Hey
I am surfing a starboard whopper 10' x 36" . I started on NSP 11'6" went down a few boards and ended up on a 9'6" PSH ripper. I have alower back injury whic flard up really badly due to the constant wobble in any sort of chop. So I had to go to something more stable or lose the use of my leg. I went to the whopper and was amazed. I love this thing, u can stand in any weather and ride it long boardstyle on the nose or toss it around from the back of the board.
I surf round torquay and 13th beach in Vic. it ALWAYS WINDY AND CHOPPY and all SUPERS bail when its not perf.
The Whopper surfs for me at105 kilos really well. i draggd it to Bali and surfed Balangaan which is hollow as. I paddled out the Ant Bombie off 13th and surfed it there.
For the intermediate and physically challenged wide board are a real breakthru. Why is there nothing happening in the 10'x36" dimensions. These are stand up boards not proner sticks. its dammn difficult to stand up out there. why the obsession with narrow? why not explore width and foil and materials and stop imitating short surf boards?
I've got a 10'x 34"Whopper. I've also got a 9' Naish Mana which actually surfs better than my McTavish 9'1" Longboard. I love both boards, and go for the Whopper if its a bit windy and choppy due to it's comfortable stability, as you have described. They really do surf well..always brings a smile to the dial. There is a youtube clip of a guy surfing overhead Teahupoo..I'll try and find the link.
cheers
Oh go on Hilly.....borrow someone's whopper on a big day & give it a go....i remember you were always "knocking the whopper" 3 or 4 years ago when I had one.
If it doesn't handle it you can tell us all about it (pics please) 
My winter boards were to be two 9-11s. A hull ripper and a AA 34' wide.
The ripper never showed so I took on all comers with the hideous but stable
fat longboard. First two surfs 6-8' outside peak, thruster set up. Felt like not
enough bite for big tail section, switched to quads - much better. Still board felt
on edge for the speed control. What surprised me, on takeoff, a feeling of a braking
action, getting hung up because of the huge width.
Third surf, 6' beachbreak and the board was fine, at first. Two backhand barrels
board is great, getting brave. A draining left pops up in front of me, I go, pull in,
try to pull out - board in pieces. Alot of board volume for tube riding.
They aren't for everyone but they are everything for some of us.............
Started wide on starboard avanti 11'2x36 and loved it got onto waves without falling off (mostly) but after a while it just became too big, have graduated to JP Fusion 10'8x34 and love it even more.......will i go narrower, probably...........will I ever go to 28' - only if its 14' long!
At speed, another factor to consider is the curve in the outline. Boards with a lot of curve in the rails will feel squirrelly compared to boards with straight rails.
I have two boards:
9' x 33" Starboard Hero
10' x 34" Starboard Whopper
...and I love em both. The Whopper for windy/choppy/bumpy conditions and the Hero is just fun with a capital F.
Have surfed them both at head high or just over and they both go great. Any bigger than that and I'd be very careful.
I supped with a guy at Moffat Head and he was on a Starboard Hero 9'x 33", and he was having the time of his life in 4'-6 foot. On the Whopper I found it likes being surfed off it's tail. Great nose rider, only an aircraft carrier would be more stable, and if you just want to cruise on a wave, in normal standing position. Also,... I just cannot get it to nosedive..and I tried everything!
I've had this dilemma for 2+ years now.
I like width for stability between waves and confidence when sitting in a pack rather than shaking / shuddering with bent knee's or falling off which just sucks.
In saying that, in good waves, the width is so noticeable for anyone with a surfing background, they labour and the lack of speed compared to a 27-29 inch board takes the buzz out of the experience.
Similar to riding a longboard then jumping on a shortboard. You gain something (early take off / set up) but you lose sensation and critical moments.
I decided to stick with the casual approach with 32' wide boards (Fanatic All Wave & Star-board Wide Point) however to this day I miss the down the line speed of narrow boards but enjoy not looking like a crabby kook wobbling about and falling off in the line-up and given that we only spend 5% on a wave and 95% balancing, the width and comfort outweighs the speed factor IMO.
actually the speed of the Whopper is what I remember being most surprising. Moffat Headland on Sunny Coast usually has 2 sections with most people who take the first section pulling off when you reach the closeout, before it reforms . My McTavish Longboard, and most surfboards, get a bit bogged down in the closeout whitewater so usually I, like most surfers, kick out at this point or else you get caught on the inside. The Whopper just sliced through this whitewater as I flew through to the next section...Making for a 100 m ride into the beach almost , then with a comfortable paddle back out through that choppy inside rip on the return out...just have to show respect to the surfers and know your spot the lineup and pecking order , though.
