Hey Cameron, You could do more than just sit on it. You could use it as a table, ironing board, breakfast bar or a really light weight prone surf board for a heavier rider. Great value if you think out of the box. But, jokes aside it does look pretty impressive and there seems to be a good range of sizes available as well. Really looking forward to getting in the waves very soon.

Bring it on. Swell arriving next week.

Yes I do want to get the LTD construction as well. But as this is the only board potentially in the northern hemisphere I’ll have to do with this one for now;-)

hey Chris yeah that all makes sense. Go for it then, but buy it from a shop and keep the receipt for the warranty. And also one tip which is worth considering, its better to just roll the boards super tight and don’t roll it with the fold in the middle, when storing for a longer length of time. This will defo keep your board in better condition because you wont get repetitive fold creases in the middle fabric. Make sense? Many brands with these types of light weight boards are now doing this..like ,Starboard and fanatic.

Yeah it’s a bit confusing for sure.

Surfing I do find all the paddle sizing confusing as each company has different advice.
Thanks you have answered my question. I now seem to remember SB re measuring their blades and not actually changing the blade size.

Mainly because of the deal as price wise £200 is good without going too bargain bin, size of it folding up is nice but not the biggest selling point. We have a VW T4 so plenty of room. going for my 1st SUP this weekend, was aiming to get kayak but the idea of any SUP’s folding up is big win for ease of getting around, specially as me the wife and 2 kids to fit in

Hey Chris, are you looking for this board, for it to fold up small, or because you have found a deal on it? The price is good but there will be others boards on the market that will offer you more stiffness (for your weight) in an iSUP construction if you dont need it to fold up. Make sense?

Yeah kind of ;-). Another thing to throw into the mix is how the area is measured? Is it the whole blade to where the shaft joins or just where the neck of the paddle finished at the same diameter as the shaft. I do know startboard did change this in the passed.
But anyway… What type of paddler are you? Do you want more power and a slower stroke rate?

WOW, good paddles too. Yeah unlucky for sure but agree with how you feel. putting a mix of cloths does help for sure. Thanks for your feedback.

Aim is to lose weight and try get closer to 90kg this year so sure paddling most weekends should help!

Local place (ish) to me is selling for £199 now as older model but new never used. so shall be worth a shot! Wish me luck!

2 x SB enduro, one after a month, got a refund on that, and the GFC one was gong. Carbon is known for strength and stiffness, but has low impact resistance, so they tend to use hybrid cloths with innegra and kevlar etc. to toughen it up a bit where impacts are a concern. I was probably just unlucky, but can’t afford to take the chance now.

Thanks for the review. How would you say the Starboard Longboard 24 compares to the Sunova Revolution? Looking at the 9 x 28 sizes.

Thanks,

Hey Dave, Thanks for the comment, great to hear your feedback. What brand of paddles have you had the problems with? Like I said on the video Im pretty tough on my paddles and TBF both brands are still in use.

Yep I really do like my BP because of it.

Yeah its a shame. Im sure a Carbon version will be coming. Guess they wanted to test the water regarding sales this year?! Very nice paddle, but the carbon range is a great price point.

Hi Julian . Thanks for your message. Yes the fix paddles all come in a long length so is easy to cut down. If you are happy using your other paddle at its length with both boards I would cut it down to the length of that. For better performance in the surf you may want to go shorter in the future but it’s easy to recut your paddle again if you want to.

Hi Will, thanks – I contacted them as well but they confirmed that this model is not available in their European catalogue…pity!

We have been in touch with ISLE’s team but not yet got a response on this – we will keep trying!

Hey Marcel, 3pc paddles are really good now and usually stiffer then 1pc paddles, but heavier. I have just finished a review of the Starboard Velocity which is a very nice paddle and could be perfect for what you want.
I guess the biggest down side with 3pcs is the extra cost over 1pc paddles. Theres a few videos about paddles coming out over the next few weeks. Have a watch but any other questions after please ask..
thanks Reuben

hi Will, any luck finding out whether Isle Explorer Pro is coming to Europe? Thanks!

I see the Gong is a good price at the moment. The Gong wont be as stable due to the nose and tail being more pulled in. But the starboard is narrower. Have you used the HN from Starboard?

The Hover was a very popular foil board for many to get into the sport.

Thanks for the board brand recommendation. I have only used one before but they do look very nice. I will try and get on more in the future. Another Brand to think about paddlers!

Hey Antoine, Yes you are right they do need a mention. TBH I forgot about them on our list. Thanks for the comment and feedback about them. Also its been a good few years since we had a longboard in a test we did. The board was well shape and surfed well also, a little heavy but it was a full wood construction and a beautiful finished board. I would love to get on some newer shapes from them. Thanks so much for your positive words about them, A brand that others should have a look at for sure. Happy paddling Reuben

Just a standard wave sail about 5.5m would fine

Yes very true

Thanks for your comment Olivier

Yes makes sense. I bought a used Red Paddle whip and sold it a year later and I only lost $50.00. I think buying and selling used boards is a good way to try different shapes. I find that if it is a name brand at a good price and you snap it up fast then it is almost guaranteed that you can resell it fast. Non popular brands are more risky
One factor to consider is if the brand discontinues your newly purchased model then it could effect your resale value. For example, Last year I bought a new Starboard Wedge 8.0 and now it is discontinued. This could effect the used price, I imagine

This would be good to do, but theres alot of good boards out their from the passed. Not sure were to start 😉
What I do hope is with a lot of the videos we make paddlers will get the knowledge to work out what sizes and shapes they should look for. And then of course when they find that board they can message us on ATE and we can confirm what they were thinking about the board they have picked.
Just like you, many others have done this in the passed.

Hey Cameron, yeah. If you sell a board that you bought new at full price, you will loose more for sure. But its also about how long you keep hold of it for. Is it still a current board (the same year, as to when you are selling it).
What I was meaning in the video is that if you buy a used board and sell it after a few months you wont loose very much or sometimes if it was a good buy in the first place you can even get all your money back for it when you sell it. Also buying in winter on now and selling in summer can save you a bit also. Make sense? Sorry I didn’t explain it well in the video.

Yes absolutely. Many people are now just riding these downwind boards for winging and Sup surf foiling. I know Will only uses this DW board now for everything.

Thanks for your request, this is something we would like to do in the future. This video may help a bit also. https://supboardermag.com/2023/09/09/first-time-sup-surf-foil-tips-how-to-video/

Thanks for your comment Salmon. like you say timing is key, and some luck too ha ha

Thanks Cameron

Yes this can work well. But if you are not really getting wet than maybe look towards a top that is a bit looser fitting. Like the Tsangpo, I wear this all the time in the winter, when im really not planning to get wet. I aways take a spare layer in a drybag just in case though. Hope this helps Reuben

Really top comment Dave. From my point of view its started to happen to me now at 43. The lower back is starting to be a pain when prone surfing (worst over cold winter). So like you say mixing it up is great and its still insane how many great waves you can get on a SUP!

Hey Andy, thanks for your comment. I do agree that the 2021 was a great board and it was a great all round board really. Happy Paddling and thanks again for your feedback. Reuben

Hey Christian – yeah all super helpful points ….. every day is a school day when DWing hey 😉 I like your point about not pumping in the flats… thats something im going to certainly think about and try and glide more to the energy…. I really need to just the glide more!
Totally agree on your last point….. letting go of the control is key but I find it counter intuitive…. iv been practicing with narrower stance winging lots to get more comfortable. Hopefully we can score a session together soon!

I really appreciate hearing how lucy had fun surfing her ISUP for years. I have a hard surf sup and a 4.7 inch thick surf ISUP . I took them surfing last summer and they were different but both were fun. At my low beginner level, at the end of the day all that really matters for me is playing on the waves. When I get really old I wouldnt be sad if all I can do is kneel on my ISUP and go for a ride.

As far as prone surfing goes, I love the simplicity of it. I want to keep trying it just for fun. As a spectator I love watching good long boarders. some look so elegant.

Looking forward to seeing what it coming. You’re right the New Deal is a wave catching machine :-).

I didn’t mean it needed refining- it’s a great board as it is. It’s just he said – 1 more reveal to come. & the only sup surf in their line up not mentioned was the new deal – so I expect it’s that (I miss my new deal everytime I miss a wave – the glide on my 10ft meant it was a wave catching machine)

Yeah these also should have made the cut in the video too. Thanks for the add. Usually as you know its a combination of many things which come into play.

We had a lot of fun making this video. Lucy is a very good SUP surfer and it was actually really hard to get her to make the wrong (right) mistakes for the camera. I couldn’t get the clip of her getting sucked over the falls at all! I made her get hammered at least 10 times but just couldn’t get the shot i was looking for lol.

Thanks for the comment

Yes this would be nice, a few extra width would be good but the board is still a great shape.

Hi Daniele, thanks for the comment. As you said, there are no changes to the shape for the 2025 longboards, just new graphics. I guess the new prices reflect the increase in costs for shipping + manufacturing, etc. Depending on where you are located, the prices can be higher. Get a 2024 if one is available. Thanks!

The solution is to try to not end up in that situation through better line choice, so either cutting back early to link energy from behind or cutting across bumps and look for a gap to move forward, and try not to get locked into ‘forward fever’ and constantly chasing energy ahead.

One point on the technique video, if my front leg is straight, it’s sure sign i need to move it backwards. Being too far forward kills mast height but feels comfortable as it gives you a lot of pitch control. In my head it’s a battle of releasing some control, to gain efficiency.

That & not getting your front foot in the right place (enough down the centre line) so that you unsettle your board & sink a rail & lose momentum just at the critical point where you need the speed to catch the wave = game over / missed wave.

I think they are common mistakes I see others do – not me 😉

What’s the difference between a 2024 model (like those you reviewed) and the new 2025 models that are selling at a much higher price?
It is just marketing or there are real technical differences that justify the price hike? The only noticeable difference I can spot is in the graphic design…not sure if there is anything more than that?

Thanks!

Thanks Gemma, have fun and we hope it helps

Sorry Ashok we never managed to get hold of one.

Wow Graeme this is great to hear. We did learn a-lot about Red during our interviews, and how we can make better decision when it comes to our shopping habits and the way we actually live as-well. Thanks for the feedback I will share with the rest of the SB team.

Hello David, I used my 14 foot rigid Fatstick racer

Hey Dan, not sure if you found it yet, but full test here https://supboardermag.com/2023/09/17/quiver-killer-sup-surf-test-2023-supboarder-pro-head-to-head/

Nice one. You’re right loads of time to jump down.

Thanks so much for replying so quickly. Today being Black Friday in the states I picked up the 8’2” at a great deal. Figure I have years to keep stepping down in board size, and I won’t regret owning this one. Looks like I have great conditions tomorrow to give it a rip and will let you know what I think. Thanks again Reuben! Love what you guys are doing here, such a great resource! Cheers

Hey Nick, I feel the biggest thing you will feel is the drop in glide speed with both boards. Yes 7’11 the board will not be as stable as your NSP, but at your weight it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Im guessing you are going to keep your NSP?
Questions for you….
How happy are you when on your NSP?
What manoeuvres are you trying now?
What kind of surfing would you like to be doing with the smaller board?
Everyday conditions… clean waves or choppy faces?

My gut feel is that you could be ok on the 7’11 and it would be better at your weight, but you will need some time to get use to it.
Let me know … thanks Reuben

Hi SpSat, thanks for your comment. The Whopper range has just got better over the years but like you say it was a super fun and easy board in the passed. The Pocket Rocket has got dropped because the Wedge and the new Spice bigger size have taken over what the board did. Yes theres a small gap now but many riders will be happy with the 8’2×30.75 120L Spice or the more stable 8’7x32x143L wedge. But I do know the the PR will still be missed by many. Thanks Reuben

This is nice to hear, thanks for the comment. Happy paddling Reuben

You need to try to distribute the weight equally over the board to bring the board down everywhere instead of just in one place. Obviously it depends on how much do you want to carry anyway but you could even have a small amount of weight on the back of the bungees as well to help this.

Not windy, but I guess weight in the front would mean less rocker to catch wind?

Seriously, you all do a wonderful job, and it is not hard to scale up the info you provide. I look at the 24″ tests and think, I need a 26 or 27″ (considering the manufacturers max weight too) and what you share has never let me down!
I will happily test in SouthEast USA if needed! 🙂

Hi gentsch, thanks for you comment and feedback. We to agree with you. We are always on the look out for all types of testers.
Trying to arrange the right paddlers in the right conditions as well as lifes normal juggles, is always a battle and the hardest thing we have to do when it comes to testing. We have a test pool of about 20 paddlers but it’s amazing how only a very few can be available during the test window. We are always on the look out for other testers also, if you or others are keen ,please let us know. Thanks Reuben

Hi Lynette. Yes you can try this, Placing a bag in the front cargo area would be a good spot. Was it windy as well or just choppy?

Hey Samuel, unfortunately we haven’t had any experience with the longer Gongs. We have use some other Gongs in the past and they have always been well designed and thought about. Maybe only observation in the past is some of the fittings like fins et cetera have not been as good quality as rival brands. But this was a couple years ago now. They generally hit a good price point.

