In this new SUPboarder Pro video series we are going to be looking and talking about the design features and shapes on your SUP. In this first video we are going to be talking about SUP bottom shapes.
Subscribe
17 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
kekoa
4 years ago
Excellent tutorial on bottom design! Thank you guys! Makes me want to go and analyze some boards now, and know how they will perform because i know what i’m looking for.
Ok Great discussion on bottom shape and effects, however you have the board/water physics around the wrong way. Even when surfing, The water does not move ( most of the time), board does. Even on a wave ( not breaking), the water is going up and down ( with a little shuffle forwards and back). If the water is moving anywhere relative to the board it is being moved sideways, plus any forward movement induced by drag. This is important because the actual water velocities , even when a board is moving quite fast are quite slow. The board is… Read more »
Hey Gregjet, thanks for your comment and feedback on the post and you are absolutely correct I have worded that incorrectly. It is the board that is moving not the water. Apart from when you’re throwing spray over your friends from big gouging top turns :-). Thanks for highlighting it’s a very complex subject and there is so much that’s going on under your board. I’m just trying to explain it in a very basic way and understand some of the terminology may be incorrect. Thanks so much for adding your comment it all helps.
cam
1 year ago
Bit confused here. On one of Norm Hanns video he said His Sunnova eco expedition is a flat bottom. It is designed for the ocean, however Reuben, in this video you said flat bottom is not great in the chop. Ocean boards encounter lots of chop no ? at about 3.40 in the video he mentions the “nice flat bottom” please explain
Any board with a flatter rock will work better in flatter water conditions and be much faster but as soon as the water conditions get rougher a board with more rocker will really help this. If your paddling flat water most of the time then this board set up would work well for expeditions but if you’re a paddling in a mixed bag conditions having a board more rocker like a starboard generation will work better.
I wasnt thinking rocker I was thinking bottom surface. ie flat vs concave or V shaped. I better watch your video again. Would my Go 10.8 single concave bottom be better or worse than a flat surface board in chop (rocker being equal) ?
Sorry understood. A recap on bottom shape. Concave. Works best in surf conditions at focusing the water from the front of the board towards the back and producing more speed. In flat water conditions that can give you a very stable platform because it holds the water in the middle of the board and makes it harder to rock from side to side. But at the same time it will be more slappy and noisier in choppy conditions and it won’t paddle as well that’s low speeds. Really designed to work well in surf. Flat bottom. Works in all conditions… Read more »
Great info. Thanks. I am surprised that a concave is good for surfing. Maybe I should take my Go 10.8 in the Surf. On the other hand the starboard “Go Surf” has a V bottom
In the surf all bottom shapes have there Pros and Cons.. most surf shape start with a single concave and then is shaped into a double concave at mid section and finishing at the tail with a v. This is super common.But still has it down sides! Defo try you Go in the surf, it will be fun.
I wasnt thinking rocker I was thinking bottom surface. ie flat vs concave or V shaped. I better watch your video again. Would my Go 10.8 single concave bottom be better or worse than a flat surface board in chop (rocker being equal) ?The sunova expedition has a flat surface bottom
Sorry, V is better in chop and works better on longer boards , but single concave is better when surfing and producing more speed on a wave. Flat bottom sits in better the both, works well on flat water and can ride bumps well too. So Yes good for all types of paddling. My mistake I thought your were talking about rocker line.
cam
1 year ago
I have a Go 10.8 hard sup with the concave bottom and I also have a generic flat bottom 20 pound carbon 10.2 x32 surf sup. It seems that the flat bottom carbon surf sup is more twitchy in moderate lake chop. I can be sent off balance easily in chop. I thought maybe it was because the carbon material doesnt flex but also it could be the flat bottom according to this video . So far the Go seems ok in moderate chop. I have to test both these boards in heavier ocean chop
The carbon material may make some difference to the feel of the board on the water. But you are probably more likely to be getting thrown off because of the lack of wave piercing nose on the GO. A board there is a little bit narrower up at the nose and can handle being buried into the schop a little bit more, and will be easier to paddle in choppy conditions, than having a wider (flatter) nose for example.
 – to access more content and expert support, check out 
 .
Excellent tutorial on bottom design!
