Author Topic: Realising you have gone too small and in doing so- lost the magic of sup  (Read 12587 times)

devon_sup_surf

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Hi guys

I will keep this short- 36 yo- 6'1 95kg.

SUP surf for the past 5 years. UK waves. Reasonable power but not Hawaiian or Portugal power.

Ended up on a 7'8 111L JP slate. Zero glide. So tippy it was hard work. Far lower wave count. Spent most of my time sitting in the line-up. Have a performance shortboard of similar tippyness


So- it's sold- and I want to return to the things that I loved about SUP

high wave count
glide
sufficient stability to paddle for 2-3 hours even in chop with occasional sitting
ability to cruise the line up


I am prepared to compromise a little on most of the above for a board that turns nicely.

In my head- something around 9' 29" and 125-135L sounds a nice balance. A decent performance rail and tail and one that diesnt need monster steep waves to work well. Sadly- this profile seems quite rare to me. With most sups either being

Much higher volume for beginners usually achieved by making them v wide
Much shorter for easy slashing skiddy turns

Any suggestions would be excellent thanks. Hopefully I'm missing a peach of a board!

burchas

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« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 01:53:20 PM by burchas »
in progress...

Califoilia

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My favorite SUP board was a Corran Retro (7’8″ x 30″ x 4.4″ @ 119ltr - which he no longer makes) that I rode at your size ....

But any mini-Simmons shaped SUPs (L41 S4, King's Simmons, Infinity Phoenix...) short, wide and thick would all work IMO.
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 02:11:43 PM by SanoSlatchSup »
Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

PonoBill

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simmonds shapes permit short boards without a lot of tippiness, but they don't glide. I'd say go a little longer than what you are considering. I have a 9' Foote SUP that I pretty much quit using when i got my 10'4" Foote. I liked slashing around on the 9'0" and went to ever smaller fins to make the rear end skid, but the 10'4" turns almost as well, gets out to the lineup in a hurry and lets me get over whitewater that I couldn't do with any of my other boards.

If you've stopped having fun then I'd say make a fairly big jump to get back all the stuff you loved about SUP. Maybe not to 10'4, but I'd probably consider something intended for intermediate/expert surfers in the 9.5 to 10' range. Jimmy Lewis' qwads are really fun boards, I rode one of the 9'11" onces and liked it enough to comtemplate buying one. Then I got hooked on foiling.

It's highly unlikely you can find one, but Bill Foote's 10' X 29" production board simply rocks. It tunrs like it's a 9' or less and can be turned from anywhere on the board. Great glide, lots of speed.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

devon_sup_surf

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2 options in your range:

Gong fsp pro https://www.gong-galaxy.com/en/product/gong-sup-nfa-fsp-pro/

Jimmy Lewis Kwad https://jimmylewis.com/shop/kwad-3/

And one that is spot on: SIC Slice: https://sicmaui.com/boards/slice-stand-up-paddle/slice-9-0.html

Hi thanks for the info

Gong FSB- looks like it has quite a lot of volume up front for the option of nose riding. Perhaps a bit too much IMO. if that nose was a bit more pulled in the 9' would be v tempting.

I have owned a cruise control and a Stun gun. The latter was useless in all but the steep powerful waves. But the Kwad looks suitable actually based on the shape. My only reservation would be it's an old dated shape now. Plus will be very rare in the UK.

The SIC Slice is also v rare but I will look into it more. SICs first attempt but perhaps they have cracked it ? Not sure how well thought of it is  ?

devon_sup_surf

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My favorite SUP board was a Corran Retro (7’8″ x 30″ x 4.4″ @ 119ltr - which he no longer makes) that I rode at your size ....

But any mini-Simmons shaped SUPs (L41 S4, King's Simmons, Infinity Phoenix...) short, wide and thick would all work IMO.

They all look like traditionally shaped alternatives to tommo style boards- but no glide and probably still quite hard work. Will see if they have any other models thanks.

devon_sup_surf

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simmonds shapes permit short boards without a lot of tippiness, but they don't glide. I'd say go a little longer than what you are considering. I have a 9' Foote SUP that I pretty much quit using when i got my 10'4" Foote. I liked slashing around on the 9'0" and went to ever smaller fins to make the rear end skid, but the 10'4" turns almost as well, gets out to the lineup in a hurry and lets me get over whitewater that I couldn't do with any of my other boards.

