Go the starboard avanti some big units riding them For example. Luc Longly big Russ .
Go the carbon or you will break your back ,
Also YOB have a big wave board too looks the goods too ,

I met an old guy in Merimbula surfing the big 10'5" Naish Mana and it seemed to go very well but I've never surfed one.. I don't think I've paddled a board so stable as that big Mana.. The big Starboard Avanti did surf very well when I used one in the surf once.. Another board worth checking out is the big Coreban Ez.. I've heard it surfs quite wll also.. Maybe you are standing with your feet too far apart.. Some people think doing that gives more stability but it doesn't.. In fact it makes it worse.. Try and keep them no more than shoulder width apart and not out near the rails.. I've seen plenty of guys your size not having a problem on the Whopper.. You might even want to try the 10' Mana.. Even though it's not quite as wide as the Whopper it's rails are a bit thicker and the tail a bit squarer.. and it surfs very well.. Another great looking board to check out is the big Fanatic 9'10" x 33" Alwave.. Demo some boards and let us know what you end up with.

DJ

Well I have been trying for over a year. Poor core muscles.back op a few years ago, truck driver. Not good, yes I see big guys on whoppers, but everyone is different.

DavidJohn said..

I met an old guy in Merimbula surfing the big 10'5" Naish Mana and it seemed to go very well but I've never surfed one.. I don't think I've paddled a board so stable as that big Mana.. The big Starboard Avanti did surf very well when I used one in the surf once.. Another board worth checking out is the big Coreban Ez.. I've heard it surfs quite wll also.. Maybe you are standing with your feet too far apart.. Some people think doing that gives more stability but it doesn't.. In fact it makes it worse.. Try and keep them no more than shoulder width apart and not out near the rails.. I've seen plenty of guys your size not having a problem on the Whopper.. You might even want to try the 10' Mana.. Even though it's not quite as wide as the Whopper it's rails are a bit thicker and the tail a bit squarer.. and it surfs very well.. Another great looking board to check out is the big Fanatic 9'10" x 33" Alwave.. Demo some boards and let us know what you end up with.

DJ

DJ and Surfershane are spot on. I reckon that your board might have something wrong with it! Check out some YouTube how to videos. The other thing is practce heaps in flat water prior to going out in waves. The undercurrents when surfing can really be disconcerting!!! Good Luck and have fun!!! PS Fanatic 9'10" x 33

Leroy13 said...

DavidJohn said..

I met an old guy in Merimbula surfing the big 10'5" Naish Mana and it seemed to go very well but I've never surfed one.. I don't think I've paddled a board so stable as that big Mana.. The big Starboard Avanti did surf very well when I used one in the surf once.. Another board worth checking out is the big Coreban Ez.. I've heard it surfs quite wll also.. Maybe you are standing with your feet too far apart.. Some people think doing that gives more stability but it doesn't.. In fact it makes it worse.. Try and keep them no more than shoulder width apart and not out near the rails.. I've seen plenty of guys your size not having a problem on the Whopper.. You might even want to try the 10' Mana.. Even though it's not quite as wide as the Whopper it's rails are a bit thicker and the tail a bit squarer.. and it surfs very well.. Another great looking board to check out is the big Fanatic 9'10" x 33" Alwave.. Demo some boards and let us know what you end up with.

DJ

DJ and Surfershane are spot on. I reckon that your board might have something wrong with it! Check out some YouTube how to videos. The other thing is practce heaps in flat water prior to going out in waves. The undercurrents when surfing can really be disconcerting!!! Good Luck and have fun!!! PS Fanatic 9'10" x 33

Yes, it might be the Woppa just does not do it for you. Dont get too hung up on extreme widths. Maybe where you are struggling with the Woppa is the pulled in tail and extra nose lift? Personally, I prefer a slightly flatter board with a wider tail. Not so much for stability alone, but the power and speed you get both paddling and on the wave.

While the Corbean Icon might be a bit small for you it fits the description and went for me at a demo day. It might be worth looking at their bigger boards. I have also seen one of those big cabrinha's mentioned above and despite its size it looked like a great board. It has a really nice even outline and rocker. Never know, something like the new Laird 12 might even work for you? Best bet is to hit the demo days.

