Hi Adssup
if you dont mind spending the money get A custom made

that way you get what you want
I personally like Dale chapman boards

but if you just want a board to begin and learn on the or 12ft or 11ft supatx are good quality and great value

it depends on what you want to acheive

I have 5 Dc boards and if you buy a custom your sup orting australian made
or pick up a bargin on seabreeze buy and sell
and yes there are differences between boards but there also a lot of differences in profit margins as well

happy Easter

When you're talking the big name brands vs cheaper brands, we could argue all day about whether or not the higher price/value is evident in superior design or construction. However there is one thing you do have to keep in mind and that is a Naish or Starboard is going to hold better value for re-sale than an NSP. Also, when considering a custom, there are very few local shapers whose boards have decent re-sale value. DC certainly, but not many others. Just something to consider.

adssup said...

hi all,

is there much difference in the quality of boards at the lower and higher $$ end's of the scale? obviously this is the case with a lot of things. but is $500 or $600 more, going to get a board of significantly better quality? or are you just paying for the name?

in looking at boards i've had one place suggest an 11' NSP (around $1300), while another place has suggested a Naish or Starboard 10' or 10'5" (around $1800). i have no issues spending more if it really is worth it.

cheers

ads

There is definitely a reason for MOST of the price differences between sups.

Construction varies quite a bit from cheapest to most expensive, even though similar materials are used in production.

Also important is the design/shaping of the board, with major differences between top end to lower end of price scale. Some manufacturers put massive amounts of time and money into the design process to get the best performance in function and durability.

Think of it as comparable to buying a car, and insert board name/manufacturer in the appropriate place...

Top end priced cars eg. Mercedes & BMW are way ahead of cheaper cars in their R&D, design and function and resale value,

Next, still with a large amount of R&D great features and resale are cars like Subaru and Toyota,

Closely followed by Holden and Ford, good quality, but not quite there with resale etc, compared to the above, relying heavily on brand loyalty, particularly in Oz where we can see how well they perform in the V8's.

Then the cheaper imports, Hyundai, Daewoo, Great Wall, etc. Lower price, lower resale values, although they are constantly lifting their game with R&D, particularly Hyundai. A friend of mine from the US had one of the very first Hyundais brought into that country in the 80's and within 6 months the whole car had pretty much fallen apart.

Not sure if you remember the short lived Lada 'vehicles' from Russia (I think) that were brought into Oz some years ago that fell apart almost immediately...

Most important to a new sup buyer, as with cars, is what you want to do with it, where, how are you going to use it. With customs, you really do need to know what you want unless you get a second hand board, and rely on the seller's intel. Some manufacturers give warranties of up to a year from purchase too which give you some peace of mind about your purchase.

Mate, I could go on forever, but if you do your research and talk to your local shop people (as long as they not only sell them but ride them all too) as well as ride (DEMO) some yourself, as Tortise just said, the right board for you will usually stand out.

Scotty

Tryfan said...

and yes there are differences between boards but there also a lot of differences in profit margins as well

Could you fill us all in a bit more about this?

Hi Scotty
I think you sumed it up pretty well in your car industry like sups reply
the only thing I would add is the supatx is like great wall motors not a lot of choice but great value for money small margin high turnover

I still think if you can get a shaper like Dale on the job you will get everything you want out of a board and you will keep it for longer, but definatly test as many as you can in all conditions

Regardless of what brand or type of SUP, keep this in mind.

If you buy cheap, you are getting cheap!

It's the same in any industry not just the surfboard industry.

$1000 Sup = Cheap, still yet to see a good construction at that $1000 mark & heavy.

$1200 - $1500 = Mid range, much better in weight and construction and resale. A sup that won't fall apart in few weeks.

Over $1500 = Even better in construction and alot better resale, a board that won't fall apart in few months.

Hope that helps you out. Regardsless of what ever shop you talk to or whatever brand you are looking at buying.

Pretty much what Tryfan said aswell.

Do your research and talk to people and shops about what you want out of your SUP. Don't fall into the Cheap trap! It will cost you more long term, trust me i've seen it happen alot.

XX angie

Spot on Milko, so with all these boards you have bought and sold over the last year are you any closer to finding the board that you want to keep,whats the latest?

Oh Angie pangie

A remark on price alone is total rubbish
I understand you run a shop
I suggest you read the supatx website and find out why they are great value and not cheap
Ive paddled most board brands and even in the $1800 mark there are differences in quality.
I would aggree with miko most people should buy there first board 2nd hand from seabreeze and let some one else take the loss ,

the reason im sticking up for the supatx is not that I have a couple for sale it is that I have them in the surf club for all members to use and as the board and ski coach I see how much enjoyment the members get out of them, and so far they have taken a lot of abuse by many different ages and with no issues to the boards at $950 with a paddle there great value and i would say the surf club members are the norm for first time supers

good luck adssup in finding aboard that suit you

I think I have stired up a few shop owners.

but hey as I say If im going to spend big dollars I want it to stay and be made in Australia
if I cant afford it well no different to the car thing I will accept imported boards
angie pangi said...

