Well as everybody knows there has had some pretty big swell lately ..
It was 6-8 foot solid today ..I took off on some big ones ..couple of times my board was jumping out of the water.
i reckon ,I could be wrong but it is the shape ..or possible the literage of my board ..
Its 32 wide @170 litres .9.6 Hokua .
in medium waves to small it rips ..
Im wondering if I should get a narrower board for big days ..?if this is the problem.
it felt like it couldn't dig in . .bounces
I'm a X surfer and use to have a rhino chaser for big days ..long and thin .
Tardy I have the 8'3 x32 I loved it in small clean waves but in the big stuff it did not hold its edge too well I would ride a Jp 9'2 x 30 surf and it ate up the big waves it has a nice straight rail that holds a lot better in the big stuff. BUT I've just up graded to a Sunova flow and love it I've had it in small stuff and it's real fun but it loves the big stuff .. The shape of the x32 s is really suited to smaller fatter waves I found
If you want to surf bigger waves, get a board that is meant for it Jimmy Lewis has a few good Guns 10.0 10.6 and 12.0ft. PSH had a coue good guns but they no longer available in OZ
I've got an 8-6 x28x4 and a bit and it felt too big over the swell cycle surfing the Alley in 6ft + conditions
Reasoning is the waves move quick therefore you are moving faster hence have trouble surfing in the pocket like short boarders do
On a positive note easy to paddle into waves and great stability
Also the wind/air gets under them causing issues on the drop and riding the wave when doing re entries and off the top turns
Its all relative !!
Bigger wave bigger board although dont forget your already on what some see as a big board
Shortboarders wont go past a 6'8 -6'10 so 8 ft stand ups are already suited to these sized waves
Go too big and you will get smashed getting back out depending on where you are surfing
If on a point you can get away with it due to surfing into a gutter
Beachies well thats another story
My 2 bobs worth
I agree with Towny, get the right board to suite the conditions. We were shooting a video on our 12ft Venom "gun" at the Alley on Friday and i would not want to be on anything else. The bigger board allowed me to get into the waves earlier and set my line which would not have been possible on a smaller SUP. The bigger board also allowed more paddle momentum getting out through the waves.
We also rode the board at outside snapper, i was sitting out near the shark nets waiting for the big bombs, you could only do this on a "gun" style SUP.
Its all relative to the waves and conditions, if its 4 - 6 foot, your smaller performance board will be fine, but when it gets 6 - 8ft + ground swell, this is when the gun style SUPS come into their own.
Thank you ..some great comments and link on the gun shape ..
Its the shape that is the issue ...thinner and longer is needed..
maybe the 9.10 Hokua @ 155 litres 30''...pity it's not a pin tail.
I defiantly think a new board is coming ...for the Big days..
great topic…I find my Hokua x32 x 9.1 bounces on the wave sometimes and the rails are just a bit to fat to really dig in…but it is still a great board. I find I get held back in coming off a bottom turn and turning it back up the face it's just too slow. It does turn real well if you get right back on the tail..but in a fast moving wave that becomes an issues as you can't react quick enough. The answer is another board.
I love my Hokua and will keep it...but it is time to step up to something more high performance.
Select to expand quoteTardy said..
Thank you ..some great comments and link on the gun shape ..
Its the shape that is the issue ...thinner and longer is needed..
maybe the 9.10 Hokua @ 155 litres 30''...pity it's not a pin tail.
I defiantly think a new board is coming ...for the Big days..
The 9'10" Hokua GT is a great board! especially for bigger guys. And I find the 9'10" length good for a variety of wave sizes. I actually had a custom 9'10" gun made due to how much I liked the length of the Hokua. It just felt comfy. That being said, I'm ordering a custom 12' also. I've had the 12' PSH previously too and found it another extremely versatile length.
Yes burleighlocal ...sounds exactly what I'm going through ..it's doable ..though ..you just have to wait till the board slows down a bit before digging the rail in before looking for the lip to smash ..I'll never get rid of my Hokua .Its so good most of the time .Only when it's massive it struggles..
I was going through the Naish web site today ..and the board I over looked was the 10.6 ,Nalu..duh..which says it handles double over head waves.
Ive never really had a good season on the 10.6 ..but if this is so, Im going to borrow one and test it out .
This could be a solution to my problem ..
i do have a 11' Nalu but she more of a cruizer and lacks the sharp turns sometimes needed when you have this massive lip heading your way.
When I was buying the 11' JB told me the 10.6 is quite a bit faster on the wave ..which is needed on a big wave ..but at the time I was only after a small wave board ..and the 11' fits the bill.
I remember a few guys on the forum using the 10.6 on big waves ..could be the go . 
Select to expand quoteZeusman said..Tardy said..
Thank you ..some great comments and link on the gun shape ..