THANK YOU 🙂

Hey Cam, I’m just going to jump in here because Beau is away at the moment. You can ride the 8′ for sure but like you have suggested with the rocker it doesn’t hold you up at the nose as long as a longer flatter board will do. It’s definitely fine forgetting five toes on the nose for a short stint. And in many ways it’s easier because the board is that much shorter so it’s not as far to go.

Hey Kevin , sorry you are having trouble finding it, it will probably be due to your computers cache. Please try open SB Pro in a new browser window , that should sort it. Let me know if not.

Also I have the similar wood bow and white stern on my wedge. I think the whopper graphics is much improved. The white paralel Starboard word with the white little man connects the white deck pad to the board.It might also look good if the center pad was black. I feel my wedge deck looks like 3 unintegrated pieces

I think so. Paddle boarding would be so bland with out your magazine. So much info. Thanks

Beau you reviewed the 8.0 Wedge. Because of the beefy nose could you nose ride the 8.0 ? or is the board too short for it to be enjoyable ? Also is there not enough rocker to nose ride ?
Overall I think designing boards would be an interesting job. In my next life I think I could come up with the perfect board. It seems so simple 🙂

That’s because of the width up at the nose. If you look at the outline shape, the wide point is forward of centre so you were probably maximising the stability by standing at the widest part. I guess it’s quite thick to aid with stability. Being only 8ft long, they needed to fit a lot of volume in there so they bulk up the nose.

It’s hard to tell because the length, thickness and volumes are so different. It’s true that thicker boards do feel corkier in the water but to compare it against a 10ft board isn’t fair. To be honest, there is quite a bit of tail thickness in the 9’0. But Starboard needed that to have the most volume.

This will be perfect for you.

Good to know that you were watching Adrian! Thanks

Also one thing I noticed using my Wedge at the lakes is that it seems more stable if I stand closer to the nose maybe a bit ahead of the handle. So that maybe is due to the thicker nose like you mentioned. Why did they make the nose of the wedge thick ? What is the benefit ?

Thanks Beau. The 9.0 whopper is thicker than the 10.0 whopper. Wouldnt the 9.0 feel more corky than the 10.0 ?

Hi Cam. Thanks for the comment. Starboard wanted to have the maximum volume that wouldn’t sacrifice on performance. Thickness is an interesting subject – personally, I don’t really care what the thickness of a board is, so long as the rails are thinned out for added hold and performance. Other riders prefer to have certain thickness boards because it works for them. I believe the Whopper nose thickness is less than than the Wedge, so it all comes down to how that thickness is distributed in the board, and the Whopper thickness is distributed well.

Hey James thanks for your words and feedback.

Nice one Tyler. Have fun

However, for anyone who was in my position of not knowing what board to choose it would certainly help.

PS – for anyone looking the RST is a fantastic board, but I agree with the test, it’s definitely not a first race board!

Thank you! Yeah, it’s pretty intense because I was going like every day. Waves and bumps next! I’ll keep you updated!

Great – watched the video and can’t see any technique problems that jump out on the limited clip / angle. The paddle up, particularly on the smaller volume board with the large paddle with pretty long shaft is pretty intense. I would be limiting how much you do & stretching it out well. The good news is that when you get into downwind runs, the flat water paddle up isnt critical for success and you wont need to be burning your back so much. As you can succeed in the paddle up, you have the paddle power. Next step would be to get out and learn to do the same in some small organised bumps…and /or do some SUP surf foiling on the same set up. goal being to learn to put down the power when the water is less flat! Keep us updated!

Thank you Ismo!! Please keep us updated on your progress. Glad we could help.

I’m about 80kg. Suppose it’s a combination of everything. The board is small at 6’8 96l so I’m kind of digging it out of the water I guess. I have videos on my YouTube channel that’s the only social media I have. Tyler Holowell. Not sure how well you can see my technique in the videos

Hey Tyler, great you are progressing in the journey. The lower back issue could be from a number of things. It could be a technique problem or that your body is not used to the paddling muscles if you have not done much paddling before. I also see that your paddle is pretty large so could be causing a problem depending on your body size. Before starting downwinding did you do any paddling? Is there any way to get a video over to us of your technique and we might be able to help that way?

I paddled the 2022/23 Starboard Touring 14’x28″ for a year, and loved it.

I also used the Eisbach Riders Flexi River Fin and would also highly recommend it.

I bounced the ER down some serious rivers and never had one problem, but it also tracks well and has stability when you hit deeper water.

I still use the ER on my Airline, when needed. Money well spent.

Shane

Thank you very much. It did.

Yeah got you. Like you say when paddling in normal paddling stance they are pretty stable , especially the longer boards, like 14. But the wider tails will offer more stability overall, and will make a big difference in choppy or moving waters.

Hi Pedro, Thanks for your comment and so glad you are getting on well with your small board now. Its great hearing feedback like yours. Happy paddling from Reuben and the team

Hey Cam, we would love to demo more 2 piece boards. Haven’t got any plans in place at the moment. It would be nice to try a surf shape.

Why did you put two piece boards back in my head 🙁 I was serious about them a couple of years back. Now you make them look good again.They do cost more and I think they are a bit heavier than the one piece version. Will you demo other models like a 2 piece surf sup ?

Hi, like pointed nose and tail instead of square tail.. example are Gladiator 14×28 or Itiwit race or touring vs Bluefin Nitro, if you can see the shape difference..

Hey Dragan, what do you mean by romblike shape boards?

Ahh thanks for the confirmation on that. I wish the nose was more the RS for sure then. But it wouldn’t be a fast in flatter water… It’s always a compromise! Yeah the Sunova has got a lots of paddlers interested now, just a good overall shape. How would it compare next to your RS, hard to tell. That SIC RS is a great board too!

Hey Cam, Yes I think it may get a bit boring having to setup all of the time BUT i do think you could get pretty quick at it. I would have my sections sprayed with silicone spray and have a battery screw driver set on slow to get the board together. Im sure it would be quicker or about the same as pumping an iSUP. And paddling on the water would still be nicer.

Hi Lukasz. Glad to hear you’ve sorted a drysuit. It would be great to hear your thoughts/feedback once you’ve used it as I haven’t worn them before. Happy paddling! Lucy

Hi Lucy,

Thanks for letting me know & remembering that I asked this question quite some time ago 🙂

In fact, I recently bought StandOut Bora drysuit https://standout-sport.com/collections/sup-dry-suits/products/bora-dry-suit?variant=41206300213416 and also thought about sharing my impressions of it, but I haven’t tested it yet.

Best regards,
Łukasz

Thanks Reuben, Another thought occured to me. If 2 piece would work on the expedition than I think this would make a lot of sense for people with limited space. Set up time wouldnt matter cause you are only touring a few times a year generally speaking. However, I wonder if using a 2 piece for regular casual or fitness paddling would get old fast because of the time it takes to set up ? It seems more time consuming than setting up an ISUP ? Thoughts ?

Hi Reuben. I think you are correct. The old RS has less rocker, less v and a squarer tail. I still race mine and find it to be a trusty friend. Much prefer it to my Atlantis, which is beautifully made but feels heavier and more clumsy. Flat decks should not be underestimated in the whole equation…they feel more natural to me, anyway. I did fancy the RST until I watched this review. Now I am erring towards a Sunova ( not a two piece though ).

Thanks Sarah its great to hear you liked it.

Thanks for the comment SUPtester. I too love the SIC RS and wish we still had one. Also it would of been good to compare it to the new RST.
I don’t remember the bottom nose shape of the RS but Im sure it was flatter (less V) then the new RST!

Hey Reuben.
I’ve tried those romblike shape boards, although seems unstable, they are not, untill stepback turn..
Exept for long touring trips I use it occasinaly with small child of 25kg approx.
I’m 190, 95kg, do you think board will be capable to carry both with good glide?
Tnx

White deck pads do look great but like you say can hold the dirt more. I guess you are right about the heat from the sun on the deck pad, this wouldn’t be good for you or the board!

Hey Narcy, Have you manage to find the full video yet? Make sure you’er logged into your Pro account and if it still hasn’t come up try doing the process in a new internet browser. The computers cache causes it not to load correctly sometimes.
Hope that helps thanks Reuben

Hey Cam I imagine the carrying capacity should be fairly high. We were very impressed with the connection of the 2 sections.

Glad it was informative

Hey Dragan. The Bluefins have got better with their quality but the Gladiator is the better again. The shape of the Gladiator is just more refined and works well. Any help? Reuben

Hi Cucos We haven’t got an Aztron foil with us here. But I think it should be 11 screws. I hope this helps? Thanks Reuben

Hi Lukasz. If you haven’t yet sorted a drysuit, just to let you know that we’ll be reviewing the new palm FUSE drysuit very soon, so keep an eye out for that review. It looks really well suited to SUP. Lighter & quieter fabric, with more of an athletic fit (less bulky in legs)

https://palm.equipment/gb/touring-suits/2298-12727-fuse-suit#/34-size-s/348-colour-navymid_blue

Kind regards

Lucy

Can someone suggest what would be the winner between those two taking in consideration same price level..
From my experience, Bluefin paddles are awful, so would definitely neet to upgrade soon, but overall quality is very good. Never had experience with Gladiator.

If you’d like a REALLY REALLY nice river fin that is small but tracks amazingly well, then check out the ER flexi river fin, i have a little video of it on here 🙂

with regards to the tail foil, in our SB video, i’m guessing having the foil lifts the tail out of the water slightly as you’re moving due to it being a foil?

The only other thing i can think of with the “more weight felt faster” is that the beautifully crafted nose of the SB would be in the water and cutting through, were as normally it sits just above it?

kind regards
a fellow D ring hater
Jonny H 🙂

A great longboard for heavier riders or lower level riders getting into longboard SUP surfing. It still surfs really well, we just didn’t have that size for this video (along with the 9’0 x 26″).

Hi Philipp, hope you are well. Thanks for the comment.
The Infinity is definitely a different board to the SMIK Hipster and I feel it would compliment it. The SMIK has a broad range of wave heights and it leans more toward a ‘standard’ surf shape compared to the Escape Pod. If you were to have the two board in your quiver, the SMIK would be used when the waves are bigger and more powerful, and the Infinity Escape Pod when the waves are smaller and weaker and you need some extra speed on the wave.
In saying this, if you’re having great fun on the SMIK in small waves, I probably wouldn’t change it up too much as the Escape Pod takes a bit of getting used to.
Hope that helps.

Hey Jeff, you are correct longer is always faster and will offer you more glide. But for many paddlers out there who are definitely lighter in their body weight they may not feel they need the extra length to make the board relatively as fast to paddle for their weight. Or they may wish to have a shorter board which is easier to move and transport around and even move around on the water over a longer board. Like with all equipment there are so many different people wanting it for different things. I know if his board was made in the same width and thickness but longer many people would also enjoy paddling this board also. There’s pros and cons and compromises with every single board, its working out what’s the best pro and con and compromise for each individual rider is the real key to having a perfect board. That’s what we end up doing with all the emails we get on ‘ask the experts’ on SB Pro. Thanks for your comment I hope this helps .Reuben

Hey Cam, Light colour deck pads do look great but aren’t very good for paddlers who surf in browner sandy beaches.

Check out the links below the post and on their Facebook page. Happy racing

Hey Simon. I have been speaking to Gavin our endurance race expert and unfortunately we haven’t got any hard facts on how much faster it would be. Because we haven’t paddled the all-star for that length of time. So that doesn’t help you apart from to say it’s faster 🙂 I will keep digging around and see if anybody else has some hard data I could pass your way. Otherwise maybe some other paddle is out there will read this and might be able to comment their experiences also.

Patrick

Hi Jonny. Thanks for the comment. Quite similar indeed to the L41 ST. The Escape Pod, being such a short shape, I feel it would actually handle steeper waves but nothing bigger than head high. It would be super fast, however it might be hard doing turns in steeper sections as that’s where a rockered shape comes alive. If it’s just to fly through the sections and get to the shoulder, then perfect. We didn’t manage to ride it in steeper bigger waves as the conditions didn’t allow during the testing period. Hope that helps.

Love your enthusiasm! I’ll try with you 🙂

So true! Thanks for the comment.

Hi Micky! Nice to hear from you. Hope you have been able to get on the water lately. The Escape Pod is a great alternative, but if you’re enjoying the longboard stick with it. Thanks for the comment and hope to see you soon. Thanks.

Hey Danila, I just got this comment back from Donna….
——————
There’s a chance Jodie rated the tracking lower as the fin on the Shark board is not very good as a race fin.
I’ve used the 14×27 shark with a carbon fin and it tracks and paddles really well in all conditions.
As a lighter rider all you may need to do is move forward one step.

The 12’6×27 might be ok however I’ve not paddled this board before, you would loose some tracking and speed over a 14ft board.

Another one to consider would be the 14×25 if you’re after a pure flat water race board?
I hope that helps Donna

Result

Very good question. Im going to ask Gavin (one of our race testers about this)

Thanks Steve. Thats what we are here for.

