I see that Starboard are bringing out the Whopper 10 x 34 in ’09.
Not having a background in surfing I’m keen for some feed back on what type of wave conditions you think it would work best in?
Yeah I know it hasn’t hit the water yet but I’m hoping on some of your experiences on different board sharps to give me a bit of an idea of how this type of board would perform.
My main type of wave is up to shoulder high and fattiest, not a lot of power. Would the whopper suit? ( I must say my 11 2 really suits my conditions but I’m hoping I can find a board with a bit more of a short board feel)
Up until the release of ’09 range Boucher , I was keen on the 9’ 8 x 30 swallow tail. The only thing holding me back was I’m not sure I want to spend most of my time trying to keep my balance on a smaller board.
What I read is the Whopper has about the same volume as my 11 2 x 30 but the length and tail shape might indicate that it will turn quicker than my 11 2.
The purist of you will say the 9 8 is still a better wave riding board and I would agree but I’m more about enjoying the hole experience,
This really hit home to me over the xmas break when most of the guys on smaller boards were spending most of the time falling off / getting back onto their board where as I was cruising around catching more waves on the 11 2 and enjoying it.
I won’t be heading out into over head high powerful waves. So, do you thing I’m taking a backward step by going to a Whopper?
Ian
I can't comment on a board I have'nt ridden but at 34" wide I would say she will be no ripper.There are plenty of very stable boards at the 10" mark that still surf and paddle really well but they are all 30" or less.
You have got to remember it's just not the width that makes a board stable.
hey piros just thought id wade into this with the quote from the starboard whopper catalogue
"10’0” x 34” The Whopper
Probably the most significant breakthrough in SUP since the paddle was introduced. Extremely stable at 34 inches wide, it provides stability for a beginner to paddle through the most turbulent white water or other difficult conditions. It has reasonably good glide and it turns on dime while paddling. The extra nose kick makes it almost impossible to nosedive, catching even the smallest white water waves with ease. The stability makes it a breeze to paddle into waves, with the BIG surprise being that this board actually rips in waves. It’s truly a fantastic wave board for most conditions, and is surely the most versatile wave dedicated SUP board ever shaped."
not my words but they seem to mention stable a few times ?????hehehehe
Ian for what you want and the type of surfing your doing, that board is made for you
it will be perfect for you
go get it!
Who knows if 34 is too wide? A year ago 30 would have been considered too wide and now just under 30 is the standard. I am a bit fat but I would go less than 29 again. I would love to try and 8.0 x 31. Would be sweet in small waves.
What I think on the subject of length and width is from personal experience. That is if you learned to paddle on a 12ft board then you recommend a 12foot board to everyone to learn on.
That is your experience and is especially prevalent with the crew that started paddling a few years ago purely and simply cause there was no other boards to buy or use and everyone was making them that way for the traditional surfing style.
This is not so today as anyone who has learnt on a 10foot board now recommends 10' boards. It is the same for widths and volumes.
My first board was a 10'4"long, 30.5" wide with a volume of 175 liters, this Easter it will be four years old and I still have it. I have taken double overhead drops on the wide peaks on it and made everyone of them, mostly cause I did not want to fall/jump off.
The board surfs traditionally and even with the step tail that has made it looser to surf ( by adding the step tail the board has 120mm of tail lift 5mm less than my current design wave boards) It in no way carves like my 9'0 or my 9'4 or my 8'6 or my 7'10. I still ride it when the surf is tiny and I need to go for a paddle and a surf in the school hols, it is fun to ride but does not satisfy my surfing needs.
At 29.5" wide these boards are really stable because the VOLUME is finely tuned to weight and riding style.
What I am finding is that smaller boards can be wider and ridden in up to shoulder high waves that have less power and are really carvey and good to ride and are stable.
There is one truth in surfing and that is
shorter boards are looser and turn faster than longer boards because of their waterline length.
Rod
Thanks guys for your input.
Rod,
Is it safe to say that if I surf the Whopper in the traditional style like I do on the Starie 11 2 , then there would be no reason why it shouldn't be a reasonable board on smaller fat waves?
When I said I was after a small board feel I wasn't meaning 8' dedicated wave ripper.
I would be stoked if i can get something similar in feel to my 11 2, but smaller.
