There has been a considerable amount of discussion this week on the FB page "the longboard sup revolution" about the hope and potential for a sup longboard category to be included in 2017 State and National titles.
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What started as a push for the 10 ft size to be adopted due to quite a number of established clubs already holding comps for that size exclusively, however there is also the notion that 9ft longboards should be the adopted longboard,
personally I feel the 10 ft should be the size , but I wouldn't mind a mini 9 ft longboard as well in the quiver too.........
The judging criteria would be based upon longboard manoeuvres. It is thought that with this new category the competition scene would open up for more involvement from suppers who have compatible boards and prefer the purity and the grace of longboard surfing.
The essence of the inclusion of this category is it not only broadens the appeal of sup, but it would also bring back one of the most important factors and a real reason why so many people have a sup addiction is the word "Fun"
Longboarding is fun.
The process can start with an open category then as popularity increases other categories can then be added. Personally I see the inclusion of long boarding as a "when" and not an " if" at this stage as it is only a matter of time before those at State and National level of the Surfing Organisation realise the potential of this great genre of Sup. All the board manufacturer do already...
Is is it as good idea, bad idea or just piss off MJ.... 
Select to expand quoteockanui said..
Is is it as good idea, bad idea or just piss off MJ....
Not mutually exclusive terms of reference - it is a good idea, AND piss off MJ.
Don't let Jacko see the post or we'll see as many comments on this as we have on Face Book. You should be over 50 to compete in this division MJ and no hipsters allowed.
Select to expand quoteSalt1 said..
I'm thinking 10'+ like this of Casso's. Love his style on the longboard.
Those Mona Vale guys are very accepting of you Casso. A bit different to 3 beaches away.
10 plus is the go around here too, I think 9 plus on a sup will not achieve the desired outcome as 9 foot sups can be surfed much more high performance than a 9 foot mal... 10 foot just feels right for longboard style sup riding.....
Select to expand quoteNNSUP said..
Don't let Jacko see the post or we'll see as many comments on this as we have on Face Book. You should be over 50 to compete in this division MJ and no hipsters allowed.
Who's Jacko?
Select to expand quoteNNSUP said..
Don't let Jacko see the post or we'll see as many comments on this as we have on Face Book. You should be over 50 to compete in this division MJ and no hipsters allowed.
Define hipster.
Select to expand quoteSalty73 said...NNSUP said..
Don't let Jacko see the post or we'll see as many comments on this as we have on Face Book. You should be over 50 to compete in this division MJ and no hipsters allowed.
Who's Jacko?
No one of any real importance.
make it happen, 10'+ is a great size to bring the longboard style into a state and national pathway. Hopefully Surfing Australia will start a pathway from the states, even if it stops at nationals I'm sure plenty would love to be part of it. I know we have a few from around here going to Qld State Titles this year surfing the 10'+ division.
Select to expand quoteSfox said..
make it happen, 10'+ is a great size to bring the longboard style into a state and national pathway. Hopefully Surfing Australia will start a pathway from the states, even if it stops at nationals I'm sure plenty would love to be part of it. I know we have a few from around here going to Qld State Titles this year surfing the 10'+ division.
Looks like the 10' is here to stay then. NSW are already running the club 10' comps, Qld have already added it to their state titles, heaps of 10' action going around in the last 12 months with some manufactures really improving their designs.
Select to expand quoteSalty73 said..Sfox said..
make it happen, 10'+ is a great size to bring the longboard style into a state and national pathway. Hopefully Surfing Australia will start a pathway from the states, even if it stops at nationals I'm sure plenty would love to be part of it. I know we have a few from around here going to Qld State Titles this year surfing the 10'+ division.
Looks like the 10' is here to stay then. NSW are already running the club 10' comps, Qld have already added it to their state titles, heaps of 10' action going around in the last 12 months with some manufactures really improving their designs.
