G'day all looking for some advice on a new board.
Currently have a an all rounder at 10"4 169 litres and am learning to surf also have a Bop 12"6 for flat and off shore.
A mate rides a Pocket Rocket and has suggested a Starboard Carbon Whopper. Im 6"2 and 90 kgs I've also been told to look at the Naish Mana around 9".
What do you guys think and can you suggest anything else I'd probably be looking at second hand as I'd rather not lose fists full of dough but if the deal is right I'd be keen either way.
Hey Supdog, I would think the Whopper would be a bit too high in volume if you are coming off a 169l board, but they are nice and stable they reckon. But the carbon factor would make it pretty pricey. There are lots of good words about the new (2014) Naish manas -- see David Johns posts for starters. I also like the look of the new Fanatics. I reckon you might like to think about the mid-9'ft range and a decent width (around 30 inches) while you are learning. But that's just my opinion. Some of the local retailers will have demo boards for you to try out and they will give you good advice too. Happy hunting. Dave 
Have a look also at the forums on the naish hokua le 32 (particularly the 9'1 and 8'8). Also the jp surf9'6 vs surftech merrick. Also the forums on fanatic allwave. Lots of good info. As everyone always says after reading the forums demo demo demo.
Select to expand quoteSupdog said..
G'day all looking for some advice on a new board.
Currently have a an all rounder at 10"4 169 litres and am learning to surf also have a Bop 12"6 for flat and off shore.
A mate rides a Pocket Rocket and has suggested a Starboard Carbon Whopper. Im 6"2 and 90 kgs I've also been told to look at the Naish Mana around 9".
What do you guys think and can you suggest anything else I'd probably be looking at second hand as I'd rather not lose fists full of dough but if the deal is right I'd be keen either way.
have a go off your mates Pocket rocket a few times it may surprise you, or a 8'10 wide point.
Whopper is a lot of board and at 90 kgs you'd most likely be one of the lighter riders on one. As has been suggested, demo a few to get an idea of what you like the feel of. Bought my first board on research but no ride and it lasted a few months before I changerd it. Most brands have organised demo days, keep an eye out for those.
Cheers for the help guys am also looking at a Fanatic All Wave 9.5.Thereviews are impressive and I've spoken to a few people who say it's very stable.
yeah Supdog???..
i,m 6ft and 95kgs???..and i own a whopper and although its a great board (i was 110kgs when i purchased it)..you will soon want something smaller???
don't get me wrong, i love my whopper and although currently looking at getting a shorter board, i will be keeping it ???.but my advice would be to go slightly smaller???..maybe the starboard hero (9ft)???i had a demo on one the other week and it felt nice!
I am around 86kg and have a 8'10" Fanatic Prowave, so you would easily be able to ride that, I have ridden my mates 8'0" by 27" Starboard which was more stable than I expected.
I would recommend either a Fanatic or a JP, they seem to be the better boards around at the moment. Around the 8'10" x 28-29 would be fine for you to ride and grow into.
I'm 6'4" and 88kg or so in a wet wetty, and ride the SB 8'5" pro at 106litres, which I've just managed to get on top of after about 2 months and coming off 10 months of the 123litre 2012 model. I agree with matty18 that you should have a crack at the pocket rocket, but coming off 169 litres could be tricky and you'd probably want to have good balance and/ or be a decent surfer to start with. You could transition down to something in the 125/130 litre range with a bit more length (the front to back tippiness of the shorter boards is a factor if you have a higher centre of gravity like me) in the 9' range. You just need to stick with it and not go out in a 25kt onshore to start with.......cheers
