WIDTHS OF BOARDS BEING SURFED

[Socalsupper70]

44 years old-175 lbs, 5-8

Ride my Infinity V3 Phoenix pretty much constantly.
7-3 x 28 x 4. 94 Liters.
Ridiculously fun fast board built for speed, when it gets bigger and i need more fin for bottom turns i slap in the quads.

[southwesterly]

In my opinion width and surface area increases speed, not decreases it.  Big round rails and heavy or improperly rockered boards decrease speed.

So true Señor Baja. I remember way back when (about 5 years ago) I ordered a custom board at 32 inches wide. Most boards then were 28" to 29" with a few "wide" models at 30 inches wide.

My friends said that my board would be slow and not surfable in waves over head high. Online forums (umm, I wonder which ones) made fun of wide boards out of pure ignorance. It's taken awhile for everybody to finally figure out that you can have a board that's easy to stand on and still surf.

Finally.

[beached]

i have one board that is 8'10"*32" wide, and it turns on a dime, but is actually a bit tippy. another board i have is 8'6"*32", and i can stand on it in any imaginable chop, but it turns a bit slower.  in other words, there's a lot more to the equation than width or length... not that this is news to most. 

[NEplay]

I am 5'9" and 155(race fit)(okay never am) 163. Surf the Seacoast of NH, southern Maine, and the Cape. Early this summer I downsized from a Coreban Performer 9'6, 29.75 wide to a 8'10 Focus Torpedo at 29. The speed and surfing capabilities of the Focus are light years beyond the Coreban. It is trickier but I am dialing in the Torpedo and use it as my quiver of one.  I demoed an 8'6 by 30.5 Custom Rawson and it was a RIDICULOUS wave slashing beauty but I wanted a slightly bigger board to use as a quiver of one daily driver. I think 29 is as narrow as I will go for the time being or ever.

[supnorte]

Hi guys. Been following this forum for a long time but only registered today.

I'm 37 and weight 70 kgs (154 lbs) and I'm 1,80 m (5'10'').

I ride a 8'0 x 28'' (Starboard Pro Brushed Carbon). I can keep my balance in every conditions (even plus 20 knots) and I already ordered a 7'7 x 27'' (from 2015 Starboard)...

Earlier this year I went to Bali on a SUP trip. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to bring my 8'0, so I had to settle with a 7'4 x 32'' Starboard from 2012 (Thanks you, Rip Curl School of Surfing in Sanur). At first, I found it extremely difficult to turn, but I made the most of the Indonesian perfection, and I dialed that thing after just a few waves. Albeit the width and thickness I made some really critical and vertical turns. The downside was that when I surfed hollow waves, it was difficult to fit it in the barrel or keeping a high line on a barrel. But those days, changed my conception on wider boards and improved my surfing.

[JimK]

OK
Here are my size
11'2 X 36" Brushed carbon (Surfing Sidewalk) Easy and fun at 300#
10'2 X 35" Better than you would think particularly in summer surf here in NJ
9'10 X 33" ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BIG GUY WAVE RIDDING BOARD

JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

[Subber]

58 years old, 180 pounds - surf about 3 days per week over the past 4 years.

10'6" pintail noserider, 29.75 inches wide, 4.375, 154 liters volume

I do think the shape and the volume in addition to the length and width are all important to how tippy a board is.

Mine is a pintail and most think it is pretty tippy as I did when I first got it 4 years ago.

I think the boards with wide tails are much more stable given everything else even -
-- that is why you can go so much shorter with a SIM-style sup.  However, the pintail works very well
on big waves.

Really, I think you have to try each one to know how it feels to you.

[Biggreen]

Great thread. Interesting to see how everyone rides. Me 56 yr old. 6'1" 175.  2 years SUSing, never surfed.
7'5 x 27" vanguard style
7'10" x 28" my sweet "Blondie"
8'2" x 28" shortboard shape

Next builds...a longboard shape in the 9' x 28- range and another shortboard shape 7'6"ish x 28-...ish

[PonoBill]

Maui: Ku Nalu 12'2" X 26, Foote 9.0 X 32"  Foote 9:10 X 30" (I think) Kalama 9'8" X 30"  plus downwind boards (Bullet 17.5 V2, F16)

Hood River: Starboard 12'2" X 26", Foote 9.0 X 32", L41 8'8" X 32"  plus downwind boards (F16, Bullet 17.5 V1)

Bunch of other junk that's for sale.

Me: 67, 6'2" 245# very creaky.

[maxsonic]

OK
Here are my size
11'2 X 36" Brushed carbon (Surfing Sidewalk) Easy and fun at 300#
10'2 X 35" Better than you would think particularly in summer surf here in NJ
9'10 X 33" ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BIG GUY WAVE RIDDING BOARD

JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

9'10 X 33" FANATIC ALLWAVE - ABSOLUTELY THE BEST BIG GUY WAVE RIDING BOARD - Concur!  This has been my #1 go-to board for all around fun in San Diego shore break.  Lots of volume in the nose, it is HARD to pearl this board.  This board is way more manageable in shore break than my 11'6" x 30" wide Amundson. Plus it has a mast base insert for wave sailing.   Really happy with the purchase I made from JimK.

MAX