Well, I’ll eat my words. It looks like Infinity are at last listening and are now looking to better their carry handle on their boards so that you can properly grab it. I think your video may have helped get the message over.

Hey Ben thanks for the comment. We find when we do towing from our boats or other SUPs (maybe to get to a testing locations with lots of boards) the top handle always works fine. If there’s no towing eye underneath. What you are saying is very true about the better angle of tow when underneath. But the majority of paddlers we have spoken to just don’t use it. But I guess its there if you need it.

The D ring is for towing, if you tow from the top of a craft it pulls the nose down into the water increasing drag. Strong points for towing on boats are always low down so the bow is pulled upwards which lifts the bow out and provides a nicer tow.

ha ha doubt it…I posted something similar re the handle on his FBook Infinity page but no reaction from him. Never mind…only a small thing and okay if yiu are in warmer climate or have tiny fingers Someone said it all about weight saving which I thought was a load of horlicks. The board looks super fast…you can see it takes off like an efoil!

Hi Steve. Thanks very much for your feedback about the Escape Pod. Hopefully Dave will see these comments and take them into consideration for future boards.

Awesome feedback. Thanks for your comment.

It all depends if you want to noseride. If you do, then go for the longboard. If not, then the Escape Pod is the better option. Hope that helps.

I have a New Deal which is great but I agree the handle is too shallow and it is something I see others commenting on a fair bit but they don’t seem to want to listen or change it. It really can be a drawback in the UK because in winter with gloves on you struggle to get your hands/fingers in and get good grip on a windier day. If you have a long walk to water, large hands and winter gloves on it can be a bit of an PIA. A tiny board like that which is using far less raw materials should be cheaper than their longboards.

Hey Danila, Thnaks for the question. Before I jump in and get back on this, Im going to foward the question on to Donna to get her feedback first. But not having the nose in the water doesnt help lighters paddlers for sure.

Hey Cam , I will have to ask Honu what they think the over weight would be to have the stringer on the Sorrento.
Also it will put the cost up quite abit I think aswell. Its always hard for brands to work out what most paddlers want on average, Weight , stiffness and over cost??

Yes we both need to get back on the water and do an overnighter.

I am curious Reuben, How much weight would the stringers add ? One thing I love about this board now is how light it weighs I think I weighed mine at 19 pounds. I need to weigh it again. I think that the lighter my ISUP is the less sticky it is in the water.Also, Its interesting that they did not add a speed tale.
I really need to force myself to do an overnight. Also, I think its time for your 2nd solo trip 🙂 The Honu 11.3 reminds me of your Red Sport 11

Thanks for your feedback Cam. Glad you are loving the board.
I think the stringers would of made it stiffer again but they would add more weight on the board for certain also. So its one of those compromise. Im looking forward to hearing about your first overnighter with it.

Reuben I agree that Honu should have considerd back bungies. I may be able to rig something up. I wonder why they did not make it stiffer with stringers like the Bondi? It seems pretty stiff but Stiffer and lighter is always better.

Hi Beau,

That’s a great answer, thank you very much.

I am planning to set up my autumn – winter – spring gear and was wondering what might be a possible transition point between a thinner wetsuit and a dry suit, so this 10°C might be a good threshold to consider.

Hi Lukasz, thanks for the comment. We use this suit quite regularly in winter when paddling. We wear it when we expect to fall in or get wet (paddling smaller boards, bumpy water, rain, even winging sometimes), and also when we want a bit of a wind barrier as it keeps us warm in the elements. I’d put it on when the outside temperature is less than 10˚C but it really depends on the wind chill. If there is no wind, I’d happily paddle in just an extra layer like a jacket rather than the full dry suit. The main feature I like is the inbuilt socks because when the water temp is around 8-12˚C, I like having my feet warm and not getting wet – especially at the start of the paddle when entering the water. So I guess we wear it when the weather is sub-optimal: some wind, cold water and cold air temp.
Hope this helps.

In the video you said you hadn’t been overheating in the suit. I know almost two years have passed since this video was published, but do you remember maybe what the temperature was or at least in which month the video was filmed (I assume November, since it was published on 2nd of December).

You also mentioned that you would be using this dry suit yourself. If you did, can you comment on temperature range in which this dry suit is comfortable (i.e. the highest temperature where it makes sense to wear it)?

Best regards,
Łukasz

Nice one, glad you love it.

Thanks for your feedback Danila. We will continue to do this is the future.

Thanks for the comment Clair. Yes I remember that journey, what a monster!

Yep all the Infinity’s are light. But thats very light for a 9’6

LOL

Hi Danila, volume data has been added to the table. We actually can’t get hold of some of the data as you will see. Volume is not a particularly good metric when comparing boards(particularly inflatables)as they all have plenty of volume to hold any paddler, its more about their shape and construction quality that effects the stability. The data does highlight that the Red is the highest volume, which is something we felt would be the case and we comment on in the video as it is high volume in its nose.

Thank you Will, much appreciated!
Cheers,
Giorgio

This doesn’t sound good. Thanks for the share and hope you are happy with the board on the water in the end. Thanks again Reuben

post away …

I don’t know if I’m allowed to post a link here, but you would see pictures here.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/pESwTtuYdaarhU5o/

Hello. I’m from Austria. The discount from the seller was good. I’m going to close the small crack and the cuts with Solarez Epoxy. I’ve now ordered another suitable bag from Aqua Inc. Unfortunately, the seller hasn’t had good experiences with Aztron either. Aztron claimed until the end that they never claimed that the bag would fit. Only after the seller sent them pictures from their own website did Aztron admit the mistake. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend Aztron even though the board is otherwise good. The support is very poor and reluctant.

Hi Thomas, thanks so much for your feedback on your latest purchase. This doesn’t sound good at all and is not really acceptable. Please let us know how you get on and I hope you manage to get some more discount sorted all the board really turned. What country are you from?
Thanks again for letting us know your feedback it is very important we hear from people buying equipment of a full customer experience.
Good luck Reuben

It’s even more ridiculous with the bag.
They sell a bag for this board that’s 15 cm too small.
There’s been no response from Aztron on my Mail.
The dealer takes the bag back and gives me a discount on the Board.
Aztron doesn’t have a suitable bag and provides incorrect information.
According to their website, everything should fit, but they tell the dealer they don’t have one that fits.
I actually wanted to buy the Sonic Carbon Paddle, but I think I’ll save that.
So I’d advise against buying it..

Hey Craig. Regs the paddle… We haven’t actually got a three-piece Honu paddle here with us at the moment, during the review I was actually using the houn four piece travel paddle which was amazingly good in the surf to be honest.
But I’ve just gone down to the studio and checked three other three-piece paddles and they all fit in the bag. So I don’t think you’ll have a problem with getting a honu one in there either. I hope this helps? Thanks Reuben

Hey Sonny.Yes these books are pack with really good info. And as Bill is just trying to get the SUP safe message out there the price is very low.
Also if you want to see or share some more visual SUPsafe videos check out theses too https://supboardermag.com/supsafe/ . Happy and safe paddling Reuben

Hey Charlie, Good to hear you liked the test and the way it was put together. The D ring on noses is a funny one, depending on where there’re placed can makes a big difference on the board. Let’s see if Starboard change theres into the future?

Glad you brought up the D-ring topic as I also find it peculiar that they’re often placed where they’ll create unecessary drag. I sometimes put tape over mine to minimise that, but it can get worn or knocked off easily.

We have added some Ratings for Glide / Speed, Stability and Tracking to the test post now above

Hi Will, great to hear that you are on it 🙂 Regards

Thanks for the update Lukasz – yes, it’s the same copyright that made Red Paddle Co have to change their explorer to Voyager. WE are in continued discussions with Isle and there is still some talk of getting the boards to the EU and UK – they have some interesting looking products in development.

Hi Craig – we will check if the Honu paddle fits in the bag ASAP. In terms of the pumps – we have had good success with the STX recharagble pump 🙂

I would like to provide some update on the Isle Explorer availability in EU & UK, as the film is from November 2023.

I was interested in Explorer Pro and wrote to Isle why they are not available in the EU & UK. I got a reply from Isle FB page in July 2024 that “Due to copyright laws in the EU, unfortunately we are unable to offer the Explorer models in the EU market”.

So, it seems that those boards are not coming to our continent in the near future.

One leash per board is good as multiple leashes can get tangled. That leash is best with the main paddler / adult. You should make sure that your 5 year old has some flotation thats suitable for how comfortable they are swimming in the sea.

Yes, the D ring thing is strange and needs some more thinking or explanation from brands.
The Quroc bungee system was good. We will be publishing more videos on this board soon, but the initial thoughts were that this system worked well and the team really liked the removable clips for ease of putting large bags on. Stay tuned for a full SUPboarder review of this board coming soon.

Hi Giorgio – thanks for the comment and feedback – we will gather the data we have and publish it soon – will let you know when it there.

Thanks for the comment – a great board – one we are tempted to keep hold of!!! Enjoy it and let us know here what you think of it.

Yes, I think there is benefit from always having th quick release in a ‘known’ position as with belts they can spin and when you need to pull the QR, it’s not there! It could interfere a little with your paddling but it’s something you can get used to I think. The most important thing is that you can release efficiently when you need to 🙂

Its a beautiful paddle – Enjoy!

Hi Reuben,

You wrote that you like it for “general paddling”. Does it mean that for rivers you would rather use a “classic” quick release waist belt?

I am considering buying the Aqua Marina River Leash as it looks to me it would make sense with my PFD https://gokajak.com/kamizelki-asekuracyjne/kamizelka-traper-guide-srodek-asekuracyjny-aquarius-371.html#/47-kolor-pomaranczowy/107-rozmiar-xl The description is only in Polish, but the point is that it has D-Rings in the front, to which I could attach AQ Leash carabiner.

The advantages I see is that PFD could distribute the pull from the leash more evenly than a belt and since PFD, unlike a waist belt, should not rotate, I would have quick release always in front of me.

The disadvantage might be that the leash attached in the front could interfere with paddling.

What would be your thoughts on this as a user of this leash?

Also, Please ask Reuben to do a full Review of the New Bondi 9.5. These boards must feel different on the water. I think the 9.5 deserves a full review if you have the time

Thanks Will,
I just saw the extended video. I appreciate that Reuben made his position pretty clear. I just bought the Honu 11.3 Sorrento. I only used it once so far but I am very impressed with it. I have owned a few Red paddle boards as well including the Sport 11.3 and the older sport 12.6. and the 11.3 Sorrento could be my favorite by far.( I need to use it some more to decide ) and I think that Mark offers great customer service.

Thanks for your comment – good to understand your thoughts on visibility too.
We know that some DW communities are enjoying the in-between days still using big pump foils. 12 knots wind against tide makes it possible, and works on your pump game as with less bumps you have to work harder on the pump.

We don’t know of any such calculators but its a good idea and something I think we will see introduced in time!

Hey Cam – make sure you haven’t missed the PRO video in the post above where Reuben Talks about how the Bondi compares to the Surf Deluxe – Cheers, Will

Thank you Beax, so cool to get advice from a pro!

The calculations for a given board / paddler are complex, but I am wondering if they could not be parameterized to provide some basic outcomes.

That is, given paddler height and weight, it could provide, let’s say, “beginner width”, “intermediate width”, and so on. Idea being that for a taller individual, 34″ would provide the comparable amount of stability than 32″ for a shorter person.

Granted, it does not include all factors, but would provide a good starting point. Shorter person would not gain much stability from going from 32″ to 34″ (as they might be stable enough at 32″), therefore making a board slower for little benefit.

Do you know of any such calculators?

Ironically, i as i get better, I am more inclined to be visible, on the basis that the chances of being called in are hopefully less if you look competent, and are happily making ground at speed.

Definitely agree that learning to DW offers a lot of potential. On no wind days i can either practice flat water paddle ups, or even better wake thieve passing ferries and motor cruisers. It’s the annoying in between wind strength days that are the issue where i am, as i don’t have access to the open sea on my doorstep.

Hi Craig. Thanks for your comment.
The 10ft definitely has more paddle speed to catch waves. However, it is quite a long board with a lot of volume and I think with your weight and size the 9ft would be the best choice. The 10ft would feel like a barge, but would be so easy to paddle and you would catch anything and everything that came through. It would be hard to turn though coming from such small boards with your Spice and Pro.
I feel the 9ft has the extra length from your current boards to add paddle speed and catch small waves too. Plus, you’d be able to turn it easier.
Hope that helps!
Thanks.

Hi Micky! Thanks for the comment. Glad you’re improving from the clinic earlier this year. Keep me updated with it.
All is well here thanks. Hope you are the same.

Thanks George , Sorry for the issue. Glad you have sorted it.

If you inflate them to their max psi you should be fine. I never worry about boards going pop. Unless im using a board that looks like it has questionable quality, pos from a unknown brand.

Glad it helped

The same story to me, in my Voyager 13’2 year ago.

