A "Guest" Sup: 3 Main Choices

[Area 10]

I loved my JL Cruise Control 11ft. It was durable but light with a superb paint finish, and probably one of the most adaptable boards I’ve ever owned. I remember circumnavigating an island near me on it, with a friend also on a Cruise Control, which was the first time anyone had done it on a SUP. That trip was only about 15 miles but this was in the very early days of SUP, long before the invention of race/distance boards, when 15 miles was considered quite a long way. But I could never get used to the fact that the dimensions written on the board only mentioned the length and width of the board. What would happen if a guest wanted to check the full specifications to see if the board would be too corky for them? Everyone would be totally at sea. The worry of it completely ruined the circumnavigation for me.

[Night Wing]

@ burchas

This guest board is about "them". I'll know more after Sunday afternoon. I'll have their preferences by then. All of my friends are the outdoors type of people. They fish, they crab, they kayak, they hike, they camp, etc, etc.

They both know I flatwater paddle and sup surf both of my boards. Both are highly curious about surfing a sup since I have so many webcam favorites for the upper Texas coast I regularly look at on my computer.

As for my wife, we are as opposite as night and day. I'm the outdoors type, she definitely is not. She has her hobbies, I have mine. I'm a home body and she is not.

So when she told me she has booked another New England trip in 2020 for herself with some of her friends, my answer to her was; "just tell me when you're leaving so I can stock up before hand on essentials like: food, alcoholic beverages, etc". My wife already knew I would be staying home by myself. I think the last time we both took a vacation together was way back in 1981.

I never get upset when she wants to spend money on the things she enjoys in life and she does the same for me. When we were both working, we both made good money. We both spent and we both saved for retirement. She retired before I did. She retired in 2006 and I retired in 2010. She worked for 33 years and I worked for 37 years.

And since we've been married for 45 years, if I was a bean counter accountant, I think it would be safe to say she has outspent me by about 10 to 1 during our 45 year marriage (and counting). 

[spirit4earth]

I loved my JL Cruise Control 11ft. It was durable but light with a superb paint finish, and probably one of the most adaptable boards I’ve ever owned. I remember circumnavigating an island near me on it, with a friend also on a Cruise Control, which was the first time anyone had done it on a SUP. That trip was only about 15 miles but this was in the very early days of SUP, long before the invention of race/distance boards, when 15 miles was considered quite a long way. But I could never get used to the fact that the dimensions written on the board only mentioned the length and width of the board. What would happen if a guest wanted to check the full specifications to see if the board would be too corky for them? Everyone would be totally at sea. The worry of it completely ruined the circumnavigation for me.

So, you loved the board, right?  But you were worried that your guests might want more information about the board before trying it out?  How did it handle your circumnavigation?

[Area 10]

I loved my JL Cruise Control 11ft. It was durable but light with a superb paint finish, and probably one of the most adaptable boards I’ve ever owned. I remember circumnavigating an island near me on it, with a friend also on a Cruise Control, which was the first time anyone had done it on a SUP. That trip was only about 15 miles but this was in the very early days of SUP, long before the invention of race/distance boards, when 15 miles was considered quite a long way. But I could never get used to the fact that the dimensions written on the board only mentioned the length and width of the board. What would happen if a guest wanted to check the full specifications to see if the board would be too corky for them? Everyone would be totally at sea. The worry of it completely ruined the circumnavigation for me.

So, you loved the board, right?  But you were worried that your guests might want more information about the board before trying it out?  How did it handle your circumnavigation?

Yes, it was a great board, and that circumnavigation was less tiring than many that followed it, on narrower boards. The Cruise Control had a good cruising speed for a surf-shape. I remember that when the original Naish Glide 12’0” came out, I spent an afternoon doing multiple alternating speed runs on the 11ft JL and the Naish and analysing it statistically in a lot of detail, coming to the conclusion that the Glide was not significantly faster, in flat ocean conditions. The Glide had a huge amount of nose rocker and extremely hard rails, whereas the CC has much less nose rocker and softer rails that make it a comfortable cruising board for an all-round shape. I suppose the fact that the CC is still in production all these years later (I’m guessing it is 10-12 years since I bought mine) and that Glide isn’t, says a lot, really.

