iSUP and then adjust to the other stuff.

Do you know anything about the technological differences between ULI and Red Paddle with the RSS?

[Admin]

We have a couple of Red's Flow MSL 9'6 boards on their way to us for river running.  I saw these in a local shop and was blown away by the construction.  One thing to point out.  River running, river surfing (park and rip) and ocean surfing are all very different things.  If your river running means A to B day trips stopping to play in standing waves as you go, you want a very different board than a North Shore surfboard (in fact, almost the opposite board).

River running is primarily a with the flow adventure.  That means less/no flow over your fins.  Do you like physics?  The names spinon and orbiton should be adapted to our downriver trips.  If you have the thought, "got it now, I'm going straight", enjoy it, because it won't last.

[Sam the Surfer]

We have a couple of Red's Flow MSL 9'6 boards on their way to us for river running.  I saw these in a local shop and was blown away by the construction.  One thing to point out.  River running, river surfing (park and rip) and ocean surfing are all very different things.  If your river running means A to B day trips stopping to play in standing waves as you go, you want a very different board than a North Shore surfboard (in fact, almost the opposite board).

River running is primarily a with the flow adventure.  That means less/no flow over your fins.  Do you like physics?  The names spinon and orbiton should be adapted to our downriver trips.  If you have the thought, "got it now, I'm going straight", enjoy it, because it won't last.

Ahh, that makes sense. So the big, super fast waves on the North Shore coupled with a set-up designed to river run and surf (standing waves) on slower water made the fins vibrate etc. Need two different boards for those very different disciplines. It was very cool to be able to catch waves on the Czar though!

So given that, I'm 6'2" and 185 lb and would like a high performing iSUP surfboard. From the info on this thread have researched the ULI 9/10 Lopez, Red Paddle Co 8'10" Whip, and Starboard Converse.  ULI even has a 7'6" Thruster... would these be too small for my size? Also, it seems like the Red Paddle Co has the best deal because everything comes with it...

[Admin]

What fast North Shore waves are you planning to surf?  It will be important that both you and your inflatable have very thick skin. 

[Sam the Surfer]

What fast North Shore waves are you planning to surf?  It will be important that both you and your inflatable have very thick skin. 

I surfed the NRS Czar at break called Leftovers, between Chun's Reef and Waimea Bay. They were 3-5 ft primary swells but when the sets came in almost doubled in size. Very steep and very fast compared to some of the sand breaks on the Oregon Coast. Being inland, need a board that I can travel with easily (iSUP) and grow into so that's why the 9 ft board length looks about right and stop the 'pearling' so I typically don't fall over to the side- novice moving towards intermediate. Thoughts? Preferences? Is anyone in my scenario where they need a surf only iSUP?

[Green Water Sports]

A lot of boards will surf waves. Hawaiian waves will demand the best surf shapes. Fin grip, stiffness and sharp as possible rails. Inflatables will always be limited by design on rail shape. ULI have something nice in the wiki rail but Red have all brands beat for 2016. The MSL construction is next level. Even months after the 2016s have come in, I'm always impressed when I pull one out.

8'10" Whip with free paddle: http://greenwatersports.com/shop/red-paddle-co-8-10-whip

[powermi]

In my case I am a inland paddler.. just flat water, but as I only go to the sea few times per year I was looking for a iSup Surf board (I dont wanna store a hard one for a couple of waves per year) that performs nice for recreational / fun use.
BTW I am interested in running rivers to, as is something that I could do more than twice per year.