I’m 6′ 60lb (73kg) riding Starboards 2023 Pro 7’10” x 28” and the Spice 7’11” x 29” (both about 105 L). I’m thinking of getting the Starboard Longboard to mix things up on smaller days. I’m trying to decide between the 9′ X 28″ at 105 L and the the 10’X29″ at 133 L. I suppose the 9′ would be more performance and fun on the wave, but which would be better at catching small waves?

Thanks!
Craig

I meant to say…could. could do a headstand

Actually I didn’t bought it

Yes, there was a problem. But all fixed now. Sorry about that Calvin. Try now

Hey Calvin sorry about this. I will look into it now!

Thanks for your great comment and feedback.

Reuben, I have tried a couple different browsers(chrome, edge, brave) on multiple devices and still can’t get it to work. All I see is a vimeo address,

share=copy

All the other pro videos I have watched seem to be working. Thanks for the great content

Hey Ken. Yeah the board will work well in open water conditions. At your weight you could get away with a thinner board, in width and thickness. But TBH there’s isnt many boards out there that have this amazing shape and are narrower and thinner. Does that make sense?

There’s a link at the bottom of the page. Or here https://innovo.plus/ thanks

Good to hear its helping. Let us know how you get on in the surf.

Having borrowed the Saimaa for some ocean touring and novice racing, I’m absolutely sold on the hard nose concept. As you say, it feels like you’ve shaved a couple of inches off the width of the board in terms of the glide and speed you can get. I was so impressed with its ability to cope with messy chop and just cut through the water. As I’m a similar size to Donna, I do feel these boards are a little thick and to get me to hand over some hard earned cash, I’d like to see a 4.75 or 5inch thick board.

Huge thank you for alway teaching me something new and encouraging the industry to keep innovating. Happy paddling indeed!

Watched this again (& again). & great tips to try next session to get more verticle

cheers Cam 🙂
let us know if you find any boards like this in Canada , especially if it’s a different Brand

stay safe and happy paddling

Jonny 🙂

Hi Giorgio
Thank you so much for your reply 🙂
I absolutely love that you met a fellow paddler and swapped boards for a test,
this is by far the best way to try all different bits of kit and really installs what a great community we have.
Buying race boards is what we had to do until recently to get that performance touring feel, so going with the R500 is a great shout (it does have a really nice nose and i wish it was in this test) , i wouldnt worry about a longer fin too much as you’ll soon get use to the feel and it has a nice squared off tail that’ll be more stable than the pin tail on your touring board too.
when you do find your board and start your adventures on it please keep us updated 🙂
maybe even fire an email off to Itiwit and say how much you’d like to see a performance tourer in their range with the solid nose.

stay safe and happy paddling

Jonny 🙂

Hey Kevin, glad you are using a shorter blade and you are getting good results from it.

I cut my paddles down to the middle of my forehead. Works great and encourages good technique.

Hey Jen thanks for your feedback about the boards. Regards weights of the boards, its at 1:34sec on the screen on the video. Thanks Reuben

Hey Graeme thanks for your feedback. happy paddling Reuben

It would make a great talking point when you have it together hanging on the wall of your flat!

Hey Calvin, Sorry to hear this. Have you tried logging into Pro on a new Internet browser. 99% of the time this is due to your Internet cache that needs to be deleted. Let me know if this helps . thanks Reuben

yeah this would be a great comparison. The Duotone looks good also

Hey Craig can you let me know if you sorted this? Have you tried loging in when on a new internet browser? The computers cache is usually the problem. Any questions please get back to me thanks Reuben

Thanks. I appreciate the response and looking forward to any future findings!

Hey John I have just got back to a verry similar question from Mon Jef also. I think we will need to do some more tests to work this one out. I think I will have to get Harry our SUPboarder naval architect to help with this also.

This is a very good question and TBH a hard one to answer. The narrow boards will be faster but, by how much. I think we will have to try do a video on this and share our findings. Thanks for the good idea, sorry I cant be specific with an answer. Thanks Reuben

Thanks.

Yes maybe we should let you do a mini test?

Hi Stefan. You would get a bit extra paddle speed from the longboards so that would make them faster both when paddling and when surfing on the wave. They are longer though so that would reduce the manoeuvrability slightly. I’d suggest thinking about a Spice if you’re after manoeuvrability and also paddle speed.

Thanks so much! Yes indeed have pondered a gladiator kids board. I’m currently using a 12’6 gladiator pro light, which is 29 wide and the thinner depth. Fascinated to know what difference it would make to go narrower, but have to compromise a little on length. I’m guessing not a significant enough difference to make it worth buying another board… but would be keen to try.

Maybe a head to head of intermediate / race kids boards?!

Thanks for your comment. Very good points. The table is a guide for paddlers of an intermediate level and up. But you are right , using loads of boards is the best way like you have suggested but the problem we get is many of the paddlers who contact us don’t have access to any boards to try. So this will give them a place to start look at. What board are you paddling now and are you happy with it for your weight? thanks Reuben

Hey Leigh, What length? 12’6? But I do agree there really isn’t that many boards out there. Have you seen this ? https://gladiatorpaddleboards.com/en/paddleboards/elite-116-r-kids

I’m really keen to go to a 25 or 26 inch wide isup, but I haven’t found many (any) options that also come in the thinner 4’75 or 5 inch depth that I prefer over the normal 6 inch depth boards.

Are you aware of any?

Thanks. There isn’t a 10ft division, it’s just 9ft plus. A lot of events around the world require a 10ft board though.
There is about to be a video released by the LSR crew with footage from the event. Keep an eye out for this soon.

Fab, yeah it really makes a massive difference. Glad to hear you had a good clinic also.

Hey Leigh sorry not sure about this. I can do some asking around

Thanks Beau. Great info

You said they wanted to add a 10ft longboard sup event and you rode a 9ft board. Is there a range then?

At the moment we haven’t get any plans to test that one. But I feel it will feel very similar to the smaller board but with more glide. If I get a go on one I will let you know.

Hi Cam. The weight of the Starboard Go Surf is not a 100% negative. It holds speed with the weight and it is more stable for heavier riders.
A Kalama vs Starboard Longboards comparison would be interesting. The 2024 Starboard Longboard range definitely have a slightly flatter rocker which helps with paddle speed. They do have a domed deck which keeps the rails very thin so I’d say the Starboard’s are more sensitive. The nose on the Starboard range are quite narrow so that does make it harder to walk the board in terms of stability, but on the flip side it reduces the swing weight so turning is easier. I’d would conclude that the Kalama is a more forgiving board which offers better stability because of the wider nose and tail (and slightly flatter deck shape), but performs very well because of the reduced weight.

Thanks Beau. I guess a more apples to apples comparison would be Kalama vs Starboard long boards. The Starboards have domed decks I think.

You Said the Go Surf is much heavier on the wave. Is that a 100 % negative ?

Hi Cam. The Kalama is a light board. I was surprised. I believe the bottom shape is a slight single concave in the nose which moves into a double concave and then a small vee out the tail. The concaves are subtle, not too defined.
Compared to the Starboard Go – the Kalama is a performance oriented board with more rocker and refined rails. The Go Surf is a great board, more stable but feels much heavier on the wave. Hope that helps. Thanks

Thanks JV. We had a great time in Bali. I have been working on my fitness over the last few months and I’ve noticed a huge difference. I’m way fitter than before. But it is like riding a bike to a degree – once you know you know. Thanks and hope you are well

Hi Simcha, I would say that the build quality is about the same build as irocker, But the board is overall a bit lighter. Not as many handles or other fixings which do put the weight up on the board. I would always pick the lighter board when it comes to paddling as a family. Just because theres aways so much to carry for a day at the beach and a lighter board always helps…

Yes the PR is a great all round surf shape.

Great to hear this.

Hey Peter, you are so right and Im getting a bit stuck in my ways. I do play around with many different 3 fin set ups but never really clicked with any quad setups. But I should play around more really. Thanks Reuben

Agree it great to see it from other levels and riders perspectives.

Thanks Phil. Yeah its good to see that people really do fail, before you watch the polished perfect videos that are on YT. Thanks for the sub.

It was the SUNOVA PLACID from the surf test we did https://supboardermag.com/eqplus_guide/sunova-placid-2022/ Sunova kindly lent it to us for the test and we still have it, so I thoughts I would use it in this video as it was such a good looking board.

Please do let us know, have fun

Hey David, Thanks for your comments and questions. You are very right about 1pc to 3pc being different in feel. But for the test we had lots of different riders and their heights to consider. And many brands did not have a large range of fix paddle heights to send us. So the adjustable was the next best option. I guess it was use these or only limit the test to riders of the same height. But as far as paddle blade in the water this doesn’t effect the feel of the paddle.

Aztron and Black project, Another good question. All of the testers said they they noticed a big difference between the two. The weight of the blade its self was a big point and the thickness of blade through the water.
Yes the blades are similar in shape but the testers felt that when paddling the blades where far apart. I hope that helps to answer your questions. Sorry for delay on get back I was away last week. Thanks Reuben

Thanks Cam, Music choice noted 🙂

1. I think it is pretty unfortunate to compare a 1 piece paddle to a 3 piece paddle because even the very best brands are kind of unable to provide the same feeling. Im not surprised Black Projects are on the top of the list, meanwhile I think it is unfair to mention them on the same level with any other three piece paddle. My two piece Starboard prepreg lima is just not the same than my 1 piece lima checking all of the listed details from above.
2. Im incredibly surprised that the Aztron Sonic is that far from Black Project Hydro flow x. I have the Sonic one and I was fortunate enough to test the Hydro during a longer period of time (months). Both of those paddles which I used are 1 piece paddles. I have a very different experience. The blades itself in terms of form, catch, stability, release felt different a bit but definitely not that far as mentioned here. Of course the 3 piece Sonic is a completely different topic, the joints push it to a lower category.

What do you guys think about that? What is the background behind those decisions?

Yeah be great to know how they ride. We will try and get one. It could be worth a gamble tho!

Hi Reuben,

Thank you for your response. I would consider the 31.5 ” ( l believe 128l) or even ask for i little bit bigger. (Between 130 and 135 liter). The problem is there is no demo in Europe. So i would just have to take the risk for a considerable amount of money. I’m afraid that’s to big of a gamble for me. That’s a shame because somehow I have a feeling this board would fit me.

Maybe you guys can test it for me?

There a few sold in Europe, maybe one of the owners is reading this, and can tell me how it feels to ride it.

Im sure some stores will still have them. Or look at the used market.

Hey Berrie, We have not heard of that brand ,but having a look, they do look good. Nice shapes.
This board could defo be a great quiver killer.
What width of board are you thinking?
Any chance you could demo one?

https://allwateradvantage.com/range/

Especially the New Beauty.

Do you have any experience on this boards?

The outline looks normal, but the bottom shape is new to me. Is it possible that it’s good as the claim it be?

I’m 56, had a lot of back surgery. So a need stability ans I also like performance ans speed.

Yeah jumping down too early is only going to slow your progression.

Yes – I think so – sounds like I might do best to consolidate for a bit longer on the big board before adding difficulty..

Hey Rory. Sorry for the delay on getting back to you. We still believe that boards like this are good and will get you on the water. What body weight are you? If you are 60-90kg the 28.5 wide board will be a good to work upto using. You will find it a big jump down in sizes at the start but this would be a good board size to use when you get the feel of it. A wider board will always be easier to stand on and use but prob best if you are 90kg and over. Any help? Thanks Reuben

Hi Gemma, It was such an awesome addition to our family holiday, not sure we can ever go away again without taking a board with us!
For the 3 of us, we took 2 large rucksacks that went in the hold and a small cabin rucksack each. We got the board, paddle fin etc…. all in one rucksack and there was still plenty of space for clothes. I think both rucksacks weighed about 15kg, easyJet have a 15kg or 23kg hold option, we’d gone with 23kg but commented we should have just done the 15kg.

Yeah please do.

Thanks. I bought an Aqua Marina Carbon X, 2 piece for half price. Will let you know how I get on.

Hey Jima. In this video Will is using a L Black project Hydro X and its about 6″ above his head in height. Paddle wise, shop around as theres some good deals out here at the moment. But the Starboard Carbon range hits a good price point. But it all depends on what you are wanting to pay. Thanks , hope thats helps . Reuben

Can you recommend a decent quality two piece paddle, that won’t break the bank for trying?

Hi Gunter , thanks for the question and comment. We have sent this over to one of our WW paddlers to get back to you.

The Airboard Storm rider in small (8.8) and big (9.8).

What do you think of these Boards?

I got the small one.

I have got another question concerning fins:

Fins work with the surrounding water.

In WW you often have water coming from every direction, so if the water hits the fin from the “wrong” direction it makes the board do things you don’t want it to do.

For this reason I removed all my fins because there are so many situations where the fin should be a disadvantage.

Did you every test Whitewater with fins compared to no fins?

Hey Cam, I will jump in here and say. As long as you haven’t got to much fishing gear on the board. I would say that it would work ok.

Glad to hear that Brendon!

Hey Sarah, thanks for the comment. It was amazing to watch her, like you said she did a very good job even being out in that stuff. WW paddling defo helps!

Hey Cam, thanks for your rider feedback. No we need to try and get hold of one and do some riding/testing with an older sports.

