Zeusman said..

Piros said..
but they keep you close to the pocket unless you want to charge the flats with speed!

That's right this design lets you do exactly that keeps you close to the pocket all Vanguard styles really excel at this when they power behind them them , my comment was based on when the wave dies the short line and length lets you sink. Pick your days and you can't get a better board it's in some occasions on slow fat days you need a different board from your quiver. This applies to all Vanguard Sups not taking a shot at Gulliver which I think are pretty sweet.

Piros, in another thread you mentioned Naish have done a Vanguard style. Where do i find it?

Sure this was 6'6" with 4 channels, Naish gave up its production. Was an up to date board, by the time of i start seeking about SUP is the only board i get interesting for despite it was already too wide board , about 30"
if someone can remenber a picture or movie about . I can't find this Youtube movie where Kay Lenny surfing it on a small right wave in Hawai's cove.

The Naish release was secret squirrel stuff I got to see , not officially released yet. This is my personal opinion only but I think short and fat is not the go you need to be as narrow as possible .Starboard have gone the reverse to ridiculously small 6-10 x 23 for Zane and really thats how this shape translates best to sups , but only freaks can ride it. When you see the top guys riding these in comps you know they have got it right .

Kami you might have cracked the nut

Actually I think that a SUP comp generally requires a board that is able to be surfed in ****ty conditions and require much more emphasis on paddling speed. When I free sup surf I can sit, wait for sets and start falling off when I get tired.. I can pick the best conditions and be fully rested when I catch a wave. I think that SUP surfing in competitions are at present in a different category to free SUP surfing due to the "rules " of a SUP competition and where and when the event takes place.. Which generally is not in the best spots for the sport to take place. So I think that the board design for SUP surfing in competitions will always be longer and wider than free surfing SUP boards unless a) the conditions change where the competition takes place or
b) the rules of the sport change to allow for competitors to rest in between sets with a longer heat time
I surf my vbox cause it rips... Not cause I want to win a competition which is a different beast requiring strategies and surfing in conditions which you would not normally bother about going out in.

Surf FX stock Sunovas, give them a call regarding prices.

I got a session on a 7'6 (i am 86kg) Gulliver Vanguard and when i got my first wave i was surprised how much it actually didn't feel like riding a sup as I knew it = pretty much down to how little drag it had and how you could throw very tight turns around without having to deal with any momentum from your last turn. Sooo keen to session one in glassy perfect 2-3 - already mapped out my lines :-) .... want one.