Thank you guys! Makes me want to go and analyze some boards now, and know how they will perform because i know what i’m looking for.
Thats great and just what the video was meant to do. Really glad it has helped. Thanks for the comment.
Ok Great discussion on bottom shape and effects, however you have the board/water physics around the wrong way. Even when surfing, The water does not move ( most of the time), board does. Even on a wave ( not breaking), the water is going up and down ( with a little shuffle forwards and back). If the water is moving anywhere relative to the board it is being moved sideways, plus any forward movement induced by drag. This is important because the actual water velocities , even when a board is moving quite fast are quite slow. The board is… Read more »
Hey Gregjet, thanks for your comment and feedback on the post and you are absolutely correct I have worded that incorrectly. It is the board that is moving not the water. Apart from when you’re throwing spray over your friends from big gouging top turns :-).
Thanks for highlighting it’s a very complex subject and there is so much that’s going on under your board. I’m just trying to explain it in a very basic way and understand some of the terminology may be incorrect. Thanks so much for adding your comment it all helps.
Bit confused here. On one of Norm Hanns video he said His Sunnova eco expedition is a flat bottom. It is designed for the ocean, however Reuben, in this video you said flat bottom is not great in the chop. Ocean boards encounter lots of chop no ? at about 3.40 in the video he mentions the “nice flat bottom” please explain
Any board with a flatter rock will work better in flatter water conditions and be much faster but as soon as the water conditions get rougher a board with more rocker will really help this. If your paddling flat water most of the time then this board set up would work well for expeditions but if you’re a paddling in a mixed bag conditions having a board more rocker like a starboard generation will work better.
I wasnt thinking rocker I was thinking bottom surface. ie flat vs concave or V shaped. I better watch your video again. Would my Go 10.8 single concave bottom be better or worse than a flat surface board in chop (rocker being equal) ?
Sorry understood. A recap on bottom shape. Concave. Works best in surf conditions at focusing the water from the front of the board towards the back and producing more speed. In flat water conditions that can give you a very stable platform because it holds the water in the middle of the board and makes it harder to rock from side to side. But at the same time it will be more slappy and noisier in choppy conditions and it won’t paddle as well that’s low speeds. Really designed to work well in surf. Flat bottom. Works in all conditions… Read more »
Great info. Thanks. I am surprised that a concave is good for surfing. Maybe I should take my Go 10.8 in the Surf. On the other hand the starboard “Go Surf” has a V bottom
In the surf all bottom shapes have there Pros and Cons.. most surf shape start with a single concave and then is shaped into a double concave at mid section and finishing at the tail with a v. This is super common.But still has it down sides! Defo try you Go in the surf, it will be fun.
I think the Go surf is all V isnt it ?. I think Beau will be doing a video of this one. Will be interesting to see it
yeah it’s a great shape for the surf. Review on way.
I wasnt thinking rocker I was thinking bottom surface. ie flat vs concave or V shaped. I better watch your video again. Would my Go 10.8 single concave bottom be better or worse than a flat surface board in chop (rocker being equal) ?The sunova expedition has a flat surface bottom
Sorry, V is better in chop and works better on longer boards , but single concave is better when surfing and producing more speed on a wave. Flat bottom sits in better the both, works well on flat water and can ride bumps well too.
So Yes good for all types of paddling.
My mistake I thought your were talking about rocker line.
I have a Go 10.8 hard sup with the concave bottom and I also have a generic flat bottom 20 pound carbon 10.2 x32 surf sup. It seems that the flat bottom carbon surf sup is more twitchy in moderate lake chop. I can be sent off balance easily in chop. I thought maybe it was because the carbon material doesnt flex but also it could be the flat bottom according to this video . So far the Go seems ok in moderate chop. I have to test both these boards in heavier ocean chop
The carbon material may make some difference to the feel of the board on the water. But you are probably more likely to be getting thrown off because of the lack of wave piercing nose on the GO. A board there is a little bit narrower up at the nose and can handle being buried into the schop a little bit more, and will be easier to paddle in choppy conditions, than having a wider (flatter) nose for example.
The Go is much smoother in the chop. The 10.2 x 32 Carbon surf sup is twitchy in the chop. Carbon doesnt give right ?