Thanks

Thanks for the comment Christian – reply good to hear your insight on pumping. Its motivating as seems like there is still LOADS to learn and develop through the journey! Will

Hey Trevor, Thanks for your comment and thoughts. We still haven’t got on the Starboard unfortunately but I can see it being up there with the Fanatic on paper already.

Sounds great. One thing I’d bear in mind is different pumping styles for different situations. The technique I described above is not a traditional flat water pumping style, but works well in short, slow moving, messy, light wind (hence the need for a lot of pumping!) chop, where gaining speed isn’t necessarily the aim as resetting your height on the mast and being in tune with the energy that is available.

Trying to gain speed in those small messy conditions wasn’t efficient or very effective (for me at least) because I ended up trying to go faster than the bumps, ignore the energy that is there, get too low on the mast, and plow uphill, through the bumps in front which needs even more energy and/or touching down. You end up using a lot of energy, looking for the bigger bumps for a rest on, rather than going a bit slower, staying really high and efficient on the mast and using the glide of the foil to the max.

On bigger bumps, I’ve found a faster cadence, more acceleration type of pump is useful to keep your speed up, and give you options in decision making (all the while trying not to pump at all! The most efficient pump is no pump, right!)

Look forward to learning something. It all helps!

Christian

Yeah it can happen to all boards

Thanks Reuben, so you have noticed this kind of bumpiness also with other boards with a similar construction/weight if I read you well?

Thats why we love it so much – its going to be a long time until its not challenging…perfect!

Thanks for your comment Christian, hopefully you will enjoy the next part where we really focus on pumping technique with some coaching from some riders with more expertise. Hopefully will get a session with you soon when that knee has recovered!
Will

Hey Daniele, Yes there are some waves I see this on. TBH it more my technique that I need to improve. Generally if the board is bouncing in the bottom turn I need to put more weight on to my front leg to initiate the rail. There is also some waves where there is quite a bit of chop in the face obviously this will make the board move about.

You are correct that a heavier board will bounce less and this can be a problem with super lightweight boards but really I would put it down to a technique that I need to improve on. Weight distribution and loading up the rail is key.

Christian

Pump efficiency is massive, and something I’ve been focusing on recently. The two things I learned was to move my front foot back, and not to press down on the pump. Not pressing down / doing a down pump immediately cut my input effort in half, stopped me pumping myself away from the surface and into energy holes from which I would have to dig myself out, but also allowed the board to gain height when the energy was there instead of squashing it flat with a heavy front foot. I do actually put energy into a down pump but it’s more of a body lean to stop breaching rather than a push down. It feels a bit unnerving as you expect to breach all the time, but you have your back foot there on standby to step forward quickly if you need more weight forward for a moment.

You seem to be on the right track, if my experience is anything to go by! Using a watch to track progress is really motivating too.

Cheers

Christian

Thanks!

Great choice! Good you were able to try one before buying it. Enjoy!

Yeah good point. I didn’t think that they could be different sizes.

After much deliberation I’m going for the 8’10 JP surf. I have the 8’6 & love it, but I’ve just holidayed Barbados & rented the 8’10 & surfed several spots (up to double overhead) & it’s given me the performance, stability & dimensions I’m looking for

good idea ha!

I’m thinking a video on your telepathic skills and turning lights off is worth a go

O YES… you did LOL

Hey James
Thanks for getting your comment down here. Always good to hear what other people are riding and thoughts of their boards. I do agree I think I need to get on in Infinity. The 80 l would be very interesting to try. I will Dave infinity a poke and see what we can find. It would make a very interesting comparison video wouldn’t it?

Nice…

Yeah, I feel you. How bad is it? Anyway of reducing it?
Show us a picture.

Riding in 30knt,, good job. Sometimes its so hard to get down the face when its like that.

Yeah true.

Yes all makes sense.. Aways good to get a good comment off good surfers. Nice one, thanks for your feedback.

Ha ha. Thanks for the advice

Take ginseng for your cold.It strengthens your immunity. It really works. Korean is supposed to be the best. I used to take Siberian ginseng pills but Amazon doesnt sell anymore.

Thanks so much for that Jonathan. Really happy to know it’s of interest. I can’t wait to see you at Skedaddle and we can talk 11C 🙂

8’6 113l JP is mine. 8’5 115l B-line & 8’2 120l allwave. I like the way the JP surfs, but I notice the stability is less (but it is an inch narrower)

8’6 113l JP is mine, 8’5 115l B line & 8’2 120l allwave are the others. I like the JP on the wave, but with my 85kg + UK wetsuits I get tired on it if the wind is up etc. (I rode it OK all day (2 x 3hrs) in the west in 30knot off shore wind, so I’m fine on it). But the others are more stable = less tiring

Good also to hear your thoughts on training – particularly getting the bulk of the work done in Zones 1&2. I joined April Zilg’s online training group last year and have been a convert to this. Saw it payoff after applying it mid-way through last season, and looking forward to seeing what a decent preseason Base phase does this year.

All the best with your racing. See you at the Skedaddle.

ps. Thanks Beau for the interview – great to have resources like this

Thanks for your feedback.
I need to get on a newer one, I did used a 7’6 but it was an older one. It was fun , but feel like it hadn’t got the lively edge that the Starboard has. But still need to use a newer one because They do look lighter now also.
There are so great boards out there.
Thanks for the comment… Now I want to try and new JP

Hi Reuben,
I believe you tried the 8’1″ JP Pro. The 7’6″ would make a big difference and should be more suitable for your preferences. With more rocker, it’s not the fastest board, but has good glide and is very reactive for top to bottom turns. I recently added quads similar to the new Kai Lenny R2 setup and the board significantly picked up speed and drive. Sunova has a pretty quick turnaround for boards. It took Bert and his crew about 2 months to manufacture and deliver my Sunova Wedge, which is super fast for a made to order board. Hope you can get a hold of one in the future.
Aloha,
Gary

The boards we used in the video were a mix of what we had at supboarder HQ as my wing board was too small for me to use as a supsurf board. The bonus of this I got to try out a few different styles of board, as you get momentum from the drive you can go smaller than you normally would.
For your question in winging yes you could use a smaller / narrower board for wing as the wing gives you the balance and and in that use the drive would only be used to get on foil in a lighter wind setting

Hey Gary
Yeah very true. I would love to get hold of those boards. I used a JP Pro in the past. Great board but from what I remember. I wasn’t as fast as this SB pro in weaker waves. The rocker was a bit more. It did make tighter turns really nice though. Love to get on a Sunova and give that a going over. Getting hold of the gear is super hard had to weight too long for this one…. Completely understand about needing to make sure about boards before you put your hard earned money down.

Ahhh good question.
Think think this might deserve a separate video. But to highlight the main part. The smilk is the most stable board to stand on being slightly wider up towards the midsection. But because of this it is slow tpo paddle onto waves and doesn’t ride as fast on a wave. The Smilk is easier to surf and it does keep flowing through the turns a bit more. But the pro will allow you to surf in the tighter and more critical section of the wave and will be easier to surf in that sense.
TBH both these boards are very very good and I would be happy riding either, if in similar size like you said.
But I do like the extra bit of edge the pro gives me and the ability to ride faster. But if the waves are generally pretty weak all the time and I want an easy ride of it the smik will be the board I would choose.

What size of boards are your talking about ref JP ,Bline Allwave?

ahh very useful. I have just filmed a video about what you said before. May have to add this comment to the post when its live. good stuff

Also, while we are on the subject of “shifter” fins, you may be interested in how to use a Quobba + FCS adapter + finjak to have a tool-less shiftable center fin:

(In French but the pictures are self-explanatory)

https://www.gong-galaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=10650&p=170375#p158949

This is very interesting nice one for adding a comment. I think I’ll make a little video of this and definitely give you a shout out thanks

I’m on a JP surf & that feels less stable than friends B-line & Allwave of similar volume, but I think the JP surfs better. Would the SMIK & Pro be more stable & surf better? (Are they Unicorns?) 🙂

Thanks

The Quobba guys told me(*) that basically nothing in the 4mm water layer close to the hull in the fin area has a significant drag, as the water flow is already turbulent there. And if you look at their shifter fins, you can see how they did not bother streamlining the contraption at the base:

https://quobbafins.com/cdn/shop/files/Shifter_moving_2048x1365_9651c9de-9399-4e9d-8571-e1123a946a6d_1512x.png?v=1677734595

PS: maybe you fell in love with this board … because you rode it with Quobbas? 😉

(*) Citing Glenn Miller:

“Surface drag occurs along “the lower part of the fin”, where water travelling just above the surface of the surfboard is really slow moving and sticky!

In this respect, our CFD analysis shows that up to a height of say 4 mm off the board (that’s above the fiberglass bottom surface), is very turbulent and slow”

This said… I use Boxstix fcsII fin box cache plugs on my boards 🙂

All great comments Colas. Its nice how wider boards surf better then older narrower ones… what a relief!!

Note that just inserting strips of (packing or insulating) foam in US Boxes works perfectly. The foam kind of locks into the internal slot. Done it for decades in my WIndsurfing boards, never lost one.

Hey Rory, yes I think the foil drive can be used to help novice winging – the tool takes out some of the complexity of getting on foil and allows you to develop foil riding skills faster, so certainly has the potential to help.
Motion does create stability yes so technically the FD could help progress onto narrower boards faster. Cheers, Will

I do know Honu have a new iSUP coming out soon, but unsure of the sizes yet.. The older ,thicker Starboard surf could be good https://sup.star-board.com/2022-paddle-board-range-archive/2022-surf-inflatable/ this board would be just about ok at 110kg. Really good board too!

yes you can paddle theses boards on flat water but you will be better on longer boards 9’+ for this.

they have all felt pretty good since your 2018 board tbh

Would be very interesting how they would feel. I find my fitness is what makes the biggest difference on the water.

Would be good, would add a bit of weight though.

Do you think it would be helpful for a novice winger?

Does the stability that comes with motion mean you could run a narrower ‘downwind’ style board? I noted you were more comfortable on a (?wider) wing board..

Hey Jim… So sorry I didn’t remember your name. I am going to do it to my board, such a great idea.
Im 75kg, yes I should of said this in the video.
Thanks again Reuben

Hey Sean
Ha ha … I don’t really have a problem with using different boards in different conditions. Yeah its always nice to be on the best size board for your weight, but I find surfing the other bigger boards makes surfing smaller boards easier.
Pro to Spice… I need to try a Spice the same size really but the bigger spice still surfed well. But overall it just feels slower and less manoeuverable. Greater stability but feels like you are surfing with the handbreak on! The Pro surfs like it has no handbreak and 7 gears!

Have a look around for some paddle deals. And let me know what you find, and if you want any help/advice for whats best.

Thanks for the comment Steve

I have the 8’7 – it has performed really well in anything from 3ft to well overhead here in Southern California.

No worries, hopefully might even get the board in water in Saltash this weekend. Next issue is deciding on a paddle, around the £200 mark.

Hi Greg. Thanks so much for your words and feedback. We are so happy we helped you. I will pass your words onto the team also.
Not great news about the paddle in the bag, But I guess we never tried that! And the pump compared to a red is bad. Happy paddling ,thanks again Reuben

Cool, thanks for the offer James. Please lets us know your feedback when you have paddled it.

Nice, What size have you used Stefan?

I want to thank all of you at SUPBoarder for all the useful information, I think being a member to your content helped out a bunch in making a good decision on what board to get.

There are many local races and paddle events I want to go to this upcoming paddle season, I don’t feel comfortable bringing my rigid race board with me to work and leaving on my vehicle while I am at work, having something like this just gives me way more versatility for travel and paddling before needing to go all the way home just to pick up my rigid board.

I still have the Paris SUP open in December on my bucket list to do and this board will be perfect to take with me to Europe.

Hi Reuben, sorry for the delayed reply but thanks for the advice, looking to possibly pick up an E-Ticket this weekend, if you guys want to have a paddle I’d be more than happy to hook you up. See you on the water. James.

That is true a narrow board is usually more fun. But the Whooper is a super fun board.

Thanks Reuben. I just watched the video. I am surprised that with your experience you would prefer 33 wide over 32 wide. I lost 20 pounds so I am getting closer to your weight.

Great. I am curious about the 12.6 plus. I had the original 12.6 sport and I did not love it. I wonder how the 12.6 plus will compare to the 11.3 sport. I wonder if the 11.3 will turn out to be more versatile with its wider width and more rocker ( i think) I wonder if the 12.6 will be less stiff with its extra length. Looking forward to your tests

I would love to do more videos like this, it was a lot of fun.
Without a doubt iSUPs have got stiffer with better constructions and materials now, but so have the Reds! Im about the get on the new Red Paddle Co Sports + in the next few weeks. And I will be doing new deflection tests. So will have a better understanding about the stiffness they add now days.

Get out there and do it !

The last Whopper I used was the the one in the video https://supboardermag.com/2019/04/19/wide-surf-shapes-from-starboard-compared-whopper-wide-point-and-hyper-nut/ the 10, But I know I would prefer the 9’4 because I weight 75kg and I would need the extra width.

