Stephen,
I am with you on the sitting down part. I did try a SUP once and felt like a cowboy at the dance the entire time, but I imagine you eventually get over it. The closest board shop is a full days drive but I should be able to play with several at the outdoor retailer demo days. I agree the Malco is not the best for what I would do with it but I don't see it being more than a fun factor pursuit anyway, and as you say it is nice looking. This is really for something to do with my daughter. With 4 children (two with spouses) I assume a couple of boards may get used.
: Check your local board shops, and see if they have demo boards.
: Then you can try a few and find a shape you like. After that
: it's just a choice as to whether to buy or build... :)

: If you ever make out here to Seattle, there's a local shop that
: does a demo night every week, along with a SUP race. Something
: like that would give you a good chance to compare boards.

: That Malco board is a beauty, though, and it'd probably be just
: fine.

: Good luck luck!
: StephenHJ

: PS - I tried to SUP once. Decided I prefer sitting down out here on
: the often choppy Elliot Bay...