Select to expand quotetheSeb said..
Oh yeah. I cannot edit the post now, but Infinity New Deal is also an option. That's the one that has me most tempted and the 9.6x31 seems like the sensible all around choice for me.
The 9'6 ND is fantastic. You could almost have it as a one board quiver. it paddles on the flat ok. It is a bit of a hybrid board imo. Almost a short board in longboard clothing. The fins which I like are large sides and medium centre. Not your typical longboard as I mentioned. Tail is pretty narrow in my experience. I stepped off the back a few times. I'm use to a 20" tail the ND is much narrower. Arch bar is great so you know where you are.I'm still getting to grips with mine trying to nose ride it.
like most people I have had a lot of boards and this is up there with the best I have use or had.
Feels smaller on a wave than 9'6
I didn't want a 10fter as it's often choppy where I am and I feel they bounce around on the chop whereas at 9'6 it is not an issue for me.
Another vote for the 9;6 New Deal...my favourite surf sup I have had. To me it doesn't have a traditional longboard feel if that's what your are after..no big round nose. I find it tricky to noseride. I didn't like the fins that came with the board..they were not Infinity ones. Once I ditched the fins and swapped with Quobbas ..wow.great! I use the board in small and bigger days no problem..the rails bite into the wave face superbly and it turns easily and very quickly once you know where to place the back foot.
I don't find it as stable as the dims suggest and get caught sometimes with the rails when waiting for waves. I find it hard in chop. At my weight about half the board is ever so slightly under water.certainly the rails.and I find the dome deck more tricky than a flat deck, especially on take offs as my front foot can tilt the board off kilter.But all these things make the board what it is..just superb to surf and I am progressing with it after around 15 years of sup surfing. Oh, the handle is quite shallow so if you wear thick gloves in winter it is a pain. Nice and light though. So not perfect, but still my favourite and I am taking it for all surf sessions now and the other boards are gathering dust.
Select to expand quoteHoppo3228 said..
Seb, take a look at the Sunova Style mate. A nose riding and pivot machine!
Select to expand quoterazors said..Hoppo3228 said..
Seb, take a look at the Sunova Style mate. A nose riding and pivot machine!
Had my 10 ft style x 29 out lasy 2 days in pretty small but fun surf , using quobba sides and 7.5 centre , waves about knee to waist high . Fell on fins , just got it all wrong and busted the RHS fin out . bugger , kept surfing and the board went really well .Iwas riding back hand , try it suppers ha but dont fall on ya fin it hurts , another order heading to Taryn for a replacement soon !.Paddled again yesterday again pretty small but heaps of fun , using the sunova sides and the 7.5 centre again .man these board s go pretty good eh .
I have a blue planet 14ft bump rider I might consider selling. Just don't use it enough anymore.
Select to expand quotetheSeb said..
Thanks J and Hoppo for the thoughts.Shortboard surfing is what I grew up with as a kid. I now have 3 other boards that I can do that on, so keeping the Wedge feels pointless.
There are days when the waves are bit flat and bowly that seem perfect for some longboard style. Despite surfing for decades I have never done a nose ride, for example. I suppose I am looking for a longboard that can do both. I enjoy running up and down on the Wedge towards the front when I want more speed and towards the back when it's time to turn. I would probably be doing the same thing on a longboard, but I would also want to give this whole nose riding thing a go. Watching people, like Beau from supboarder, do those weird, yet beautiful, cross step turns makes me think, yeah, that looks amazing.
The sensible thing for a big guy like me is probably to take it slowly and go for a longboard that is 31' wide and get used to that first.
Seb - You sound like a similar style surfer and have similar conditions to me. After riding the latest Style Lord - I definitely don't like longboard style boards (not an indictment on the SL - more the style of riding and low glide). However when I compare that board to the 10'2 Wedge - which is a whole bunch of fun.. but weighs a ton, there is simply no comparison - Smik boards are in a league of their own... its made me think that an ideal long board would be a custom Smik - probably based on the Spitfire (as I can't get over how well my 8'8 rides) - but same size/specs as the 10'2 x32 Wedge ( I think the rocker of the Spitfire, pulled out to 10'2 might be similar - or might need flattening a touch).... it would likely weigh a fraction of the Wedge and perform a load better - while getting the benefit of the extra size. Basically.. I can't ever see me moving my Wedge on (the design is just so much fun and so insanely versatile - just the construction is waaaaay too heavy) - until I replace it with something like this (long and fast, catches anything and turns on a dime, and my arms aren't shagged from carrying it down to the beach).