Please give us more of these escaping the rat race solo adventure videos 🙂 I like that you are not a touring guy. I could do this on my 11.3 for a night if I got off the couch

Reuben have you tried both the Whopper 10 and 9.4 ? If so which one did you prefer ?

Hey Olivier – thanks for the comment – keen to know how you are getting along and what kit you are using. Cheers, Will

Never say never Cam!

Hey, really awesome to read about your experiences and thoughts. Yep I agree, I think as the foil gets more performance DW based, the longer thinner boards will make that paddle up easier….however, I’m still intrigued as to the potential to paddle up more performance foils in short ‘steep’ chop over ground swell on wider boards and if the additional stability can help… but by then I guess in the journey you shouldn’t be touching down much?
The weymouth crew are very much focussed on big wind down winding – they dont seem to bother unless its >25knots…. it was just fascinating to see that they were progressing and loving it with the foils that they were using ( which are all pretty ‘basic’ ). That crew were really ripping around and not making it look too passive, but I know what you mean when you say this…. ultimately I think they are matching their foils to the boards AND the conditions…. the latter I feel is one of the important things consider when people start out n their journey.
Thoughts on board width for riding Is interesting. On the SMIK custom I straight away noticed the width and that I needed to move my feet a little to turn aggressively…. I’m pretty used to this from sup surf foiling and sup surfing, but since using a 20 inch width board over the last few weeks I can se the benefits of narrow board to help turn for sure.

The one that go away… Keep an eye out for the Whoopers as well! Yeah these boards are easy to fix really.

Hi Rob. The Spice is definitely a step up in performance from the All Wave. The rocker, nose and tail widths and rail shapes are much more refined making it turn easier. Would you be thinking the 7’11 size? I think that would be a good next step, so long as you feel super comfortable with stability and catching waves on your current All Wave. The Spice has great stability and you still get loads of performance out of it so it’s a good choice for the long term. Hope that helps. Cheers!

I found one cheap but hummed and hawed too long and it sold quickly.It had a hole intentionally placed on the bow. I think that the version with the hole had a slower layup. . It would be easy to lockup though

Hey Cam , Yes I have its very similar to the older Whooper also. It was a great fun board to use in the smaller surf and on flatwater. This boards are well worth looking at. Pretty easy to buy and sell too!

I’m currently on a 2023 8’2″ All Wave and looking to for the next progression. Should the Spice be a consideration, or is it too similar to the All Wave? Thanks! – R

Thanks Beau

If you’re managing to get out on the water as much as possible, then it might not be worth the $$. Even if it does make you paddle more often, it might not be the right board either.

You seem to be right. I can’t find anything online either after a quick look. Starboard don’t have the 12′ x 30″ size in their 2024 Go range so I could be that it was too similar to the generation or touring boards or they weren’t selling many. Anything that is longer and narrower will paddle faster if that is what you are looking for.

Thanks for your comment Greg

Hi Edgold,

You are not alone. I have two Red boards Ride 9’8 purchased in 2018 and Voyager 13’2 purchased in 2019. Last summer (2023) both boards started leaking from rss sleeve. I have contacted local dealer and Red paddle directly. Answer is the same for both boards “out of warranty”. I’m totally disappointed of build quality Red paddle boards.

I didn’t push for any information and he briefly talked about that they were still figuring out the final paddle shape and other little details. I was almost wondering if they were going to go the way that Quick Blade did with their oval paddle shape, I just saw the email I was sent by BP today.

I am going to grab one, because this new paddle is more what I am looking for, the Hydroflow X is an awesome paddle. I think one of my favorite things about Black Project is how you can speak to Chris when you call their customer service number. He is a great guy.

Love their paddles, love their fins. This new paddle shape with the new oval shaft sounds like it is going to be pretty awesome.

When I consider the extra litres of the Wedge 8.7 it may be obviousy better on flat than the Wedge 8.0. Possibly I could fit the Wedge 8.7 in my truck box if I angle it. In the end it could be a dumb plan. I may be trying to solve a problem that doesnt exist. I thought it would be fun to have a hard board safely locked in vehicle 24/7. Maybe I would paddle more but maybe not. $2500.00 is a lot of money to spend on an experiment. If I wait 10 years one may come up in the used market 🙂 Thanks for your input. I blame Rick weeks. He mostly uses only short boards for his surfing and flat water. I love the idea of it

Thanks Beau. I am really curious about the Go 12×30. However, I cant find any thing on line about it. No videos. No user reviews. Nothing. I can buy one locally. I have the Go 10.8 and I am curious if it worth going 5 pounds heavier.It should be faster but less fun to carry.It seems like a it could be a great board for fitness paddling cause its low to the water. Why hasnt any one on this planet bought one 🙂

Reuben I have an ISUP but also paddle Starboard Go 10.8 and a carbon 10.0 by 32 sup. I always thought that my paddle generates most of the noise but maybe it is the board. I will pay closer attention next time

I think they’d be pretty similar. From memory, the Pocket Rocket has a pretty bulky nose and pushes some water with the added rocker. I feel the Wedge might have the upper hand in flat water just because of the flatter rocker and thinner nose.

Hi Cam. Thanks for the comment. I know we’ve answered this via email but I’ll post it here so others can see the reply as well.
The Waterline is best for very calm water paddling like in canals or calm rivers. If there are any bumps on the water, then the Go would be the ideal choice and be more versatile with different conditions.

Awesome news! Glad you are enjoying the Quobba fins. Playing around with fins can change the whole feel of your board. Glad you have found a winning combination. Thanks for sharing.

Great feedback Steve. The Quobbas definitely have a lot of hold on them so the bigger fins make it harder to get that loose feeling. Glad the fins help with noseriding! I find it amazing that they have such an effect.

Thanks for your feedback and thoughts. Im going to get Will to get back to you on this. He is away foiling somewhere hotter at the moment but back next week. Sure he will love to read your comment. Thanks again happy foiling.
Reuben

Hey Cam, You will be surprised how much noise comes from the slap from the noise of a HARD board. But I think you paddle an iSUP which is very quiet but not as efficient in its shape through the water.

good stuff

Eureka!! Swapped the 4.5 centre fin for a 6 inch centre with the large Quobba sides. I’m amazed at how the Quobbas make getting to the nose so much easier…seems to make the board more stable and the tail sticks in the waves. Great for someone like me who is an average surfer. No idea how the fins make that happen but they are better than a big single fin….and the board still turns great ….just need to put a little more pressure near the rail.

Thanks

Thanks

Hey Beau, I tried some large side Quobbas with a 4.5 centre (usually medium Quobba sides and 7 inch single) on my 9,6 New Deal. It certainly makes noseriding much easier and stable just as you said in a previous vid. The only downside is that the board felt quite sluggish and certainly not as loose. So the trade off for me is if yiu want to make noseriding easier the large sides are the go…but at the expense of losing some speed and slippery feeling, drive and looseness which I prefer with the smaller sides and 7 single. Might try the large sides with a 6 inch single but. Back to the medium sides and 7 inch single for the meantime.

Thanks SUPjunkie! Love what you’re doing as well to stoke out the SUP community.

My understanding of what you were saying is that fundamentally the Weymouth guys seem to be matching their foils with their boards. Big foils do not need the board speed offered by long narrow boards and when you’re taking off from inside a harbour the bumps will be small and slow so that compromise works out. Initially you should be riding whatever gives you the most foil time but once over that initial ‘paddle up hump’ you (well I did!) start to want to push the boundaries of performance, and by that I mean foils that give you more control and options, rather than being more ‘passive’, on bigger, slower foil going the same speed as the bumps. For that, the matching board is longer, narrower, faster, especially as the bumps also get bigger and faster.

I do most of my DW on the Solent, so well versed in messy cross chop, and I ride a 6’10 x 20 x 90L for my 67kg. My balance has steadily improved over time, but a big improvement for me came when I switched out my 75 mast for a 90. More stability on the PUP but also more room for error in the messy conditions, especially in 20+ knots (riding a Spitfire 960 which I find has amazing control and stability and gives me a lot of confidence and is a total blast to ride). I still use the 75 mast as a light wind setup with a 1201, and the energy the 1201 can catch is amazing, but it’s not magic, and you still have to work hard if the bumps are really small.

I wouldn’t want to ride either of the foils with a shorter, 23″+ board. Just the riding experience alone would put me off, with the width meaning less room before touching a rail in a turn, and a less easy PUP. There is a reasonable amount of anecdotal evidence that narrower widths improves turning performance and control. I can believe it. I much prefer narrower boards winging for example.

Looking forward to where this journey goes next! Cheers!

Always a tricky play when brands drop new releases just after we have purchased them. If you’re enjoying the 11’3″, I wouldn’t worry too much 🙂

Thanks for the comment! Glad you are enjoying your RNB. They are such great boards and I really enjoyed riding it. It felt smooth and really easy + stable to ride. It is personal preference too so stick with what works for you. I’m sure the smaller sizes surf really well. Thanks again.

Haha. Good question about the brands updating their models. Generally there is a 2 year cycle before new designs are released. Bigger brands that have isup and hard bards will update the isups one year, and then the hard boards the next and so on. It’s always good to see innovation from the designers but if you’re happy with an older model board, stick with it

The SUP Haul ideally requires a d-ring under the nose of the board, but can be used without it. You can purchase extra d-rings to glue onto your board if needed. Hope this helps. Thanks

Thanks Micky!

Thanks for following along!

Sorry we don’t sell any boards.

Another great comment, Thanks for the input on the post.

Thanks for your comment and thoughts Greg. Good to hear you views on your compact. I do agree its a great all round shape and packs down well but the paddle blade is pretty small for most paddlers. And once you feel the performance of the longer faster boards it will feel pretty slow and boring.

hi Cam , you should check out the Quroc 12’6 or 13ft, the Starboard touring DSC and also the Shark performance tourer (my fav) . none of these are as stiff as the Isle , but as touring boards they would be top of my list 🙂

Hey Rod. Never a silly question.
But this board really wouldn’t work very well for paddling. I’m guessing you mean without a foil?
You’re better off looking towards one of the more dedicated 4-1 one boards like starboard Hypernut or the fanatic Bee. But the problem with these boards is the hard composite.
What are you looking for out of a paddleboard? Do you want to paddle some distance or are you just looking to get on the water and have a bit of fun, let me know I get back with more info. Thanks Reuben

Yay that is interesting thanks

Yes! Some very exciting works in the pipeline. There is a prototype US Centre fin being produced as we speak and it’s about to go through testing. I’d say another 12months or so before we see the final product, but very exciting.

Thanks for your comment Miroslaw. You have a nice quiver of boards. Unfortunately I haven’t used any of the newer iSUP versions yet. I do look forward to getting on them though.

Did you get anything back from them Beau?

Thanks for the info.

unfortunately we did not. It will be interesting to see one

cool, ok the foil will give you a lot of stability

Hi Ruben the Kalama Baracuda.I have a 72cm mast and the Sirus XXL foil from Gong.

Hi Reuben. The Kalama Baracuda.

Hi Yannick, I think the volume of 102 will be fine for you. What board are you looking at out of interest?

Glad you like the test and good to hear you guessed the results ;-). Happy SUPing

We still haven’t seen one yet. But we do know its still coming our way. Sorry we cant give you our thoughts on this one yet. Stock issues and availability still the main problem. But I think it could be a good board

Hi Reuben, 2 months later, but I see that I predicted the outcome of THE quiver killer correctly. Awesome! Also really cool waves you had

I’ve sent an email directly to the team at Quobba and I’ll let you know the update.

So glad you’re hooked on SUP surfing! The stubby nose shapes definitely have a lot of stability. The key is finding the right one for your size as you may struggle on it going too small. Enjoy and keep me updated.

Thanks Reuben

Hi Beau, thanks for the insight. I usually SUP flat or choppy water here in Geneva Lake Switzerland on a 14’x23″ all water board. Manage to catch casual waves from big service/regular line boat and lately in holydays had a 3 hours crash course in Puerto Rico of prone surfing. Now I have been hooked into the surf side of sup it seems that a stubby board would do the trick for me knowing I won’t be the next Laird Hamilton any time soon and won’t sup surf any sizeable waves before a couple of years.

They said a good while back that they were making a 7 inch single fin but nothing seems to have progressed.

Interesting way to look at it. Thanks. The stubby nose shapes do work in most conditions. I couldn’t see them being beneficial in bigger waves of consequence or super steep sections. The stubby nose shapes are generally shorter than your classic shapes which decreases the paddle speed – so it would not be great in windy offshore days or fast waves It all really depends on how you want to surf the board. Stubby nose shapes have a lot of width at the nose which is great for stability, but adds swing weight to the board. The parallel rails make the board super fast, but they won’t help with carving really fast and tight on the wave.
Definitely pros and cons to each design and it comes down to personal preference.

I wouldn’t say there is a massive difference between the two. From experience, the Fanatic is super smooth and does everything very very well. The Style being a little bit wider throughout the board might add to the swing weight when turning, but it would be minimal. I’d be stoked to have either board in my quiver to be honest.

