Fatstick SUP Skate 8' - SUPboarder Magazine

What the brand says

Most stand up paddle surfing equipment – especially boards – currently service riders already versed in the art of sliding waves. Add the fact most SUP equipment is optimised for average to lightweight paddlers and you have a huge void to cross before entering the domain of surf performance. Even with the current raft of so called ‘Tomo’ inspired ‘stubby’ style ‘no-nose’ shapes – actually billed as easy boards to carve and manoeuvre – paddlers need a degree of experience and skill under their belts. The biggest of these SUPs is still small compared to what SUPers start their paddling journey on – trust us, we’ve used them. This makes stepping into the performance surf realm all the more daunting.

So what if we told you that here at Fatstick HQ we’ve addressed this fundamental problem? What if we’d put our thinking caps on, utilised the design capabilities of an experienced (UK) shaper and had come up with a stand up paddle surf board that’s not only easy to use, but makes getting to grips with wave riding basics a doddle while busting down the door of mass participation performance SUP surfing. What if there was a board available capable of delivering stand up paddle surfing to all comers – even heavyweights?

Enter stage left our brand spanking new SUPSkate 8ft. Conceived on the slack surf shores of the south coast our ‘ugly duckiling’ of a board is the perfect tool for those who’ve been struggling with perfecting the art of riding waves. Coming with an unusual looking reduced volume step deck (affectionately know as the duck’s bill), extremely wide squared off tail, quad fin configuration, stability by the bucket load and manoeuvrability you usually only find on super small tooth pick boards, the SUPSkate is poised to turn all you budding wave head rockstars into that very thing – legends of your local break.

The Fatstick SUPSkate 8ft utilises the design talents of south coast board shaper George Burras. George has rammed volume and width into this performance surf SUP – 130L x 32” – without needing to extend the board beyond 8ft. Shorter SUPs are always more agile, but usually the additional width (needed to make it user friendly) – in the tail especially – limits how far you can push your SUP’s rippability. The SUPSkate’s secret is a carefully crafted hull shape which allows riders to slash turns akin to a world tour pro.

If you’re already at a proficient level then you’ll love the loose and skatey nature the Fatstick SUPSkate 8ft displays when ridden off the tail. If you’re a progressing intermediate then have no fear, carving and turning from just forward of the fins is still possible and will be almost as radical. It therefore makes the perfect tutoring platform but offers a degree of progression not usually seen with performance surfboards.

And bigger paddlers should definitely apply here! With the quoted dimensions there’s no need to fear more manoeuvre orientated stand up paddle boards any longer – the SUPSkate is stable, forgiving, composed and easy to control. All without losing the ability to carve, slash, slide and pivot on small to medium sized waves.

In fact, mush burger riders should also pay the Fatstick SUPSkate some attention. It’s impossible to convey just how nimble this SUP is in cruddy conditions. And let’s not forget, if you need a stick to step up into bigger/hollower conditions then our Fish range fits the bill perfectly – Fatstick have got you covered.

So welcome to the future: A Performance SUP surf board for conditions most paddlers find themselves confronted with 90% of the time. A performance SUP that suits mid to heavyweights but lends itself to lighter riders looking to improve. An everyman (or woman) surf SUP that’s 100% home grown, designed and built in the UK and conceived by ‘real world riders’. And all from the house of affordable SUPs – Fatstick. Bet you didn’t see that one coming did you?

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Fatstick SUP Skate 8′

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