I have had a demo on a 11'6 and 12 ft SUP. I will try to demo a couple of 11'2 and smaller boards to see what size suits me. If anyone in Perth has a board in good condition they maybe thinking of selling I will be in the market for one very soon. Thanks to all the people that have posted advice for people new to SUP.
Hi SF66.. Welcome to the Breeze and good luck looking for a SUP board.
How heavy are you?.. The right size for you is more about your weight than it is about you're SUP'ing skill.. and also what you hope to use it for. (waves/flat water)
Thanks, Im about 74kg and realisticly I would be surfing mainly small 1-3ft waves if I got the confidence and experience I may take on bigger stuff. I also live close to to the river and would enjoy the fittness side or downwind paddle and try and pick-up some wake waves from the bigger stink boats.
I went down to Pelican Point today and tried afew boards out. The 11'2 Starboard felt pretty good under foot, gluides well and easy to turn. The 9'8 Starboard felt alright as well hopefully I can get to try them in the waves soon.
Dj i think you give great honest advice, for a newbie there is no way a 9 8" would be as good as an 11 2" for learning on. These smaller sups are great in the surf but not a great allround board. I am really liking the 9 6" but as casso said the 11 6" & 9 6" really are like chalk & cheese
Thanks for the advice DJ and Brooko. With the Starboard 11'2 you have a choice of single fin or Thruster. The thruster appears to track a little better in the river. Would it behave more like a shorter board in the turns on waves? I think I would be probably be happy with either.
I totally agree with you blokes in regards to learning SUP. But the thing I really like about Starboard is that the boards are all 30" wide. Both the 11'2 and 9'8 would be sweet to learn on only the 9'8 would take a bit more time to adjust to and wouldnt really be an allrounder as Brooko suggests. Its the outcome and overall performance of the two boards that differ. I love the 11'2 because I can use it for flat water paddling with the kids but also take it in the surf for longboard style wave riding. You will find that once you get dialled into the 11'2 it has many many sweet spots and the ability to ride all sorts of waves from ankle to head high plus. The 9'8 on the other hand may struggle with putting kids on the nose for a paddle but definately has the ability to really shine in the surf. Could be a bit more tippy for a newbie but sure wont take long to get it wired. Single fin or thruster, the 11'2 works very very well in the surf. Im only a feather weight at 65 kg's and love what the 11'2 can actually do in the surf as a single fin. Tracking or paddling straight in the surf becomes easier to do with experience if on a single or thruster set up. Only the wood model comes with the thruster option. This was a deciding factor for me as I didnt want to wax the nose for the kids to sit on. The full tufskin lets you go wax free. Sorry about the blab and hope it makes sense
Yeah great pic mate.... im really noticing how much the girls are loving sup, my wife went out on the 9 6" for 2 hrs yesterday i think she is claiming it
i think she is claiming it