starboard 8'10 widepoint

took my new carbon 8.10 widepoint out yesterday at surf beach. 6 inches to 1.5 feet dribble, a bit of south in the wind so not quite glassy. Had brother in law on my 10.8 cabrinha, sisters boyfriend on a 10 foot mana and also took my 9.6 allwave to compare.

First let me say that i have the 2011 model that is 151 litres as opposed to the current 143 litre model. Being carbon my widepoint also has the star touch as opposed to the real grip. secondly the other boards we had yesterday are amongst the most stable in the entiresup fleet. The mana is legendary for its ease of use, the allwave is the stablest board for its length ive ever surfed and the cabrinha at 10.8 long and 34 inches wide could probably land a plane on its deck. Hence the starboard 8.10 is in some pretty tough company in this comparison.

To clarify further i am an old fat experienced surfer who has supped for a couple of years, i tip the scales at 106 kg, a real test for any sub 9 foot board.

So how did the little starby do. Initially upon standing up, i wondered where the rest of the board had gone to. While only 8 inches shorter than the allwave it felt a third smaller. In terms of stability the starby had absolutely no troubles floating me, in fact it actually felt corkier than my allwave 9.2. I suppose thats what happens when you compress 151 litres into 8.10 of board. I found that the starby paddled better than i expected, it did not pull to one side after each stroke, like other smaller boards ive tried, and after a few minutes of getting used to it, i forgot how short it was. What i couldnt get used to was the star touch, i know youre supposed to get used to it, but for my liking its just not enough grip. Next surf i will try it with booties on, as thats supposed to help. as the breeze picked up i found the starby still fairly stable. in two odd hours i fell off three times standing around. It,s obviously not as stable as the allwave, mana or cabrihna, but the fact that it was not too uncomfortable and that i wasnt compelled to hop back on one of the much bigger boards speaks heaps for just how stable this little thing is comparative to its length.

So how does it surf, well this is a hard question to answer. With the kind of **** summer swell perth gets its hard to really rate boards. In stead ill tell you what it did do well and that is is paddles into knee to waist high close out beach breaks quickly and easily. Its got enough rocker not to nose dive on most take offs and picks up speed relativlely well. Where i did find a wall or workable face it appears to be quick and loose. however given my problems with the star touch, i ended up having to check any manouveres for fear of sliding off the board due to no grip. If we ever see real waves again, i will post a review of this board and also the cabrihna 9.8 pro sitting in the garage waiting for decent swell. Suffice to say that i am impressed by the little starby,s ability to comfortable float my 106 kg and catch waves relatively easily. Im sure the thing will surf really well, because there are heaps of guys ripping on them, unfortunately conditions didnt allow me to really test its capacity. you just gotta love perth knee to waist high mush.

Sameh, great review!! I've just had a laminectomy but not as major an operation as yours was. Mine was just a decompression of Spinal canal L2 and L3. I'm around the 100kg mark and was very impressed with the 9'6" Allwave. Did you by any chance paddle or try the 2012 8'10" Starby? In a few months (doctor allowing) my plan at the moment (it changes everyday) is to sell the 10'2" PSH Hull paddler and get an 8'10" Widepoint carbon for average to medium waves, because of the dead weight differential and then get a 9'11" or 9'6" Hull Ripper wide (carbon again if possible) for good waves.

The problem is that I loved the 9'6" Allwave and I'm not sure if I'll ever recover well enough, to get the full value out of the Hull Ripper. Can you tell if there was much difference between the Allwave and the Widepoint besides the obvious length differential. They make an 8'10" Allwave as well. Has anyone had a go on it?

Thanks Sameh. I'll probably go the 9'6" Allwave coupled with the 8'10" Starby if I can't handle the PSH Hull Rippers (Big chance I won't be able too.) I found the Allwave to be just as stable and loose as the Hull Paddler but it felt 5kg lighter. I've heard the new Widepoint will hang in on good waves and still perform anything I'm likely to produce. If all else fails I might try a custom. Cheers for the advice mate.

Hey Lou, check out this link it has made my decisions much harder!

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/West-Coast-of-Tas-Pic/

I've seen them in a shop together and there is bugger all difference, except for the small amount of extra length. Hope it helps.

The 9'6" all wave and the 9'2 are both more stable IMO than the 9'5 Wide point
I demoed all and purchased the 9'5 WP surfed better IMO and liked the wood look. coming off a 10' Mana the allwave was just as stable when waiting for waves..