10ft and wide? or am I way off...no demo's possible!

[finsider]

Okay Zoners I need your input.  Here's the deal:

My best friend for over 20 years is coming back from yet another tour of duty, this time Afghanistan, in March.  Everytime I talk to him he tells me the thing he misses the most is the Beach and being out on the water.  His mother and sister just contacted me about getting him a SUP as a return home present, since apparently he has been raving about how awesome they seem.  

Problem is, he's never been on a SUP, and I have only owned one board and ridden three over the past two years.  Yet they fully expect me to know exactly what to get him! So I do not want to let him or his family down.  He is 6'3 about 210-215, and his fitness level is great thanks to the USMC.  any local shop I call just tells me what they sell and what specials they have, which isnt what Im looking for.  If it goes over his families budget I plan on chipping in the rest anyway.

 He isnt a great surfer, hes been out a few times with me over the years on my 9ft hull longboard.  Most likely it will be 40% surfing / 60% flatwater exploring fishing and whatever else.

 I dont want to get him something too long, because I know he will outgrow it too quickly and be displeased.  I was thinking one of the 10ft South County SUPS, but I dont know which out of the 10'er, turtle, or black dragon would allow him to still get good glide while out exploring, and im sure he will do plenty of that, while still doing crazy surfing moves which Im sure he will try as well.  So do these ten foot boards that are 34" wide plus still glide good on flatwater paddles? All waves will be under shoulder high, since we are in the gulf coast of florida, waves will always be pretty flat faced and small.  

Any help or advice you guys can give me would be awesome because I want to get him something he can use for a long long time.

[Dwight (DW)]

10 x 32 is about perfect.

Naish and Starboard have some that size. Not sure who else.

[mdsurf]

SGT,

I have paddled and surfed each one of these boards that you have mentioned.  Any of the boards by SouthCounty would work for him on the Gulfcoast or the east coast in Flatwater and gulfcoast waves and eastcoast waves.  The difference in the boards are slight but noticible in the surf.  The 10er is the most stable and surfs well and you can flatwater and fish form it easy.  The 10 Turtle is a surf version of the 10er and it is thinner and not as wide.  The 10 Dragon is a surf version of the Turtle and it is thinner and not as wide. And the 10 Blue Dragon 2011 is the surf Sup and thinner and not as wide.  All will work.  10er SUP, Fish , flatwater, surf.  Dragon SUP surf, flatwater, fish.  Middle range is the Turtle and the Black Dragon.  Hope this helps.

[outcast]

Tell your friend "Thank you" from me.  He can borrow a board anytime.

At his size, the Gulf.....and probably would want to go out paddle and loosen his mind, personally i'd vote for a 12 Laird that he can glide around on and surf occasionally

[werkSUPrider]

It looks like you're in Florida, is that correct? I'd reach out the South County Guys
http://www.southcountysurf.com/boards.htm

I like their concept of a wider board, and I like the quad set-up. I've been surfing a quad 7'2" for a few years now, and really like the drive and speed. I'm about the same size as your friend. I am looking at getting of their boardss as soon as my foot is healed (broken foot, surgery just out of walking cast).

If you're in SoCal, I think they do demos down at Dana Point Harbor all the time.

I recommend going wide and stable. I'm also a big fan of Joe Blair, but he takes some time get a board as he's a one man shop.

Good luck, and as a veteran, thank your friend for taking the watch and his service!
Jeff

[SlatchJim]

I own a turtle and am quite happy with it.  
If in So Cal, John at south county is always looking for an excuse to go paddle.  Send him an email and he'll probably meet you at Doheny with a board to try.
Other options:
NSP's 11'6
Starboard has a host of pop out wide boards that would work
C4's soft deck Pohaku 11'
Naish Mana 10'
 
If it's a first board, then go wide and stable, and if he loves it and sticks to it, he can up the performance with his next board and keep this one for his buddies.

[lee]

I would recommend something bigger .Like Starboard big easy,12'x32 205lts.Way better for flatwater and touring .better in waves till you really get good at surfing.

[finsider]

Thanks all for the great replies.  Surfwise, I wish I was in So Cal, but we're in southwest Florida, on the gulf coast. not too far from the everglades and the ten thousand islands, which makes for great explorations.

 I too love the outline of the South County boards especially the width in the tail.  Also the fact that its not a chinese pop-out is a plus.  But what really gets me with these is the quad + 1 setup that can be easily switched up for given conditions.

Outcast: I will tell him thank you for you and about all the great help Ive received from you all when he gets back here and after he gets his surprise of course. I thought of a 12' cruiser type board at first too but I know him, he is never relaxed.  A nimble board that turns well would be more important than glide, but knowing him he will probably want to paddle 10 miles his first go.  Also,  I want to make sure he gets something that he can keep as he gets progressivly better at the surf aspect.