Agree guys, 10' is here to stay. The style of riding a 10 footer is a different from the rest. I think what MJ was starting was something which was hoping to promote the 10'+ scene that already exists out there today, not trying to change it. That doesn't mean we can't run club comps purely for long boards. 9'+ division and also 10'+ division. No age divisions needed.
I'm not quite sure where the bias against anything under 10' comes from, but suspect it is that partly due to very few sub-10' sup boards being longboard/mal shapes. I've got a 9'4" x 27 3/4" which is a mal-style board specifically to try and longboard it, had to get it custom as there's nothing like it available anywhere off the floor, except perhaps Gong in Europe.
I reckon Chris is right to go for 9 and 10. Having it 10+ is a bit like having a minimum sup size on the surfing categories - it's mainly about how you surf them, not board dimensions.
Select to expand quoteTang said...
I'm not quite sure where the bias against anything under 10' comes from, but suspect it is that partly due to very few sub-10' sup boards being longboard/mal shapes. I've got a 9'4" x 27 3/4" which is a mal-style board specifically to try and longboard it, had to get it custom as there's nothing like it available anywhere off the floor, except perhaps Gong in Europe.
I reckon Chris is right to go for 9 and 10. Having it 10+ is a bit like having a minimum sup size on the surfing categories - it's mainly about how you surf them, not board dimensions.
I think it's due to the fact that in the short board sup category all the boards are sub 9 and sub 8 now. And if you ride anything bigger you clearly get marked down. Also means bigger guys just can't compete due to physics. 10ft plus creates an even playing field. If you bring that down to 9ft your favouring the smaller guys again.
My opinion
Select to expand quoteLoz79 said...
10 plus is the go around here too, I think 9 plus on a sup will not achieve the desired outcome as 9 foot sups can be surfed much more high performance than a 9 foot mal... 10 foot just feels right for longboard style sup riding.....
Totally agree!
Select to expand quoteTang said...
I'm not quite sure where the bias against anything under 10' comes from, but suspect it is that partly due to very few sub-10' sup boards being longboard/mal shapes. I've got a 9'4" x 27 3/4" which is a mal-style board specifically to try and longboard it, had to get it custom as there's nothing like it available anywhere off the floor, except perhaps Gong in Europe.
I reckon Chris is right to go for 9 and 10. Having it 10+ is a bit like having a minimum sup size on the surfing categories - it's mainly about how you surf them, not board dimensions.
Our club settled on a 10 foot plus division over 9 foot plus for 2 reasons, firstly we saw a 10 foot community division at the qld state titles and we try to align our comp format and divisions with our state body and also we felt that a new "larger board" division needed to be brought in to as judging was becoming tricky. This was due to trying to compare guys riding sub 8 foot boards doing shortboard manoeuvres v longboard type riding on much larger boards with all guys surfing in the same comp... Two completely different styles and almost impossible to compare and judge...i personally think if a state and national pathway happens that 10 foot should be the length over 9....
Select to expand quoteZeusman said..Tang said...
I'm not quite sure where the bias against anything under 10' comes from, but suspect it is that partly due to very few sub-10' sup boards being longboard/mal shapes. I've got a 9'4" x 27 3/4" which is a mal-style board specifically to try and longboard it, had to get it custom as there's nothing like it available anywhere off the floor, except perhaps Gong in Europe.
I reckon Chris is right to go for 9 and 10. Having it 10+ is a bit like having a minimum sup size on the surfing categories - it's mainly about how you surf them, not board dimensions.
I think it's due to the fact that in the short board sup category all the boards are sub 9 and sub 8 now. And if you ride anything bigger you clearly get marked down. Also means bigger guys just can't compete due to physics. 10ft plus creates an even playing field. If you bring that down to 9ft your favouring the smaller guys again.
My opinion
Fair point, Zeus, but by going 10ft I'm sure there's a case to say you're favouring the big blokes with the weight to turn them well. I would have thought comp surfing focussed on the manoeuvres and style relevant to the category - I cross stepped to the nose in a heat at the vic titles recently for fun but didnt get any real points for it. Similarly, i would have thought a reo in the longboard division would only get a fraction of the score you'd get for toes over. And then you'd have a few crafty young uns who could probably paddle a 10'6" mal out with a paddle and surf rings around the lot of us....