I'm about 8-10 kegs heavier than the OP depending on the day. I can't stand on a whopper either but do fine on a 9'10 x 33 fanatic allwave (own one) and reckon the 10x 34 coreban was a shade easier. The Whopper's about 35 litres less than those boards, it will make a difference.

stimo said..

Go the starboard avanti some big units riding them For example. Luc Longly big Russ .
Go the carbon or you will break your back ,
Also YOB have a big wave board too looks the goods too ,

Not sure why Stimo got red thumbed for this, I reckon the Avanti would be a good choice if you want something more stable than a whopper to surf on.

I learnt on the Starboard Driv 11-2 and although not as tall as you I was actually much heavier. I would agree that the secret is flat water time and getting used to the board a bit. Stick with it

Imgunadoit said..

I tried some boards yesterday on flat water. Laird nsp and surtec Gerry Lopez 10ft 34 inch, the same as the whopper, felt very stable. Was told the whopper has its wide point in front of you, and surttec is more under and behind you the surtftec has more volume, could this be the key. Or just go big all over avanti, remember I wish to surf.

Volume is going to help you, a lot. Given what you've told us about your dimensions, core & back, I'd suggest looking up around 200 litres as you benchmark. To suggest a few again, the 9'10 x 33 fanatic allwave is a beaut, the 10 x 34 coreban EZ is good, and our colleague ShireSUP raves about his 10'8 JP Fusion. If you're open to a bit of lateral thinking the 12'1 x 32 laird Pearson arrow (from surftech) is one of the funnest big guy boards I've been on (anybody got a good one that's surplus to requirements? )

HumanCartoon said...

Imgunadoit said..

I tried some boards yesterday on flat water. Laird nsp and surtec Gerry Lopez 10ft 34 inch, the same as the whopper, felt very stable. Was told the whopper has its wide point in front of you, and surttec is more under and behind you the surtftec has more volume, could this be the key. Or just go big all over avanti, remember I wish to surf.

Volume is going to help you, a lot. Given what you've told us about your dimensions, core & back, I'd suggest looking up around 200 litres as you benchmark. To suggest a few again, the 9'10 x 33 fanatic allwave is a beaut, the 10 x 34 coreban EZ is good, and our colleague ShireSUP raves about his 10'8 JP Fusion. If you're open to a bit of lateral thinking the 12'1 x 32 laird Pearson arrow (from surftech) is one of the funnest big guy boards I've been on (anybody got a good one that's surplus to requirements? )

Volume should not be a determining factor as it is more about how that volume is distributed throughout the board. 2 boards of same volume could be drastically different.

Best advice from seabreeze for me buying a board: Try/ demo it!

My board is smaller, but feels more stable than husbands larger/wider board.
Just felt good, compared with the few others I tried.

Good luck.

HumanCartoon said..

surf4fun said..


Volume should not be a determining factor as it is more about how that volume is distributed throughout the board. 2 boards of same volume could be drastically different.

The OP is 117kg, you cannot discount volume. This is something large, heavy men know about. To illustrate, At about 6'2 & 125kegs I'm happy on a Coreban EZ* at 205 lires but I hate the 10' Mana at the same volume. My Fanatic Allwave floats me fine and works nicely at 193 Litres, but we're not talking about a 30+ litre difference there. The OP is finding out the hard way that a 168 litre board isn't enough. More volume will be needed, with some up front and some down the back.


( *there's a nice looking one in WA on the buy & sell )

Seriously theres no place in SB for little blokes to be commenting on big blokes matters..........

Its not like I'm gonna comment on the 7'10 x 30 new starboard any time soon, except to say they are looking more and more like a speed bump everyday

Hi all thank you for your input, I traded the whopper today. 11,6 fanatic fly. Why you say we'll 12mths of frustration, I'm going back to basics big board ride learn basic skills. But most of all to have fun. As I progress I will change boards, something I should have done first. Seen allwave, and Gerry Lopez, very nice boards, and I will get to them in time but I just want to enjoy.. Thx....

The coreban EZ is 205 litres....the whopper is I seem to remember is about 160 litres.....are we talking about the same kettle of fish here?