Paddlesports (Kayaking, Canoe, Stand-Up Paddle boards)

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 09:44

I've just spoken to the sales team at the SupCo and the JP 11' is back in stock next week. The fanatic is available now for delivery tomorrow.
I think once I'm out on the water, More confident then it will give me a chance to decide what type of boarding I prefer. This may influence decisions further down the line.

Martynt74 · 28 Apr 2021 at 09:50

To be fair i don't think you could go wrong with either. They're both excellent brands and make great products. If it were me i'd go for the Fanatic purely based on the size of being a little longer/narrower.

One thing i'd suggest with the JP would be to spend the extra £30 on the Fanatic paddle

It'll make a big difference over the Aqua Marina one they include as standard

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 09:55

Martynt74 said:
To be fair i don't think you could go wrong with either. They're both excellent brands and make great products. If it were me i'd go for the Fanatic purely based on the size of being a little longer/narrower.

One thing i'd suggest with the JP would be to spend the extra £30 on the Fanatic paddle

It'll make a big difference over the Aqua Marina one they include as standard

Yeah, Both seem great boards and not seen much bad said against any of them to be honest.
The JP is actually a little longer and narrower at 11' and 33" wide compared to the Fanatics 10'8 and 34" wide.
I have been advised to get the better paddle too so that will be added.

Martynt74 · 28 Apr 2021 at 09:58

michty_me said:
Yeah, Both seem great boards and not seen much bad said against any of them to be honest.
The JP is actually a little longer and narrower at 11' and 33" wide compared to the Fanatics 10'8 and 34" wide.
I have been advised to get the better paddle too so that will be added.

Ah sorry, i was refering to the 11'6x31 Fanatic

https://www.thesupco.com/sup-boards-c1/fanatic-11-ft-6-ray-air-pure-2021-p1155

In that case, yes, i agree the JP would be better than the shorter Fanatic.

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 10:00

Martynt74 said:
Ah sorry, i was refering to the 11'6x31 Fanatic

https://www.thesupco.com/sup-boards-c1/fanatic-11-ft-6-ray-air-pure-2021-p1155

In that case, yes, i agree the JP would be better than the shorter Fanatic.

Perfect, Thanks! I'll have a look at the longer Fanatic too as the price isn't much different. Thanks for all the tips and pointers everyone!

Martynt74 · 28 Apr 2021 at 10:05

These 2 places also have it in stock. Dammit, now i'm looking at new boards!

https://www.escape-watersports.co.u...e_RaenBB_iN_nnWf7SiIqhT2smZ_GdPhoCUOgQAvD_BwE

https://www.24-7boardsports.com/fan...-U8d2uRl5Ar19uBinaSDQzGBQmMrltCRoCiQMQAvD_BwE

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 10:11

Martynt74 said:
These 2 places also have it in stock. Dammit, now i'm looking at new boards!

https://www.escape-watersports.co.u...e_RaenBB_iN_nnWf7SiIqhT2smZ_GdPhoCUOgQAvD_BwE

https://www.24-7boardsports.com/fan...-U8d2uRl5Ar19uBinaSDQzGBQmMrltCRoCiQMQAvD_BwE

Thanks! I'll go check them out right now.
Ha, That easy huh! Out of interest, How many boards do you currently own?

Martynt74 · 28 Apr 2021 at 10:27

michty_me said:
Thanks! I'll go check them out right now.
Ha, That easy huh! Out of interest, How many boards do you currently own?

Just the two. Although if you scroll back through the last 6 pages you'll find that half of the posts are probably me discussing/debating buying/selling things

I started off with a 10'8 Bluefin in July 19, used it from July to October ish, then didn't really paddle over the winter. Spring them came around and i decided i wanted something longer/narrower and bought a 14x27 Gladiator Elite in April 20 whilst selling the Bluefin.

Then in summer i decided i wanted something a little more stable for choppier waters and also for holiday use. I was nervous about my Gladiator in windy conditions due to how narrow it was and doubting my balance. So i did the usual thing and ended up buying a Red Compact 11'. This packed up very small and it was alright on the sea, but after a few months i decided that it wasn't right for me. It's only 4.75" thick and so with my weight it flexed a bit too much and for holiday use i figured something which packed up small into a regular sized bag leaving space for clothes was the better option.

So i sold it and bought the Fanatic 11'6 i linked to above. It was 100% the right decision as it performed better on the sea when i took it out the other week and it was excellent on holiday too.

I'm now half debating whether to sell my Gladiator and buy a hard board. I leave it inflated all the time anyway and have since bought a roof rack so portability is less of an issue. Plus i have the Fanatic for any traveling i do too. Having used a couple of hard boards since i think i'm sold. A friend picked up a 12'6x29 old Fanatic race board for £400, it was in fairly rough condition but that doesn't really bother me and i've since seen a few around the £600 mark which look in great condition. The main issue is a lot of hard boards for sale are down at the 22"-24" wide level and i'm nowhere near that level!

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 12:26

Martynt74 said:
Just the two. Although if you scroll back through the last 6 pages you'll find that half of the posts are probably me discussing/debating buying/selling things

I started off with a 10'8 Bluefin in July 19, used it from July to October ish, then didn't really paddle over the winter. Spring them came around and i decided i wanted something longer/narrower and bought a 14x27 Gladiator Elite in April 20 whilst selling the Bluefin.

