Hi all Minion's pionners
, saying to go shorter and narrower or even thinner which is also important and not be the less. This way I'm not doing proselithism to smaller board you can afford still standing upright. I just mean to trust the Minion's paddling stability and practice it at its optimum capacity and a little bit more what you would think in first .
The most important is what Brenno remind up here " Easter Sunday morning was the most fun i have ever had on a sup, and i definitely ain't no jackson or kai. I keep getting stopped by people wanting to chat about it, cause it looks freaking unreal! You'll love it. " 
Thanks guys - you have put my mind at ease. I don't want to struggle while waiting for waves - the aim is to have fun. I will be traveling for the next three weeks or so (no SUPing!) and it should be ready soon after I get back. Can't wait.
Select to expand quoteBrenno said..
Hey cantSUPenough. I'm the same height as you, about 10kg heavier. I originally went an 8'0", changed my mind halfway through the process to a 7'10", and ended up with an 8'0", and you know what, i'm glad. It's a really comfortable size for me and as the shortest sup i've ever owned surfs really, really well. The combination of stability, speed and manouverability is spot on. Easter Sunday morning was the most fun i have ever had on a sup, and i definitely ain't no jackson or kai. I keep getting stopped by people wanting to chat about it, cause it looks freaking unreal! You'll love it. 
Hi Brenno
Curious what dimensions & volume you ended up with
Cheers
Picked my minnion up the other week from Simon, so so stoked. It's 7'0x 27 at 91 litres. Super super fast and turns so well nearly like riding a short board. Very impressed with the quality and finish of the board. Nice and bright too
Hi Wicksy. 8'0" x 29 1/2" x 4 1/2". No volume written on the board, but looking at the website i'd have a stab at around 130 litres. Another great little sesh on clean 1-2 ft this morning.
Curious to know from you guys who have Minions what you think the best weight to volume ratio is?
I've read in this thread people talking about weight +10 litres for advanced riders, & weight + 20 litres for intermediates, but that doesnt really account for the wide range of rider weights out there. Also should you include the board & paddle weight in the calculation?
Looking at some of the stats people have posted it looks like somewhere around 1.2 to 1.3 x weight could be the ideal range.
Interested to hear your thoughts.
1.3 is good for me Wicksy. I tend to go slightly higher to compensate for the chop, and allow for holiday pig outs!
Thanks Brenno
See, this is where it can get confusing. If you add the board and paddle, your a 1.2.
At my 77kg 1.3 for me would mean a 100 litre board, which I think I would struggle on, where as 77kg + 8kg (paddle & board) x 1.25 would be around 106 litres would be pretty comfy.
I've already borrowed Simon's demo boards (the 7'10" @ 124 litres and the 7'8" @ 115 litres) and they both had far to much volume for me, so I think it's a tricky balance getting the volume & surface area just right on these boards
Then when you see Dan's post above, 77kg @ 91 litres - well that's just insane!
I've also flat water paddled the Gulliver Vbox's 7'3"@ 96 litres & 7'6" @ 102 litres, but I found it hard to compare them to the Minions because they have a different design. Wider tail, thinner nose, and thinner rails, which seemed to make them inherently less stable than the Minions
Im just under 1.2. Im still getting use to it so i fall off when its a bit choppy but when its calm its stable as.
Select to expand quoteJasonR said..
Im just under 1.2. Im still getting use to it so i fall off when its a bit choppy but when its calm its stable as.
Hi Jason
is that including board & paddle? What's your weight & volume?
cheers
Select to expand quoteJasonR said..
Im just under 1.2. Im still getting use to it so i fall off when its a bit choppy but when its calm its stable as.
I'm going thru the same stage with mine - I,m about 1.6 & obviously have a lot to learn 
I did tell Simon when ordering my Minion that I was a total newbie & left the dimensions up to him.
75kg beginner - 7'10 & 119L Minion
Thanks Brenno
See, this is where it can get confusing. If you add the board and paddle, your a 1.2.
Hey Wicksy, does that mean I'm better than I thought I was?! Cooooooool!
Whatever the shape or type of board, my experience is that i'm comfortable on anything 130 litres or over i.e. my ankles are out of the water, and I'm still surfing well and enjoying it.
I've honestly never weighed myself with my gear on and holding a paddle, and I've never weighed any of my boards. I know what feels light and heavy to me, only by comparing to what I've owned or surfed previously.