I haven't tried any Hipsters - but the 10' one does look good.
I have kept that little 8' Hypernut... as this is also so much fun and more stable than the 8'8 Spitfire - good for not so perfect days (which are most days).
Select to expand quotethuffam said..theSeb said..
Thanks J and Hoppo for the thoughts.Shortboard surfing is what I grew up with as a kid. I now have 3 other boards that I can do that on, so keeping the Wedge feels pointless.
There are days when the waves are bit flat and bowly that seem perfect for some longboard style. Despite surfing for decades I have never done a nose ride, for example. I suppose I am looking for a longboard that can do both. I enjoy running up and down on the Wedge towards the front when I want more speed and towards the back when it's time to turn. I would probably be doing the same thing on a longboard, but I would also want to give this whole nose riding thing a go. Watching people, like Beau from supboarder, do those weird, yet beautiful, cross step turns makes me think, yeah, that looks amazing.
The sensible thing for a big guy like me is probably to take it slowly and go for a longboard that is 31' wide and get used to that first.
Seb - You sound like a similar style surfer and have similar conditions to me. After riding the latest Style Lord - I definitely don't like longboard style boards (not an indictment on the SL - more the style of riding and low glide). However when I compare that board to the 10'2 Wedge - which is a whole bunch of fun.. but weighs a ton, there is simply no comparison - Smik boards are in a league of their own... its made me think that an ideal long board would be a custom Smik - probably based on the Spitfire (as I can't get over how well my 8'8 rides) - but same size/specs as the 10'2 x32 Wedge ( I think the rocker of the Spitfire, pulled out to 10'2 might be similar - or might need flattening a touch).... it would likely weigh a fraction of the Wedge and perform a load better - while getting the benefit of the extra size. Basically.. I can't ever see me moving my Wedge on (the design is just so much fun and so insanely versatile - just the construction is waaaaay too heavy) - until I replace it with something like this (long and fast, catches anything and turns on a dime, and my arms aren't shagged from carrying it down to the beach).
I haven't tried any Hipsters - but the 10' one does look good.
I have kept that little 8' Hypernut... as this is also so much fun and more stable than the 8'8 Spitfire - good for not so perfect days (which are most days).
Thanks for the thoughts. It sounds like I use my 8' Hypernut in the exact same way, but I have also been weening myself off the Wedge and use the Hypernut on even the smallest of days when I would normally reach for the Wedge. I am not looking to replicate the Wedge in a longboard shape. I am looking to change because I am bored of it, but still want to keep one of the Wedge's properties - early glide into fat and lazy waves. My local reef break is also over a 1km paddle or a treacherous long walk over boulders, so that's where I would use it as well.
As great as the Wedge is, I find the Hypernut far more fun. I can slide the tail out. I can bash it off close out sections. Occasionally (like this morning) I bash the Wedge off an incoming section too, but the best way I can describe the difference is that I often feel like a co driver on the Wedge shouting, "200 sharp right, caution caution" and the board does roughly what I wanted, albeit in slow motion. On the Hypernut I feel like the engaged rally driver. With the Hypernut I can also do a super sharp bottom turn and drive it back up the face. I cannot do that on the Wedge.
I've tried a 10x29x low 120ish litres (cannot remember the exact volume) longboard and it's fine for me to deal with, but it does not have the easy glide that I would want from this shape. Hence why I would probably be looking for something at least 140 litres and 9'6" or over.
The 10.2 Wedge is like a cheat code weapon, but my Dawn Patrol numbers speak for themselves
8.8 Spice : 84 sessions. 1126 waves = 13 waves per session
8 Hypernut : 61 sessions. 332 waves = 5 waves per session
10.2 Wedge: 46 sessions. 330 waves = 7 waves per session
since September 2022. Clearly I use the Spice the most and it's a wave catching monster. On smaller days / worse days I reach for the Hypernut, because I prefer it over the Wedge, but I get far more waves per session with the Wedge than on the Hypernut. Even so, I still have more fun on the Hypernut.
Select to expand quotetheSeb said..thuffam said..theSeb said..
Thanks J and Hoppo for the thoughts.Shortboard surfing is what I grew up with as a kid. I now have 3 other boards that I can do that on, so keeping the Wedge feels pointless.
