Messages

Sadly they are no longer around, fantastic suits for SUP.  Thank you beasho for introducing me into the brand.  I had 1mm L short sleeve/long leg.  I had XL 3/2 longsleeve/long leg.  And XXL 5/4/3 longsleeve/long leg.  All of them fit well.  My only complaint is the neck would get flushed with water with duck dives.  But for SUP, worked fantastic.  No other suit is as easy to get on/off. 
Just hearsay but I believe SUPreme may have been affiliated with Hyperflex & Neosport.  I had Hyperflex too, but prefer the SUPreme,  The 3/2 Hyperflex is stretchy like the SUPreme, 4/3 Hyperflex not so much.  I do not like the backzip Hyperflex, definitely recommend the chestzip.  I did not have much luck with the 3/2, but the 4/3 has had held up much better.  I had XXL in both.  The 4/3 fit ok (though arm sleeves a little on the short side), the 3/2 legs were a bit too long and the arms were a bit short for my 6'2" frame.  Hyperflex offers greenprene which I always wanted to try out, mine were standard.
I do find I prefer the alternative neoprene.  I can't stand the smell of og petroleum neoprene.  I like the limestone based neoprene that  Needessentials offers (XXl fits me perfect).  Not stretchy like SUPreme though.  Worth the extra money to get the liquid sealed version. They have a natural rubber which is on my list to try.  Hostevie is another brand I have been wanting to try out (SD based) based on the price point.
One thing you could try is the Patagonia impact suit and wear it under your SUPreme wetsuits.  I love wearing mine if the water is not too warm.  Size up for sure, I wear the XXL.  I would not recommend wearing it inside a 1mm wetsuit though, likely to stress the seams.  I find I can go down 1 mm in my wetsuit when wearing the impact suit and have similar warmth than 1 mm thicker with no impact suit.
https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens-yulex-impact-short-sleeveless-john-wetsuit/88471.html

My friend notices drag from leashes too.  But I am a heavier guy so don't really notice it.  I do notice drag from kelp with my leash.  I like to use a waist leash in those conditions and tuck the excess into the waist leash (like beasho) so very little of the leash is in the water.

Have you stopped by any repair shops to see about getting the Whopper repaired?
I would see if you can demo one of Terry Chung's PaddleSurfHawaii shaped boards.
You can't go wrong with a Jimmy Lewis board, I am also a fan.
I also agree with the Blue Planet board recommendation.  I am the same weight as you and enjoyed the Fun Stick, though the Turbo may be more appealing for you.
Also check out the beautiful boards at HYPR Hawaii.

So I thought I was cleaver in replacing the broken Dakine railsaver with a FCS railsaver (from their SUP coil leash).  This one broke due to the plastic inside the webbing failing.  Went back to my Creatures Of Leisure Outer Reef (have yet to have one of these railsavers fail on me), but will be trying a Stay Covered leash with my next purchase.
https://app.box.com/s/f5zuc83uqpzkaixnoxx4t5hpudvft0eo

Yep.  Never tried sup foiling as I don't have a SUP board (mini tuttle) and foil (mast plate) that will mate together so was never bit by the bug, though have been a longtime kite foiler but SUP is my polar opposite no wind activity.  Very curious to try Beasho's foilboard shapes though as they make a lot of sense to me.
Recently picked up a 10'3" x 27" longboard sup by Donald Takayama.  Swapped boards in the water with my buddy for him to test.  After 30 min, his response was he had to get one of these for his quiver.  Longboard SUPS are fun.
I feel like after a decade my SUP surfing experience has come full circle.  I got into surfing as I was attracted to Colin Mcphillip's style of longboard surfing.  I started SUP surfing on a 11' Laird Pearson Arrow and a long a$$ wooden paddle.  Broke a rib on that board learning and progressed down to smaller boards.  Now over a decade later, after trying boards down to 7'4" long, I am stoked on gear that initially brought me into the sport, riding gear like my heros like a paddle the same length (nose height) and a board the same width that Colin would ride.  The OGs nailed the designs in the beginning with a blend of glide, performance, and fun.
I am still looking to the future of what performance is possible and continue to train SUP surfing with a 23" wide prone surfboard like my hero Mo Freitas would ride (though with a much higher 1.1 guild factor).  Training on a board 3" narrower makes a board 3" wider feel easy.  Once you go narrow, you become aware of your shoulders.  Like carving a skateboard in a bowl with speed, where shifting your weight is better done more subtly with your head & shoulders, rather than done with the amplified effect of your arms.  And moving your feet narrower to avoid over torquing the board (like keeping your feet in between the bolts while bowl carving on a skateboard).  Riding a retro skateboard like a Neil Blender polarizer feels like relevant land based training for riding a narrow SUP.

