Noob Allwave sizing dilemma

[Noo Noo]

Hello First post and a fist as usual its looking for advice on board.

having spent ages trawling through as much info as possible throughout various sources and always seemed to come back towards the Fanatic Allwaves. For me The fun will always be in the surf but having a board that offers a good solid platform for a bit of gentle touring or whatever. Even playing with the little'un at the beach.

To start with I've no issue in buying a slightly larger board, one that will give me a good introduction to small waves and fill in with the playing round etc. A smaller board can follow if I ever get good enough to warrant one for more powerful surf.

I'm 5'8" tall and weigh somewhere between 80-85kgs in a wetsuit. I've kitesurfed for years but have no real traditional surfing or paddleboard experience. I plan to paddle board when the wind won't allow me to get a kite out (I say that now though)

That  brings me to my dilemma. My understanding is I could probably get away with an 8'11" Allwave but starting out and being able to catch really small mushy surf I'm leaning towards the 9'1" or even the 9'5". As said I'm happy to go larger on the understanding that they will help me starting in low surf conditions, have fun with the little'un and the likelihood that smaller board will be needed one day.

Cheers in advance

[PonoBill]

Big is the new small, but for your size I'd have to say the 8'11 would be fun, either of the nines would be a little better in flatwater or doinking around. Given the Allwave shape I think the bigger boards would rock in a big wave.

[Zooport]

I weigh the same as you and I can say with certainty that the 8'11 AllWave would work for you.  I have owned that exact same board and enjoyed it for a couple of years now. Paddles great, catches waves great and plenty stable.  Get and 8'11, you will be happy.  In fact, I am selling mine, but I'm in Southern California and I'm guessing that you are nowhere near that.   

[supthecreek]

Hello No No... welcome to the Zone!

The Allwave is a very good choice. It is user friendly, has a great handle, is one of the most durable boards made (in the HRS model) and...
very reasonably priced, especially if you buy it from Zone Sponsor JimK at Extreme Windsurfing.com

Size:
Going strictly by the numbers, at 85 kg: the standard way to decide volume is multiply your weight in kgs x 1.7...so
85 x 1.7 = 144.5     
The 8'11 Allwave is 150 liters

That is a very respectable number for you to start out on
However.... I have a very good friend who is just about your size and has been very happy on his 9'1 for years (160 liters)

I think you would also be very happy with the 9'1.... it will be a great flat-water board for you and your family, and as pono stated.... nothing wrong with a bit bigger, especially to start.
It can also be windsurfed, and a bit larger would help in that area as well.

As a reference, I was 120 kg (5'11) when I bought my 9'6 Allwave, years ago.... I was instantly comfortable on it.

Call JimK and tell him you are a Zoner.... he gives a 20% discount to forum members.
609-641-4445

[WhatsSUP]

NooNoo:  Welcome!!! You will find a tremendous amount of info here from a bunch of great folks.  As for me, I'm relatively new to the sport of SUS'ing but a proud owner of an Allwave 9'5" earlier this spring from JimK @ extreme windsurfing.com.

I'm 6'1" at 195lbs and have found the 9'5" to be an awesome board for flatwater and I'm really digging it for small east coast mushy stuff in the couple of sessions I've had it in the surf recently.  Talk to JimK....he's a super guy (on this forum) and VERY helpful - not to mention his prices are VERY reasonable! (Zoner discounts and awesome service!) 

Here's a clip of my first sessions on my 9'"5 from a couple of weeks ago in the surf:

[Noo Noo]

Cheers all. Really appreciate the advice / help.

Sadly, I'm in the UK which means buying from the States is not really an option thanks to our wonderful government and its rules on import duties etc. no matter what discount you can get. I've been caught before when buying kites from overseas.I also suspect that our prices are all to pot compared to you guys as well. At least I have access to some stunning beaches.   

This forum is also a country mile ahead of anything we have over here SUP wise too so kudos to all on here. Great source of info and help. 

Back to Allwaves though. Still a bit confused but leaning more towards the 9'1" for starters I think. That's based on SuptheCreeks comment and WhatSUP's video where the water looks very similar to what I'll be starting in for sure. 195lbs is about 88-89kgs and the 9'5" works well for him there. Downsizing a touch brings me to the 9'1"

out of interest is their much difference on the water between the 8'11" and the 9'11"? by the numbers it's 10L and only 2 inches. Just wondering if there's a very noticeable difference in the two.

