Stand up paddle surfing question for people who actually do it?

Question

Thanks for taking time to read this. I'm on a tight budget and about to take up stand up paddle surfing. Is it ok to buy a 10 foot foam soft top (the brand's name is "Surface") and I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with that beginner surfboard brand. I'm 190 pounds. Will it be enough to surf well.

Answer 1

thats a good size for an allround, may be a little harder to get into it but once you got it you wont have to trade it in for a shorter one for a while, plus you can get away with using as a reg surfboard too!

Aloha

Thomson Surfboards Hawaii

Answer 2

im not the best sup'er in the world, actually i just got into it in april and love it.  i would say that it would probably be a little hard to learn on, especially at your weight.  since it is designed as a longboard it may be too narrow to give you the stability you want to have in an sup.  it also probably doesnt have the float you would need to really be stable.  if the shop your buying from lets you try to take it out on the water and just stand on it.  youll want to stand in a prone position (both feet next to each other and facing forward) if it feels really stable under you then you may be able to get away with it.  it seems at your weight that the board also may not be strong enough (the surface boards are pretty cheaply made).  dont forget to factor in the price of a paddle (about $200 for a decent one). it sucks that its still so expensive to get into.  try posting this question on a reputable stand up forum as people on those sites usually have a little more experience than i do.  heres one that i read all the time that has some good information on it: http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.p...

ps- make sure to get a leash when you get the board, i didnt and have spent most of this afternoon fixing the nose of my board because it found the one rock on the shore

i just thought of one more thing, a better cheap option may be a used beginners windsurf board.  they are floaty enough and stable enough to stand on.  im not sure where exactly to pick one up or the cost, but it should be less than a new sup and be easier to learn on than a longboard designed for normal surfing.

Answer 3

You could get a small boat and cut out the bottom and stand on that. make sure you get a very long graphite paddle, and make sure its very sharp.

Answer 4

I have seen a few 10' "surface' boards at a kayak rental store, but I have to admit I have never seen one in the water. For that matter, I have only seen a handful stand up surfers at all. For what it's worth, the Surface boards for sale and rent looked to as good a quality as you would find in any softop.  I am around 220, and I would feel comfortable on it. It looked nice and fat (3" + blank, and real wide). If the price is right try it. Nobody laughs at anybody standing up anyhow, so I'm sure the softop won't draw any unnecessary ridicule from the less mature crowd.