Regardless of what brand or type of SUP, keep this in mind.

If you buy cheap, you are getting cheap!

It's the same in any industry not just the surfboard industry.

$1000 Sup = Cheap, still yet to see a good construction at that $1000 mark & heavy.

$1200 - $1500 = Mid range, much better in weight and construction and resale. A sup that won't fall apart in few weeks.

Over $1500 = Even better in construction and alot better resale, a board that won't fall apart in few months.

Hope that helps you out. Regardsless of what ever shop you talk to or whatever brand you are looking at buying.

Pretty much what Tryfan said aswell.

Do your research and talk to people and shops about what you want out of your SUP. Don't fall into the Cheap trap! It will cost you more long term, trust me i've seen it happen alot.

XX angie

laceys lane said...

ODSUP said...

Oh Angie pangie

A remark on price alone is total rubbish
I understand you run a shop
I suggest you read the supatx website and find out why they are great value and not cheap
Ive paddled most board brands and even in the $1800 mark there are differences in quality.
I would aggree with miko most people should buy there first board 2nd hand from seabreeze and let some one else take the loss ,

the reason im sticking up for the supatx is not that I have a couple for sale it is that I have them in the surf club for all members to use and as the board and ski coach I see how much enjoyment the members get out of them, and so far they have taken a lot of abuse by many different ages and with no issues to the boards at $950 with a paddle there great value and i would say the surf club members are the norm for first time supers

good luck adssup in finding aboard that suit you

I think I have stired up a few shop owners.

but hey as I say If im going to spend big dollars I want it to stay and be made in Australia
if I cant afford it well no different to the car thing I will accept imported boards
angie pangi said...

Regardless of what brand or type of SUP, keep this in mind.

If you buy cheap, you are getting cheap!

It's the same in any industry not just the surfboard industry.

$1000 Sup = Cheap, still yet to see a good construction at that $1000 mark & heavy.

$1200 - $1500 = Mid range, much better in weight and construction and resale. A sup that won't fall apart in few weeks.

Over $1500 = Even better in construction and alot better resale, a board that won't fall apart in few months.

Hope that helps you out. Regardsless of what ever shop you talk to or whatever brand you are looking at buying.

Pretty much what Tryfan said aswell.

Do your research and talk to people and shops about what you want out of your SUP. Don't fall into the Cheap trap! It will cost you more long term, trust me i've seen it happen alot.

XX angie

hi odsup, i think angie knows a bit about atx boards . they were selling them, not sure whether they still are.

atx boards are glassed light. for experienced users of paddle boards surfboard etc- not a problem. the first time ever budding waterman/woman/surfer tend to ding them up a bit.

having said that, i see plenty around and if you treat them nice- lets face it, they very good value. however retailers can well do without the dramas of customers bringing boards back even if they have accidently abused the boards
cheers

cheers

No worries Lacey
maybe the boards I got for the surf club were glassed stronger as we havent had any problems yet and clubies arnt the best at taking care of boards I also take my 45kg dog on the 12fter catching small waves

anyway I think i have done enough PR for supatx
My wife just told me to get off the computer

I hope theres a good wave tommorow we have a southerly blowing so hope the swell will increase get out on the Dc8.8 and enjoy the water

if you hear anyone traveling down south over Easter Im trying to get

the Dc12.6 i bought off seabreeze down here


cheers Lacey

beachhead said...

Spot on Milko, so with all these boards you have bought and sold over the last year are you any closer to finding the board that you want to keep,whats the latest?

Back on a 9'3 hokua. I had one a year ago and sold it. I am not a huge Naish fan but this is seriously the best board i have ridden.

The number of options out there can be quite daunting even for a more experienced SUP'er, which I'm not.

My advice would be to develop a relationship with your local shop and find someone you can trust. I have the benefit of having that relationship through my long time in Windsurfing.

They can narrow down the choice and get you demoing some boards that would be a good option for your needs / size.

I was looking for an allrounder that I (at 90kg) could use and my partner would like at less than half the weight, both beginners. I demoed and bought a Fanatic Fly 10'. It is great in flat water and small waves are good as well. The quality of finish is very good, so far longevity is good.

Looking for a second board so we can both paddle at the same time, I was reccommended to try a starboard element 9' 8". It was a great reccommendation once again. We liked it straight away, it had similar allround performance like the fanatic, again the quality looked great. Some pics below during the testing.






Hint, if you plan to take your dog out then the Starboard was a better option. it has a non slip skin on the front of the board. Gives the dog some grip, he's left a few claww marks on the front of the smooth fanatic!

If your're in Sydney I can reccommend Windsurfnsnow for good advice.