Select to expand quotematt18 said..
no, go 11+
this ones is for the heavy weights
I'm with Matt, let's not pretend this is a young mans sport...
I would prefer a 9'+ over 10'. Colin Mcphilips is riding a 9'0 longboard style SUP and his surfing is exactly what I think should be the perfect standard for a longboard SUP comp. Glide, Carving, using the rail, noseriding. His board could be surfed gracefully in any kind of conditions from ankle high to well overhead (in competition you should be able to ride in any condition).
When I watch 10'+ comp videos, I see good riders struggling to turn their boards. The "flow" is missing. The noserides are often made one foot from the nose.
A nice round house cutback is something that should be rewarded in longboard and it will be easier to make it smooth on a 9'+
If I had to surf a 10'+ Sup in comp, I'll take my surf longboard 24" wide to be performant and make real noserides. If the competitions were 9'+ I would ask my local shaper to make a 9'2 27" (105l to keep comfort) and that would probably be a board that I would also free surf a lot. The perfect all around board when I am to lazy to struggle with my low volume shortSUP so the perfect FUN board. At 85kg I am not a really light guy.
I know you are in Australia the "leading edge" of longboard Sup revival and as a surf longboard competitor I am very thankful for that but I hope Europe, USA will stay with the 9'+ competitions 
Make them 11 to 12 foot- for the big guys.
You could also develop simple rules to also allow their use in a nationally sanctioned surfboard race class. This would give the boards more potential uses (& resale value).
Thoughts?
I disagree with the comments on 10 footers not able to be thrown around with flow.. I'm 70 kg and I can throw my 10.1 around much more than my 9 foot mal... One must remember that in SUP we must use the paddle, once used properly to act as a force multiplier and stabiliser you will see how easy a 10 foot board can be thrown around..I would expect top riders to be pulling aerial manoeuvres on high performance 9 foot Sups.... Not so much with 10'.... Hence 10 foot will almost force guys to have to surf more like "traditional" longboarding which in turn will result in what I think we are looking for.....
Select to expand quoteLoz79 said..
I disagree with the comments on 10 footers not able to be thrown around with flow.. I'm 70 kg and I can throw my 10.1 around much more than my 9 foot mal... One must remember that in SUP we must use the paddle, once used properly to act as a force multiplier and stabiliser you will see how easy a 10 foot board can be thrown around..I would expect top riders to be pulling aerial manoeuvres on high performance 9 foot Sups.... Not so much with 10'.... Hence 10 foot will almost force guys to have to surf more like "traditional" longboarding which in turn will result in what I think we are looking for.....
Well said. Agreed.
Contests need to be more inclusive and flexible, I have a 9'8 starby that is longboard style. So should I have to buy a new board because of 2 inches f% $@ that!!!! Some common sense should prevail and the judging format tweaked towards traditional longboard moves, that way it doesn't matter if it's over 9 or 10 if you don't surf to the criteria you don't get the points.
Once apon a time there was an 8' performance longboard division that went all the way to the Aussie Titles. Made it through in 92 and had a lot of fun in the division over the years with success.
Regardless, the dominant division in longboarding has always been tbe 9'+. In SUP terms this is the equivalent of the popular 10' + division.
My two cents worth; if it's a longboard comp, set the judging criteria to favour the relevant manoeuvres and styles you want to promote. Won't the equipment follow from that naturally.
Define big bloke? I weigh in around the 94kg mark (depending on how many doughnuts have been eaten that day). I reckon anything over 9 ft with a focus on judging. I kinda find the talk of 'traditional' surfing to be a bit of a toss myself. So does that mean we also need to do volane boards with a D Fin and rounded rails to make sure that we are looking at traditional?
My answer would be of course not, so why are we so hung up about length? Judging is the answer, if points are given on things like flow and style and walking the board.
