Difference Hokua 9.3, 9.0, PSH WR 9.2 ???

Hi Guys,
I,m 90kg and sup mainly in Holland in crappy slow windgenerated short period (5sec) confused and choppy short rides cold beachbreak with a strong current waves

Because of this we try to escape a 6weeks a year to proper waves in the UK and France at the Atlantic Ocean.

For Holland I got a Starboard Widepoint.810 and a Drive wich do fine but in faster and bigger waves the Starboard is just too fat, wide and slow.
I tried it at Fuerteventura on the bigger waves of outerreefs and it starts to bounche and is hard to turn.
After damaging my board I rented a Hokua8.5, and with 115l that was just a fraction too small for my skills.
I changed it the next day to the 9.3 with 10l more and 1inch wider and felt from the first second at home on the board.
It did everything I wanted: sharp and precise turns, heaps of control and the better the wave the better the board became making me feel like Robby himself.

I keep the WP because its a great board for my homespots but wanna buy a board alike the Hokua 9.3 for the holidays. A little smaller is okay, but because the 8.5 was just too small its seem to be a thin line between perfect and too small.

Because sup isnt big in Europe as in Australia or the US its very hard to see and demo stuff. I have no change to test boards like that in proper waves before buying, so thats where your expertise comes in: :)

What is the difference in stability, float and performance in clean shoulderhigh till serious big between the Hokua 9.3 and 9.0??
I,m really looking for something that handles the waves where my WP stops and need advice.

I,m also looking to the PSH Wideripper9.2 wich I can demo in Holland but due the very positive experience with the Hokua9.3 and Naish delivers a very complete package with bag and pad it has a slight advantage.

Any other bigger clean waveboards you can recommend from the bigger brands?
Hope you can help with some insight and proper advice
Cheers Jeroen

Well, there is no secret. Most "pointy ended" boards with good rocker and thin rails will work well in powerful waves.

I would just advise you to not get too narrow boards. Going narrow is an option for pros and people riding all year round in powerful waves, but for recreational use, it is not worth the trouble in my opinion. For my 100kg, the Gong "777" 8'9" x 30"5/16 x 125l is my "safe" board for gnarly conditions, I would recommend something in the same kind of dimensions. (or the 9'4" if you want to be on the confort side). I would recommend Gong boards, but they are in such demand that it may be difficult to get them before spring. On the water, PSH, Naish and F-One boards seemed very nice, and the new Jimmy Lewis Kwads as they are wide enough.

I used to own the 9'3 Hokua. I have not paddled the 9'0.

The 9'3 turns like a dream because it has a full length vee bottom, and extra big rocker for a 9'3. The drawback, is less speed. The vee also makes it less stable than equivalent flat bottom shape.

So even though the new 9'0 Hokua is narrower, it doesn't have the huge vee and it has a concave deck to lower the riders CG and increase stability. Therefore, I suspect the 9'0 is close to the 9'3 in stability and likely a whole lot faster and more fun to surf.

Jeroen, you are right on the volume. After a while, you feel much stabler on thin boards, thick ones feel too corky and put you off balance. But well-designed thick boards can be ultra fun on slow waves anyways.

On the "magic" of boards... well, this is very very personal. The guy I SUP Surf with most often bought the Gong777 because he loved its bigger sister in 9'4", same shape... but he disliked the 777, couldnt "feel" it. So I bought it from him and I am now loving it on the same breaks...

So, you can get advice on forums on the behaviors of boards and suitability to your weight / ability / type of waves.... but for finding your magic board, I think you will have to try them :-)

PS: I forgot the F-Ones. From what I saw from people riding them, they seem quite good too.

Hi there,

I have both the 8'5" and 9.0 Hokua and love surfing both. At 92kg (still wearing my winter coat!), like you, I find the 8.5 tricky if there is some lump and bump. But the trade off is that the thing surfs so well. I keep saying to myself that I will keep it in the car and use it only on good, offshore days, but do find myself wanting to get out on it as often as I can.

Having said the above, I really like the 9.0 and find that it surfs really well in a wide range of waves. I have surfed it, and really enjoyed it, from knee high to double overhead waves. I haven't surfed the 9'3", so can't do the comparison, but I have found the 9.0 to be fast and responsive in all conditions. In bigger waves, with bit of power, it is rock solid on the bottom turn. For me, the 9.0 is definitely a keeper. I've demo'd quite a few boards in the 8.5 - 9.2 range, and don't yet find a board that I want to swap for the Naish.

Here is the 9.0 in a wave we like to get to when it's on. At this place, I use the 9.0 in preference to the 8.5.

Gday Jeroen,
I have the 9'2" PSH wide ripper. It surfs great, light but not too light, and fangs when you plant your back foot through turns. But the drawback seems to be that the thinness of the nose and tail affect buoyancy, making it tippy not only sideways but lengthways as well. I'm over 6'4" and 88kg, so high centre of gravity (dammit), and I'll keep it for the good clean days. Standing around waiting for waves when there's a bit of joggle on the water or backwash off rocks keeps you on your toes. In your chop, it would be a challenge, I reckon.
Good luck.