Newbie Looking for advice on First Board

[gsievwright]

I am looking to sell my longboard, and buy my first Standup.

I have been looking at the Starboard Whopper and the Big Easy, both of which I have tried.  Have been told that the new Avanti might be the way to Go.

Also looked at the Naish Mana 10"4 and the 10"6 and 11"4 Nalu.

Having just been on a board for a couple of hours, they all seem pretty similar.  I want a board that I can paddle on the ocean with no waves, for fun (with my two young boys) and fitness, but also  want to be able to take it into the waves for a surf.  I am not a great surfer but am improving.

I am 6"3 and around 210lbs.

What do you guys recon would be the best board to get, that will be good as my surfing improves

Thanks for your time

Graeme

[Dwight (DW)]

10'0 Mana

[gsievwright]

Thanks for the responsse

Any reason for that over the starboard whopper?

[DavidJohn]

The Naish 10' Mana for sure.. btw.. There's nothing wrong with the Starboard Whoppers.

I have a few friends with Mana's now and all love them.

Here's a few pics of a couple of friends that just bought 9'5" Mana's.

They're a bit  lighter than you..   ..also a pic of a friend on my Mana with her little boy on board.

I have the 10' Mana and I'm about 200 lbs and 6'4" and it's such a fun board and it would be perfect for what you want.

also Check out my short vid that I took a few weeks ago paddling my Mana with a few friends in the waves.

DJ









Fun little waves at Point Roadknight.

[Dwight (DW)]

Thanks for the responsse

Any reason for that over the starboard whopper?

Because I own a Mana and know it surfs great. At your weight, 32" is enough width.

[stoneaxe]

The big easy is too big of a board for you. You would quickly outgrow it and find it a bit slow in the surf. Great for getting out with the kids though.  The 10'-11' range is more likely to fit the bill. Other than that I'd say demo, demo, demo....all the advice in the world doesn't replace trying them yourself. Try the Naish's try the Starboards....try some others as well. Its a very personal choice.

[Strand Leper]

I think you should go with the Naish 10'6" ... but the skinny one... 28.5 I think... I bought mine before they had cool names, so I don't know what the cool name is....

If you are going out once a month, then maybe the wide one is good for you... but if you are going out weekly, or a few times a week, you will outgrow the fattie pretty quickly IMHO... and these puppies are expensive!

But I was your weight when I started... have decent balance... and in a month of going out every weekend could surf on it... paddle in, standing cutouts, etc.  I will admit that my first time out in the surf, I wanted to cry... but I stuck with it...

Progressed out of it in about two months... but I am a shortboarder at heart... If I was a longboarder, I probably would have used the Naish for much longer...

Good luck and welcome aboard,

Tim

[Dwight (DW)]

My long winded opinion.........

I'm biased at the moment because my 9'5 Mana has impressed the heck out of me. I've been SUPing since May 2007 and live across the street from the ocean, so I SUP a lot.

I've pushed myself onto the smallest SUPs my gawky skill-lacking self could handle. I thought the trend toward wide boards was silly.

Then I showed up for a Naish demo day and got to try lots of boards. The board that put the biggest smile on my face was the silly wide 9'5 Mana. It looks odd being wide, but boy does it surf! All my buds that try it, say the same, boy that things turns and surfs nice!

Even my wife enjoys it. She used to hate everything I surfed because they didn't turn at her weight. Not with the 9'5 Mana, it turns. It has more rocker than my old 9'3 Sub Vector and more nose kick too! The wide style shape just glides and catches everything. Wide makes nose riding a breeze.

The other thing that impressed me was the wood sandwich. That wood layer makes it virtually ding proof. With the nice padded bag you get for free, it's one heck of a nice board.

Before I tried one, I didn't get it. Now I get it.

[southwesterly]

Well said DW.
As soon as anybody tires out a wide board that really surfs, they "get it". This is supposed to be fun, right?
The 9'5" and the 10' Mana are great boards. Perfect as your first board AND a board that should be in your quiver later on.
I am glad to see that some board manufactures are starting to realize that fact.

[Strand Leper]

I guess I am going to have to try one of these fatties with an open mind... Once a closed minded shortboarder, always a closed minded shortboarder. 

But... I ordered my 6'3" potato chip thruster at 18 3/8 instead of 18 1/4... so there!

Tim

[gsievwright]

Guys

Thanks very much for all the advice, I am off to try all the boards and looking forward to all the fun

cheers

Graeme

[Easy Rider]

As a fellow 200 pounder - I have a Whopper and really like it.

Personally I also really like the Big Easy. 
IF you are planning on recreational paddling in all types of conditions - with kids on board and such - and taking it in to small surf - it would be a great board.   

Don't get too caught up in the "I have to have the smallest board I can stand on" train.

Demoing the boards is the best way to figure it all out.  Make sure to bring the kids along and put them on the board as well - so you know how it will behave in that situation.

Good luck and welcome!

[beaglebuddy]

Error on the side of being too wide and too long, trust me on that.

[aircube]

I bought a whopper from easy rider on his sugestion.  (thanks, Warren!! I'm 210 lbs and it floats me fine and is stable for its length.  It accelerates quick and will track straight with a proper stroke, but paddling it any distance on flat water would be akin to taking a mountain bike on a long highway as opposed to a roadbike.  More effort, less speed. 

Really depends on what you end up using it for.  I would say whopper or Mana for waves and the occasional horsing around on flatwater.  Or big easy or cruiser for flat padding distance with the odd trip to the waves. 

[Easy Rider]

Aircube - -  Glad you like the Whopper - is your ice all gone yet?