Hii All,
i wanted some thoughts on next board. I'm on Naish Mana 9'5 and it's great in small full waves but now I need an upgrade.
I'm thinking X32 8'8 or 8'3? Or even raptor, minion?
Currently 78kg and 5'11 tall. Im good on Mana in all conditions and have been SUP for two years and surfing long and short boards for 30+ years.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
cheers
Dave
Hi Dave
I am your height, just a few Kgs lighter. A couple of weeks ago I demoed an 8'5 mana. It caught waves really easily, was light, easy to manoeuvre/turn and plenty stable enough when standing waiting for waves.
If you can, get and try a few different boards- there are lots to choose from.
Cheers Pete
Hi Dave check out the sunova speed 8.10 at 130 lts or 9.2 at 144 lts.Im on 8.10 at 85 kilos and 180cm.These boards are incredible on the waves however the less width does take a little time to adjust to on 8,10 but pays off in a big way on the waves.Good luck.If you look up member sup the creek video on this forum under summer fun on my speed, you can watch the board in action on really cruizy little waves.Hope this is of some help.
You should also have a look at the Blue Planet Potato Chip, http://blueplanetsurf.com/collections/2015-blue-planet-sups/products/blue-planet-86-x-32-potato-chip-carbon-2015
There's a few photos of it and chat about it on this thread too, www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Blue-Planet-SUPS/
Also if you're in the area Blue Planet are having a demo day this Sunday 22/11 at Long Reef, check out their FB page (www.facebook.com/blueplanetsup/) for full details
I totally agree with SUPHIREAUS, the Potato Chip is an awesome board. I'm having so much fun on it and I'm 90 kms. It is stable , fast and you can really throw it around. 
im loving the Bam Bam
www.thesurfboardwarehouse.com.au/sups/board-type/surf/
$850 - how could you go wrong.
Also got the Evoke if you are looking for something more traditional
www.thesurfboardwarehouse.com.au/sups/surf/waterborn-evoke-bamboo-2016.html
it is also awesome and only $899.
Good selection of boards suggested here.....
I have to toss the Sunova Speeed into the ring.... I have 2 now, and have sold on all my other boards because I just didn't ride them any more.
It is a very surprising board.... try to demo one, it is quite different from all the other "Tomo" styles.
From your comments, I suggest trying the 8'10
have fun. Shopping is half the fun!
Amy of the above boards would be an excellent choice, the trick is to find the one that best suits you. Demo, demo, demo!
I had a 9'5" widepoint and went to the X32 8'8", but that was after 8 months of SUPing and I had almost 20 kg on you (at the time). So I think you can afford to go shorter. The 8'10" Speeed (which I also have) is less stable than the X32, but I suspect you'll be fine on it. It is a lot of fun!
I also have the 7'10" Minion, which is even less stable than the Speeed. It is my go-to board if the waves are fun size - but at this stage if it is windy/choppy then I find the Minion a bit tricky (but I am 88 kg and 6'3"). So the Minion would provide a real challenge, but it is very maneuverable.
So many choices... 
I'm same weight and height as you and found a lot of the longer 32" wide boards were too big and corky for my size. The shorter 32" boards were slow through the water and had little glide. Bought a 7'8 minion and loved it on a clean day but it's a lot of work when there's a bit of wind and chop. Now on a Blue Planet 8'6 Potato Chip which is 32" wide but only 123 litres. They're thinner (3.75") and have very fine rails which are way easier to bury. Super stable and super fast. A similar dimensioned board although more rockered and pulled in tail is the Starboard 8'8 airborn but you will pay at least a grand more for a comparable construction.
Go Small!!
Go 8ft or less and go as narrow as you can go.
I am similar dim's..one inch shorter...40 years old
7'7 x 27 Starboard Pro 95L 2015
This covers all days big or small.
Conditions - Clean to light texture (working on making this the all around and handling chopper conditions)
8'0 x 28 Starboard Pro 96L 2014
This board was my go to and now has become my crap day board or when I am too tired to surf the 7'7.
I am not a big fan of wide boards. Once I gave a narrow board a "real" go and was committed to catching a wave, the difference in performance on the wave was so undeniable that I decided that the "work" it would take to get good on a small board as well the "work" to balance during sessions was worth the payoff of performance on the wave. It took sometime and many dips in the drink but I am a better surfer because of it.
PUSH YOURSELF!!!
Wow some boards here I've never heard of!
This certainly puts the cats among the pigeons!!
sunovas look good and need to look up blue planet never heard that before now.
Thanks to all and I'll up date once I demo a few!