A friend of mine really loved the way it surfed. And I did have quite a few good sessions on a head-high offshore bombora on it, where the waves are fat and the relaxed rocker helped it to get into the waves. But the tail was a bit too wide and soft for me for surf, really: it needs someone with a bit more weight than me to get the best out of it in beachbreak type conditions. But for small mellow beginner-type surf it was a good companion for someone starting out.

However, it definitely wouldn’t be the right board for Night Wing, for the reason I described. I guess that some boards are destined to be enjoyed by certain people, and some are not. Night Wing should stay a very long way away from the Cruise Control. Maybe hundreds of miles away, just to be on the safe side. It’s funny, but you can sometimes tell a lot about the priorities of a person from the board they ride, just like you can the vehicle they drive.

Hope this helps

[Night Wing]

This is going to be a l-o-n-g read.

So my two friends came over today we went down to demo both of my boards, the 8'11" Hammer and my 11'1 One World. Keep in mind my two boards are:

Hammer 8'11" x 31" x 4.0" @ 140 Liters and my One World is 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters. I took all of my fins with me for both boards. Each of my friends paddled with a one single fin setup, a 2 + 1 fin setup (2, 5") (1, 9" for Hammer) (2, 5") (1, 9.25" for One World) and a quad 4 (2, 5") (2, 4") fin setup when demoing both boards.

Both of my boards already had single fin in each to start the demo rides. The Hammer with a 9" single fin and the One World with a 9.25" fin.

I first demoed my Hammer to show them how to standup on it (on the sweet spot for them), with parallel stance and then with my adjustable length paddle, how to adjust the paddle length for each of them. Then the paddle stroke. This was the basics.

My 170 lb next door neighbor is designated "A" and my 190 lb friend is designated as "B".

Both "A" and "B" didn't like my 8'11" Hammer since they said it was too short in length for them feeling wise and I had already anticipated this since my Hammer was designed for surfing. They did like it's 31" width. The 4" thickness was really noticed by "B". He wasn't fond of this thickness.

The best glide was with the single 9" fin. The second best glide was by the 4 quad fin setup just edging out the 2 + 1 fin setup.

Then came the acid test. My 11'1" One World.

The best glide was with the single 9.25" fin. And oddity was next since the second best glide was with the quad 4 fin setup

"A" and "B" liked the length. But both of them were not fond of the 30" width. Too narrow for both of them. Both liked the 4.5" thickness. "A" had no problem with it's 173 liters of volume. But "B" thought he needed more volume. So I asked him how much volume and he said, while looking down at the waterline on the rails when he was standing on the board in shallow water, he thought somewhere between 185-190 liters.

Both of them liked the 5 fin boxes on my 11'1" One World which could accommodate both flat water paddling and sup surfing. But they both inquired about a little shorter length board, say around 10'6".

Then after the 4 hours of demo riding, then came the "questions" about my One World. Long story short, I told them my One World was custom made for my weight and it's 5 fin boxes and why I wanted 5 fin boxes.

After a long discussion, concerning the small waves on the upper Texas coast where more volume is needed for sup surfing depending on a person's weight and the ability of a board to handle flat water paddling, both of them asked if there was a  production made board around these parameters: 10'6" x 32" x 4.5" @ 185-190 liters with 3 (or more) fin boxes.

They both knew I have looked at a lot of boards and were hoping I could remember something off the top of my head, close to the specifications above. I told them I did and I told them about the Blue Planet Duke model and it's specs are: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 liters and it came with 5 fin boxes.

So they came inside my home and I showed it to them on my computer. Then they asked me if I could handle 190 liters of volume since they both know I'm not a fan of high volume liter boards and I told them I could adapt to it and handle it if need be.

So they are going to "think on it" for awhile and get back with me.





 

[Night Wing]

My two friends have gotten back in touch with me concerning my "guest board". Here are their views along with mine.

Both "A" and "B" are not that thrilled with my 11'1" One World's length, but they could live with it especially since I'm the one who would be buying the "guest board". Both "A" and "B" would like a slightly shorter board. "A" does not mind my OW's 173 liters, but "B" would like a little more volume somewhere around 185-190 liters.

Both "A" and "B" know I like the length of my OW along with it's drawn in hybrid type nose. They also know if a board has 5 fin boxes, they know I prefer that. Since they have looked at the waves "generally" found at Surfside, via the Surfside streaming webcam, they both said they could be happy with both a 10'6" or 11' board.