If you've stopped having fun then I'd say make a fairly big jump to get back all the stuff you loved about SUP. Maybe not to 10'4, but I'd probably consider something intended for intermediate/expert surfers in the 9.5 to 10' range. Jimmy Lewis' qwads are really fun boards, I rode one of the 9'11" onces and liked it enough to comtemplate buying one. Then I got hooked on foiling.

It's highly unlikely you can find one, but Bill Foote's 10' X 29" production board simply rocks. It tunrs like it's a 9' or less and can be turned from anywhere on the board. Great glide, lots of speed.

Ah thanks Pono.

I have read good things about the Foote before. But I don't think they are avaliable in the UK. If they are I have never heard or seen them. shame they sound great.

I will have a proper look for a Kwad as you're the second person to recommend one :)

I think you're right- a sizeable jump to 9'+ is sensible!

Thanks

Califoilia

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...but no glide and probably still quite hard work.
True, but once you learn where/how to get in the wave later it's not an issue and I didn't lose wave count compared to my 8'6"s and 9'6" Laird LB, just a different entry. But being able to throw around the shorter board in weaker surf ("UK waves. Reasonable power but not Hawaiian or Portugal power") is so fun, and when "I am prepared to compromise a little on most of the above for a board that turns nicely", my old Retro came to mind.

Although I do have to admit that the lil Retro might have been a rare find back in the day, because I did try an Infinity pop-out when Boardworks was making them for them and it was pretty doggy. But I attributed that to the pop-out version, because I had seen Dave Boehne toss it around a locally glassed one in some SanO "knee high and firing" mush, and has no problem gliding into the measly stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFwGgU84eOg

Paddling either of them was never a problem, and not really much work in even in the worst conditions...IIRC, it's been several years now since I've been on a SUP once I got the foil bug. :o

But nonetheless, everyone has personal preference in their individual SUP surf styles, so if the MS's shapes aren't for you they aren't for you. Good luck in your search. :)
« Last Edit: November 14, 2020, 03:48:45 PM by SanoSlatchSup »
Me: 6'1"/185...(2) 5'1" Kings Foil/Wing Boards...7'10 Kings DW Board...9'6" Bob Pearson "Laird Noserider"...14' Lahui Kai "Manta"...8'0" WaveStorm if/when the proning urges still hit.

Beasho

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I never SUP and rarely let my friends SUP anymore.  But when I do its on a Sunova Acid 9' 1".

Thanks to SupTheCreek and Eastbound it is my go-to SUP on the East Coast of US - New England (sorry not Old England).  Great Volume.  It glides well enough to catch waves better than the long haired old guys on their laydown boards AND turns quite well. 

It is a Production Board that you can likely find somewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hk6i-ozXGI


BigZ

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Hi guys

I will keep this short- 36 yo- 6'1 95kg.

SUP surf for the past 5 years. UK waves. Reasonable power but not Hawaiian or Portugal power.

Ended up on a 7'8 111L JP slate. Zero glide. So tippy it was hard work. Far lower wave count. Spent most of my time sitting in the line-up. Have a performance shortboard of similar tippyness


So- it's sold- and I want to return to the things that I loved about SUP

high wave count
glide
sufficient stability to paddle for 2-3 hours even in chop with occasional sitting
ability to cruise the line up


I am prepared to compromise a little on most of the above for a board that turns nicely.

In my head- something around 9' 29" and 125-135L sounds a nice balance. A decent performance rail and tail and one that diesnt need monster steep waves to work well. Sadly- this profile seems quite rare to me. With most sups either being

Much higher volume for beginners usually achieved by making them v wide
Much shorter for easy slashing skiddy turns

Any suggestions would be excellent thanks. Hopefully I'm missing a peach of a board!

Must be this particular board. For sure not the volume. I am 6’4 106kg and at least two decades older than you. My go to board for small waves is 8’4 x 30 x 120 liters custom. Can catch anything over and including knee high. Don’t look at the volume. Get the right shape. My bigger wave boards are higher volume but different shape.