[supthecreek]

The Allwave is very good at what it does.
Therefore, every size change is almost geometric.
Particularly in surfing, there is a big difference between each size change..... they share characteristics, but the feel is quite dramatic.

The 10 liters between the 8'11 and 9'1 feels much more stable and large because the width and length, add so much more wetted surface.

I think the best thing you can do, is find a shop or person that owns either of the Allwaves and take a test spin on some nice calm water.

[Noo Noo]

Many thanks again.

I'll see what I can find but they're as rare as rocking horse p** round here.

One further question. What would be a good partner board for the 9'11"? Assuming that I get up and going reasonably well in the surf and want to tackle bigger more powerful surf etc.

[Noo Noo]

Can anyone give any guidance on the performance differences between the 9'1" Allwave and a 9'5" Naish Mana please? Stumbled onto a potential better deal with the Mana and wondering what the differences are. The Mana is slightly cheaper and would probably mean I could invest in a better paddle.

Thanks

[supthecreek]

Allwaves I have owned  are the 9'10, 9'6 & several 8'10's.... no 9'1... but I have surfed and paddled several.

I have also owned two 9'5 Mana's.

I prefer the new generation 9'5 Mana in surf.
Having said that.... it is heavier and not nearly as well built as the Allwave.
My first Mana developed a huge delam (basketball size) and the replacement weighed 28.4 lbs (12.89 kg)
The paint chips easily off the Naish rails, but the Allwave rails don't mark up at all.

Since you are new to surfing, I don't think you will notice the difference in the surf.
The Allwave tracks a bit straighter on flat-water than the Mana.... and the durability is nice too have when sharing with family and friends.

I am simply pointing out what the differences are.
They are BOTH very good boards.

If you like the deal on the Mana better.... I am sure you will be very happy with it.

[Noo Noo]

many thanks Supthecreek. That's exactly the information I was hoping for.

Price wise there isn't a massive amount in it ($250) so the decision will always be based on what I want from a board as much as anything else.

Been enjoying your youtube vids as well. good stuff

[JimK]

Noo Noo

First thanks everyone for the props I do my best and ALL of you are SUPER FUN to deal with

Next Sorry can't help you in UK So my suggestions are purely based on experiences

Creek makes good points and considering your experience or lack there of the AW 9'1 HRS will be the best to get you into the waves and having fun. As you progress you can go smaller but one step at a time. The AW is a board you can easily get into waves that will also allow you to progress

We sell Naish too and creek is spot on Check out the Fanatic website and contact the UK importer There are LOTS of Fanatics in UK Nic Baker is a corperate guy in Boards and More (Fanatics Parent company)

If you need more help finding Fanatics in the UK I'd be happy to help
PM me here
JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

[Noo Noo]

huge thanks Jim

really appreciate the input from people.

Finding Allwaves in the UK is thankfully relatively easy thanks to t'internet. Getting demos is a bit tougher though as I'm a little  bit out of the way and time is always short sadly.

I'll get there though. Hope to try a mates board pretty soon to get the feel of things and a slightly better idea of what will ultimately suit me.

[Foilman]

I'm 5'10", ~ 80kg and have the 8'11" AllWave. It's got plenty of stability and flotation. When I bought mine I was able to try the 9'1", the 8'11". Personally I didn't see a major difference. The 9'1" was a little more stable and the tail was out the water a little more. I've had a friend who is as tall as me and a little heavier (83 to 85kg) try my 8'11" and after a little getting used to he was fine on it. In the long run you'll want shorter boards for surfing anyway. Why not start with the 8'11". It should be plenty stable for you in the surf. I've used it on flat water plenty of times while the girlfriend used my race board and it's really fun and maneuverable. I was able to keep up with her no problem. She just started paddling this year though and isn't really fast yet 

Rob

[Noo Noo]

Cheers Foilman

Still doing lots of reading and thinking at this end. Basically weighing up options and trying to dig out as much information as possible.

That said I may have stumbled onto a 2013 8'10" for sale second hand not a million million miles away from me. It is actually the first Allwave of any size I've seen for sale second hand here in the UK.Rare as hens teeth as is any paddleboard of any worth to be honest. The market is that young here that the only boards available tend to be one's that people generally haven't got on with by the looks of things.

While I'm a little concerned that it may initially be a little small the background reading of late and this thread has certainly reduced those fears a bit.