as a comparison my 9 foot lopez and 8.10 starboard wide point are both way more stable, but arent a patch on the 9.6 jp when it comes to surfing performance. At 88 kg you should be ok on it, but dont be fooled by its width, its probably one of the tippiest board for its length ive surfed.

The 9.6 is about as good a surf sup as you can get at that length, but its narrower in the tail and nose, has more rocker, and at my weight is a lot harder to stay upright on that the 9.8. im 20 kg heavier than you so both boards will have no problem floating you, the 9.8 is a magic all rounder, paddles nicely and surfs great. For what its worth, the 9.8 is much more stable than the 9.6. Ive got the 9.6 surf in carbon, and ive got cabrihna 9.8 which i think is the new jp 9.8 fusion. Either way you'll have a great SUP with the 2 JP models you are looking at, just depends what conditions you generally get out in The tracking ability of the Fusion also helps out when getting up the beach away from the crowds or the surf is a bit fullish. This board is the best surf SUP I have had In short, if you want a great surf SUP go with the Surf model but if stability is an issue at all, particularly when it's a bit choppy or windy then go the Fusion. * The surf as Marvin says feels lively under your feet. My brother has also ordered the Fusion * The Fusion surfs great, tracks better so a little easier to catch waves and despite the similar dimensions is a fair bit more stable. Our joint opinion for what it's worth * These are both great boards. While the 2 boards you are looking at are very similar ie almost same length and volume and both 31' wide they are very different boards. We have been on the JPs since December This morning we put all three on the water with my brother (80kg) being the 3rd paddler in 2 ft glass and swapped boards continually for a couple of hours. G'day Ken I (90kg) paddle the 9'6' JP Surf and the 10'2' JP Fusion.

Surfer 9