What Board?

At 70 kgs you can go pretty low...and still keep stability. Plenty of good boards there..sunova,smik,jp,gong,naish etc...Regarding the smik hipster 8' i have it and love it! Im 90 kgs so for your 70kgs no issue at all ( i would even go lower) but its not a one board quiver..more like shoulder to overhead if not too hollow..

Hope that helps..

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windsurftom said..
Hi looking for ideas for my next board.

I weigh 70kgs and have a Jimmy Lewis Striker 8'11 which i surf at my local point. I can ride the nose and have started to get some decent turns in on it, but looking for something a bit smaller and with rocker, that i can use in bigger waves and beachies.

I want to have something i can turn a bit tighter and throw about more, but i still want a board that i enjoy paddling around (parallel feet/stance) and can comfortably stand and wait around for waves.

I was looking at something like the Hipster twin 8'0 or the Jimmy Lewis destroyer 8'0.

All advice or input is very welcome

I am the same weight and have a 7'7" JL Destroyer. Awesome board. Stable, manoeuvrable, light, strong My favourite short sup to date. Having said that, it is a big jump from the 8'11" Striker in terms of stability and comfort as you have said ' still want a board that i enjoy paddling around (parallel feet/stance) and can comfortably stand and wait around for waves. therefore' IMO, the 8' Destroyer will fit that bill.

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windsurftom said..
Thanks for the advice, i think i might go a bit smaller in the volume. The 7'10 hipster is 108 litres which is plenty, i just eant sure how well it would paddle as its shorter than i expected to ever get a SUP.

First off, you are probably comparing your future ride, to that of your Striker.
The Striker is pretty massive for your size, not to mention it's a different sort of board than most shorter SUPs.... so the performance upgrade of your next ride will be dramatic.

Before you think "smaller must be better"
Think about what YOU want out of your next step.
You have already mentioned you want a decent comfort level, while standing around waiting for waves.

If you want to rip vertical lip smacks, shorter may make that easier, but may make everything else harder.

To benefit from a truly short SUP, a rider must be very skilled.
I look at videos of most SUPsters riding their latest "short" board, but not doing anything more than they did on a much bigger SUP.

To me, speed is power. Power to turn. Power to go vert. Power to get past a dicy section.
In most cases, I find it much easier to pull off a great turn on board that has some surface area.
Surface area carries speed and offers the increased glide needed to power me up on maneuvers.

Surface area beats volume in my book.
Just make sure the shaper knows how to use it.

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supthecreek said..

windsurftom said..
Thanks for the advice, i think i might go a bit smaller in the volume. The 7'10 hipster is 108 litres which is plenty, i just eant sure how well it would paddle as its shorter than i expected to ever get a SUP.

First off, you are probably comparing your future ride, to that of your Striker.
The Striker is pretty massive for your size, not to mention it's a different sort of board than most shorter SUPs.... so the performance upgrade of your next ride will be dramatic.

Before you think "smaller must be better"
Think about what YOU want out of your next step.
You have already mentioned you want a decent comfort level, while standing around waiting for waves.

If you want to rip vertical lip smacks, shorter may make that easier, but may make everything else harder.

To benefit from a truly short SUP, a rider must be very skilled.
I look at videos of most SUPsters riding their latest "short" board, but not doing anything more than they did on a much bigger SUP.

To me, speed is power. Power to turn. Power to go vert. Power to get past a dicy section.
In most cases, I find it much easier to pull off a great turn on board that has some surface area.
Surface area carries speed and offers the increased glide needed to power me up on maneuvers.

Surface area beats volume in my book.
Just make sure the shaper knows how to use it.

Wise words creek! Tom one thing for sure is you will miss how well the striker paddles maybe the 8.5?demo demo if possible ,the 8.3 placid is worth a look as well Imo.