Its the shape that is the issue ...thinner and longer is needed..
maybe the 9.10 Hokua @ 155 litres 30''...pity it's not a pin tail.
I defiantly think a new board is coming ...for the Big days..
The 9'10" Hokua GT is a great board! especially for bigger guys. And I find the 9'10" length good for a variety of wave sizes. I actually had a custom 9'10" gun made due to how much I liked the length of the Hokua. It just felt comfy. That being said, I'm ordering a custom 12' also. I've had the 12' PSH previously too and found it another extremely versatile length.
Thanks Zeusman ..I like the look of the 9.10'.yeah Im big...12 ' wow that sounds like a big wave gun..nice.that will handle a big wave ..Jaws maybe.
For the big stuff you want the narrowest thing you can stand on in a traditional short board shape. I have turned over so many boards but the one that still lives in my shed for the last 8 years is a Ron House 9-10 x 27 now only 9-8 because some kook ran over it and cut off the nose. Having said that I tackle most stuff on my JP 8-6 x 28.5. Only on the really big windy days the Ron gets wet.
The wide full bodied boards will bounce you off every time and if you get in the barrel the wide nose with pull you up and over the falls. The Naish 9-10 LE gun is a nice board but that narrow tail can make it difficult for the average punter. If you go custom keep it to 9-7 to 10 in length and just add a squash tail or rounded pin to the Naish shape and beef up the meat. The Pin to Pin is a tough ride paddling in.
Jimmy Lewis also has a sweet range for those big days with the rounded pin and has kept the width with a great gun outline.
Select to expand quotePiros said...
For the big stuff you want the narrowest thing you can stand on in a traditional short board shape. I have turned over so many boards but the one that still lives in my shed for the last 8 years is a Ron House 9-10 x 27 now only 9-8 because some kook ran over it and cut off the nose. Having said that I tackle most stuff on my JP 8-6 x 28.5. Only on the really big windy days the Ron gets wet.
The wide full bodied boards will bounce you off every time and if you get in the barrel the wide nose with pull you up and over the falls. The Naish 9-10 LE gun is a nice board but that narrow tail can make it difficult for the average punter. If you go custom keep it to 9-7 to 10 in length and just add a squash tail or rounded pin to the Naish shape and beef up the meat. The Pin to Pin is a tough ride paddling in.
Jimmy Lewis also has a sweet range for those big days with the rounded pin and has kept the width with a great gun outline.
Gday Piros can you comment on the naish LE 8'10. I've just pulled the trigger on one with the aim of taking on some solid juice in the SW of WA. My everyday board is the JPsurf 8'2 so the naish will be my step up
Just took a retro punt on a C4 Waterman Batwing 9'0" as a step up board.
Bought it site unseen across the continent from a fellow Seabreezer,cheers Tony thanks for your help, hopefully it arrives Saturday. It's taken eight different pairs of hands to get it this far!
It has a low volume for its length, is narrow with a drawn out fish planshape.
Never seen one but am hoping for a bit more glide and a bit more control in the juice or if its **** a good board for the kids
I'm looking into one of these
9'4 x 31.5 Sunova Acid at 136 L
My Speeeds have never let me down in well OH waves, so I imagine the Acid is a great board for some serious waves.
Jacy rode his much smaller Acid, in some big waves at the Sunset Beach Pro last month.
These are the only pics I cold find from that day
Select to expand quotesupthecreek said..
I'm looking into one of these
9'4 x 31.5 Sunova Acid at 136 L
My Speeeds have never let me down in well OH waves, so I imagine the Acid is a great board for some serious waves.
Jacy rode his much smaller Acid, in some big waves at the Sunset Beach Pro last month.
These are the only pics I cold find from that day
it would be really interesting to see how "high performance" the acid actually is..the shape and tail certainly look performance. Beautiful shaped board imo.
Bender said:- Gday Piros can you comment on the naish LE 8'10. I've just pulled the trigger on one with the aim of taking on some solid juice in the SW of WA. My everyday board is the JPsurf 8'2 so the naish will be my step up
That's a really good combo
Thanks guys ..some great suggestions ..I like the look of the sunova .
some nice gun shapes.
I don't think it's extreme at all! I really enjoy my 12ft Atlantis Venom in waves 1 to 8ft+. Your wave count will definitely increase, and some of those unachievable waves will now seem possible (outer reefs etc)
Cool ...I just think it would make big wave riding easier .
and you would catch it way early..it could be the one... 
Also looking hard at the 9.10 Hokua .155 litre /30
Its going to mean I'll have to paddle harder compared with the 12 @178 litre..but might be good for 6 foot days too .
where the 12 is maybe just a big wave board .?
One big reservation for me about going longer is they are harder to keep in one piece 
Select to expand quoteTardy said..
I know it's going extreme ..but thinking the 12 ' search.
I can see why, a 12' paddling machine.
