For those into their nostalgia, the Sunova Cult thread did get me thinking.....
Over the 9 years I have been on Seabreeze we have seen a lot of boards and brands dominate the forum, some to go on and proper others to fade into oblivion.
Everyone will have a different take, and some board brands dominated more than others.
Here are some that stick in my mind.
C4 Waterman 2007-
This was the brand was the king when I started. Anyone remember the total domination at the Noosa Festival in 2008?
They bought the whole team out from Hawaii. The end was nigh when the local rep criticised DJ.
I cannot recall anyone on this forum getting flamed that bad.
Paddle Surf Hawaii Rippers 2009-
Who could forget Blane Chambers and his 9'3 Ripper and 12' gun.
[b]Laguna Bay and the Dogman 2009-
[/b]Tully was a pioneer and putting The Dogman on his boards produced some of the best videos I have seen on this forum.
Simon Anderson and Luke Short boards 2011-
There was a lot of hype around these boards when they were launched
DTM customs 2011-
Who could forget those green machines. Two mates - Dan Cleary and The Goatman launch a brand and every ripper wanted one.
Paddle Surf Hawaii Hull Rippers 2012-
One board brings down a company.
Laird 2013- 2014
I think other than the Sexy Girls thread that Jacko started the Laird thread was one of the longest I can remember
Who could forget Laird Panther board!
Deep/Minions 2014
Total domination for over a year.
Sunova 2015-
My money is on this one hanging around longer than most.
JP, Starboard, Fanatic and Naish have always been there. I dont recall a year when either one dominated though. Tell me I'm wrong DJ!
There are many more I'm sure. These are just the ones that I remember.
Over on the Zone, a few years ago, there was also a mad rush to go smaller.
Guys were trading down like crazy - definitely, not just better equipment,
but a very social phenomenon.
And, a huge Sim Sup craze -
similar to Sunova currently -
actually, probably a bigger percentage
of what was going on.
I have eagerly followed ALL of those moments.
It reminds me of the "Shortboard" revolution of the late 60's/early 70's... an amazing time to be a surfer.
I get to do it all over again in SUP.... how good is that!
All the "hype" drives fast feedback, thought and experimentation...
and from what I have seen... some Brands actually listen to what is said on forums, and respond with new models.
I see ALL of that as a win/win
I'll cop to making a LOT of positive posts over the years, about any board that met my specific needs well.
Starboard Avanti as a 130 kg guy.... it it still a top Big Boy board!
Fanatic Allwaves... for years, in fact, as my 1st "step-down" boards, as a 120 kg guy. Respect!
Hobie RAW - as a 100 kg guy.....A very solid line, by a legendary surfing name.
Naish Mana & Alana - for my classic board rides.....Harold Iggy created these timeless masterpieces.
All great boards, that I still respect and stand by.
Now... it's Sunova.... and it will stay Sunova, for it is impossible, for me, to surf better than these boards... I'm am home. 
People like to hear opinion... not just numbers.
Opinion drives interest.
Interest creates demand.
Demand keeps the SUP industry alive.
Some call it "hype"
I say thank God for "hype" 
Bring it on!
Can this thread be expanded to include the evolution of paddles and current brands that dominate?
Pretty important bit of gear
Select to expand quoteMarkus56 said..
Can this thread be expanded to include the evolution of paddles and current brands that dominate?
Pretty important bit of gear
Here's my brief take on it Markus.
In the Beginning it was C4. It was the only paddle worth having.
When we started all SUP paddles were basically race blades and could best be described as shovels. Super wide at the base of the blade.
Then in 2008 Kialoa came along and developed the Methane paddle with Blane Chambers specifically for surfing.
This paddle dominated for many years as a surf and all-round paddle. All the top sup surfers like Tom Carroll were using it.
A local brand from Woogy Marsh - Kia Kaha, took hold around 2009.
Then Quickblade came on the scene around about the same time.
Their main offering were 8.7" and 9" wide race paddles. I stumbled across a one-off QB team rider 8" paddle in Hawaii.
This paddle worked a treat in the surf. It didn't have a name so we called it the Slim Jim and requested that it go into production. It became our biggest selling all-round paddle for many years.
Quick blade changed their distribution around 2011 and it was down hill from there as the big names like Starboard, Fanatic and Naish realised just what they were missing out on and the stepped up their act to pretty much dominate.
Ke Nelu also came along around this time and filled the void left by Quickblade at the top end of both racing and surfing paddles.
This is a great thread. Who knows what tomorrow will bring in terms of boards and paddles, and some will dominate new threads and some won't. One thing will remain a constant - many will be spoken about with passion and excitement by their owners.
"I cannot recall anyone on this forum getting flamed that bad. "
I recall a post about DJ and his Naish-Kialoa promotions, it got pretty full on 5-6 yrs ago maybe ?
Select to expand quoteTowny said..
"I cannot recall anyone on this forum getting flamed that bad. "
I recall a post about DJ and his Naish-Kialoa promotions, it got pretty full on 5-6 yrs ago maybe ?
That was flame-on-flame and not as bad as the reaction to his Crocs 
Angulo in around 2011 or 12. Jimmy Lewis which are still around but have not reached the heights that they deserve. IMHO
I hope to be reading and learning for at least 9 years and hopefully many many more .Thankyou all for sharing your stoke and knowledge about this awesome lifestyle we are all sharing it has made the ride even better having this forum to source for ideas, information , different rides,styles so on and so forth cheers so much K
Then of course there were the smaller players who still managed to make an impact.
Who would forget SUP LOVE, great name backed by a very passionate Stuart Murray.
The news that they sponsored Sunny Garcia was quickly overshadowed by the news that
Garcia allegedly assaulted an amateur videographer at Burleigh in 2011 who was left with cuts, bruises, and a suspected broken hand. Not such a good fit with the SUP LOVE vibe. Stuart went back home to NZ not long after and the brand disappeared.
Then there was Angulo who rocked up with the smickest matching SUP trailer 4WD combo I have seen at Merimbula around 2010. The energy didn’t match sales and they disappeared a few years later.
Walk on Water had a serious stab with their famous orange machines. Big local backing gave this brand a real edge.
Amundsen from Maui had a stab appearing at a couple of Merimbula’s not sure where they headed.
Coreban more than any other brand gave it a really good shot over many years. They had the quality and the boards but never seemed to get off 1st base.
Jimmy Lewis has always been there - a solid, well built brand. Chopping and changing distributors didn’t give them the best start. They are now gaining momentum again.
And no Aus. SUP history lesson goes down without mentioning the Naish window board that won the first Balmoral Beach to Bar race when Steve, Jacko and Ang were on the Naish team way back in…………… the dark ages 
