New guy wanting advice on board

[captainjim]

Okay guys and gals, I'm on a journey to improve my health.  I am a big guy.  A year ago I was up to almost 420lbs.  I was in a motorcycle accident and got messed up pretty bad.  Since then I have been doing pt and I am on a strict diet and exercise plan.  I am down to 386 as of yesterday.  I have a long way to go but I recently moved to florida and want to sup.  I have a tower adventurer 2 and I can stand on it but it is very unstable.  What board would you recommend?  I tried a supatx adventure xl and it too is pretty wobbly.  It is better than the tower board but still after several tries is very unstable.  Thoughts?

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

star board avanti

[Wetstuff]

C-J, I am not near your size, but I need stability; the magic number for me is 32".   I think Outside hit it - I've never heard anything bad about the Avanti. And because it surfs pretty good, you get a bonus. (I think SuptheCreek had one...) You picked a good sport to reach your goals ..all the while "having fun" rather than work.

Jim

[captainjim]

I looked at the avanti and even the atlas extra but both are only rated for 286lbs.  I struggled on the supatx board and it is said to float 400

[SlatchJim]

Blue Planet (site sponsor) makes the "Boss" 10-8 x 36" and "Sumo" 11-2 x 40"
SUP Sports (site sponsor) will make you a custom any way and size you like it.

[UKRiverSurfers]

How about a 16 foot iSUP?

[robon]

Jimmy Lewis Searcher. I've seen pics of that board loaded with over 400 pounds.

Bote Rackham or Ahab could be worth a look too.

[UKRiverSurfers]

These look totally awesome

[Badger]

Wow, yeah I like that catamaran. It's more of a paddleboat than a board. I like the standing platform and all the mount options. I'll bet it weighs a ton though. A little wider and you could pitch a tent on it and do overnight cruises.

[captainjim]

yea that thing is cool but what a monster.  I would like something I can carry from the car to the ocean.  That looks a little heavy.  I'm going to keep struggling with the supatx board for a while and see if I can't find my legs. 

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

Captain Jim  how old are you? if you are younger   your muscles and balance  will improve must faster  than some of 60+ers on here. if so try the avanti rent one some where. It will be frustrating at first  then it will get better start with flat gassy water . 

[JimK]

Capt Jim

I'm a BIG guy and you are overlooking a VERY CRITICAL design aspect
First at over 300# and 57yrs old I can walk around the Avanti (and other boards like it) like a cabin cruiser SUPER stable

So WHY are you having trouble with your board?

Answer is REAL simple STIFFNESS OF CONSTRUCTION
No offense here but your brand and the proposed SUPATX aren't exactly top quality construction. I'm sure the scientist here on the zone can explain the physics (I can't) But if your board flex it absorbs energy reducing your speed forward thus making you feel unstable  That is how it feels for us BIG guys

So what is the solution
First avoid price point boards they can't work for us
Second You need more than 215L of volume
Third (and maybe most important) width needs to be 34" or wider)
Lastly go with a quality mfg in a decent quality construction

OK that last point won't be cheap but in the long run buying the right board once is cheaper than buying (the wrong board) cheap board multiple times.

models to look at
SB Avanti (Top of the list)
SB Atlas Extra OK design but kinda  limited to flatwater
Sunova 10'11 SURF (AMAZING construction)
Fanatic Fly 11'2 best cost benifit option

Last point:
SUP's don't work for us big guys the way they do for most other sized folks It takes a big guy to get you the right stuff I'd be happy to help PM or email me

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing

[FeralInBaja]

Capt Jim!!! Man!!! Good on ya for taking the bull by the horns and rehabbing after the accident! Though my struggle isn't much compared to yours, I was hurt in a big wave accident and fought for years to successfully rehab, my back hurts right now from the killer waves I got this morning. I know zero about large or even normal size SUP boards, I've only been SUP'ing just under 9 months, but I can say Jim K of Extreme Windsurfing is really cool and helpful, and Robert Stehlik of Blue Planet Surf is a righteous human being. They're both site sponsors here and you probably still don't know how incredibly cool this StandUpZone community (called Zoners) is. Keep in touch here, tell us your progress, gripe if you need to when stuff gets hard. There are absolute brothers here. Hang in there, grab this life with both hands (and a paddle while you're at it).
Feral

[UKRiverSurfers]

yea that thing is cool but what a monster.  I would like something I can carry from the car to the ocean.  That looks a little heavy.  I'm going to keep struggling with the supatx board for a while and see if I can't find my legs.

It's not necessarily heavy. Take the Standmaran from SIC for example. Seriously light.

If your on a big budget - I'd go custom for sure.

[SUP Sports ®]

Blue Planet (site sponsor) makes the "Boss" 10-8 x 36" and "Sumo" 11-2 x 40"
SUP Sports (site sponsor) will make you a custom any way and size you like it.

We just built this custom vacuum bagged bamboo veneer, double stringer, 11'6" x 40" @ 301 liters, Hammer with extra PVC reinforcement in the standing area, for a big guy that's 6'5" 350#, who will be paddling it in Pennsylvania...it came in under 30#...we've got a custom laser cut pad on it's way...

http://blog.surfingsports.com/2016/04/thors-hammer.html

http://supsports.com/standup-paddle-boards/california-custom-series/

http://supsports.com/standup-paddle-boards/hammer-series/

IMO, the SB Avanti has waaay too much rocker...we have better paddling and surfing options now for bigger guys...also, Made in USA...