Then in summer i decided i wanted something a little more stable for choppier waters and also for holiday use. I was nervous about my Gladiator in windy conditions due to how narrow it was and doubting my balance. So i did the usual thing and ended up buying a Red Compact 11'. This packed up very small and it was alright on the sea, but after a few months i decided that it wasn't right for me. It's only 4.75" thick and so with my weight it flexed a bit too much and for holiday use i figured something which packed up small into a regular sized bag leaving space for clothes was the better option.

So i sold it and bought the Fanatic 11'6 i linked to above. It was 100% the right decision as it performed better on the sea when i took it out the other week and it was excellent on holiday too.

I'm now half debating whether to sell my Gladiator and buy a hard board. I leave it inflated all the time anyway and have since bought a roof rack so portability is less of an issue. Plus i have the Fanatic for any traveling i do too. Having used a couple of hard boards since i think i'm sold. A friend picked up a 12'6x29 old Fanatic race board for £400, it was in fairly rough condition but that doesn't really bother me and i've since seen a few around the £600 mark which look in great condition. The main issue is a lot of hard boards for sale are down at the 22"-24" wide level and i'm nowhere near that level!

I guess from where you start to where you end up is a journey different for everyone.
It also just shows how quickly your skill levels change and what you want for equipment can change too.
I would imagine that whatever I go with should sell again easily enough on the second hand market so thats an added bonus too. I suppose you can easily scratch that itch and if it doesn't work out, Always go and get another inflatable SUP.

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 15:49

This gets harder, I contacted a place asking for a price for the Fanatic 10'8 and JP for delivery.
They asked why I'm looking at the 10'8 specifically and recommended the 10'4 (33" wide) over it. Why would this be?

Martynt74 · 28 Apr 2021 at 15:54

What store was that out of interest? I honestly can't see any reason to go with that in your situation.

michty_me · 28 Apr 2021 at 17:02

Martynt74 said:
What store was that out of interest? I honestly can't see any reason to go with that in your situation.

That was king of watersports that stated that. I think the SupCo said similar to yourself in looking at possible longer boards.

Martynt74 · 29 Apr 2021 at 11:08

Very bizarre.

All i could think would be that they just didn't have the longer board in stock but that's pretty crappy of them if so.

michty_me · 29 Apr 2021 at 11:44

Martynt74 said:
Very bizarre.

All i could think would be that they just didn't have the longer board in stock but that's pretty crappy of them if so.

Possibly. Even going through the buyer's guide from their website states to get the longer board so it is a bit odd.

Skidder · 1 May 2021 at 06:34

I woukd get the more touring orientated shape jp or fanatic in your situ 11 footers. if no plan to surf don't go with the surf shape.

you will have stability, versatility and ok speed. might give you another summer before you are compelled to get a 14ft board (then you will wonder why you didn't in the first place

)

michty_me · 1 May 2021 at 08:55

Well I've ended up buying two.
I've ordered a Fanatic and also a Gladiator board. I thought best to get the basics down first and the resale value should be fine after a year or two when I want to venture into something else.
They were the main items available with short delivery times too. I'm away to Loch Tay on Monday so this also swayed my decision in buying one now.

Skidder · 2 May 2021 at 15:03

michty_me said:
Well I've ended up buying two.
I've ordered a Fanatic and also a Gladiator board. I thought best to get the basics down first and the resale value should be fine after a year or two when I want to venture into something else.
They were the main items available with short delivery times too. I'm away to Loch Tay on Monday so this also swayed my decision in buying one now.

Good stuff, have fun.

I ruined myself this morning did interval sprints on the sup and had been wakeboarding for a couple of hours yesterday. My shoulders are destroyed.

michty_me · 2 May 2021 at 15:20

Skidder said:
Good stuff, have fun.

I ruined myself this morning did interval sprints on the sup and had been wakeboarding for a couple of hours yesterday. My shoulders are destroyed.

That sounds like a fair workout you had! The pain is only temporary though

Looking forward to getting out on the water over the next few days.

Martynt74 · 14 May 2021 at 14:03

michty_me said:
That sounds like a fair workout you had! The pain is only temporary though
Looking forward to getting out on the water over the next few days.

How're you been getting on fella?

I have someone interested in my Gladiator. For around the same price i can move onto a Fatstick 14x28.5 board i've seen advertised (albeit with a long drive to Southampton). Should glide much better i suspect and i'll be less worried about leaving it stored outdoors.

michty_me · 14 May 2021 at 15:23

Martynt74 said:
How're you been getting on fella?

I have someone interested in my Gladiator. For around the same price i can move onto a Fatstick 14x28.5 board i've seen advertised (albeit with a long drive to Southampton). Should glide much better i suspect and i'll be less worried about leaving it stored outdoors.

We got on not too bad actually. Despite the weather.
When we arrived it was snowing and quite gusty so we're only out about 45 minutes that time.
We are planning on possibly heading out locally over the next day or two also.

I'm sure your board will sell pretty quick. The seem to be solid well made units anyway. The girlfriend likes her one although I queried a section of the board that appeared as though it was different to the rest, gladiator confirmed it should never have been on the market and are sending a full new kit.