I’ll let them know and see if they can make it happen. You can also buy an adapter that fits the US fin box for FCS fins, like this one: https://surffcs.co.uk/products/fcs-longboard-box-adapter
Thanks.

Hey Cam, the Elite T is a good board, I know it will be lighter than and Isle. But it wont be as stiff. The Isle will be more stable and will be better at taking more weight. But if you can find the Gladiator for a good price it could be a great board for you. Like all boards, they both have pros and cons..

What you guys think of stubby shaped boards ? I still can’t figure out when such shape couldn’t do the trick. In which condition would a stubby boards (when all proportion are the same with “classic” shape) won’t cope? From my perspective this look like a plus in almost every aspect, only very specific condition and performance seeked, the classic shape would perform better. Thanks for your insight guys !

Thanks Reuben,
Then what about the gladiator Elite 14 T ? I just watched your review of it. It has less Rocker I think. It is 30 in wide and lite weight ? Is this the best one out of the lot ? It just so happens, I may be able to get one used. Is the gladiator far less stiffer than the isle explorer ? Thanks

Hi Beau, thanks, both looks very interesting boards. As the Style 10×29 is more longboard feel oriented, are there big difference between Style and Stylemaster 10×28,5 ? Maybe a better turnability with the Style with a narrower tail ?

The Style was designed for more of a longboard feel, so yore going to get better glide and stability from the board. The Casey Revolution was designed as a more performance longboard. Even though the dimensions are quite similar, the Casey is slightly more refined to offer better performance so it will turn easier and feel a lot more lively on the wave.

Thanks Beau for your accurate answer. Weight informations look a bit touchy, sometimes it’s not present on official brand website or sometimes not well replicate by dealers website. I would be happy to find a 10×28 under 9kg.

Thanks for your reply Beau, i’ve also the same feeling, with my light weight, i think the good idea for a 10×28 is to stay around 120-125 liters.

I haven’t ridden these models personally, but I’ll try and get a hold of Dogman or someone who has and get back to you. When looking at the dimensions though, the smaller 10’1 x 28″ would be much more manoeuvrable. The other 10’2 x 29″ would probably glide better and have better stability. But if you’re a light weight rider (under70kg), the smaller one would be ok.

Hi! Thanks for the comment. Glad you’re enjoying SUPboarder Pro.
There aren’t any differences between the 2021 and 2022 models. I believe they changed their design (very slightly) in 2023 by updating the rocker.
The weights of boards is a weird one because Fanatic even listed the 2021 Stylemaster models at 8.7kg. We weigh each of the boards – with fins in – in our studio to ensure the correct information. Board weight tolerances come out at about +/- 5% so that would be 9.14kg with 5% extra on top of 8.7kg, + the fins would be about 9.4 / 9.5kg. Each board would be slightly different in my opinion and you could end up with a lighter one…

Hey Cam
This is a hard one… I feel that there is elements of all the boards that I really like. Definitely with the stiffness and construction its the Isle SUP. The design outline shape is better on the voyages. But I think I’m edging towards the Explorer PRO. If it was a little bit narrower and with less rocker I would definitely go for it

1) Red paddle voyager 13.2
2) Red voyager 12.6
3) Isle explorer pro 14

Thanks for your comment Geoff, we will try and get bigger boards in there to next time.

The SMIK Hipster Twin longboards have a narrower nose compared to other brands. I have ridden them and do notice sometimes how technical they are to nose ride. Let me know how you get on with trying to nose ride higher on the wave. Thanks

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks.

We will see if we can get hold of one. Be great to compare

Ok. How about Ozzy Ozbourne “Crazy Train” then ? 🙂

Hi thanks for the quick reply!

Have you tried one of the next hipster twin longboard with a pin tail though?

I think the nose is quite wide actually rather than narrow so I’m not sure we are referring to the same thing here :-)…mine is a 9*29 with 120 litres in volume.

Anyway I will try to start walking to the nose earlier as you suggest to see if something changes (with and without the Quobba fins).

Thanks!

Hi Daniele. Great question. The Quobba fins would help with the lift you are searching for. However, I feel the problem probably is a mix of the board’s shape and also your technique / approach to noseriding. The SMIK Hipster longboard is quite narrow in the nose which makes it harder to walk to the nose. The ideal position for noseriding is to do it within the top third of the wave face – this allows the tail to engage in the wave behind which gives you the lift needed not to nosedive. My guess is you might be noseriding further down the wave face, or away from the more critical part of the wave.

A really good post and video to check out is this one to explain more about noseriding a longboard SUP: https://supboardermag.com/2020/12/05/longboard-sup-surfing-series-8-noseriding-a-longboard-sup/

The Quobba fins do help with the lift you are searching for, but I would focus on getting to the nose

Hey Cam, thanks for your comment. The struggle was high…. I think I needed the music to cover up the intense heavy breathing and wheezing hahaha. Thanks for the feedback though – noted 🙂 Cheers, Will

I’m curious on your opinion about using 2 large and 1 medium on a Smik Hypster Twin longboard. I have a custom 9*29 pin tail since June 2023 and using stock fins (the two big large side fins and the very small one in the US box).

I’m still learning nose riding but I noticed that the board is nosediving whenever I walk closer to the nose. Do you think that a 2+1 Quobba setup (2 large + 1 medium) should improve on the nosediving problem?

Thanks!

It is something we need to try! I’ll update you once I give it a go.

Thanks Reuben, yes that really helps (I’m a flat water paddler)

Hey James, Good question about these two boards. The E ticket is one I haven’t paddle yet. But I would pick it over the SIC..yes . The reason is the nose on the SIC is great for the flatwater but it does catch when you get into any choppy waters. The E ticket has a nose/bottom shape that will work better in more conditions. Speed and stability will be about the same. I feel this just by looking at the design shape of course. But its the one I would pick for paddling around here. See you on the water, Reuben

Hey Mark. I would love to be able to give you an answer on this but none of us here have. My gut feeling is you will want a front wing more like the 1650 really or even the 2000 in the really light winds. but the 1450 maybe ok… It wont be that fast because of its depth overall. I think it will work best more in the 18knts range. So sorry I cant advise more on this. If I hear any feedback from others I will get them to get back to you.

Good question, Stiffness is a big one yes, but also if you are paddling in choppy waters it will make a difference too. If you are paddling on flatwater most of the time its probably not worth it. Does that help ?

Hey Kurt. No worries at all. I’m super glad you found the video and post helpful. We do both personally really enjoy making sure people get on the right equipment for them. And obviously love trying all the boards as well :-). Can’t wait to hear your feedback of your board when it arrives. I’m sure you’ll enjoy ripping with it as much as we have been. Thanks again for the comment it’s always great to hear.

Beau & Reuben,

I can’t thank you and Reuben enough for the quick response and input, it’s greatly appreciated. In my opinion, both you and Reuben have excellent points regarding all of the boards and no doubt, everyone appreciates your impartiality for each of the manufacturers presented. When I watch your videos, I can visualize what my experience would be like on the same board (obviously I am not at your level of expertise), however, I can look at all of the other factors involved in the ride of that board i.e. Paddling, float, wave entry etc.. The reason why your reviews have been so clutch, is that I’m on the East Coast of the US and I would never have the opportunity to “demo” a SMIK for instance; so your videos are the closest thing for a guy like me to “experiencing” the ride of the board (no pressure on you and Reuben Lol). But seriously, I don’t purchase a lot of boards and when you’re about to lay down $2k or more on a new board, you want to try and be as knowledgeable about the purchase as possible and again, I thank you and Reuben for your efforts. I actually reached out to Scotty at SMIK and he was very quick to respond to my inquiry about a US purchase. Scotty recommended that I call Eric at Disco Surf in San Diego, CA (619) 224-4241. Eric was great to talk to and deal with and I actually just put a deposit down on a 7’10 SMIK Hipster Twin. Thanks again for all of your input and I’ll let you know how I make out with the new purchase! Cheers
 

Glad we could help Ale!

We didn’t test any speed parameters no, this would need more experimentation. However, after a long time using we didn’t feel like the speed achievable was compromised by the slits, it might feel less powerful, but we felt this was due to the reduced power of catch. When you get used to this, it felt that the paddle can perform in the same way. It would be great to run some more scientific tests to prove this though! Cheers, Will

Did you guys test out any speed parameters comparing the slitted vs traditional blade. The easier catch makes sense. And OP’s site suggest the reduced catch is made up in the power phase of the stroke to maintain performance. Can you comment with your insights?

Thanks a lot for your clear and Quick reply. My concern was that with a less Wide board i could turni a Little Better … But It appears not to be like this.. and It Is a good news Indeed. I think i Will try to squeeze all the potential from My board ( of i am able to do It..) and perhaps trying other boards to make some comparison. Thank you again. Cheers. Ale

Thanks Beau

Hi Alessandro. If you’re super happy with your board, there might not be a reason to change it… The Gong and SMIK you mentioned are longboard shapes – are you looking to get into SUP longboard? Or wanting a more all-round / pro shape to compliment the Starboard Pro and Gong Karmen?
Just because a board is narrower or shorter, it doesn’t mean it will surf better. The SMIK Hipster Twin in the 7’10 x 29.5″ x 109L surfs amazingly well and better than the smaller boards in this test.
Have you considered the Starboard Spice at 7’11 x 29″ x 106L? This would be a great all-round board to use.
Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hi Cam. I cam from a prone longboarding background before SUP and still do a lot of it in between SUP and short boarding. My preference really depends on how I feel on the day. I enjoy riding both SUP longboards and prone. Prone longboards are better for noseriding so if the conditions favour that, I’ll probably go prone.
SUP long boarding is much better and easier on the body for paddlers.
Thanks

Hi, of course it comes down to a few factors, the conditions you’re most likely to be paddling in?
Your overall ability at paddling in those conditions?
And how happy you are at paddling board you are right now in certain conditions?
27 wide boards become very comfortable for most paddlers. If you are lighter than 60 kg then maybe you should look towards a narrow board. Because after paddling the board for awhile there’s no doubt you will find your legs for it and it will become much easier even jumping down from much wider boards.
Out of all the boards you have suggested I do believe the SIC is the nicest board overall with its look package, finish and weight. The Loco we tested was a very good value board to get you into racing. The Naish’s drawback was its the weight. I hope this helps thanks Reuben

Thank you for your thoughts. I originally thought I wanted a fast tourer but I definitely want to go more towards a race board, would you recommend the SIC over both the loco and Naish? I’m not hugely experienced in racing or using a sup narrower than 30 but this is what I want to work towards!

Thanks Beau!

The Starboard Spice is very stable and during our Quiver Killer test, it was the most stable board we rode. I wouldn’t say the 7’11 is a huge improvement though for choppy conditions, just marginally better. For a more relaxed paddling feel in choppy waves, something slightly wider and longer might be better. Maybe something like the 7’11 x 30″ x 115L Wide Speed from Infinity…
Interesting insights about the carbon construction. Thanks for sharing. Maybe worth a share with Starboard…

I would recommend the 7’10 x 29.5” x 109L SMIK Hipster Twin.

The outline of the board is more narrow in the nose and tail compared to your Sunova Speed and Gong Mob. It will be slightly less stable than these boards, but with the extra width and volume, it will be perfect for your size.

Hi Kurt, thanks for the suggestions and your comment. I weigh 85kg (without wetsuit) and never had to sit down or lie prone between waves on any of the boards. Like Reuben though, I usually ride 90L boards so these felt much more stable. All of this really depends on your ability level, fitness and what boards you are riding now.
Hope this helps. Thanks!

Hi Kurt. Thanks for your comment I’m glad you found the test useful. Yes we do need to add our weights onto the post and in the future we should definitely add this information into the video as well.

I also think talking about what the boards I like to stand on on flat water and the general stability of the boards with maybe a few extra shots would be beneficial as well. Thanks so much for the input on this.
For me I weigh 75 kg maybe 76 with a wet wet suit and I didn’t have a problem standing on any of these boards all the time with very little to no prone paddling needed unless I wanted a rest. Beau is a bit heavier than me and I did notice that he didn’t spend his time lying down either but I will get him to answer back his thoughts as well. I personally find all these boards have enough float to easily keep me upright and stable most of the time and I would say in most conditions as well.
But I guess I also have to put in there… I generally paddle much smaller boards around 90 L and under so I do find it a lot easier standing on these bigger boards. I guess for you it’s how stable you feel on the current boards you’re riding now. The hipster is a very stable board in general and possibly found it one of the most stable boards on test so at your weight if you have a pretty good balance on boards around 120 add 130 L dropping down to the 109 probably won’t be too much of a problem

Hey Kate both the boards are obviously great but I would edge towards the Naish, just feel it has a better construction and really a better overall look. But I guess it might come down in price point in the end for you, either boards would work well.

Yes we did hear this. It’s a real shame because they made really good boards.

Black Cat is insolvent.

Nice one Russell.

Also, not sure about the new blue carbon construction. If you check out the YouTube video, Why you shouldn’t wrap carbon fibre in glass, you understand why, from a material science perspective. Starboard might be better off, just going for S glass construction over E glass? Can understand why they’ve stopped using PVC foam in their carbon composites though from an enviro standpoint.

