G"day Guys
Short time Lurker, first time poster. Been surfing short boards since the good ole days of the 70,s and for the past 18 months have gotten into Standups which has seen my water time increase greatly after always finding an excuse to not go out
on the shorty , crap surf being the main one. My first board was a Surftech Takayama 10'3 x 27 which although being a very tippy thing was excellent for flat water and a great wave catcher when conditions werent too rough, a real longboard feel too it. Recently got the urge for a change into something more shortboardy so started reading all the posts and reviews on here and overseas to get a gauge on whats happening, have tried the Naish Hokua 9'3 Hokua and also
the Mana 9'5(Yeah Jacko its me!) Obviously a bit of beef difference there on those two, one thing that seemed to be missing on all the specs and reviews of boards was the actual weight of the board itself and after a Lone session on a back break near Jumpinpin and getting cleaned up by a 10 wave set on the Mana i decided that lighter is better going by the length of my legrope afterwards. Seems the board makers arent too keen to give out the weights of boards and although you obviously add a bit more with the grip and fins,that doesnt amount too much extra really.
Recently mulled over the new info on PSH after having a go on the old 9'6wide ripper (thanks Wazza) and having a ball. Went in and saw Jacko who did a good deal for me on the new 9'2 Wide Ripper and had a bit of fun on it today in a grovel down the Tweed Coast. But it has surprised me that it is actually heavier than the 9'6 I tried when all the goss was that they were going to be a lighter range than the moulded ones. At 10.8kg on my scales it certainly isnt too heavy but I was just wondering whats the keg range on what you guys are riding?
Excess baggage and Back beach walking tracks come to mind.
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.
Hi Wardy would be interested to hear more about the 9'2 Psh when you get it out in some good waves, im thinking its going to be my next 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.
ARRRHH the weight topic again!!! one thing to think about is Jackson close just won the Roar comp on a 9'0 MT and that board would weigh about 10-12kg i'm sure. In picked up a lot of boards at the comp and they nearly all felt the same weight, woogies was the lightest board there and the rest were all pretty close just minor differences.
Jacko
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
I have just spent 2 solid days on the 9'2 W.Ripper.
I am the distributor but I ride a lot of different boards.
For me at 90kgs this is the best board I have ever ridden.
I rode it as a quad with SA quad set and it ripped in zippy little barrels at Lennox and cruisy walls at Crescent. It has improved my surfing, especially on my backhand - big time. At last I can step back with confidence on my backhand and whack the board comes around.
I mainly ride my own boards - PSH, so take this into account but this remains my favourite.
Weight - never entered my mind I was having so much fun. So far however the Wood veneer and the PVC boards are very similar in weight. The Comp range is approx 1kg lighter.
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
Now the market is growing you will (hopefully) see a big drop in weight, and an increase in stiffness in boards coming from windsurfing manufacturers (Naish, JP Australia, Tabou, Fanatic etc.) as the move from epoxy to full wood or carbon kevlar layups.
In windsurfing boards expoy construction is the cheapest, Full Wood is second and Carbon Kevlar is usually "Pro" edition.
All brands have been using the expoy layup as it's cheaper and aligns with what dedicated SUP manufacturers are doing.
I'm checking out a Full Wood Tabou tonight, but "Pro" editions will not be far away.
That will see a couple of Kg's dropped off board weight.
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 :-)
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.
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
if you can't do this with your small wave board....then it's too heavy........or your not taking enough viagra
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.
Sure they rip in small or FAT bells.
Sure they rip in small or FAT bells.
it was fine.....it's luck of the draw some times.
