New to Ocean/River Surf SUP

[PonoBill]

If you're serious about SUP surfing the waves on Oahu, leave the inflatable home, make your first stop at Blue Planet in Waikiki, and rent whatever Robert tells you you should for the place you want to go. Not a lot of money for both a suitable board and good advice. Suitable board is very important for anything outer reef, and really anything big on the inner reef breaks. I saw someone who seemed fairly experienced trying to surf Kahana at 6 feet this year (double overhead for you haoles). I had a lot more fun than he did. He got some nice waves, but he worked hard for them and didn't do much with them. In any steep wave you have to avoid hitting the flats in front of it, where your board will stop and wait for the wave to pound you. That means staying on the face and engaging the rails. When I look at any inflatable I don't see rails. I see a profile view of a vienna sausage.

Oregon coast you can get away with more, except when you can't. Generally any break in Oregon has at least two swell directions and sizes, usually interfering, and the break is either over a sandbar, on the beach, or on a rocky point. No significant reefs except way outside (except weird geological anomalies like Short Sands), and breaking only with huge stuff. Generally mushburgers except for the points on good days. You can surf anything you like, but what works best is something with some speed. The varied swell direction means you need to chase the peaks around, and mushiness means you have to be hauling ass to catch them, especially since you're unlikely to be in just the right spot. That doesn't spell "inflatable" for me, which is why I haul my Foote 10'4" all the way back to Oregon each year. I'd probably just get one for Oregon, but it seems silly when the Maui house is for sale.

For the river stuff, you're on your own. Except for goofing around at Swell City and pissing off the windsurfers, I don't do much in river waves, and I've sort of sworn off whitewater unless someone invites me to go. It's too confusing and I don't like swimming through rapids all that much, which is pretty much all I've learned. Well, that and you really should tie your 800 bucks worth of flyrod, reel and line to the board or yourself.

[Sam the Surfer]

What about the Whip vs. WaveStorm? I'm inland so would need to fly or pack it around...

[Sam the Surfer]

Thanks for the advice and feedback! I ended up ordering an ULI 10 ft Gerry Lopez with the 25% off so I'm pretty excited. Meg from ULI was great to work with. So the 10 ft Gerry Lopez has fin boxes that take regular fins and has the Wiki rail so that should help keep it on edge.

Last weekend we went down the Spokane River and it was flowing 14,000+ ft/s on the NRS Czar... so I might end up selling that board if anyone is interested. Then again, I think this is what they call starting a 'Quiver'. Looking back, surprised to catch waves on the Czar.

[powermi]

Could someone tell me how the Redpaddle Ride 9,8 would handle a 85 kg rider on flat water? I wanna Know BTW if it could be a good choice for learning small surf.

[Green Water Sports]

Could someone tell me how the Redpaddle Ride 9,8 would handle a 85 kg rider on flat water? I wanna Know BTW if it could be a good choice for learning small surf.

85kg is getting up there for the 9'8" Ride for all round use. For surfing/learning to surf it is ok because you'll want that weight to get on the tail and rail and really surf the board.

[powermi]

anyone could compare the performance in surf of the Redpaddle with RSS and the Ulis?
wondering what would be better for ocean surf..