I have been paddling for the past few years on a 10"6' cruising board but have recently moved to a waterfront house on the river/Broadwater on the Gold Coast. I paddle 2-3 times per week and am out growing my current board. I was looking at getting a more dedicated flat water board that can handle wind and boat chop and is quicker and more fun then my current board which is good in surf but pearls in boat chop. Because I paddle from home I have to deal with headwinds and tides as I go out and back but transport is no problem as I am not really interested in driving to paddle elsewhere. I am 5"11' and about 80-85kg. I am open to 12"6' or 14". I like the look of the Naish Javelin and Maliko and also SIC fx pro, however Sunova Faast looks better for the budget. Any suggestions for a relative new-comer?
Hey MOC
i am about the same size and weight and I had the same delema, I got the Naish Glide 14ft and love it, handles chop, wind, and tide. If I had the budget I would have seriously tested the Sunova Fast Mk2 but it's too hard to get your hands on in Melbourne.
Any 14ft board will be the way to go!
Hi moc .
i have a 2015 naish javelin 14/28 GX ..it's great in head wind and a very fast board .
If I know it going to be blowing ,I always grab this board .the 12.6 would also be a great choice .
but 14's are so much better .
the GTW OR glides are also a great choice .i have a 11.6 GTW glide ,not as fast as the 14 ,but a great cruiser.i love to surf small waves on this one .29.5 wide .
go carbon if you can afford it ,so much lighter and easy to carry .some good 2 nd handers on B&S
Tardy .
Just watch the width. The narrower boards are faster but a lot tippier. Make sure you demo the board in the width you will buy. If you are over 80 kg I wouldn't go narrower than 28".
If you are up for a drive to Brissy, we are holding our BrisSup race day on Sunday. Plenty of boards to see and try. Nothing better than 40+ different board types to confuse the **** out of you.
www.facebook.com/events/175147216242979/
Come along. We don't bite. (well most of us don't)
As an additional board question I was wondering if there is any downside of having a wider or larger capacity board? Obviously a wider board creates more drag and is slower than a narrower board but is there any other reason?
Stability is why you go wider. A narrow board is only faster if you can cope with the loss in stability. I've got boards ranging from 23" wide to 30" wide and I'm pretty much slowest on my 23" wide one.
Think of it this way: I'd be faster round a racetrack in a VW Golf GTI than a F1 car. I just don't have the skills to keep a F1 car on the track. Same with narrow race boards - you have to have the skills to match or else you'll be slow and miserable.
Wider boards can also be better for carrying loads, and for endurance paddling, and, obviously, for choppy conditions. And you might find them easier to sell used. Going too narrow in your board choice is a common beginner mistake. Be realistic about your skill set and how much effort you are willing to put in to develop your balance skills. And always demo if at all possible.
In terms of downsides, wider boards are heavier, create more drag, and it is harder to get a good paddle stroke because you'll have to lean more to get the paddle shaft perfectly vertical. So it can create more fatigue and poorer tracking, if you don't need the extra stability.