I reckon your on the right track as stated in another thread about shorter /wider entry level waves boards. We were only taking about that yesterdady.
Ian
Ian, you should be able to get aboard that is as stable as the proverbial rock at around 10' to 9'6" these boards are a bit wider at around 30" and will have full noses. Full noses give SUPA boards the most stability. Volume is the next most critical component and sadly SUPA boards are not sold with their volume in the specs.
I find this hard to believe as you would be hard pressed to find one of the big international boards that are not designed by computer and cut by a dedicated surfboard shaping machine or a CNC machine. I get my volume from my surfboard design program and have done so for over twenty years. All sailboards are sold with volume, aren't they Greeny?
What weight are you? I believe that you find the Naish 9'6" a bit trying at around 130 liters of board volume?
But to answer you question yes the traditional style of surfing will and can only suit the type of board your talking about. Stall turns are the rule, then walk/run forward to trim.
Rod
Rod,
I'm 88kg's on a good week.
Maybe if i was 25 years younger I wouldn't worry to much about it but been an elder tribesman I want something easier. The size doesn't bother me it's just the stability.
Once on a wave I find the Naish 9 6 ideal and really enjoy the experience, it's the other 80% of the time paddling around that I find tiring.
Ian
and I am 20 kgs heavier than you and have no trouble paddeling that bad boy
but I have spent so many hours on that board lately its starting to feel like walking
By the way I absolutely loved using your board yesterday and for the traditional longboard feel this board is unbeatable.) and I am thinking maybe you have the perfect baord and dont reliase it
Mate of mine paddled a 7'9" kind of wierd windsurfing board that is 30 inches wide. Seem to work. Heaps looser than the 9 foot plus SUP boards. I am thinking 8'6" for my next board. Maybe only can ride it in particularly glassy conditions but how sweet will i be to rip it up on a smaller board (while listening to "we ae the champions").............
Yeah Brooko, On the way home on Sunday I was thinking the same thing about my board. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
I guess I'm like many others, getting caught up in the short board hype.
I reckon SUPing board size is going the same way as windsurfing and kiting did. Most of us got caught up in the small board hype and eventually realised that small was not allway the best option and settled on something a bit bigger.
I like the rip, tear , speed and late drops feeling of the short board, coming from a surfing background on shortboards it suits my style. I guess the type of boards people are going to be after is what type of surfing there trying to acheive.
Ian, I reckon that around the 9'0 to 9'6 range is the easiest and loosest size for SUPA advanced paddlers for surfing of waves.
When you have achieved this level and have mastered the boards in this length if you are competitive or just naturally curious you always ask the question what is the shortest board that I can ride?
Wave boards for windsurfing are usually in the 7'10" to 8'4" range for power surfing.
you have to remember back to the early windsurfing days, compare it to SUPA boards today. You then realise that most of the SUP boards are only 2nd gen with a few 3rd and 4th gen.
These newer styles mostly are designed by custom small shops that don't have or want large order books to fill.
Large order books slow down development cause the consumer wants what you are promoting now and your offshore factories are too busy filling the orders for you from the 50 odd countries ypu sell to which probably have 20 or so shops demanding their ordered boards now!
I think looking at the dimensions and the finished look and surfing the SUB 9'0 boards that the 8'4 to 9'0 mark will be the new hot high performanmce all round range for 2' to 8' face waves for the heavy weight riders around 90kg and over. The longer 9'0+ boards will be able to handle bigger waves cause they can paddle in from safer further out spots in the lineup.
I am going out on a limb here and say that from experience that anything over 31" wide is a good paddle board, not a good surfing board.
Rod
Yeah Brooko & Rob,
It's all about conditions and experience i guess.
Maybe I'm just a lazy old fart and need to toughen up or take up lawn bowls(only joking)
(only joking)
Hey Brooko ,
Thought you might like this picture i took of one of the heats last year at Noosa .
Check out the size Brian Keaulana's board shaped by Dave Parmenter , compared the other guy's......Brian was RIPPING , actually they were all Ripping !!!
Rich
Actually im not 100% Dave Parmenter shaped Brian's board.
But i assume he did as he's the man at C4.
as he says just about anything goes
got this off a dvd sorry about the quality