Early entry,big fade bend it back around set a line..... 
Can I add my thoughts?
I had a Starboard gun 9'6 X 27 X 4 which was 123L.
This board caught ANYTHING! Found myself paddling out in bigger and bigger surf to the point where I started to get into a bit of trouble. The board would drag me deeper under water to where I couldn't see light. The force of the white water wouldn't release my board and struggled for me to surface. The paddle also made it hard to try and swim up.
So instead of leaving my Starboard 8'5 X 29 X 3.8 at 112L at home I started taking it out in bigger surf. It worked! And most importantly it didn't come with the hideous hold downs.
A mate of mine just got a custom Smik gun 8'5 X 27.5 X 3.8 at around 100L and it charges.
So in saying all this I reckon that you don't have to go 10-12' long SUP guns unless you are paddling Jaws. The volume is too big. Stick with the gun outline with 27-28 widths but you can get away with 8'5-10' lengths as you have the added bonus of using a paddle. You will find these boards still have awesome glide.
My prone Nathan Rose gun is 9'6 X 21 3/4 X 3 7/8 at 84L and it gets its glide from length and added paddle power by having the thickness around the chest area and also more forward volume.
I don't consider myself a guru but just thought I'd add my experiences with SUP and prone guns.
Yew
Thanks ..yeah I was thinking that myself, taking 180 litre board out in big surf ..
my 11' Nalu is that and it drags you in shore if it big ..big time ..sometimes its quicker to head in and start again .
Im not up to riding small boards yet .
but I am thinking more down the line of the 9-10. 155 litre Hokua .It will handle a big wave .
I m heavy ..and need the extra litres. ..and have to paddle hard against rips ..
It might shred a bit better than the 12 too.and might get more use out of it .
good point.
Greenroom said:- I had a Starboard gun 9'6 X 27 X 4 which was 123L. This board caught ANYTHING! Found myself paddling out in bigger and bigger surf to the point where I started to get into a bit of trouble. The board would drag me deeper under water to where I couldn't see light. The force of the white water wouldn't release my board and struggled for me to surface. The paddle also made it hard to try and swim up.
That's not your board causing that it's long stretchy leg ropes letting your board tomb stone. You need short thick ones like the Balin Storm or Da Kine , they rip the board out of the wave because they have little stretch. Long big wave leg ropes stretch out to 20ft and your board just stands on the tail (tomb stone) it will not come back until the pressure is off . If you are getting dragged hold your paddle with 2 hands and put it across in front of to act like a brake , then put the handle in front of with the paddle facing away from and push down on the blade head . This makes you plane to the surface so you can get a breath. If you are still getting pulled back repeat step one. As soon as you go in immediately apply the brakes and also drop your free leg down to help set the brakes .The only down side to this is it puts heaps of pressure on your leg rope. So don't use old sh!tty leg ropes in big waves.
If your leggie snaps always keep 2 hands on your paddle so you can avoid being tumbled. Your paddle also has floatation so when your are kicking to the surface push it down it will help you surface. NEVER EVER LOOSE YOUR PADDLE. If you have gone in head first and you think you are going to hit the bottom push your paddle out in front of you , so it makes contact and not your head.
^^^^^ Now that's a great tip and info about leggies I never considered. Thanks for that 
I use a balin storm leggy and it is great, its around 10mm diameter and keeps my board nice and close when I come off. I can also yank it back so it doesn't go over the falls if need be... a few fellow surfers call it my snatch strap but dont knock them until you try them. My only negative is that as they are quite stiff I have had it get caught in my paddle when turning...mine is 8 foot from memory and my board is of similar length....
I also use a Balin leggy.
It's not the leggy, it's our South West Aussie raw power
There is more power in WA than any where I believe despite I'never been there ( still hope) .
If you get dig tow deep under almost to the next one , it's because of plug(s) position. It has to be seal in as far as possible to the tail end of the board . Otherwise plug forward position pull the tail of your board clawing water as an anchor. Better to drag some water from rail saver to far back rather than getting anchor in the turmoils down the impact zone.
I start surfing by the time there were no leggy plug at all so I learnt from building and sealing it myself 
If its 6 foot shallow and a reef break ..it's gonna have power..and deal to you.
A 8 foot little creatures legrope still feels to long ..when theres a big set coming .you have to wait it out .if you can't paddle around it .
It's a pity I can't duck dive my SUP.you just have to be ready to paddle like hell when the break in sets come .
I thank my lucky stars yesterday ...I was screaming down a 5 footer ..my mate was just there paddling out ..I went straight to avoid him ..the wave closed out ..his board still hit me in the back of the head ..I only saw a few stars 
..but made me relies there is a pretty long kill zone on a SUP.seem he was standing up when I passed him .he had a 10 foot lleggie ...plus a 10.6 board ..that's 20.6 feet without the stretch.