 

devon_sup_surf

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Re: Realising you have gone too small and in doing so- lost the magic of sup
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2020, 11:35:12 PM »
...but no glide and probably still quite hard work.
True, but once you learn where/how to get in the wave later it's not an issue and I didn't lose wave count compared to my 8'6"s and 9'6" Laird LB, just a different entry. But being able to throw around the shorter board in weaker surf ("UK waves. Reasonable power but not Hawaiian or Portugal power") is so fun, and when "I am prepared to compromise a little on most of the above for a board that turns nicely", my old Retro came to mind.

Although I do have to admit that the lil Retro might have been a rare find back in the day, because I did try an Infinity pop-out when Boardworks was making them for them and it was pretty doggy. But I attributed that to the pop-out version, because I had seen Dave Boehne toss it around a locally glassed one in some SanO "knee high and firing" mush, and has no problem gliding into the measly stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFwGgU84eOg

Paddling either of them was never a problem, and not really much work in even in the worst conditions...IIRC, it's been several years now since I've been on a SUP once I got the foil bug. :o

But nonetheless, everyone has personal preference in their individual SUP surf styles, so if the MS's shapes aren't for you they aren't for you. Good luck in your search. :)

Nice video. That board does look great fun. It looks like a fish style shortboard approach for weaker waves. My JP slate was a TOMMO alternative for the same conditions. It was certainly fun- just hard work.

You're dead right- they catch waves well if you're in the right position. 2 strokes and youre on the wave. Which I learnt (wellish!) having used it as my main board for 18 months. But if the water wasn't smooth- unless i had been in lots recently- I spent much more time kneeling. Wind is a problem in the UK and really glassy days are rare.

I may well still add a board like you suggest to my quiver- I can see their place. But IMO it's a board I will use 10% of the time. I probably wouldn't go in the water on a knee-waist high day. Not unless I was passing for work anyway or desperate to get in! :) But I'm bored of the Tommo shapes so I may look at that shape next if a cheap one comes along. 

devon_sup_surf

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Re: Realising you have gone too small and in doing so- lost the magic of sup
« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2020, 11:38:23 PM »
I never SUP and rarely let my friends SUP anymore.  But when I do its on a Sunova Acid 9' 1".

Thanks to SupTheCreek and Eastbound it is my go-to SUP on the East Coast of US - New England (sorry not Old England).  Great Volume.  It glides well enough to catch waves better than the long haired old guys on their laydown boards AND turns quite well. 

It is a Production Board that you can likely find somewhere

V interesting thanks. My custom acid is 8'8 but 12L lower than yours. Man I would love another 10L in mine. It would allow me to handle it in less smooth conditions.

My only prob with my acid is it does not like fat waves. Does yours ? I believe this is a shape issue as much as volume.

But addition another 10L to mine would be great. It's a good point- I will try and go up a size on the acid to make life easier. But I think I will still need a board of similar dimensions with a different tail shape to handle the weaker fatter waves we get here. :)

devon_sup_surf

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Re: Realising you have gone too small and in doing so- lost the magic of sup
« Reply #12 on: November 14, 2020, 11:41:29 PM »

Must be this particular board. For sure not the volume. I am 6’4 106kg and at least two decades older than you. My go to board for small waves is 8’4 x 30 x 120 liters custom. Can catch anything over and including knee high. Don’t look at the volume. Get the right shape. My bigger wave boards are higher volume but different shape.

that does sound a nice board! At 30" wide it probably is quite stable actually. There are boards of that sort of dimension here which could work. I would happily trade a bit of width for some extra length to give me a bit more glide- but that movement to a longer board with more volume is def moving in the right direction for me :)

surfinJ

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Re: Realising you have gone too small and in doing so- lost the magic of sup
« Reply #13 on: November 15, 2020, 12:40:00 AM »
So I wanted an Acid that was customed up in volume a tad bit to yield less a diva board to one that could be a trusted daily driver.
I am just under your size at 85kg.  The board is 9-2x31 129l. My diva short sup is
28 wide and 120l so I was into the comfort and ease of use here. 
This was a gutless and fat kind of day.  No issues here.

devon_sup_surf

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Re: Realising you have gone too small and in doing so- lost the magic of sup
« Reply #14 on: November 15, 2020, 02:34:58 AM »
Interesting SurfinJ. My acid certainly doesn't like the fatter waves but that could be because it's customised and on my limit volume wise ?

I have found myself looking at some of the starboard Pros- 9' 29" and 125-128L is v tempting.

 


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