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interesting...so, anonsurfer, imagine your 75L board was the exact same dimensions, but now say, 85L. do you feel like it'd be more stable? less stable? the same?  Seems like, once it floats you, there's not much benefit to the extra volume...right?

Has anyone tried to SUP on one of these?

https://catchsurf.com/collections/boards/products/log-90

9.0" x 24.0" x 3.5" (98 Liters)

seems doable...and could be pretty fun. 24" wide is tough, but maybe not impossible at that length. anyone know of a softtop that's wider (but still not a SUP softop)?

that's actually really interesting! thanks for posting!!

impressed that you had no issues at neutrally buoyant actually...

SanoSup and SurfinJ thanks!

surfinJ- at 195lbs=88kg,  120L is still positively buoyant though. My question is more, say you have a board with the same dimensions, but it was <88L, is that more or less stable than your 120L? or does being slightly underwater (i.e. <88L) actually make standing stability better?

SanoSup, yeah, makes a ton of sense. But lets assume width, shape, rocker etc is all the same. As you go through the transition from positively buoyant to neutrally buoyant to sinking, how does stability change? 

When you're riding a board that doesn't float you, is stability better or worse than one that barely floats you? I've heard a bunch of folks claim that being underwater slightly is actually better for stability (you're lower, and less affected by chop).

Hey all, looking for some advice on volume for all those riding at or near their buoyancy limit (e.g. riding a board that won't float them)

How difference is the stability in riding a board slightly above your weight, exactly neutrally buoyant vs below?

i.e. I'm 77 kg.

Comparing the stability of say, a 90L, a 78L and a 73L board...

Standard philosophy would say higher volume = more stable, but I've also heard people say that once you go down to say, neutrally buoyant, you get more stability as the board is under water and thus not affected by chop.

Assuming all other dimensions are the same...does being under water actually help?

Thoughts?

I surf South Sloat for one simple reason:

if it's too crowded, I can walk (or paddle) a 1/4 mile south and have the place to myself.   If you go regularly, people will get to know you and you won't have any trouble with crowds.

on bigger days on low tide, you can surf the outside peak while all the shortboarders are on the inside.

thanks! I may not have a car...so may be stuck surfing Manly. We'll see tho.

Staying near Central Ave

Was planning to bring the boards with me (fly free on singapore airlines)...

good tip on windsurfnsnow...will look into that too.

Planning a trip to Sydney in February. Was going to stay near Manly. Any good SUP surf spots around there? suggestions on places to go to that's friendly for SUP?

I'd consider myself experienced / advanced, ride a 7'7"x27, comfortable in crowds, but prefer to avoid them :-)

Thanks!

at 150 lbs you could really be on something a lot lower volume. (i'm 175 lbs, 5'11" and comfortable at 95L and 27" wide).

not convinced the PR 8'5" or the 8'8" airborn is really going to be that different from your SG. maybe consider the 7'10x30 or 7'10 x 31 Airborn instead? plenty stable at your height/weight.

ah, interesting. I do feel like the stock setup seems like too much fin with the 140mm rear fin. I've got a traditional thruster rear with a longboard box adapter that I'll try next.

also! I installed the FCS Dimple pad. Pretty awesome. Really thin so the board still feels responsive, and tons of traction. Doesn't soak up water so the board is really light still. You can buy it by the roll which is good, I've got enough for like, 3 boards.

I've been pretty impressed with how easy it is to catch waves on it. surprised how much easier a narrower board is to paddle fast.

dakine has windsurf bags up to 35" wide.

http://www.dakine.com/p/windsurf/gear-bags/daylight-wall-15s

Nah, I wouldn't say I have great balance. It's not any less stable than my 8'0" pro which was 28" wide. I think once you get down to 28" and less, it really depends on rail thickness, domed deck and tail / nose shape. I'm pretty impressed with how much stability they kept in the board while keeping it at 27" and a very traditional shape (very tapered nose and tail).

That's the struggle with these little boards, they're almost impossible to demo (unless you live in Australia or Hawaii), so you just gotta order them and pray. Obviously, the performance will be great, but the question is if you can still stand on it.

So, just picked up my new Starboard 7'7"x27" pro (95L) and wanted to write a quick review.  These boards are hard to come by, I know I was desperate to read a review (as I had to order it without even so much as a demo), so figured I'd pay it forward.

I'm about 175 lbs wet (with wetsuit), 5'10". Also have a 7'10"x30" 97L Airborn.

Overall, super happy with it. I'm happy to say I CAN stand on it, even in punchy beach break, and don't even need to keep moving. At 95L it floats me fine.

1. Stability : It's less stable than the Airborn (obviously), but not dramatically so. I can still stand on it just fine. I'd say stability is similar to the 2012 8'0x28" pro I used to have (which had a domed deck, hence it was less stable). It's handy to keep it moving a bit, but honestly stability is just fine. The balance point on the board is pretty small, but once you find it, it's really no problem, standing around waiting for waves, or punching through whitewash.

2. Speed : It's crazy how much faster it is than my Airborn. Not surprising it's faster on the wave, but surprising how much faster it is paddling into waves or just paddling in a straight line. The narrow width really makes a big difference in speed. it's a shorter board, but has a lot more glide.

3. Wave performance : it rocks. Not sure this is a surprise to anyone. There's a trend lately toward either wider shorter boards, or narrower vanguard shapes...the wider shorter boards (like my Airborn) are fantastic for stability and are super fun to rip, but don't do so well when the waves are fast or big. The narrower vanguard shapes are cool too, but I really wanted something with a narrow tail that I could really get vertical on my turns. I love that the 7'7" pro has a small tail, really is comfortable when the waves have some size. It's incredible how much more stable the 7'7" pro is on the wave compared to bigger boards. I feel much more in control and comfortable when I've got a smaller tail that I can stomp on to handle turns.

4. Traction: riding it with just the star-touch right now, but bought the FCS dimple pad which should arrive today (will add to my review if folks are interested). my feet are all bloody from the star-touch, so looking forward to getting the pad. The startouch traction is great, but rough on wet skin.

5. Other: the new handle is awesome. It's soft rubber, very comfortable. New traction pad on the back is good too. No complaints there. They still insist on shipping it as a 2+1 fin (2 side fins and one larger middle fin) which seems dumb, because all the pros take out the big middle fin and converts it to a true thruster....waiting on that converter box to arrive too.

Cheers!

Disclaimers: nothing. I'm not sponsored or anything. I tend to stick with Starboard because it's hard to demo gear here, and I've been happy with their stuff when I've ordered it. Plus, I hate doing repairs, so the bomber durability of the carbon is fantastic :-)

OH! and if you're looking for a board bag for small SUPs, check out Dakine or any company making windsurf bags. I've now got a dakine windsurf bag that fits the 7'7" pro PERFECTLY. Much better, as most SUP bags are in the 8' and bigger range.

easy.  buy a windsurf travel bag. http://boardsportsschool.com/ has some in stock.  there are several "double windsurf" bags available, and many are in the 7-8 foot range.

I doubt you'll find a hard shell version, but my plan, for two boards, is to get two board bags, and then a larger double-board bag to fit both of those boards (in boardbags) in it.

Having a hell of a time finding a fin...

looking for a center fin that fits in a standard longboard box, but is small enough to make it a true thruster setup. I feel like a lot of folks are riding this setup on smaller boards, yet for some reason the SUP companies still ship them as a 2+1.

Anyway, only fin I can find that fits my needs is this:
http://www.surffcs.com/shop/surf-longboard/fcs-pc-5-longboard-centre

but I swear there are others out there no?