Shorter boards for flatwater paddling

It seems all your choices are too wide.

With your weight & heigth, I would aim for something 25-27" wide, or 28"-29" if using in chop. 32" will fell so slow, and have a lot of row. Narrow will make paddling on flat water much more enjoyable: faster, and a challenge for a profitable training.

The ideal board would be a 9' Simmons, as narrow as you can get: these shapes have a front belly hull, that makes wonders for paddling, straight rails for masterting the row, and a wide tail and nose for extra stability, allowing you to go narrower. Plus the parallel fins far on the back are a joy to counter the row.

You could even shop for a regular longboard! A Long Simmons, such as:

http://www.southswell.jp/SHOP/12-LS10-12.html

Hi Gboots
I have been a huge advocate for paddling smaller, manageable boards for years.
All my money went to buying surf SUPs only, so that's what I used on flat-water as well.
I log an average of 120 days a year paddling 10 k per trip on boards 9'5 or smaller.

I paddle with a lot of women who simply want to enjoy a casual paddle, not interested in fast.... just stable, easy fun.

The constant complaint I hear is boards are too heavy or too big and unwieldy.... so I love your thinking here.

I have owned and paddled a LOT on the Fusion, Mana, Allwave.

When I first saw the 9'5 Sunova SURF (in white ECO build), I was sooooo stoked, I finally had the board that women had been asking me about.
Light, big enough for a kid or dog on the front, small enough to fit inside most small SUVs
I am very happy how it paddles and surfs.
Flatter rocker through the tail than the Allwave or Mana (which would be my 2nd picks)
Lighter than both.
After several surf sessions, the Sunova ECO build hasn't got a mark on the paint, or footwells on the deck.... very solid build.

If the 9'5's are too big for your car, I much prefer the 8'10 Allwave over the 8'10 Mana in flat-water and surf. Bigger sizes, I prefer the Mana.
But my Allwave was the older, round nose model.... much more parallel rails than the new one, so see if you can find a 2013 Allwave used to save cash and get a better flat-water board under 9'

Join the small flat-water board movement
Pay no attention to those who would put you on a skinny or longer board so you can go fast.
Bring the dog, bring coffee. Relax and enjoy life.
I love exploring the creeks and byways, getting up close and personal with nature. I couldn't give 2 hoots about hurrying or struggling



#1 is a good look at the outlines of all the boards at relatively the same lengths for comparison



#2 is a pic of the 9'5 Sunova SURF in White ECO build

I'm 73kg and spent most of my SUP time on races boards for the last few years. After picking up my first Sunova, I sold my race boards and picked up the 9'5" Surf as an all-around replacement board for flatwater and for a bit of surf. This board is pretty quick with a single race fin (Byron Kurt) and tracks nicely as well. The shocker was I could do 4k laps within a few minutes of my All Stars (casual cruising laps). With the stock 2+1, there's quite a bit more yaw and drag, but no different then any other standard surfboard shaped SUP at this length. Since I had been paddling 26" wide boards around, 32" was a huge leap of faith, but it hasn't been an issue, except when I jumped back on a 26" and wow, was I shaky for a bit.

The 9'5" Surf will be so much quicker then your Converse, you'll be amazed and I wouldn't go any shorter. If you measure your Converse, you'll probably find it closer to 32" wide then it is to 30". You can always custom order from Sunova and in that case I'd recommend 9'4" x 31-31 1/2" Surf. FYI, if you're basing your size restriction on your Converse, you'll find you can go longer then you think with a hardboard as it takes up much less room.

Almost forgot to mention; mine is in XXX Tec, the Balsa construction is awesome and my 9'5" weighs in at 20lbs.

Some great feedback here. Yes manageability is huge for me. Fitting in the SUV is a big bonus. Put up and down off roof racks is a killer for me with pre existing back issues.
STC thanks so much for all effort put into that post. Out of the boards you posted which have flatter style rockers ?

I only have experience with 4 of them

Tha Allwave and the Mana have a great, what I call "rolled up" rocker at the tail, which makes them so much fun to turn on the weak shoulder of a wave.... but it makes them "pull" more water when paddling.
The Fusion has the most overall rocker, if I remember correctly.

The SURF has probably the least rocker, because it is intended to be a mellow cruiser/paddler
No concaves, just a flat bottom..... so it paddles nicely.

See if any breezers have one near you, maybe they would offer you a demo on a few of these.


collage of short SUP paddling for a 105 kg guy






Fairly flat rocker of the 9'5 SURF compare to the top left pic of Allwave, you can see the rocker in that picture and the middle right, Mana shot

Gboots I have the 8'5 Allwave, and have done plenty of paddles up to 5km on it, yeah it doesnt track as well as our other boards but you can still get along well on it....and it is a delight to throw on or in the car! The Fly 9'6 paddles better (my wife has the girls colour) but is not as easy to carry/load.

I am 70kg by the way and it is 135L so you can easily go well down from what you now have and even below that volume.

Here is the Gong Simmons 8' I had. It was incredible for flat water paddling, even at 8'. I now have it in 6'10" and it paddles like a board much longer.



You can get more pictures at: www.gong-galaxy.com/shop/
Click on the board image to see the gallery of picture.
This is to give you an idea of the shape. You will want the same shape, but longer and narrower, something like 9'0" x 28" will be incredibly stable for your weight: the wide square tail adds a ton of stability.

Do not get a square nose, they paddle like sea anchors.