Most of time they are pretty close. TBH a few years ago I remember reviewing a SUP from Honu that we weighed it lighter than they stated.

Thanks Reuben. I guess we can not trust the listed specs on any board

Hey Cam, We weighed the Honu we had at 9.16kg thats just over 20lbs. Maybe we had a slight heavier one or it was weight with the fins off.

Hey Neil Thanks for your feedback

Ok, that’s great. I did a back to back test between the Allstar 14 x 24.5 and Gen R 14 x 25 on flatwater (small chop) a couple of weeks ago. Before the test I thought I would much prefer the Gen R (I have the 14 x 28 Allstar Airline) but the more time I spent on the Allstar the better it felt, my average speed was similar on both. Hoping your views will help me decide which one to go for 🙂
I am also hoping to test the Ocean One Edge 3 soon as it should compare well with the Gen R any thoughts on this board?

Hey Neil yes we are, it should be live in a couple weeks. Its takes a long time to ride 3 boards in lots of condition’s ;-).

Hey Nick thanks for your comment about the Guppy, glad its working well for you.

Thanks

Hit up Eric at https://discospaddlesurf.com/ as they are bringing some SMIKs into the US.
I’d be keen to try those other Sunova shapes. They have such a wide range of boards.
The limited construction is a little heavier than the carbon. I quite like the value for money you get as the shape is the same. You just sacrifice a little bit of faster reaction compared to the carbon models.

We didn’t keep the board. Most of the boards we review go back to the brands as this one did

Im editing it together right now, live very soon.

Hey Tim, for speed it will be the jet 1650.

Beau why are you keeping board ? Do you love it so much or are there other reasons ? just curious

Many thanks & cheers!

Hi Fabrizio! Thanks for the comment. We are looking to translate our tests into the future. Thanks for the suggestion.

For a board that will suit your weight and size, plus the conditions you ride, the 7’10 x 109L might be the better option. The 7’8 x 28″ is narrower than your Gong Mob and the Mob shape is very wide throughout the whole board which is why you find it stable. The 98L SMIK might not be very stable for you.

I hope this helps.

Hey Steve, yeah we are aware of the issue. Sorry about this, we are looking/working to change this into the future. Thanks for the sub

Hey Ramon, yes leashes good question. Tbh again give us a few weeks to have a think and play around with this. But at moment I think straight, short, strong and for me calf!

Thx Reuben, thx Will, I have decided to sell my sup foil board 6.4×33 132l and keep the dw 7.7×21 121l. That way I will spend more time on the dw board and get used to it more and more, my idea is to use it in small surf (waist to chest), light wind winging (super fun and fast), sup downwinding (little bit more complicated because far less people doing this) and flat water pop ups (super cardio and workout). By the way, will subscribe again to Subboarderpro as the content in foiling is getting interesting 🙂

In the surf I hope I can stay even more in the shoulder of the wave with that board and because its so fast in case a higher set comes I can paddle fast out of the breaking zone.

By the way what leash do you recommend for the surf in such a board, calf or waist, coiled, and how long? Have seen the Kaohi leashed, like them because they have a grip at the railsaver to hold the board but they have only 6 or 10ft, guess 10 is too long and 6 dont know if too short and risky that the board shoots back to me?

Have a great day, Ramon

Hey Ramon, like Reuben says we will be trying the Ace soon…. my prediction though is that as the foil boxes are far forward in these new generation of boards, the Swing weight will not be too bad… lets see!

Hey Ramon, We are about to do a review of the Starboard Ace foil board and as a part of the video we want to work out how good a board like that (similar to Armstrong DW) is at doing lots of foil disciplines.And where are the pros and cons to the board. Like what you are asking. So at the moment I would like to hold my judgment until we have use this boards in the surf and in more conditions. Make sense?

Thanks Olly 🙂

Hi Christina. I’m 67kg and yes like you often find myself riding boards with too much volume, which then feel slow and hard to manouever on the wave. The Smik however, despite being similar in volume to the other boards in test felt so much more enjoyable to ride, even for a rider of my weight.Lively and easy to turn on the wave, and yet still plenty of stability. Definitely my favourite on test by far. We will certainly try our best to ensure lighter riders are more included in future tests. If you have any questions about specific boards on test get in touch and myself or one of the team will happily respond. Thanks Lucy

Thank you for reply…

Hey Fabrizio , Thanks for your comment. I will send it to Beau so he can get back to you. We are going to put subtitles over the video also. So I hope this helps. Thanks for the subscription.

One question Reuben. I mostly wingfoil and sometimes sup surf in waist to chest high waves. For sup surf foil I normally use the 6.4 x31 132l but I am thinking to sell it and use the 7.7 x 21 instead but my concern is if it will be too difficult to control in the waves, if its turny as the 6.4 x 31 and if I can manage it well once caught in a broken wave. I dont know if I will have time for downwinders but maybe a plus to keep the 7.7 and sell the 6.4 is that the 7.7 might also be fun in light wind winging days. Thanks for your thoughts as I know that you also sup surf foil. Thx a million, chears, Ramón

Nice

Hey Steve, We did almost get a Jimmy Lewis in the test, but it didn’t make it unfortunately. It sounds like a lot of readers are riding their Spice’s with a hipter fin set up and loving it.

Yes it is. Good fitness too.

Never too late David. Thanks for the heads up.

Hey, yeah gear has come along a very long way. Its exciting side of the sport, let see where it ends up? Hope you get home soon bud. Thanks Reuben

Good question. These boards will feel very close on the water. The Starboard I believe is a little lighter so it will have a quicker pick up speed. The starboard overall has a slighter higher build quality. But I would be happy to paddle and own both boards.

Hey, we will put these questions to Donna and Rachel. Thanks

How would you compare the Black Witch to the Starboard Touring 14×30 (or the 14×28) in terms of glide, tracking and stability?

Many greetings
André

I set my 8.4 Sunova flow 2 up as a Twin, and it transformed its performance. I think in general most SUP of this genre, bit wider, less rocker, work well with twin fins, due to their wide positioning, giving them a good pivot point, making the board a lot looser etc.

Thanks beau. I like both the idea of the starboard pro & the smik custom too – I’ll have a look at the others too

Great Comment Troy. Need to try the Spice as a twiny!

Hi Mike, I see your sub is active, so its likely a local browser issue for you. Please try clearing your browser cache. This should help.

Will

Oop’s! Thank you 🙂

I’m 80-85kg and recently got an 8.0 Hipster Twin because I wanted something stable but agile in all conditions. It’s a great board and feels surprisingly small and agile for its size. I would reccomend it.

I have the 7.10 hipster pin, it’s marginally more unstable than an infinity blurr v2 at 8.2, at the same width and volume, due to it being shorter. Both are manageable for me at 58 yo 83 kg, even in quite choppy conditions. Tend to ise thr V2 in bigger waves, but it takes time to adjust between the two boards, as I mainly ride the hipster.

Thanks for the comment. Hard to find those sizes of boards for sure! Sunova have the Kanga GR 8’6 x 30″ x 120L. Gong have the Karmen at 8’4 x 30″ x 120L. Starboard have the Pro in 8’7 x 29.5″ x 130L. My best advice would be to order a custom SMIK. I know Scotty can do custom shapes based of the Hipster Twin or any board in the range, and then possibly get it in the next shipment to the UK. That way you can be sure to have the right size for you.

The SMIK felt very stable and if you are looking to go down in volume, the 7’10 Hipster could be a great board. I think you still may find it sightly unstable when surfing in Italy because of the reduced length and volume, but not as unstable as you Carve Pro. Hope that helps and happy surfing!

Yes works great for that too

Hi Rick – this is likely a browser cache issue – try clearing your browser cache so the full video loads. Will – SUPboarder

I’m interested in a quiver killer to fit between my 113l jp surf & 139l infinity new deal (or maybe replace both). I’m 85kg without UK wetsuits & think my sweetspot for performance & all day riding comfort is around 125l. Both my boards are 29″ wide & I don’t like the idea of being 30″+ for width for that sort of volume – which puts me off going for another board (which maybe I won’t like / or really need).

I have had shorter & wider boards & disliked the lack of: tracking, glide to get on a wave & speed on the wave compared to my current narrower & longer boards. Manufacturers dont seem to be putting in much volume with longer, slimmer boards & as the length goes past 8’5 the boards are getting pretty wide (31″ or 32″). Any suggestions on an 8’6 to 8’9 30″ width 125l ?

I expected the top 2 to be what they were (but not the order) & great to see the sunova get a place. The guppy looks good value at that price, & the infinity (or carbon spice) doesn’t- but they are like works of art in comparison to some boards.

Thanks and glad you liked the test. I also have ridden and tested the Hipster Twin in a swallow tail before so can offer some insight.
The pin tail helps with hold and tighter turning arcs on the wave. This translates into getting more vertical with turns and performing better in bigger waves. I really struggled with the swallow tail to get it working in steep waves, but the pin tail works so much better.
I do find that the slightly extra width in the nose catches and doesn’t feel great in bigger, more hollow surf. If the waves are over head high it feels too big, but for anything under head high they go so well.
So if you’re surfing bigger waves that are hollow, stick with the Spitfire. Hope this helps.

Yes, I think it does probably indicate good construction, using good materials. The Itiwit boards have always been a little tough to roll up, a good indictor or thick PVC and thick rail constructions too. Assuming the board is still made in the same way I think its a good construction. The welded rails will theoretically remove some risk of degradation over time of the glue, so give the product a longer life span.

I have the swallowtail model in 8.3, but struggeled a bit with it in really fast hollow waves, so paired it with an Spitfire8.6 but if this could do both….

Thanks for clarifying Will. In general what do you think of the ITIWIT X500? Without carbon rails and without stringers and it is the second stiffest board you tested. Does this indicate a really good construction? I am little concerned because of the lack of thermally welded edges, but other than that it seems like a very high quality board, no?

Yep going to try that one. Fab tip, thanks Jim

I think this was a typo. it should say “not the greatest’ stiffness. Both are pretty stiff as you say, but not the stiffest we had in this test

Hey Sam, Good question. Many paddlers who are 85,90kg prefer 6″ thick boards especially if they’re wanting to carry anything on the board at all because that will obviously put the overall weight on the board. But at the same time there are many paddlers who weighs 85-88 kg who would choose a 5 inch thick board like the gladiator pro. And so this is definitely general guidance. The question I have for you is have you paddled a five or 6 inch thick board in the past, and what sort of conditions are you going to be paddling? ie are you going to be paddling in open sea or is it mainly inland flatter water conditions?
You may find that in open water and choppy and conditions a thicker board may be better because you have less water going over the top of the board. But if your paddling in flatter water conditions the 5 inch thick board would be absolutely fine.
To be honest in the past it used to be very clear that ride is over 85 kg should have 6 inch thick boards but now with many board brands like Gladiator making better quality and stiffer better performing 5 inch thick boards, the lines are definitely getting blurred.

Why do you suggest a max weight of 85kg for the Gladiator Pro, and 70-110kg for the Fanatic? I’m 175cm and currently 83kg, likely to put on a bit more muscle for other hobbies in future. The Gladiator scored better in Deflection (even though it’s thinner), and the same in Stability so trying to understand where this recommendation comes from?

Great

Thanks for the board request.

Got it! Thanks Reuben. It’s a great review!

Not sure what you mean by “not great stiffness for either board”. Both have a 10mm deflection!

Hi Ashok, they has a US centre box and FCS side fin boxes.

These boards would work great together… Nice setup

Hey Reuben, it’s a starboard pocket rocket and yea I’ll be keeping it – it was badly damaged from airline handling so can’t sell it on anyway. OK I’ll give it a shot and see how it goes. Thanks!

Hi Dimi
Are you signed into SB Pro? If you are, it will be due to your computers cache. Please try opening a new browser and singing in again this should solve it.

Thanks for watching. 😉

Hi Lu , thanks for your question. What board is it you’ve actually got? The 711 is very stable for its size so it could be a good jump. It will challenge you definitely to start with but at your weight it shouldn’t be too much for you. The other thing to consider is are you selling your current board? Or will you have the ability to still write this in choppier days? It may be worth keeping hold of this board until you get used to the smaller one.

Hi Archie , Thanks for the sign up. This will be due to your computers cache. Please try opening a new browser and singing in again this should solve it.

Glad you got out Cam, but sorry to hear it not as much as you would like in the waves. Flat-water freestyle is great fun and I can see the board would be great for that.
We look forward to getting on the 4″ version too. Happy paddling Reuben

Hey Ben . Yep, this would make a good tests. Your son has got good taste…

I took the board surfing in Tofino last week. I stood up 5 or 6 times. After 4 seasons of trying to stand up, this is the 1st board that allowed me to do so. Sadly I only get to surf once a year so $2200.00 is a lot to spend. However, its a good fitness board on flat water, a bit tippy but good for learning tricks and balance training.
I might keep it. I may buy 5 more and start my own surf school :). For me this board is way easier to learn to stand on a wave than those school longboards I tried.The rocker is the key maybe. Cant wait for the review of the 4 inch versions