Looking for high volume touring board.

[sup_romer]

I'm a pretty big guy at 270lbs and I'm looking for a high volume 12"6 touring board. I've got an inflatable now, but I'm looking for a rigid board that I can use for camping.

[SanCKid]

A friend and I spent over nine months demoing and looking for a SUP that would be stable enough for open ocean, an efficient/fast paddler, able to support fishing if desired, and a weight and carry handle that allowed ease of carry and loading.  Most boards here in Calif 12'6" and up are ether race or tour boards that are not stable enough to paddle comfortably in choppy open ocean.  We even tried a plastic/vinyl SUP that was stable but weighed 40 lbs.

We couldn't find any SUP out there that compared to the Hovie Pursuit.  I'm 175 and friend is 200+ and both have 12'6" Hovie Pursuit's.  You may want to demo a 12'6" and a 14' Pursuit.  We both demoed the 14' Pursuit and found it too buoyant for us.  Contact Brian though his web-site and set up a demo, if your in Southern Calif?

http://www.hoviesup.com

Both of us SUP surf on under 9' boards, so balance wasn't an issue.

[DavidJohn]

I'm a pretty big guy at 270lbs and I'm looking for a high volume 12"6 touring board. I've got an inflatable now, but I'm looking for a rigid board that I can use for camping.

The new 12'6'' x 30'' Naish Glide would be a good choice IMO.

[robon]

At 270 pounds you want something with lots of float around the 300 Litre plus mark. I really wouldn't consider anything less than 290 litres in the 12'6" range at 270 pounds to be honest. Especially because you are considering camping which will add lots of weight. Lots of 12'6" boards will float you that have less than 290-300 litres, but they won't handle worth beans in anything other than glassy conditions with extra gear on board at your weight. Get something that will adequately float you in all conditions or you won't be happy out there.

JP Cruiser 12'6" X 30" at 300 litres.

Coreban Vision 12'6" X 30" at 314 litres.

Rogue Great Bear 12'6" X 30 at 304 litres.

Jimmy Lewis Seracher. 12'6" X 33.5 at 365 litres.

Exocet Marlin 12'6" x 30 at 300 litres.

Starboard Race 12'6" X 31.5 at 290 litres+ Discontinued but lots still floating around at good discounts.

Last years Boardworks Raven 12'6" x 30 3/16. Hard to find a listed volume but it's thick and around 290 Litres I believe.

The 2014 Starboard touring 12'6" X 32" might work, but it only has a listed volume of 276 litres. Easy Rider might clarify if the volume is actually more than this. I have the 12'6" by 30" with 277 litres of volume and I would not recommend it for a 270 pounder who wants to use a board for camping. No way. I'm around 210, and packed about 40-50 pounds of gear for overnighters and I could have used more float in rough conditions. It worked alright but I definitely noticed the drag with that much weight on board, and the stability decreases the more weight you have on board and it's much more pronounced in rough conditions. 

 

[sup_romer]

A friend and I spent over nine months demoing and looking for a SUP that would be stable enough for open ocean, an efficient/fast paddler, able to support fishing if desired, and a weight and carry handle that allowed ease of carry and loading.  Most boards here in Calif 12'6" and up are ether race or tour boards that are not stable enough to paddle comfortably in choppy open ocean.  We even tried a plastic/vinyl SUP that was stable but weighed 40 lbs.

We couldn't find any SUP out there that compared to the Hovie Pursuit.  I'm 175 and friend is 200+ and both have 12'6" Hovie Pursuit's.  You may want to demo a 12'6" and a 14' Pursuit.  We both demoed the 14' Pursuit and found it too buoyant for us.  Contact Brian though his web-site and set up a demo, if your in Southern Calif?

http://www.hoviesup.com

Both of us SUP surf on under 9' boards, so balance wasn't an issue.

Wow that board is no joke, very cool. Thanks for the info.

[sup_romer]

At 270 pounds you want something with lots of float around the 300 Litre plus mark. I really wouldn't consider anything less than 290 litres in the 12'6" range at 270 pounds to be honest. Especially because you are considering camping which will add lots of weight. Lots of 12'6" boards will float you that have less than 290-300 litres, but they won't handle worth beans in anything other than glassy conditions with extra gear on board at your weight. Get something that will adequately float you in all conditions or you won't be happy out there.

JP Cruiser 12'6" X 30" at 300 litres.

Coreban Vision 12'6" X 30" at 314 litres.

Rogue Great Bear 12'6" X 30 at 304 litres.

Jimmy Lewis Seracher. 12'6" X 33.5 at 365 litres.

Exocet Marlin 12'6" x 30 at 300 litres.

Starboard Race 12'6" X 31.5 at 290 litres+ Discontinued but lots still floating around at good discounts.

Last years Boardworks Raven 12'6" x 30 3/16. Hard to find a listed volume but it's thick and around 290 Litres I believe.

The 2014 Starboard touring 12'6" X 32" might work, but it only has a listed volume of 276 litres. Easy Rider might clarify if the volume is actually more than this. I have the 12'6" by 30" with 277 litres of volume and I would not recommend it for a 270 pounder who wants to use a board for camping. No way. I'm around 210, and packed about 40-50 pounds of gear for overnighters and I could have used more float in rough conditions. It worked alright but I definitely noticed the drag with that much weight on board, and the stability decreases the more weight you have on board and it's much more pronounced in rough conditions.

