I'm looking for a new board and would appreciate a bit of feedback. I'm 78 to 80 kg, long time short board surfer, intermediate Supper. looking for a good surfer not too much hard work in a bit of chop/breeze. I'm currently thinking hokua 9'0 or pro wave 8'10. I heard some things about PSH but don't know anything about them, any others? Any thoughts/ feedback on these boards or others from experience would be appreciated.
Hey Dexy,
Get out there and Demo Demo Demo... chew up as many trials on different brands/shapes as you can. What's good for one might be rubbish for another and we all want different things.
I am impressed by the new releases from Starboard and Naish. Given your experience you wont have a problem on a more aggressive/higher performance board. Most manufacturers have the catalogues both in shop and online, so getting a comparison is easy before you decide what to look for to demo. And are you stuck on a budget or is it open cheque book (as this makes all the difference!!!). And lastly, most dealers/shops will geniunely "help" you rather than just giving you a hard sell so dont be afraid to lots of different advice.
Mottman
Both boards are excellent, they come from leading brands which means that quality and proformance is everything.
The 9'0 Hokua is a good board for most surf conditions although is best suited for those grunty and powerful waves. It has a pulled in nose that makes it a little bit less stable. The Hokua is 28 inches wide and 125 litres of volume.
The 8'10 Pro wave however is more of an all round board with the wider nose and is 29 inches wide with 122 litres of volume. I ride this myself and haven't looked back since, it has handled any surf conditions i have thrown at it with ease.
Regards Josh
As Mottman Said, if you can...try them both! I've surfed them both and they're both wicked boards! If your after a board that is going to be a little better for those days when you have a bit of chop on the water and the surf is looking a little raddy, the All-wave is the one. Simply because the widest point of the widest point of the board is further forward, making it easier to get onto waves and it is going to be a bit more stable in the bump with that extra inch of width. Although if your going to be surfing anything with a bit of size, the Hokua is the go!
Good Luck mate.
Where are you?.. You are welcome to try my 9.0 Hokua but I think even at your weight you might find it a bit tippy in choppy water.. The new 9'5" Hokua might be a better choice.. You should also try a PSH Ripper in a similar size because they are also very good.. There are heaps of good boards out there now to choose from.
DJ
Hey mate,
im 80kg been paddling a while but, I had the FAnatic 8"10 prowave and loved it.
really easy to paddle, and with 5fins you have plenty of options.
i rode everything from ankle to double overhead on it and it was pretty good.
ive since downsized to the 8'6 just to give me a bit more "shortbreak ability".
youll love the board tho.
great construction, shape and looks wiked.
try both the Hokua and the prowave tho.
they are very different boards.
enjoy good luck
(starboard 9"1 pro looks nice too)
I'm 85 kg and ride a LSD 8'8.
I would throw that in the mix to at least have a ride of if you are considering that small. It is only 110 lt though, but is only a touch less stable than the Hokua 9'0 for me (owned that one previously).
Thanks everyone, sounds like there are a few options to check out and some handling variations among boards of different makes even though the same size. I'm on the Goldie so will try to demo some. Probably leaning toward the fanatic pro wave as it seems it may be a little easier to handle in less than perfect conditions, even though I still reckon the Hokua looks really sleek and sexy. Cheers.
Dexy, send an email to scott@greenlinepaddlesurf.com - he has the starboard demo trailer on the Goldy with about 15 sups on it from 7.7 to 14.0 in length - no cost and no obligation !
If you are a surfer, I would advise you try a domed deck. It allows for thinner rails which feel so great on the wave. It is a tad more instable at rest, so try not to go too narrow.
Once you try domed decks, the fat rails of the flat deck boards will feel cumbersome...
This is of course my personal opinion, others may have different ones :-)
Thanks colas, that's something I've also noticed since trying a few boards, the flat deck boards seem quite bulky in the rails and a bit hard to get the board over on a rail to what I'm used to. I'm sure I'd get used to it, after all guys obviously rip on these boards. I liked a mates Magic Carpet 9'0 which is apparently a blown up version of Luke Egan's short fish boards. Sooo many boards out there to try, I want them all... this sport is amazing! everything about it is new and challenging, from the variety of boards to the variety of ways you can use them. Almost like a grommet again after 35 odd years of prone short board riding. Sitting around in a packed line up for hours, with everybody on basically the same surf board shape all waiting and hassling for a chance at a wave so they can ride it exactly the same way as the guy next to them..seems so lame now. Don't tell anyone though..oh too late.
