Kona/Bic Jungle

Been doing a bit of SUPing on a windsurfer one design i picked up on ebay for $53 dollars,works a treat ,with a few personal touches,fin upgrade,storage area up front and a couple of stickers its looks a million......Anyhow I'm in no hurry to upgrade and contemplating the options,sailable SUP or SUPable modern style windsurfer.Some research to date indicates that the Kona and Bic Jungle are two boards that work well as SUP's.If anyone out there owns one of these boards in SA and has sailed and SUPed it i am keen to get some feedback,and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to try them if at all possible. Reg Steve.

Slightly OT: Can you show us a pic of your fin upgrade ? Our attempts to surf these always ended in disaster ...

Hi Pirrad,

I've had a few fun sessions in the smaller surf with a paddle and an old Wally hull too! I tried to keep away from crowds - at 20+ kg they are a lethal weapon. I think water forcing up the centreboard slot limits them a bit. Great glide across a wave, but at times they just seem to have a mind of their own.

A Kona One paddles OK, but as soon as the wind is 5 knots (or even less) I put a sail up. It's heavier than dedicated SUP boards but for that extra weight you get a board that has genuine planing performance and good light wind wave-sailing. Not sure I would leash one to my leg - could end up with one leg longer than the other :-)

There is discussion of this topic on the Kona forum: www.kona-windsurfing.com I lust after a Kona 11.5 or 10.5 - OK as SUP, outstanding light wind wave sailing and OK planing performance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but for some dedicated SUP's (Mistral Pacifico?) the balance is: Excellent as SUP, OK light wind wave sailing and no planing performance?

For reference I would rate a Kona One as: Makeshift as an SUP, good light wind wave sailing and good planing performance.

Regards, Richard