Naish or Tropical Blends for bigger guy?

[Keau]

Aloha guys. I am looking to get a new board to go surf and wanted opinions on which board would you recommend. I already longboard so I'm not new to surfing. However, I know that SUP is a whole different thing as I tried it before but didn't have great success at it, at least in surfing I didn't have great success. Now I was either looking at the Naish Mana 10', Tropical Blends Hano Hano or the Tropical Blends Holo Nalu. FYI, I weigh around 240lbs and I'm going to surf waves around waist to head high. I want a board that can surf well and is also plenty durable. Any opinions or feedback on either the Naish Mana or Tropical Blends boards or both is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Gaucho]

The Mana is super stable with ample float for weight.  I'm about 220 lb and have a (Boardworks) Paddle Surf Hawaii 9'11" x 34" that surfs great and paddles with nice glide.  Both these boards would be good first Sups for surf

[AJR]

If you're open to other boards I'd recommend checking out a Joe Blair board.  He makes them with bigger guys in mind, the price is reasonable (used to be at least), the production models are durable, and they are a blast to surf.  Resale value is good to (good when you move to the next level and have to sell it to fund the new purchase).

[stoneaxe]

No idea on the tropical blends but the Mana is a good board for big guys. Plenty stable, paddles into waves easy. I don't have one but I've tried them a few times in surf about that size...fun. You should demo of course if you can.

[Fishman]

The story goes that the 9'x 33" Tropical Blends Holo Nalu was made as a performance board for super big island boys.  I hear thier is a 6'5" 360 lbs guy who rips on that thing.  Because it is also so user friendly they sent it to production and market it as a all-around board.
I picked up a production Holo Nalu for a price to good to pass on and no regrets.  It's actually only 4.125 not 4.5" thick. (which i like)

The cons i found are
1.The deck pad did not extend back far enough for my 6'4" 190lbs butt, so i had to add a little kick tail pad to it (no biggy).
2. It wants to spin around like a man hole cover when you start paddling from a stand still.  I really have to move far forward on it  to get it to track straight from a stop. ( i think the toe in on the fin boxes have a little to much toe in.
3. The rail took some hits and the clear coat seemed to cracked and flaked easier than it would have on Taiwan boards. (i think if i had some protective tape on it, it would not have happened)
The Pros
The glass is good and strong light.
Turns good
Very stable
Catches wave good (once i figured out about moving forward on it)

I swapped boards with a a guy who weighted 245, it floated him fine but he struggled with getting it to track straight.  but once he caught a wave  he like it looseness and maneuverability. ( he was probably too far back on the board also)

If you live in Honolulu you should demo it and see how it tracks for you.
  I probably should give larrys supsurf fin a try
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=19032.0

[crtraveler]

I have the Mana 10 (currently in Costa Rica:)..... I think for a first surf SUP it is a winner.... I've had mine for 3 years and am still really happy with how it performs....btw I'm 6'3" and 235lbs...

+ - very stable, turns very well, lots of rocker makes late drops pretty easy

-   Lots of rocker not great for noseriding, inhibits early entry a little bit

In all,  the mana is a solid performer, It works great in waist high to well overhead....

[Keau]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I really like both Naish and Tropical Blends and wanna make sure I make the right choice for me. I'm leaning more to the Mana 10'. I also really like the handle on the Mana. 

AJR-I'll look into the Joe Blair. Just gotta find who carries it here in Honolulu

Fishman-Thanks for the info on the Holo Nalu. I'll go and demo both the Holo Nalu and Hano Hano before I make my decision.

[Keau]

I saw that the Mana has two types, GT and GS.  The GT is wood construction and the GS is AST construction.  What is the difference between the wood and AST construction?  What are the pros and cons of each construction? Thanks in advance.