Just tried out the Starboard Ocean Rescue board in the beach break at Sandy Point in Vicco, I'd forgotten what it's like surfing a big board - exciting but bloody scary.
The board is 12'2 x 28 x 6-ish, plenty of rocker, relatively fine tail, fun and easy to surf and all of that but just felt soooo big. Makes me realise why boards like the Mana and the Whopper are so popular compared to the giants that most of us started in surf on. Can really feel it in my lower back too, it was about 20 knots cross off, forgotten the lower back strain of turning a big board around through the wind in a hurry to get on a wave.
One good thing was the handle on the tail, never tried one before but it was real luxury to flip the board over grab the handle and deal with a washing, bit tempted to put one onto my wave board.
Anyway, was a real eye opener after my 8'5 and my 9'8 x 29 x 4 BIG BOARD, don't think I'll be sending any newbies out on a big guy like that without a helmet on. Mind you it was luxury getting onto waves way way out the back, don't worry I wasn't hogging, I'd gone way up the beach to get away from everyone. Was fun in a retro (3 years ago!) way but can't help thinking a huge board like that is a pretty good way to hurt yourself in any sort of bigger waves.
The thought of someone learning to SUP and surf at the same time on something that size is a bit like the agony we went through in the early windsurfing days on the wally windsurfers. All good fun but hard work
Hi I know what you mean hard to turn a handfull if your caught inside mines 11'/31"/4"3/4 but great fun because so stable
Hi Jonathon,
Not all big boards are hard to turn or dangerous in big surf IMO.
You are at a serious disadvantage on large volume or long boards due to your super light weight.
With 90+ kg a well designed 12fter will turn on a dime with the right fin / fins and technique. With a nice drop knee and paddle assist you can easily pull cut backs on a 12fter.
The PSH 12 foot gun creams it in big to huge surf so does the Laird and with the right fins they both rip. See the video of Noah Yap ripping on the 12 gun cut backs helicopters and he would not have been much more than 40 - 50kg? at a guess.
I would rather punch out through a serious shore break on the gun (which penitrates the wave) than a mana ( full nose wants to go up and over and pitch you off) any day of the week.
Just my opinion.
Phill
Ha ha retro is three years ago 
As a fellow member of the 90kg+ club I think I agree with Phil. Us big heavier guys can really throw around a big board in some (not all!) situations. Whereas a lightweight surfer has to have much better technique to get away with stuff the bigger guys can brute force to an extent.it's the same in reverse really. A bigger guy has to be much lighter on their feet to get a shorter board to perform in a way that lighter surfers do. Just my 2c
Certainly agree Phil - in fact I was thinking of you on the PSH 12' Gun when I was out there. I'm a big fan of the PSH, I've only paddled it on flat water on a downwinder but I really like it.
I did have fun on the Ocean Rescue but keep in mind it's designed for taking two people but be narrow enough to kneel paddle so it's super fat - no way was I sinking a rail on that baby! It certainly turned well even with my weight but I was very careful to keep out of its way, either get off the wave early enough or ride the whitewater all the way in. I've done a downwinder on the Ocean Rescue and it was actually really nice, not Surf Race 14 or Glide 14 pace but surprisingly good and so nice and cruisy surfing.
My comment about the Mana / Whopper type boards was more aimed at beginner surfers, and agree again about getting through whitewater on a gun as a preference. It'll be interesting to see how the Starboard Wide Point concept goes for beginner surfers, trying to maintain a finer nose traditional surfboard outline but with enough width for stability.
Guess it was a (fun) shock to the system after surfing most of the time on my 8'5 x 29 lately. Still get a real kick out of trying different boards in different conditions and trying to make it work - did a downwinder on my 9'8 before Christmas, it was big enough that I caught quite a few rides out in the Bay. When I was in Maui last year Mickey Eskimo was at Maliko doing the car shuffle, he'd just done a Maliko run on his 8'4 waveboard - legend! Mix it up, don't take it all too seriously and have fun
Hey Jonathon,
The reason I made the comment is, I see so many people try to start out on very short SUP boards that have not mastered the basics and then getting very disheartened. A 100+ kg guy riding a sub 9'6 board in rough conditions including cross chop and strong wind has to have serious game.
The other BIG board that I really like, in fact it was pure fun is the Starboard 12'6 you loaned me. It surfs really well in both big and small surf. Again I changed the fin to a 7 inch Glide cut away and with the rocker it has its very nimble for a board that length.
I watched a guy on a 11'6 Naish kill it at the Roar comp in QLD last year. He paddled in with ease in the crappy conditions where most of the others on shorter SUPs struggled. He surfed beautiful big long lines it was a pleasure to watch and he made the final in the amateur division.
What I saw in his surfing was "control" his back foot hit the edge of the rail on both sides and he didnt use force, he used finesse with foot position and paddle placement and it was impresssive to see (imo).
Puts hobby horse back in the shed
Phill.
