Dear Randall: I am looking for a SUP. I weigh 240# and am 5'10 tall. I surfed for 30+ years and was very good at it but have not been in water for several years. I am a little out of shape but up to the challenge. I am 58 years old. I am looking for a good paddling board that I can also surf smaller waves on. Some shops are saying I should get a 11'+ to 12' board. One guy showed me a 10'3" Lopez and told me that a 11' board was way too large and that the Lopez would suit me much better. He seemed to be experienced. The people selling the larger boards looked more like typical sales people... What are your thoughts? Thanks....JohnJohn,
If you own a quiver of boards a 10'3" Lopez is definitely sweet. I'm also 58 yrs old and I have a Lopez SUP board, but I also have a 12' Ron House that I paddle every day on flatwater and an 11'6" Takayama Surftech that I surf most of the time. I pull out the Lopez when its glassy and fast. If you're building a quiver I recommend starting with the biggest board first. You'd be surprised by the capabilitie
s of a 12' board in the surf and with a bigger board you have fewer unexpected falls and a much faster glide.
If you own a quiver of boards a 10'3" Lopez is definitely sweet. I'm also 58 yrs old and I have a Lopez SUP board, but I also have a 12' Ron House that I paddle every day on flatwater and an 11'6" Takayama Surftech that I surf most of the time. I pull out the Lopez when its glassy and fast. If you're building a quiver I recommend starting with the biggest board first. You'd be surprised by the capabilitie
s of a 12' board in the surf and with a bigger board you have fewer unexpected falls and a much faster glide. Another way of looking at my board quiver is that they're not just mine! My wife Cristina paddles the 11'6" Takayama and my daughter the 10'3" Lopez as their everyday paddlers. When we do get a rare trip to the beach, the surfs up and I often have my choice of the whole quiver!
If your heart's really set on the Lopez, I have a 10'3 Lopez in stock, its got a custom North Shore deck pad and goes for $1579. Plus freight down to San Diego. NO sales tax in Oregon! All the pricing is on the StandUpPaddleBend.com website.
Aloha --- Randall Barna
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Accessories like deck pads, surf leashes, board locks, etc.
Photos: Isabella, Cristina and Randall with our quiver of boards.
Jack Gillen with his quiver in Hawaii.
Jack Gillen with his quiver in Hawaii.
Jack Gillen with part of his quiver
Nuthin wrong with big boards, especially if you're going to do some distance paddling. The big question is your weight and the kind of paddling you're going to do. If you want to go long, you need a board with a little rocker to get the curves in the nose up out of the water and fairly straight rails. The Laird 12' would be a bad choice in this case because it has a continuous curve to the rail--you'll be pushing water all the time.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to wind up with a lot of SUP boards--everyone says they're only going to get one, then the madness takes over. But I'd start with a big one. If you're over 220 I'd consider a 12 footer. Under, maybe a wide and thick 11.
There's a board showcase on Ke Nalu (the SUP online magazine I do) that shows about 60 boards and give riding impressions.
http://www.kenalu.com