I was referring to guild factor, which is just the ratio of the volume of the board to your weight:
https://www.supconnect.com/tips/volume-in-stand-up-paddle-surfboards

supthecreek has a nice video exploring volume & width:

rider = 99kg
sp25 8'8 "138l [gf=1.39]
sp25 8'11" 150l [gf=1.52]
sp25 9'5" 177l [gf=1.79]
sp24 9'7" 173l  [gf=1.74]
gf= guild factor (volume of board in L/ weight of rider in kg)

Your 10' x 29" SUP ATX escape was 140L with a guild factor of 1.75.  Any board under a guild factor of 1.8 shouldn't negatively affect an intermediate surfer (<144 L @ 80kg).  In rough conditions you should not need a board with a guild factor above 2.2 (176L @ 80kg)
https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/blogs/news/sup-board-volume-recommendation-chart/

Glide can be affected by several things: length (longer is better), width (narrower is better), rocker (less is better), and fins (less is better, single, twin, & quad is faster than thruster or 2+1).

The upper limit of a ~9' board is around 10' waves.
A 10'  x 28" board is good for catching waves up to 15 ft face range.
Refer to Beasho:
https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,35610.15.html

Something like a Jimmy Lewis Bombora (28" / 125L / GF 1.56) is worth considering for chasing overhead fast moving waves.  Pintails are great for steep waves.  I have a 9'6" x 30" Joe Blair pulled in nose pin tail that I trust in waves like this.
Or just a traditional 10' all around shape.  The swallow tail of your SUP ATX escape was cool for a very long rail line & paired with thin rails.
The other option is a board like a 9' simsup which has a wide tail so early lift, paddles like a traditional board 1 foot longer (i.e. 9' simsup is like a 10' traditional board).  Boards of this shape like to race to the shoulder.  Different continent, but check out Kirk Mcginty's shapes at L41surfcraft.  They shine in reef breaks.

There are people on this forum who have used the Fanatic Pro Wave, I have not.  If memory serves it has a full rail which will accentuate the energy of the surface (chop, bumps, wind, etc) versus a board with thinner rails.
What type of fin setup have you tried on the Fanatic Prowave?  I like to try fin combination before I rule out a board, you may stumble on a magic combo.

Regarding intermediate status, most surfers I know never progress much more than the intermediate level without advanced coaching.  As long as you are having fun and not grumpy, then you are doing it right.

Any repair shops nearby?
I am on the wrong coast, but the board looks far from dead from the bottom picture. 
Does it look worse from the top?
A sucking wave snapped by 10'11" Ripper. I reglued it back together but have yet to finish glassing it.

Thank you SurfKiteSUP & SurfinJ for the Stay Covered recommendation.
I had a Dakine 8mm leash fail on me today where the swivel attaches to the railsaver.  It looks like a cord is sewn inside the webbing to attach to the swivel.  Not a fan of the design as the cord is buried within the webbing and there is no way to see if the sheath of the cord has failed to hint of impending failure.
Picture of Dakine failure:
https://app.box.com/s/jewxm8p97km752lkea9mo5e60aygyaee

Beasho thanks so much for sharing the update to a source of urethane for diy leashes.
https://wwsw.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,18684.msg416300.html#msg416300

For commercial leashes I have had good luck with Dakine Peahi & Creatures of Leisure Reliance Outer Reef leashes.  I did have one creatures leash get cuts but I was able to identify a particular fin that was the culprit.  I believe if the durometer of the urethane is too soft, the leash is more succeptable to fin cuts.  The urethane of creatures feels softer than Dakine.

So you are ~80kg
The Starboard pocket rocket is 135L giving you a guild factor of 1.69.  That is too much volume for you regardless of the rail shape.
The Prowave is 119l giving you a guild factor of 1.48 which is fantastic.
How long is your paddle relative to your height?  When I used boards with a guild factor around 1.5, the paddle was about my height.  When I dropped to boards with a guild factor of 1.1-1.3 I found stability was better with a paddle around nose height, with a lower center of gravity.  It was much harder to ride the smaller boards with the longer paddle. 

Do you want more pitch stability (nose up / tail down)?
If yes, than you will benefit from a longer board.
Or do you want more roll stability (left turn / right turn?
Either wider, longer, or fuller nose & tail, or a different fin setup.
Or do you want more yaw stability? (Nose rotate clockwise /counterclockwise)
If yes, then you can try a different fin setup.

Choppy conditions in surf are tough. In windblown chop all of the swell is coming from the same direction i.e. if you are on a bay.  In surf the swell is likely coming from many directions, then can rebound off the shore for a number of other directions.  Plus you have the wind applying a force to the surface area of your board.  I am currently experimenting with boards with minimal surface area in these conditions.  Prone is a nice option in these conditions (volume is your friend).

