Messages

1

SUP General / Re: Need help understanding SUP lengths!

« on: August 12, 2022, 11:52:48 AM »

My experience is going to short ruins glide and the magic of SUP to me.

I have also tried a couple of shorter boards and it seems to me you can take two approaches-

Short tommo style boards which slash a wave. Pretty stable for their size. Not much glide and catch waves late- but their shape catches them fairly easily and 2 short strokes and you're at max paddling speed. Work well in crappy conditions. I didn't particularly warm to this style. Instead of carving through a wave it slashes and skids out. (hypernjt, slate etc). Some people LOVE them and do so well with them.

High performance shapes which typically are short narrow and low volume and so tippy! They often need quality waves with steep and power. (sb pro etc) but carve waves far more naturally to me.

The intermediate/fat guy take on the high performance shape is wide body version. 30-32" wide but still 8-8.5 long. wedge, jp surf etc.

So IMO the OP should consider either the tommo styles for poorer surf conditions or the intermediate wide surf shapes. 4-6 hours will get tiring so perhaps something shorter with some real width is best?

You may miss the glide though.....I did!

2

Gear Talk / Re: New Board, Kalama 9'2" x 30" any experience?

« on: August 08, 2022, 03:52:59 PM »

while you're deciding.....a waist leash will save your leg....

3

Gear Talk / Re: New narrower iSUP - is going down by 4" width too much?

« on: August 08, 2022, 03:50:42 PM »

You don't say how old you are- a 21 year old and the leaning towards the narrower option would be ok.

You also don't say how frequently you will use it. 2x a week and your balance will really improve.

In truth- I don't know much about isups. But I do know that width isn't the only factor when it comes to stability. Shape is a huge factor. The shape on an isup is harder to tweak- but as you say you want this board to last a long time (and you don't want to outgrow it!)-

assuming you're in good shape and good health, and plan on regular use so you can progress- I would say 28" would be ok. It certainly would if it was a modern hard board.

On really choppy days- or having not been out much in the winter- you may tale the wider one. But the rest of the time get cracking and enjoy.

4

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 17, 2022, 05:06:23 AM »

If you are in So Cal..

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/spo/d/woodland-hills-laird-106-standup-sup/7488325549.html

Ah sadly I'm in the UK!

What's the difference between the above board and the surftech ones ? Is the above a genuine Pearson?

5

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 15, 2022, 05:39:26 AM »

The 10'6" Pearson Arrow is a classic, I wouldn't change a thing about it.  Hopefully you can order one.
Other options that come to mind are:
Dogman 146L 10’2 x 29″ by Deep
Longboard 147L 10' x 31" by Starboard
Longboard 149L 10' x 29" by JP
New Deal 152L 10' x 31" by Infinity.
LongSUP 152L 9'8" x 30" by RRD
Noosa 154L 10'6" x 31" by F-One
Turbo 161L 9'10" x 33" by Blue Planet
Black & Blue Machine 164L 10'1" x 31" by Jimmy Lewis

I want some glide and so want to keep the length above 10' and the width 30" or less. 140-150L volume seems about right.

There are lots of options out there as you suggest. But what are the pros and cons between each one I wonder ?

The JP, SB, Infinity and dogman all look pretty great to me.

6

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 12, 2022, 04:21:41 AM »

You can order a Pearson from Bob Pearson. If you call him he will extract all the information from you that's required to build you a board that makes you crazy. The end result will be like my Kenny Tilton custom longboard that sits in my garage--delaminated, totally unusable, but I'll own it until I die. Pure magic. I look at it and remember how it surfed--it made me a better surfer. Those perfect things are worth the effort. Good is the enemy of great.

I made Cacio e Pepe two nights ago with prawns and morels. I've been practicing this ridiculously simple but infinitely difficult recipe off and on for years. I came very close to perfection two nights ago. My wife and our house guest are still talking about it days later. Some things just don't allow a substitute,

What a great post. I love you way with words.

Why did your board become useless ? I have read the original pearson arrows were badly made- have they fixed this ?

It wasn't a Pearson, it was a Kenny Tilton board, and I rode the shit out of it for five years. It was custom and was built lightly, to my specification. If you get enough heel dents from some huge dude walking on the board for five years it's gonna delam, and it did. Plus I'm just really hard on equipment.

I've talked myself into getting a Pearson Arrow. I might even get it as a prone longboard, though my pop-up is ridiculously slow these days.

If you're getting a beautiful custom board- why not get it into a shape you will  use lots? Or do you still prone quite a bit?

7

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 12, 2022, 04:17:54 AM »

You have specific stories from a time after he was building some of the first boards ever or are you just going to put Bob Pearson's decades long reputation in question on the internet?

