Select to expand quoteThe VIP said..
I surfed (very poorly) a minimal for a few years before I had a benign brain tumour and lost most of my sight. Then proceeded to get fat and really unfit but kept looking for a way to get myself going again. Just wanted to get a surfing life back. Tried lots of different things but kept getting hurt or sick til I found a tricycle. Best thing ever... started riding to the shops for lunch everyday then a bit further and further. tweaked the diet (still a work in progress) and the weight started coming off. After about a year and a half of this took the first step back into the ocean on my old minimal on a tiny/flat day at Noosa. That must have been a sight for the people on the rocks watching this fat guy with dark glasses and a helmet crawling across the rocks to get to ocean. Almost got to my feet that day, but knew how far i'd fallen. The 2 things I found out that day were that I needed to get used to the light and the motion of the ocean again. This was November 08. Went and bought a boogie board and spent summer and til easter riding it between the flags at home(Peregian). Took the winter off from riding the booger but still rode the trike to keep the fitness going. Start of spring started going to the pool and swimming laps to bump the fitness up a notch or 2. Mid November my brother said he was paddling his mal to get fit so I got in on that. We were paddling at Noosa and kept seeing these SUPs, said i'd like to try one to see if I could do it so mid December 2009 went to the local SUP school (SUP NOOSA) What a day.. I could stand and paddle on 1 side but fell off when trying to change sides BUT I'm up and going, it's like stepping on the fast forward button of getting my surfing life back- one of the best days in a looooooong time! Went to a demo day a few days later tried heaps of boards and found the one to start on, an 11 foot Nsp. Started riding Monday to Friday, mostly flat water but out in the bay when we could. Then on February 5 2010 got my first wave!!! Just fluked onto it,concentrating so hard I didn't even realise til I went past my brother and he was cheering. That was the start of what has mostly been a great ride. Had a few detours over the journey, a change in my brothers life mid 2014 meant he couldn't bring my board anymore so I went to riding a softboard til the bus drivers put a stop to that ( too long) then got a midlength( 8 foot max on bus) and things changed again winter 2018 ...back on the sup fulltime rest of 2018 til a bad wipeout late that year(nerve damage to my shoulder) combined with some personnel issues wiped out most of 2019. But thanks to seabreeze classifieds I bought a 2 piece sup I can get on the bus WOOHOO. Only used it a few times til this covid stuff so I;m just waiting it out so I can restart yet again.
Thats a hell of a journey VIP. At least you're at Noosa - hard to find a better spot.
VIP you teach us all a lesson. Paddle while you can because you just don't know what's around the
Select to expand quoteNofear4 said..
Most board reviews are written by tallish males 80-100gs in weight. I'm female, 5'3' and weigh 50kgs. There is a shortage of information for someone my size to read about regarding potential boards that I will 'grow into' as my proficiency improves. I love my 9'5" x 32 156L sup but my height makes it very difficult putting it on the car roof independently and I don't think I'll ever be able to reach the kick board on a wave as my legs are pretty short. Any suggestions other than practice, practice, practice?
Hi Nofear, nice story.
I would suggest a reduction in length (between 8' and 9', depending on your paddling power), volume (something in the 90 / 110 liters range), and width, but keeping a wide nose and tail. I am only 59 but found out that with age, my lateral balancing reflexes were slower, so I has to have boards a bit wider than when I was younger to keep the same confort. But at your height you should be comfy with something 29" wide, more or less depending on your conditions (chop / glassy)
Having a board that can fit inside your car could be much more practical for you.
Select to expand quoteGboots said..Nofear4 said..
I'm smiling from ear to ear after reading positive responses to my post! Thanks, guys 
The waves have been almost non existent this week so I've been practicing my paddling.
The days are warm and the water feels so good.
Thanks for the board advice. I did try a 9.0" x 30 (Carbon Vex) which I found stable and easier to manoeuvre than my 9' 5 x 32.
Sadly, they are no longer in production. Have also played on 9'8 and 10' wide boards but found them too long for me.
Something at 9ft by 30 wide would be a reasonable step down in my opinion . The vex is a decent option .
Other boards that come to mind are Starboard Converse (not sure if they still make but it would be an excellent choice ) , JP Surf 9'2 (if you can find one).
I am surprised the Vex is still not in production .
They seem really popular
Hi Gboots, After searching hi and lo for a 9x30 Vex, someone at the beach mentioned they saw one for sale 2nd hand - KiteandSup at Warners Bay has some really good deals. Waiting for delivery this week. So excited! Thanks for your recommendations.
