Question on width and stability for short(ish) soft sup

[CaptainKook]

Hi all,

My current sup is a cheap soft top 9 foot by 28 inches by 4” thick , 138 liters. It’s a Perception Jetty. I’m 5’8” , 150 lbs with the suit on.  Had some decent sessions last year in tiny surf with it but overall it is a bit squirrelly and unstable for me in the surf. It’s really tiring on my legs trying to keep it stable before catching a wave, half the time I dump it and miss the wave. Of course a lot of this is me still being a beginner.  So it’s essentially a kids board, but was hoping I could get used to the small size and make it work.  My kids do love it , it also is a great longboard for everyone in the family, me too.

Due to my location and budget and car size there are limits to what I can upgrade to.  I found another cheap foamy classic longboard shape , that is also 9 foot but 32 inches wide , 4 1/2 thick, 160 liters.  The 9 foot boards fit perfect in the minivan, this is a huge factor on choice unfortunately.

My big question is : do you think the extra 4 inches in width and 22 liters in volume will possibly give me the addded stability needed ?  I know this is a tough question and I can’t try these boards out.   I really dont want to go 9’6”- 10’ .thanks if you can help!

[Night Wing]

It sounds to me you want a 9' board because it can fit "inside" your van. Why have you ruled out "roof racks"? With roof racks, you can put your board on top of your van and then you can get a longer board that will probably work for what you want it to do based on your sup surfing skills.

[CaptainKook]

Thanks for the reply Nightwing,

Yeah I’m trying to avoid roof racks , for the added expense, the hassle in time,  and also worried that aside from an expensive Thule sup system rack anything I conjur up will damage the soft deck under compression . Its an hour and half to the beach.
I will keep looking for a used rack system however. And maybe I can make a suitable U shaped mount for a basic rack bar system. But I’d rather just slide it inside the van and be off haha.

[FRP]

Kook,

The answer to your question.......yes.......four inches in width all other things being fairly equal is going to be a significant increase in stability. When I compare my 29” boards to my 32” board all approximately the same length (just under 9’) the wider board is very, very stable. You and I are approximately the same size at 70 Kg.

Cheers

Bob

[CaptainKook]

Thanks FRP glad to hear it. Thats what I was assuming. I know it may be a little different on the soft board sitting higher than on your boards that sit lower in the water, but the stability has got to improve .

[seadart]

I'm not sure how much choice you have in Japan, but if you weigh less than 150 lbs and you have a big floaty 160 liter board with thick rails  it is really over kill for your size.   You feel unstable on a really floaty board.  If you find a board where you can actually sink the rails a bit and edge into the wave you will feel more stable paddling, and your surfing will improve by about an order of magnitude.  I think at your weight it will feel like surfing a liferaft. I realize you can't find a lot used. in Japan.  I would look for something like an 8'6" laird board like they were selling a few years ago,  I would bet some ended up in Japan.  At your weight it would feel stable as an aircraft carrier when paddling but you could still really step up your surfing.

[CaptainKook]

Thanks much for this reality check Seadart,

Being a kook I have this irrational fear of hardboards and should get over it but those things and my kook factor just scare the heck out of me.  An aquaintence here has pushed me to get a short hardboard like you recommend, and they do come up used around 900$ .  Will keep it in mind.  I don’t mind surfing a liferaft so much as long as its stable, will be happy just getting some waves and plowing straight to the beach. Also will be using it for flatwater and maybe have a kid riding along too

[surfcowboy]

That'll be fine. 4 more inches in width is a huge difference. It's a foamie, it'll be a life raft and fun and safe.

[CaptainKook]

So I went for the 9 foot softie.

http://i.imgur.com/Jp92xIt.jpg

Finally got to try it out in mostly flat conditions. But did manage to get two little rides on the day. Stability is much much better than the Jetty on the right. The secondary stability was very good, whereas the Jetty basically has zero secondary stability compared to the new board. Was able to turn it around easily just outside the little shorebreak and not dump it.  And the two foamy sups just slide right in the minivan with no visibility problems. The new board is a tri fin, cant wait to get it out in some small waves soon. Thanks all for the help.

Oh it’s a Diamond Head brand,   

[FRP]

Captain

Looks like a nice shape! I am sure you will have a ton of fun on that board.

Cheers

Bob