Hi,
Discovered this absolute gem amongst Starboard's numerous SUP models - SUPer Wave 8' 10"
www.star-board.com/2012/products/boards/index.php?id=super
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Looks perfect for cruising out and catching waves on those days when its too windy to surf and not strong enough to sail your waveboard - which potentially is quite a lot of days! Bonus free SUP for the Mrs :)
I already have a SUP with a mast thread in it but its designed primarily as a SUP and just doesn't go that well in the waves with a sail on and no footstraps.
Trouble is none of the shops stock them so unless someone has one they want to sell me I'll have to order one. - So please sell me yours 
I think the board is the same as the 8' 10" widepoint, just marketed under a different label.
I think the rails might cop a bit of a hiding from the mast but I think this genre is going to catch on more and more. I've been eyeing off a JP windsurf SUP with the same thing in mind.
I love the advice " when wave riding with a sail, only the front straps are used. For pure paddle boarding, no straps are needed" Thanks for that captain obvious. I'd have been stuffed without piece of info lol.
I have inspected one of these, it seems very lightweight.
I really don't understand why no rear strap(s)?
After riding you will understand, as the board is quite big you need to shift your foot around to dig the rail to try and get them to turn, the same for gybing, still fun on a quiet day tho
9'5" wide point at south west rocks yesterday. The wind just slumped but the grey slug ploughed on
155litre great fun ,rails a bit fat for serious upwind but very forgiving for cruising around capitalising on otherwise non planing conditions. Any of the sup's with mast foot sockets would be fun, like 9'5" 30" converse etc. a strap can be screwed to back foot position for carrying the rig or in the rare chance of really planing but as is stated in the marketing blurb , don't
go off the lip big time as they aren't built for jumping etc
9'5" wide point at south west rocks yesterday. The wind just slumped but the grey slug ploughed on
I have the Starboard Element 9'8".
Great for surfing and sup sailing
It has options for front and back straps and 3 mast foot options.
The front straps are great for sup sailing as they allow you to stay attached to the deck of your board when sailing out over waves and you can carry the board by strap and boom in and out of the water.
plus, you can take your foot out any time you like if you want to move it around.
I'd definitely recommend having the footstrap option to any windsurfer buying a sup. There's no downside.
Well the whole board is a compromise, it has a flat tail without any significant rocker which should make it plane nicely but why not a back foot strap then?
It's my understanding that it's not safe to sail around with only the front foot in.
And why the thruster fins with an A box if it has a planing tail?
If it's for surfing then why not some tail rocker?
At least the Exocet windsup has a powerbox and the step tail can sort of simulate tail rocker.
If this board is for light wind then one will be using big sails which would obviously work better with a big fin which won't work with the A box.
Am I wrong here
The SB's 8'10" Super and the 8'10" Widepoint are similar but different.
The wide point has front and rear straps, a different tail width and I suspect more tail rocker to loosen it up as in the surf.
I agree with Beagle.
For me, you don't really want a planing rocker. If it's windy enough to plane you might as well be on a wave/freestyle wave board which will be lighter. ...not a sup.
Where the sup sailing shines is in subplaning winds as a wave catcher. Then you want maneuverability in 5-10 kts of wind. ie tail rocker. http://www.star-board-sup.com/2012/product/?q=wide-point-8-10-32
www.star-board.com/2012/products/boards/index.php?id=super
I think I'd take the Widepoint shape over the Super.
I had that board for a while. I rode it in Byron Bay powered up with 5.4 NE ( could have been on a 90ltr wave board). It would plan for a bit then rock over and plough down again. I was bobbing forward and back going the plan and straight off again.
So don't expect it to plan like a sailboard it doesn't. That made the footstraps of very little use. They do make it easy to carry the board and rig down to the water however. If you have ever tried that on other SUP's it very difficult.
Wave. The wind was very onshore but I was constantly wanting more speed to get to the wave. Once on the wave it was nice but nothing like a sailboard. The conditions was less than ideal but it worked.
They are okay with sails but it's like taking a trial bike to an enduro.
Hi All and thanks for all the comments and photos.
I think in terms of the board design I'm hoping that its a windsurfer that you can sup rather than vice versa, not a light wind waveboard that you'd rig big and try to plane - more a platform to get out to the waves and have fun with a 4-5m sail and an uphaul rope - so it needs to be more wave riding oriented than planing.
I've been using a tabou sup to sail with and its ok but you really need front footstraps for getting out over the whitewater and for gripping the board if you're pumping onto a wave.
I read somewhere that Scotty had a hand in the design and there were some movies of him sailing it in waves, it got a good writeup from planchemag:http://www.star-board.com/wp/?p=1842
Still waiting to see if the distributor can get hold of one for me!!
I own the 9'1 pro (2010). I reckon the footstraps were a great addition, but I stopped putting the back one in unless the wave was overhead (and recently only the waveriding side). The boards will plane up when powered up, but the straps are placed for wave riding, with the focus on turning and not for planing around. The comments above about using a proper sailboard in planing winds are valid, however there is a a crazy good feeling bearing off wind on your board massively out of control that the sup offers in 20ktsplus. I found that putting a sailboard fin in the box improved its sailing performance (even on the wave), but hampered it's surfing performance with the paddle (so be prepared to swap). I considered the 8'10 wp but chose the 9'1 because of its improved surfing performance. After all I will be surfing it more that I sailsurf it. That said in sub planing conditions I have taken this board out in much bigger than I thought possible and it rips. Good luck with buying a board, I reckon you'll love which ever one you choose. Will try and add some pics when I get the chance.
Hi All,
Ended up ordering a WindSUP - should be here in August
Will post a review and some photos
