If you've already bought a great board I would just forget the numbers and analysis and ride it some more.

You might find the weight whatever that is is just fine for that board.

I have a custom 8'11" made by Dean Snow. It weighs 5.6kg.

Surfability aside (which is great for this old kook) the best reason for having a light board is it is so user friendly. Everything is much much easier with it.

So far it seems to be the most robust board I have ever owned. The finish is a little resilient so it doesn't crack or chip.

Hi Warrdy,

I was told that it was the PSH Pro Comp Weight boards that were super light. From what I heard they wernt changing the weight of the standard production boards????

I saw the PSH custom Riggs was riding at Noosa and it was pretty light compared to other boards of its size.

I agree with CMC if you have already bought the board dont do your head in. If you ride the board in rough conditions or in strong winds a little extra wieght can be a major advantage stability wise. Ask people at the Roar Comp lol.

Phill

Hey AA hows does the 9'2 compare to the 9'3 , what are the major design differences and how do you think it effects the perfromance.

Cheers

teatrea said...

Hey AA hows does the 9'2 compare to the 9'3 , what are the major design differences and how do you think it effects the perfromance.
Cheers

Teatree, these are two very different boards from two different era's.
The 9'3 Ripper is a drivey down the line board that loves juice. It makes a good Gun for guys on smaller sub 9 boards.

The new 9'2 Wide Ripper is more comparable to the 9'6 Wide Ripper which is a great all-round surfing board for our conditions.

The new 9'2WR woody is more refined and has everything that Blane has learnt over the last two years, built in. Blane's ability to morph stability and high performance is what the new boards are all about. The new rocker handles steeper take offs and overall it has a looser feel for no loss of stability.

Who cares about flex in something 4 inches thick? If it is for performance surfing in smallish waves, weight is important. That said, the shape is the MOST important (and of course the rider).

This PU 'feel' is a crock IMO. Heavy boards feel dead in the water - though ok for bigger stuff.

On the weight issue, I'd say 2 things:
[1] never trust somebody quoting a weight if it has not been actually measured on a real scale
[2] weight is not everything for a board. its repartition is also very important, you want to avoid weight on the nose (a simple rule is to check the pacement of the handle, assuming it is well placed, some boards have them much farther back than the others, with is good). And of course the shape is more important as well as maybe the flex characteristics.

I recently bought (for my 50th birthday) a Gerry Lopez 8'10" full carbon by riviera paddleboards. The importer quoted 6kg on the web, and a shop owner who bought one for himself told me it was 5kg, the local shop owner who delivered it to me said: "trust me, I was a windsurfing competitor, I know how to judge board weight, this board is even less than 5kg".

I put it on my scale at home: 7.6kg without pad and fins, 8.2kg with pad (OAM) without fins (the standard way I weight boards), that is the same weight for the size as my standard Gong sandwich boards. (my 9'11" Gong weights 9kg for instance). Don't get me wrong, this board is really good on the water, first because of its shape, and the carbon definitely can be felt with a lightness in the nose and a lively nervosity. It feels lighter on the water than on the scale.

I also have a 7'7" Gong weighting in at 8kg. It is heavy because there is ~ 1.5kg added for footstraps inserts. But on the water, nobody having this model felt the weight hindering the board because this added weight is just under your feet, it is not noticeable. I have a Drops 8'11" with ~ 0.7kg (total 8.9kg) added for a windsurfing mast thread (including reinforcements), and in my opinion it can be felt a little more due to the more forward position of the added weigth.

What I want to say is that the looks and reputation of a board can influence the mind and people will sincerly misjudge the weight of a board if they do not actually measure on a scale. Don't trust them. But do not be obsessed by the weight, light is good, but "heavy" boards can be good ones, especially if the weight is positioned on the back half. (so you can go with a 5-finboxes option :-)

goatman said...

Ha ha CMC....yes a few beers and BS would be good.

No haven't ridden PU SUPs but rode plenty of PU Goats Vs Epoxy Goats and obviously PU shorties.

You also edited your post caused you did mention PU and Firewire...LOL.

Jackson won the roar through a combination of firstly incredible skill, a fast planning SUP and the ability to sit 5 meters further out and pick up waves us dudes on smaller SUPs couldn't get into as early.

Yep I did edit my post. I couldnt make the point I wanted to. You know I love PU. Old habits die hard.

I watched the Roar vid and I reckon Jackson was surfing a lot better than that a couple of weeks ago when I seen him. He was ripping as indicated by the results but I think this could just be the start for him, he's only been on SUP for a short while. This may even be his first board....... Spewing i couldnt get down to the event, I had about 40 other commitments. Would have been great to meet all of you guys.

all you guys with boards that weight over 7 kgs well that must suck in small waves good luck to u and 10kgs plus thats just wow heavy as you blokes must have some arms on ya carrying that tanker down the beach, all i can say is go the super light customs!!!! bring on the red thumbs

LSD said...

if you can't do this with your small wave board....then it's too heavy........or your not taking enough viagra

The real test of DJs strength can only be shown with a fin in!

Thanks guys for the feedback, some interesting opinions, lighter the better is the mantra for shortboards (apart from guns) but I guess SUP is a bit of a divide.Next few days look like being fun down the coast so looking forward to putting the Ripper through its paces.

Makaha said...

LSD,love to see how your super light weight boards go in BIG heavy stuff and how long they would last Sure they rip in small or FAT bells.

Yes Makaha...I worry about 1 bottom layer of 6oz in a lot of water, the board I normaly ride is for small fast down the line stuff, it's not realy made for heavy waves, but today it handled them with no trouble....we had a good pulse of swell at Bells this arvo, & very few guys out.....the rice bubble survived a few good sized hits, including head high shorebreak on to sand....I really expected it was all over for the board in that one it was fine.....it's luck of the draw some times.

Makaha, Buddy...I make my boards to have fun on...light is fun...the lighter the better for me & what I normally surf...thats the risk I am prepared to take.
When I have creased one (6 months ago)....it's not the devaluation of the $150 board that bugs me......it's ruined my nice spray job ...lol
(the wave buoy is still hovering around 3m & 15sec's.....so it should be on again tomorrow)