This basically gives me two choices in my way of thinking. These two choices are:

1) Tom Carroll (Outer Reef): 11' x 32.50" x 4.75" @ 185 liters, 3 fin boxes and pulled in hybrid type nose.

https://shop.surfindustries.com/us/surf/stand-up-paddle-boards/all-rounder/tom-carroll-outer-reef-mx/

2) Blue Planet (Duke): 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 liters, 5 fin boxes with a fuller planing type nose.

https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/105-x-32-duke-2019.html

These two boards above would be good for flat water paddling. Both of my friends are like me when it comes to sup surfing waves. They are not into shredding waves. Just a little slow carving of waves and they don't mind a nice long glide type of ride which are found on roller type of waves as well as tanker bow waves.

So in review, the Outer Reef has a nice video which I will post (again).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEfLo9lZUYo

However, there really isn't a video for the Blue Planet "Duke" so I had to try and get an idea what a Duke would surf like in the wave conditions "generally" found at Surfside, Texas.

The closet Blue Planet model I could find for comparison's sake to the "Duke" is the Blue Planet "Easy" and the specifications for it are: 10'2" x 32" x 4.5" @ 181 liters, 5 fin boxes with a hybrid nose. The video for it is below. Just keep in mind most of the sup surfing I mostly do and what my friends also like, in the video below, the woman surfing is what me and my friends favor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuMD1dGdGNc

Both boards, 11' Outer Reef and 10'5' Duke, would be good for a "guest boad". As for me, I like both boards. And this makes it a "not so easy decision". Right now, I'm "sorta" leaning towards the Duke.



 

[paddlejones]

I know that you will say that it is too wide, but the blue planet multi tasker 10/6 has great reviews here.

Also check out paddle surf Hawaii, Blane shapes for Tom Carroll
https://paddlesurfhawaii.shop

[Night Wing]

I know that you will say that it is too wide, but the blue planet multi tasker 10/6 has great reviews here.

Also check out paddle surf Hawaii, Blane shapes for Tom Carroll
https://paddlesurfhawaii.shop

I had already checked out the Blue Planet "Multi-Tasker. You are right in saying I'm not fond of it's width of 34". Many people consider 32" wide, a barge. But for me, 34" wide, that is what I call "an aircraft carrier" width wise. But there is another slight drawback for the Multi-Tasker. It is only 170 liters and my friend "B" wants something closer to 185-190 liters. And with a 4" thickness, he might have problems with the board being "tippy" for him for flat water paddling.

Thanks for mentioning the Paddle Surf Hawaii site (PSH). Somehow in my research, I missed this site. So I took a look at the site and the one board which caught my eye, is the "All Arounder 11'0" - Painted PVC.

https://paddlesurfhawaii.shop/collections/all-around/products/all-arounder-110-pvc-painted

It definitely has the Chambers shape which I'm fond of and which reminds me of the Tom Carroll "Long Grain V2". The PSH All Arounder 11'0" specifications are: 11'0" X 32" X 4-5/16" @ 178 liters, 5 fin boxes and planing nose. Nice specifications, but one item is missing. The site does not list the physical weight for this board. I don't know why companies don't list important info like this on their websites. I'm guessing the weight is not listed is because this is a PVC board and at 11' in length, I'm guessing the board is at least 30 pounds or more. I could find out though by calling PSH.

The sticking point is the 178 liters. Not for me, but "B" might have trouble with it since he didn't really care for my OW's 173 liters. But he was also on my 30" wide OW. The PSH All Arounder is 32" wide and with 178 liters, this "should" have a different feeling for him, than when he was on my 11'1" x 30" OW.

Unfortunately, there is no way to demo the PSH All Arounder 11'0" so this presents a quandary for me. So I thought I would get on YouTube and see if there was a video of it. I did find "one" old (years wise) video, but it is from a GoPro point of view. The GP view doesn't let me see anything of the board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_Srmp-_FpM

And I couldn't find any videos for the All Arounder, in any length, on Vimeo either.

[southwesterly]

I had already checked out the Blue Planet "Multi-Tasker. You are right in saying I'm not fond of it's width of 34". Many people consider 32" wide, a barge. But for me, 34" wide, that is what I call "an aircraft carrier" width wise. But there is another slight drawback for the Multi-Tasker. It is only 170 liters and my friend "B" wants something closer to 185-190 liters. And with a 4" thickness, he might have problems with the board being "tippy" for him for flat water paddling.