How is your fitness?  Strong flexible legs and ankles will help.  I find skateboarding uses complementary muscles, excellent cross training.

How big are the waves you are talking about? 
Check out Beasho's recomendation on board length:
https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,35610.15.html
When the waves get bigger i tend to gravitate to pintail boards.

Jimmy Lewis has a good selection of boards that I find to be user friendly (i.e. intuitive).  You can even call the shop to see what they would recommend for your conditions.

No experience on the 3 longboard SUPs, they all look fun.
https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/2024-starboard-longboard-sup?page=1

Yeah, it's crazy how narrow the pro's boards are! They make 'em with no deck handle!

My smallest SUP is 7'6" x 28.5" 110L.  I can paddle the SUP on flat water fine, but in surf I struggle.
Ok today I finally had a chance to try to SUP my Walden Mega Magic 9' x 24" x 4.25" 105L on a bay with 10 mph winds, swell coming from a single direction.  I was able to get up and stay up and paddle out, turn around, and paddle back.  I am a bit mind blown.  I was wearing a 5/4 wetsuit too.  The best part is when I got out of the water, I held the board under my arm with no handle, like my hero Mo Freitas.  So cool.
The downwind foilers have discovered that long & narrow is the name of the game.  Have we been doing it all wrong with our SUPs, using boards that are too wide, with too much volume?

Or
Kalama 9' x 28" 108L
JP longboard Pro 9'4" x 27" 110L
Deep Jackson Close 10' x 26" 111L
Sunova style 9'6" x 27.5"  112L.
RRD 9 ' X 28" 112L
Jimmy Lewis Black& Blue 9'6" x 28.5" x 117L
Surftech DC Super X 9' x 28" 122L
New Deal 10 ' x 27" 122L

I see that ALL of your boards are relatively narrow!

Yeah, it's crazy how narrow the pro's boards are! They make 'em with no deck handle!

My narrowest SUP is 28" as I am 6'2". I believe taller riders benefit from wider boards.
The "Or" boards listed above I haven't tested, was just seeing what is available nowadays.
Glad the board worked.
I have noticed I like boards that sit lower in the water and have less surface area to avoid catching wind when the winds pick up.  It seems to have less push on the rails from chop.
Colin Mcphillips i believe liked his SUP longboard 27" wide.
As long as you have a guild factor above 1.1, your heart won't beat like a hummingbird.  >98L for you.

I used to think 28" wide boards were hell, no more.
Starboard recommends the 105L for up to 85 kg riders.  To go against that recommendation you should have things on your side like youth, fitness, advanced skill, warm conditions( no wettie), glasy conditions (no wind,no chop, no currents).
If you can answer yes to most of those, sounds far from hell.
In my experience it is the lack of volume that makes paddling difficult.  Goes for prone and SUP.
I weigh about 200 and my smallest board 110L 7'6" x 28.5" I can paddle on the bay just fine, but in our normal surf conditions I struggle (low wave count). Whereas if I take my shorter 7'4" x 29" 119L board my wave count shoots up.  I don't believe it has to do with width as much as volume.
I have a 9'3" x 28" PSH AA around 120L is stable and and absolute blast.  Narrow boards paddle faster. 
Imo longboards are all about high wave count traveling up the coast so you don't hog a particular peak.  To do that volume is your friend, same goes for prone or SUP.
I have a 9' x 24" 105L Walden Mega Magic that I have been meaning to try as a SUP on flat water.  Aipa has a big brother Sting 10' x 23.38" 110.7 L that I would love to try as a SUP.  Even though it is narrower than the 9' x 28" starboard, I would prefer that because of the volume. Mo Freitas's boards were ~23" wide.  I have the Aipa Big Brother Sting 9' x 23.5" @ 95L and that board absolutely rips.
I would recommend not going lower in volume than what you are normally riding for Longboard SUP, but because you are going longer, you can go narrower.
Have you chatted with Joe Blair about a custom?  I have his 9'6" pulled in nose pin tail which works well in both big and small conditions.
Or...
Kalama 9' x 28" 108L
JP longboard Pro 9'4" x 27" 110L
Deep Jackson Close 10' x 26" 111L
Sunova style 9'6" x 27.5"  112L.
RRD 9 ' X 28" 112L
Jimmy Lewis Black& Blue 9'6" x 28.5" x 117L
Surftech DC Super X 9' x 28" 122L
New Deal 10 ' x 27" 122L

"Specs for the 9'6
Length 9'6
Width 28.75"
Height 4"
Volume (LT) 125
Weight (HP) 19 lbs
Weight (Composite) 22lbs"
https://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/LAIRD-EPS-Surfers?page=1

For reference surftech 10'6" x 29.75" 25.5#
Hand shaped 11' x 29 1/8" 29.5#