He will definantly try to fish, spear, dive, etc from this thing which is another plus for the south county size boards.  Not leaving other options out still out this point, but 10er or turtle??

mdsurf and all others thanks again for your inputs

[beaglebuddy]

6'3" and 215 lbs he is big and tall, 60% distance paddling and fishing and 40% surfing on small flat faced waves, I'm gonna say 10' is too short.
He is a beginner and it is not known just how much free time he will have to devote to learning, we want something he can jump on right away and have fun and not have to suffer a learning curve.
Those South County boards are surfing boards primarily and from what I know they ARE Chinese popouts, for any kind of distance paddling a 10' board will be zig zagging too much. I say go 11' to 12' and at least 31" wide, you will not gain any advantage with a 10' board over a 11'-12' board in the small surf you describe, in fact the longer board will allow you to catch more of those type waves.
I am 6'5" 220lbs and my board is a 11' X 31" NSP (this board has very thick rails and is very stable) it is used for surfing only, I live in Hawaii and the waves can be steep, this is my first board and it has served me well, only in perfect conditions do I want for something shorter. Us big guys do not have a real problem turning even the longest boards.
My next board will be 9'-10' X 32"-34" and for surfing only. For distance paddling I would want at least 12'6" long.
As an intermediate in the conditions you describe I would want a board at least 12' long for myself.
As far as outgrowing it and being displeased I believe this to be putting the cart ahead of the horse and looking at it wrong, we want to error on the side of the board being too big. A big board is always useful for screwing around on, lousy conditions, kids, friends, fishing and has more resale value.
I see people here selling your typical 10' X 28" boards often in brand new condition because they could never get the hang of it and gave up, rarely do you see for sale bigger used boards.
IMHO, South County are great surf only boards and Lairds are too narrow.

[mdsurf]

Beagle Buddy I have to disagree with you on a couple of your points.  I have paddled in the areas tha he is talking about and surfed some small waves there too.  I brought two boards with me on the trip and the South County Turtle was the beeter board for everything.  I took a 12 x 32 and the SOCO Turtle 10 x34.  The Turtle handled the long paddle better with all five fins no yaw and it was faster to me than the 12 x 32.  It handled the chop better and you could move around on the board easier.  It surfed the waves better too.  And when it came time to put them into the hotel room... hands down the 10 was better.  You can get a 12'6" Surf Tour board too for your area and that would be good.  All around in your area, I would recommend the Turtle over the others for your Buddy.

[finsider]

beaglebuddy, im pretty sure you are wrong about south county being chinese pop-outs, i thought they were made in California? maybe jimk or soco will will chime in.  And South countys ten foot boards are all 33-35 inches wide, which would be plenty board for anyone, not unstable.  Also, our waves here have such short periods that it woud benefit a shorter board.

also, i remeber from surfersteve's book of building your first surfboard, that 1.25inches in width is roughly equal to 6 inches in length volume wise. So technically a 10'x35" board would surf as good as a 11'x32" board given outline and thicknesses were equal throughout. and width is a major factor in small wave catching, more area being "pushed." He is naturally one of those gifted guys who just catches on to things in a flash, like he stood up his first time on a wakeboard and tried to jump across wakes. So I have no doubt that 10ft and wide would be plenty fine for him at first.  Its his wave-reading ability and turning that need much improvement in the surfing category, and I believe he is free from any USMC obligations when he returns in march till at least June, so he will have plenty of play time.

Also, I spoke to Brian on the phone yesterday, apparently he injured his back, couldnt tell me how, but has only light duty for a week or two, but he is fine and doing well. He is just mad the medical staff wont let him workout for two weeks haha.

[finsider]

Thanks for the reply mdsurf, I was thinking along the same lines as you.  Do you think the turtle would be a better fit than the 10'er, or is it virtually the same? Thanks again

[mdsurf]

The 10er and the Turtle are slightly different with the edge going to the Turtle for Surfing.  The Turtle is 34 x 4.5 and the 10er is 35 x 5.  Both are stable and both have five fins.  The 10er you could pack a cooler and your feet would still be dry, that might be good on your expeditions.  The Turtle surfs better.  The 10er you could do tandem too, smaller people of course.

[mik911]

South County's are NOT pop-outs.
I have a 10'er, and as my first board, I'm glad I went with a wide board.  It glides pretty well, and as a first board, it is stable enough to not discourage any newbies.  If he is planning on fishing/diving, then more reason to go wide like SoCo.
He can start having fun on day #1 with it.

[stoneaxe]

Thank your friend for his service...this is the land of the free because of the brave.

I haven't tried the South County 10 or Turtle but I love my 9er. I'm an inch taller and more than a few pounds heavier than your bud and don't have the benefit of having had the USMC get me into shape. The 9er is as stable as my 12-6 Starboard cruiser. He'll do fine on any of these boards mentioned and frankly considering what he's coming out of and the fact that he'll be home and on the beach/water you could probably get him a barn door to paddle on and he would be stoked. The 9er is a great big guys surf board...only issue for me with it is lack of glide. The 10 should improve that, especially with less weight on it. South County's are not pop outs.  I have a pretty good quiver...the board you'll most often see me on is the 9er unless I'm going pure distance. John at SoCo is a great guy on top of it all.