I rented the Blue Planet Multi Tasker in Waikiki and what you have to consider is that not every companies volumn measurements are the same. Just because Blue Planet says it's 170 liters, doesn't mean it would be equal in float to a Wardog 170 liter board.

They list this at only 170 liters, but in my experience it is as floaty as any of the 190 liter boards I've ever ridden. There is no way anybody would find this board tippy with a flat deck and 34" inches wide.

Also for such a big board, it surfed small waves surprisingly well.

[paddlejones]

Glowing reviews for the multi tasker and 0 reviews for the duke.

Just sayin.

[Night Wing]

Glowing reviews for the multi tasker and 0 reviews for the duke.

You've mentioned the reviews for the Multi-Tasker "twice", but you haven't provided me with a link in either of your two posts where you mentioned those reviews.

Just saying.

[paddlejones]

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,32025.msg357607.html#msg357607

My choice would be a cruse control

Sorry man

[Area 10]

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,32025.msg357607.html#msg357607

My choice would be a cruse control

Sorry man

The Naish Nalu 11-0 is another board that should definitely *not* be considered here.

But I’d love to have one, for my newbie friends, and then I could use it for surf too.

[Night Wing]

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,32025.msg357607.html#msg357607

My choice would be a cruse control

Wetstuff chose the Multi-Tasker because he has a few issues which affect the mobility of his left leg so he needed a wider platform and the 34" width of the MT is perfect for him.

I have an issue with my lower back and it gets "cranky" at times. My lower back issue rears it's ugly head every now and then. Although I haven't had an issue with my lower back in months, I'm always aware of it since it can flare up without notice.

I'll give my my reasons for not making the MT one of my choices.

With the MT's 34" width, at my 5'8" height, I would have to lean further over to the left and the right side of the rails to keep my paddle length and paddle blade perpendicular (straight) to the water when flat water paddling. The 34" width just might cause issues with my lower back.

My Hammer is 31" wide and it gives me no lower back issues.

When I look at a board to purchase, I look at a few factors such as: stability, glide, maneuverability, tracking.

So lets compare the Duke to the Multi-Tasker. For both boards in the links below, there is a chart for each which gives info for stability, glide, maneuverability and tracking. The values given are from "0" to 9".

https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/105-x-32-duke-2019.html

https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/106-x-34-multi-tasker-2019.html

For STABILITY, the Duke gets a "7" and the MT gets an "8". Slight advantage to the MT because of the 34" width compared to the Duke's 32" width.

For GLIDE, the Duke gets an "8" and the MT gets a "7". Slight advantage to the Duke because of it's 32" width compared to the MT's 34" width.

For MANEUVERABILITY, the Duke gets a "6" and the MT gets a "6". Even steven.

For TRACKING, the Duke gets an "8" and the MT gets a "7". Slight advantage to the Duke because of the slightly shorter length, 10'5" than the MT's 10'6". But I suspect the the 32" width of the Duke comes into play against the MT's 34" width to go hand in hand with length.

In the final score, the Duke scores 2 and the MT scores 1 with an Even draw for both boards in MANEUVERABILITY.

Since there are no YouTube videos of the Duke, there is also no videos of the MT either.

Another factor comes into play as well. Me and all of my friends live about 100 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. It takes 2 hours 15 minutes to get to Surfside because we have to skirt the heavy traffic going to work in Houston even at 5:00 am in the morning. And Houston is a very big city which sprawls over a wide distance. I have a shortcut to get to Surfside, but there are lots of traffic lights we have to contend with.

And with the small mushy type waves which are found at Surfside at times, I think the 190 liters of the Duke will be better than than the 170 liters of the MT mainly because "B" weighs 190 pounds so the small waves are going to have to generate the dynamic lift needed to get "B" going when sup surfing tiny to small waves.

So the "guest board" will do more (a lot more) flat water paddling than sup surfing and this is why I'm favoring the Duke over the MT which you tend to favor.

[burchas]

https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,32025.msg357607.html#msg357607

My choice would be a cruse control

Sorry man

The Naish Nalu 11-0 is another board that should definitely *not* be considered here.

But I’d love to have one, for my newbie friends, and then I could use it for surf too.

The Nalu is a sure crowd pleaser and should definitely *not* be considered here just as the Cruise Control
which could probably be considered as the Swiss Army Knife of Sups and therefor should definitely, without a question
*not* be considered here. I'd love to have one for my friends and family.