SURF BOARDS – REVIEW
Test Editor Dave Ewer
“I don’t like surfing, can’t see the point, I’d much prefer to paddle on the flat” said no one, ever. No one actually prefers to paddle on the flat, they just chose to if there’s no waves, surely this is always the case?
This test review was originally published in the Winter 2017 issue
of SUP International Magazine.
A couple of months ago I was teaching surf SUP to an older guy, he’d been bought a lesson as a gift and came along for a session. He’d been paddling on the flat and enjoying his SUP’ing on his inflatable for a year or two. After a brief intro on the beach, perfect small glassy waves were beckoning us onto the water. Within 20 minutes (after falling in a few times) our man was gliding across a sand bar on a knee-high peeler for all of 50 metres. At the end of his first long wave he fully and rightfully claimed it as if it was a perfect double over head barrel at Pipeline, the joy and satisfaction on his face was quite remarkable. It then dawned on me that this gentleman (say 60 years old) had never stood up on a wave in his life. This made realize that some people will live their lives never being in his position, oh my word never let it be you! Surfing any kind of water craft is quite simply one of life’s great pleasures, and SUP’n makes it easy, don’t go to the grave without ever surfing a wave…
ON TEST
This issue we’ve got a great selection of surf SUPs, some super easy, some made to push the boundaries. The new sleeker refined Fanatic Stubby 8’10 certainly is a leap forward into 2nd generation of stubby boards, stable and eager to make the best of a sloppy day at the beach. Both the Bic 9’2 Performer and the new Starboard Wide Point 9’5 gave us stability and ease of use with their chunky volume and wider decks. The Bic is still hard to beat as a tough first time wave board, while the Starboard offers a new improved sharper shape and a bit more performance this year. Then we have the two different approaches to performance surfing SUP’s. First the short but very stable (for its size) Smik Hipster Twin, which was by far the most maneuverable of the group and very light too. And finally, the new Naish Mad Dog which was eager to make the most of the chunkier waves offered a super grippy bottom turn and was light underfoot in its new carbon construction. SUP