Sorry but people should be more careful. That is a family business, not some faceless corporation shipping stuff from china. What happened and when?

Sorry, just a gentle reminder that that's an artisan, not just a licensed brand. Surftech deal was short. Life is long. The internet is forever.

Fair point mate

One owner who owned two pearson arrow sups both of which were poor build quality he says.

But details and specifics I don't have. And I mistakenly thought the chap above board was a Pearson Arrow. And as he said- it was built lightly.

8

Gear Talk / Re: Everyday new board help

« on: June 11, 2022, 08:10:19 PM »

No idea really but I have heard the SB Generation is really good from multiple people.

9

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 11, 2022, 08:08:23 PM »

You can order a Pearson from Bob Pearson. If you call him he will extract all the information from you that's required to build you a board that makes you crazy. The end result will be like my Kenny Tilton custom longboard that sits in my garage--delaminated, totally unusable, but I'll own it until I die. Pure magic. I look at it and remember how it surfed--it made me a better surfer. Those perfect things are worth the effort. Good is the enemy of great.

I made Cacio e Pepe two nights ago with prawns and morels. I've been practicing this ridiculously simple but infinitely difficult recipe off and on for years. I came very close to perfection two nights ago. My wife and our house guest are still talking about it days later. Some things just don't allow a substitute,

What a great post. I love you way with words.

Why did your board become useless ? I have read the original pearson arrows were badly made- have they fixed this ?

10

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 10, 2022, 07:42:54 PM »

I know this may sound heretical. But check out the Starboard Longboard SUP. 10' x 31" 140l.

I have one and love how it surfs. Outline is similar to the Arrow, bit it has a modern bottom and rocker. Carves nicely from the tail and nose rides very well.

Even better... It should be easier to get in the UK.

I think 31" and only 10' would ruin the glide for me- but the 29" could well work! Hmmmmmmm

11

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 10, 2022, 05:08:28 PM »

If you want a Pearson Arrow you should get a Pearson Arrow. It will cost more and take more effort to get, but magical boards are worth the effort. If you get something else you'll still want a Pearson Arrow. That's how I justify chocolate--if have something else instead I'll still want the chocolate.

Hmmmm good point. Finding one may be v tricky though. Super rare here.

My previous one was a surftech one. My only complaint about it was it was very heavy. But it seemed pretty well made. Perhaps a bit fragile on the tail but that's it.

I have read the genuine Pearson arrows varied hugely in their quality.

Are the surftechs known for being better built?

Are the newer Pearsons better built and production board quality ?

Best build quality I have seen is jimmy lewis.

Is the gerry Lopez 9'6 sup similar ? Theres One of these near me I could look at until I can find a much rarer laird pearson.

12

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 09, 2022, 08:33:52 PM »

Can you get a sunova over there?
They ride pretty nicely.
https://sunovasurfboards.com/en/sup

Yes you can. In fact I have owned a couple.  One was a custom acid- which was lush but needed real power and a steep wave amd was right on my limit balance wise. I bought it after 2 weeks on Costa Rica- weighed 90kg and had been sup surfing 4-4-5 hrs/day. 95kg and surfing less frequently it became harder work.

I also had a sunova creek for a brief period- I forget the exact spec- around 9'4 and 153L- but I really didn't gel with it. In truth I didn't really give it a fair shot but I moved it on pretty quickly.

What sunova would you suggest ?

If you can get to try out a sunova Speeed - I think you will be pleasantly surprised 🤙

I have read good things about the speed and you may well be right. Will keep an eye out!

13

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 09, 2022, 01:20:05 AM »

Everyone who has ever tried one loves the Pearson Arrow.

I can believe that! I really regret selling it. Any suggestions ?

14

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 09, 2022, 01:18:48 AM »

Can you get a sunova over there?
They ride pretty nicely.
https://sunovasurfboards.com/en/sup

Yes you can. In fact I have owned a couple.  One was a custom acid- which was lush but needed real power and a steep wave amd was right on my limit balance wise. I bought it after 2 weeks on Costa Rica- weighed 90kg and had been sup surfing 4-4-5 hrs/day. 95kg and surfing less frequently it became harder work.

I also had a sunova creek for a brief period- I forget the exact spec- around 9'4 and 153L- but I really didn't gel with it. In truth I didn't really give it a fair shot but I moved it on pretty quickly.

What sunova would you suggest ?

15

Gear Talk / Re: Hankering back to my old Laird Pearson Arrow- what's the modern equivalent ?

« on: June 08, 2022, 08:41:23 PM »

Any idea how much they cost ? I would need to import it to the UK.