This list will get me off to a good start, thanks.

[jdmotes]

Check out the Exocet Marlin... Very stable in both 12'6 and 14', features lots of tie-down attachments, great in chop with lots of volume (and very reasonable - especially in AST)...   Paddle on,   JD

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

[robon]

I forgot about the Bote SUP line. Never seen one in person but they look interesting.

The 12 foot models come in both displacement and planing options and have a stated capacity of over 300 pounds.

If you consider a 14 footer then your options increase. The Bote Ahab has every deck configuration imaginable.

http://www.boteboard.com/#a5

[robon]

At 270 pounds you want something with lots of float around the 300 Litre plus mark. I really wouldn't consider anything less than 290 litres in the 12'6" range at 270 pounds to be honest. Especially because you are considering camping which will add lots of weight. Lots of 12'6" boards will float you that have less than 290-300 litres, but they won't handle worth beans in anything other than glassy conditions with extra gear on board at your weight. Get something that will adequately float you in all conditions or you won't be happy out there.

JP Cruiser 12'6" X 30" at 300 litres.

Coreban Vision 12'6" X 30" at 314 litres.

Rogue Great Bear 12'6" X 30 at 304 litres.

Jimmy Lewis Seracher. 12'6" X 33.5 at 365 litres.

Exocet Marlin 12'6" x 30 at 300 litres.

Starboard Race 12'6" X 31.5 at 290 litres+ Discontinued but lots still floating around at good discounts.

Last years Boardworks Raven 12'6" x 30 3/16. Hard to find a listed volume but it's thick and around 290 Litres I believe.

The 2014 Starboard touring 12'6" X 32" might work, but it only has a listed volume of 276 litres. Easy Rider might clarify if the volume is actually more than this. I have the 12'6" by 30" with 277 litres of volume and I would not recommend it for a 270 pounder who wants to use a board for camping. No way. I'm around 210, and packed about 40-50 pounds of gear for overnighters and I could have used more float in rough conditions. It worked alright but I definitely noticed the drag with that much weight on board, and the stability decreases the more weight you have on board and it's much more pronounced in rough conditions.

Final edit Boardworks makes the new Great Bear SUP, not Rogue. Good luck.

[SUPnKev]

Check out the Exocet Marlin... Very stable in both 12'6 and 14', features lots of tie-down attachments, great in chop with lots of volume (and very reasonable - especially in AST)...   Paddle on,   JD

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

I weigh in at 217 pounds and I have the Exocet Marlin 14. I changed out the downwinder style fin for a Larry Allison Bat Wing fin and it really helped with both tracking and stability. I'm paddling a new Bark 14", but the Marlin would be the board I would use for touring, especially if I was going to be hauling camping gear. Even though I am far from fast, I was using the Marlin for racing, and had no problems with turns and such.  For the price, the Marlin is hard to beat, especially if you aren't looking to be a speed demon. The cost savings covers the cost of the Allison fin, board bag and cash in your pocket.  The only warning is that its a rather heavy board, and there has been one user (on this forum and who is trying to sell his at a great discount) who had problems with his. I have not had such problems.

[ninja tuna]

You might want to check out the Cayo SUP fishing board.  They make a 12'2" that is 34" wide.  Supposedly it cruises pretty good and with the extra width should be stable and have the volume you are looking for. Don't know the volume specs on it. He makes the 138 in an XL version which is a little bit thicker. Don't know if they make the 12 version in an XL of if they could.

[robon]

You might want to check out the Cayo SUP fishing board.  They make a 12'2" that is 34" wide.  Supposedly it cruises pretty good and with the extra width should be stable and have the volume you are looking for. Don't know the volume specs on it. He makes the 138 in an XL version which is a little bit thicker. Don't know if they make the 12 version in an XL of if they could.

Interesting. Some cool options out there for adventure/expedition/fishing SUPs.

https://www.facebook.com/CayoSupBoatworks

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

 I'm the (former) Marlin owner Kevin is referring to. I found the Marlin to be very fragile. I took mine out of the water after a paddle and discovered five holes in the bottom that I hadn't even felt. The design is good, but the hull is very thin. I would not recommend it. Plus it comes with a vey small fin and a tiny fin box also, too small for most replacements.


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[Weeble]

How about a Bark Eliminator?  14' x 29.88" 333 liters.  It is only in Pro Elite to help keep it light-ish at 31lbs.  For touring and actually packing gear on it, I'd probably prefer a tuflite version, but my fiancee has a Bark in Pro Elite and while the paint can chip off easily, the board itself has been solid.  I have a Bark Laird in 14', it's kind of a race/ touring mix.  It is in the tuflite and weights about 31 lbs as well.  I've always had heavy boards, so weight is no big deal to me.  I race from time to time, but board weight isn't costing me any podium finishes!  LOL.  I do like the tuflite though as I can be a bit clumbsy moving around with a 14', so for me, tougher is better.

[JimK]

SUP Romer,

Let me just say NOTHING works for big guys like us the way it does for smaller folks I PM you with some detail on what and why it works

Talk to you soon
JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com