Some shapes sit a bit higher, some a bit lower, but that's about this big bloke's limit, and believe me in some conditions i'm pushing it.
The vac bagged deep boards are surprisingly light for a durable board, went back to my old 160 litre yellow board the other day and was shocked how heavy it "felt".
Select to expand quoteJasonR said..
Im not sure how to work it out haha. Im 97kg and the board is 114L.
i think at 1.2 it is 116.4 litres and at 1.3 it is 126.1 litres
Thanks for the replys guys.
Brenno & Jason, you guys must have cat like relexes & balance to paddle those boards. Good effort!
Toppleover, how are you finding the 7'10" as a beginner?
I think 7'10 is about as small as I can handle at my level, it's pretty stable & reasonably easy to stand on when waiting for waves - surfs unreal.
I just need to work more on my paddleing technique.
I'm pretty much the same as Jason..6ft , 95 kgs..on a 7'8 115L Minion..feels all good for me..I'm only going to get heavier and older too..while I could've dropped down I'm catching lots of a quality waves 90% of the time..which = confidence when it get big or challenging and lots of fun.
Select to expand quoteSupmaori said..
I'm pretty much the same as Jason..6ft , 95 kgs..on a 7'8 115L Minion..feels all good for me..I'm only going to get heavier and older too..while I could've dropped down I'm catching lots of a quality waves 90% of the time..which = confidence when it get big or challenging and lots of fun.
Thanks Supmaori
Nice videos by the way! I know from your earlier posts that your other board is the 8'10" 119 litre ProWave. How does the Minion compare for stability with that board, and what do you think is the smallest Minion you could comfortably ride, now that you've had a far bit of time on the 7'8".
My smallest board at the moment is the JP 8'2"x 32" 124 litre Surf Wide Body. I'm happy to sacrifice some stability, but don't want it to be too painful.
But what I found with having to much volume in the Minions for your body weight is that it seemed to make them less stable, being too corky they just want to buck you off when it gets choppy. Be interested to hear your thoughts on that seeing as you have spent a fair bit of time on the board now.
Cheers
I demoed the JP 8'2 wide body before getting the Minion, IMO my 7'10 x 29" has similar stability & surfs much better.
Thanks Wicksy
My minion is as easily stable as my 8'10 prowave but it did take more time to dial in..now I use it all the time. I still sink a little on my minion and it doesn't feel corky at all. I still feel like I got lots to improve on even tho I'm riding it petty sweet in most conditions. But if I were to get a custom one made I'd probably go for a 7'2 or 7'4 104L minion but I'd get it a little narrower and thinner. I think that would b getting close to my limit..but hard to say without demo. I'm my opinion could could not imagine myself on a traditional sup with those dimensions. There lies the magic of the minion. Plus as I've said There are just a beautiful looking, feeling board. Hope that helps
Hi Toppleover,
I sup a JP 8'2 surf wide body which I find paddles reasonably easily through the water in between catching waves. Are you able to tell me how easily does you 7'10 minion paddle through the water between waves compared to the JP 8'2 surf wide body AND how do they compare in relative ease in catching waves?
Select to expand quotewavechaser said..
Hi Toppleover,
I sup a JP 8'2 surf wide body which I find paddles reasonably easily through the water in between catching waves. Are you able to tell me how easily does you 7'10 minion paddle through the water between waves compared to the JP 8'2 surf wide body AND how do they compare in relative ease in catching waves?
To be honest I only had a few sessions on the 8'2 swb which was about 6 months ago & from memory both the swb & my minion paddle about the same, same goes for catching waves.
To me - when on a wave, the 8'2 felt like a short mal & the 7'10 Minion feels like a short board but take that with a pinch of salt as I'm only a newbie to SUP & have spent more time on the Minion.
Grab a demo, if you can.
good to know I have ourded a 7'10 and was thinking that my whate 90kg would be to much for it, but now I think its a good step down from my 10'6
will update when I get it...
Select to expand quotetempo2 said..
good to know I have ourded a 7'10 and was thinking that my whate 90kg would be to much for it, but now I think its a good step down from my 10'6
will update when I get it...
I reckon that is a good size and from quite a bit of experience in SA now (minions everywhere) no doubt you will be able to do it. But that is a fair step down, so take your time getting used to it, particularly in rougher conditions. Im bigger than you on a 7-10 and found mine tippy at first, now its my go-to board.