There are days when the waves are bit flat and bowly that seem perfect for some longboard style. Despite surfing for decades I have never done a nose ride, for example. I suppose I am looking for a longboard that can do both. I enjoy running up and down on the Wedge towards the front when I want more speed and towards the back when it's time to turn. I would probably be doing the same thing on a longboard, but I would also want to give this whole nose riding thing a go. Watching people, like Beau from supboarder, do those weird, yet beautiful, cross step turns makes me think, yeah, that looks amazing.
The sensible thing for a big guy like me is probably to take it slowly and go for a longboard that is 31' wide and get used to that first.
Seb - You sound like a similar style surfer and have similar conditions to me. After riding the latest Style Lord - I definitely don't like longboard style boards (not an indictment on the SL - more the style of riding and low glide). However when I compare that board to the 10'2 Wedge - which is a whole bunch of fun.. but weighs a ton, there is simply no comparison - Smik boards are in a league of their own... its made me think that an ideal long board would be a custom Smik - probably based on the Spitfire (as I can't get over how well my 8'8 rides) - but same size/specs as the 10'2 x32 Wedge ( I think the rocker of the Spitfire, pulled out to 10'2 might be similar - or might need flattening a touch).... it would likely weigh a fraction of the Wedge and perform a load better - while getting the benefit of the extra size. Basically.. I can't ever see me moving my Wedge on (the design is just so much fun and so insanely versatile - just the construction is waaaaay too heavy) - until I replace it with something like this (long and fast, catches anything and turns on a dime, and my arms aren't shagged from carrying it down to the beach).
I haven't tried any Hipsters - but the 10' one does look good.
I have kept that little 8' Hypernut... as this is also so much fun and more stable than the 8'8 Spitfire - good for not so perfect days (which are most days).
Thanks for the thoughts. It sounds like I use my 8' Hypernut in the exact same way, but I have also been weening myself off the Wedge and use the Hypernut on even the smallest of days when I would normally reach for the Wedge. I am not looking to replicate the Wedge in a longboard shape. I am looking to change because I am bored of it, but still want to keep one of the Wedge's properties - early glide into fat and lazy waves. My local reef break is also over a 1km paddle or a treacherous long walk over boulders, so that's where I would use it as well.
As great as the Wedge is, I find the Hypernut far more fun. I can slide the tail out. I can bash it off close out sections. Occasionally (like this morning) I bash the Wedge off an incoming section too, but the best way I can describe the difference is that I often feel like a co driver on the Wedge shouting, "200 sharp right, caution caution" and the board does roughly what I wanted, albeit in slow motion. On the Hypernut I feel like the engaged rally driver. With the Hypernut I can also do a super sharp bottom turn and drive it back up the face. I cannot do that on the Wedge.
I've tried a 10x29x low 120ish litres (cannot remember the exact volume) longboard and it's fine for me to deal with, but it does not have the easy glide that I would want from this shape. Hence why I would probably be looking for something at least 140 litres and 9'6" or over.
The 10.2 Wedge is like a cheat code weapon, but my Dawn Patrol numbers speak for themselves
8.8 Spice : 84 sessions. 1126 waves = 13 waves per session
8 Hypernut : 61 sessions. 332 waves = 5 waves per session
10.2 Wedge: 46 sessions. 330 waves = 7 waves per session
since September 2022. Clearly I use the Spice the most and it's a wave catching monster. On smaller days / worse days I reach for the Hypernut, because I prefer it over the Wedge, but I get far more waves per session with the Wedge than on the Hypernut. Even so, I still have more fun on the Hypernut.
Seb - I have the same dilemma. Looking for a longboard with decent glide. as I mentioned above I have the wedge and I got an infinity new deal last year. The ND is fantastic but hasn't got the glide of the wedge. Can feel sticky to paddle but is amazing on a wave. Strangely has excellent glide padding into waves. Don't understand that. I think it's the rocker slowing the ND down. It not as rockered as my Sunova flow but not far of.. so basically I was going to look for a flatter 9'6still searching for something like that
So, may not have the performance you are looking for, and may be too long, but the 10' Fanatic Stylemaster is a glide machine with thinnish rails.
The fact that it does not have much of a rocker up front with a classic longboard shape probably is the reason for its glide magic. Need to be quick to the tail to not pearl on steepish waves, though. I have the 145L version and use that as my go to board for choppy, small waves at my beach break.