For flat water paddling, volume helps the glide. Going down in volume lowers the weight and helps the surfing performance. You want enough volume so that the tail is not submerged. I guess that means you should stay above ~ 120 liters

My 9foot converse fits in easily . Now if you seats down a certain angles I can definitely get 9foot4 in . You will note I have a tail
gate window so I could go longer . But fumes are a problem (but you can deal with by keeping windows down and air con with air from outside on full). Damage to board could also occur.
Would really love to see if I can get a 9'5 in there

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Gboots said..
Colas are the Simmons boards available in Australia ?

Not to be seen anywhere in North America or down under. Not to mention the board shown is long discontinued (and due to lack of interest?).

Take our balance beam friend's advice lightly. 9 x 25-27" wide?, a longboard?, an 8' x 30" Simmons for flatwater? If you're an acrobat, gymnast or a crazy Euro, then maybe. Otherwise run far and fast, anytime someone suggests a longboard for standup. No offense Colas, but Gong's always had some over the top boards; love to try one.

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HBsups said..
I'm pretty interested in how people are getting a 9.5 32 board inside a SUV. Must be good sized SUVs!

My 4Runner may be slightly longer then Gboots SUV, but I could probably get a 10' completely inside.

Fold your front seat down (back seat head rests? take them off). Angle your tail down towards passenger foot well or glove box, bottom side up with the nose towards the driver's side rear. If you leave you fin(s) in, you'll have to go nose first, and take off a big single / center fin.

As I mentioned before, this may make no difference with you iSUP (I've got a Red 11'), but with a hardboard, you can definitely go longer.

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supthecreek said..

Gboots said..


My 9foot converse fits in easily . Now if you seats down a certain angles I can definitely get 9foot4 in . You will note I have a tail
gate window so I could go longer . But fumes are a problem (but you can deal with by keeping windows down and air con with air from outside on full). Damage to board could also occur.
Would really love to see if I can get a 9'5 in there

Gboots,
May I suggest:
pull passenger seat all the way forward and lay the back down.
put your backseat down
slide the board in top up, till the nose is on the dash.... that will keep the board much lower and give you line of sight to your passenger side mirror.

Longer boards will fit with the seats down, if you turn deck down.... the nose will curve to fit under the windshield, laying on the dash.
I have scuffed up my dash doing this, so it's good to put a small towel on the dash before pushing the board in.

I routinely fit a 10'6 into my Honda Civic this way..... and I do not block my side vision at all. It looks like yours blinds your vision too much.
Stay safe.

Ditto

Only in France and nearby countries. That's why I allow myself to post about them here, as this is clearly not an advertisement since most of the readers here can't buy them.

I pointed to the old model, the new one being a tad shorter and with a tail a bit more pulled in was less representative of the ideal super-cool-on-the-flat-and-killer-in-the-surf board. The current one is: www.gong-galaxy.com/magazine/pics/1-hour-4-boards/

What these boards are bad for is the modern vertical surf in the pocket of hollow waves: you have to prepare your turns, and sliding the tail is hard. But for most people, they are a joy to ride with their glide and speed in a compact package, but they are so different-looking than the ones in magazines that alas, they do not sell very well, unless you consider the current popularity of the Tomo-like shapes that offer similar qualities. But they paddle more slowly: Patrice made the same board as me, in the same lentgh (6'10"), but with a square nose, and it paddles like a dog (but is stabler on take off):

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Gboots said..
The Pocket Touring has come across my mind , but it seems to limited. Can you go anywhwre near small waves with these.
Also the nose style would make it difficult to transport within a vehicle .
Would love to have one though.

You've answered your own questions. The rocker is super flat with the Sprint style nose, the deck is scooped out and the bottom has a big concave scoop out. None of it spells surf and they are heavy (heavier then advertised) in the cheaper constructions. I've only paddled the 14' in wood and it felt like an aircraft carrier. Super heavy, not especially stable for it's size and extremely slow to get up to speed. My 14' x 26.5" All Star was miles better. If you want a touring style board, then start with the 11' Fanatic Ray.

Out if interest this morning before going out I put down all seats to work out max capacity for my Honda SUV . I could go as long as 9'8 ....even longer as inflatable has fatter nose. Width may actual be a bigger problem as this board measures at about 30.5inch wide













The last and second last photo is with the board push to the rear of the car
The first and third photo are with the board push right up against the front windscreen

Any opinion on Sunny King Bamboo SUP ? They seem to have plenty of happy customers and their pricing is very reasonable ....which brings into question quality. Has any one seen or used one of these Bamboo SUPs. They look good quality . At 29 wide and 9'6 long they seem to be a good option for a short flatwater board.

Apparently weighs less than 9kg

http://supwarehouse.com.au/paddleboards/bamboo-series/116-bamboo-series-yellow/

"SUNNY KING Handcrafted 'Bamboo Series' Stand Up Paddle Boards.
*This Price Includes - Bamboo Board, Deck Pad & FCS Fin Set Only
All our 'Bamboo Series' SUP's have a single concave nose, double concave center and V tail that is a fantastic board for Beginners upto Advanced surfers! We've shaped them so they have great initial stability and with classic lines and giving it the option of riding overhead point breaks for experienced riders to a relaxing sunday session on the lake with the family!
Our Bamboo SUP's are all still all hand shaped & crafted from 100% Australian EPS Core and American Epoxy resin / fiberglass with an actual 'Pressed Bamboo' insert Top & Bottom making the board LIGHTER & STRONGER than most boards that are still made with only a Bamboo Veneer."

You'll need to be careful transporting a hard board in close proximity to the windscreen like that. One emergency stop or even minor crash and bang goes your window. In a big crash it would be very dangerous. You'll need to tie the board to the rear of the vehicle somehow using eg. the leash plug (and use some cushioning material there).