we are expecting a quality video this time....not just the usual crotch shots or the blurry footage from the beach
I like the crotch shots!...did I say that aloud!?
Now don't tell me your froooom Auckland
supmaori thought id do a quick update on my riding, had 3 quick sessions now. first two were windy n choppy so very tricky for the 7'11, but get the punt onto a wave and what a weapon!
today had a quick session, little calmer, not windy but still quite lumpy from fronts and wind last few days. still bit tricky getting up to feet and got to kind of keep moving
again tho, get it onto a wave and what a weapon. made some good sections, turns well, really well. paddles onto a wave real nice, even fat waves for a 26' wide board with 94L gets onto it very well, the nose helps.
just got to get that balance point dialed. still moving my feet slightly to find the right spot. same for paddling onto wave.
hope you got urs wet. let us know what you are finding with the board.
Awesome Caution..sounds like fun alright..I'm hoping to have a few good waves over this weekend so will keep u posted. Amping to get wet..and give it a good thrashing. From my initial ride..i can't wait
Chur bro
we are expecting a quality video this time....not just the usual crotch shots or the blurry footage from the beach
I like the crotch shots!...did I say that aloud!?
Now don't tell me your froooom Auckland
i suppose crotch shots have a great appeal to certain segments of the population.....but some of us think "been there done that"
Damm surf not co-operating with me ampness ..messy and onshore..but still hope tomorrow
Same here gunna be big in the morning
Damm surf not co-operating with me ampness ..messy and onshore..but still hope tomorrow
Same here gunna be big in the morning
looked at wind direction about 4.30 am.......easterly so went to work instead. Have hopes for sunday morning.....but no great expectations
I work with all these people who don't surf......they are completely clueless about how essential surfing is to us surf addicts
GizzieNZ said..
"My name is Dean".....james dean not dean sunova but probably equally dramatic
well I like the Train bits can you see the likness
Second session on the Speeed in 3-4ft glass this morning. This board is so smooth and generates it's on acceleration...just with a subtle shift it takes off. On one wave I was right on the back stomper and just cranked it around like a sub 6ft shortboard .
Waves were a little soft going backhand but found some pump going left which lit up the board even more. So much better than other boards Ive ridden at paddling through water too! Rides over it and pops up.
Work-ons..
a) finding the sweet spot more consistently ..at times I felt I was just off it..so making a reference point in with my balance /feet is what I need to work on. This will become more natural once I've got it dialed in and used to dome deck
b) surfing in a slightly wider stance than I usually do to make sure I'm over the hip or on the foot pad..when I made it all the way back it just turns and carves so well
c) keep my front foot more centred and really drive off my back to unleash the rails and fins
Stoked with the overall performance..just like I imagined and as I've said before alot different to my Minion. Surprised how light under foot it feels and the length just disappears when your riding it. The profile on the water is alot lower than my minion..most if the board is underwater but still feels stable couldn't get the solo shot set up at the break I was out but will get some footage soon
Chur
So... picked up my new whip on the weekend. Arrived 7 weeks from ordering which was expected. No issues with the board other than a faulty gauze valve(which fortunately i replaced immediately before getting it wet with a spare one my good mate had..lifesaver).
and surfed it the next morning in 2 -4 ft glassy conditions.
I ordered the 8'5 Speeed after lots of advice from you guys on here. Im now sitting at 89kgs and came off my 7'8 Minion which i kept in my quiver.
So not really i review as ive only had one surf on it but more a "first impressions" kinda thing.
1) Quality of construction and look of the board is outstanding. Beautiful balsa finish , great deck pad and thin slick rails..kind of a high end look to it. From watching videos and looking at photos i didnt appreciate how thin the nose is especially and rails and tail area. And those deep channels on the bottom ..just a great looking product. I put in new C-Drive fins..large sides and medium centre but came with nice set of 94's. I aslo added ION rail tape to protect rails..although i dont tend to hit them alot..i like to know its there and matches pretty good IMO.
2) the handle is awesome..ive read that some people dont like it but after having tried it out and using it i think its a great idea. Easy to carry and doesnt detract from look or performance.
3) Weighed after unpacking and it was just under 8kg
4) After my two hour surf i was blown away ( like most people) at how this board feels and performs. Took a bit of time to adjust to dome deck after coming from the minion but immediately i noticed how lively is felt under foot when paddling . Also noticeable difference in glide..kinda stealth like..clean and easy to get into waves. although the surf was not pumping you could definitely feel the acceleration and drive . Made some really tight sections . When setting up for turns i was really conscious of getting back over the fins..when i did it turned with speeed and came out of the turns keeping that speed, making it easy to transition down the wave.
Can only imagine what its going to be like in more pumping big surf with a bit more wall to operate on and alot of juice to burn.
These are only my observations and maybe they may help someone else pull ( or not pull) the trigger. Personally im stoked with my choice and the Sunova speeed. I still love my minion but think this will push me to the next level and offer a completely different performance factor.
When making my decision the two things that i was worried about were
a) its going to be to similar to the Minion...ummm so wrong..its not! both great boards but the Speeed will be my board of choice now in most conditions
b) should i go with the 8'2 or 8'5 option. While i think i could've handled the smaller speeed i definitely think the conditions would need to be close to perfect each time for me to keep my wave count and enjoyabilty up..I pretty much felt comfortable right away on the 8'5 and the most exciting thing was thinking about how much more magic im going to have in te future once i get it dialed in.
So lastly a big thanks to those who have helped in making it happen and especially to my SA brother..
Chur
Supmaori bro, never get rid of the minion. I've had 3 boards since and dusted her off today to enjoy some mush. Nothing else would have done it.
Hey Brenna I won't b selling my minion .. love that board too and it does have its purpose in the quiver..happy now that I've got both..
Chur
All my days are going to be Speeed days virtue of new weapon needs to be dialed in..but the Speeed suits waves with long solid walls..my fav break is a 3km paddle which I used to do on my minion..but at 7'8 it was a mission..now I can get a bit more glide but still keep performance..il use my minion on short swell period of soft full waves
Chur
Had an almost glassy day yesterday on the 7'11, much easier than sloppy high seas and wind!
anyhow, for such a small board it paddles onto even the fat waves easy, +1 for the punt nose!
on the wave, oh my goodness freaking amazing. feels like such a natural surfing board. flowey, good speed, so easy to turn. down the line, top turn to cut back then back down line so nice. loving it.
finding my feet now especially getting easier from sitting to pop up squat then up and into wave.
was pretty worn out in an hour! get stronger, more training! love it.
All my days are going to be Speeed days virtue of new weapon needs to be dialed in..but the Speeed suits waves with long solid walls..my fav break is a 3km paddle which I used to do on my minion..but at 7'8 it was a mission..now I can get a bit more glide but still keep performance..il use my minion on short swell period of soft full waves
Chur
Why Minion on soft full waves? I get why you want the Speed on fast waves, but given that the speed is faster to paddle, I thought you would want it on fat waves too. I am only asking because I am wondering when I will use mine... I just bought a 2nd hand 8'8 speed so I have to decide between the speed, flow and minion. Good problem to have
CSE...the minion is a quick to pick up waves too so I don't think you lose much in catching waves..just a little less glide I guess moving to peaks...the minion with the wide tail surfs fat waves ok and I like the 5 fin set up...time will tell whether I will use it over the Speeed i guess once I've ridden it more
GizzieNZ said..
"My name is Dean".....james dean not dean sunova but probably equally dramatic
well I like the Train bits can you see the likness
you were both wearing blue jeans?
Double over head this morning some may have been triple, the 9'5" was a bit of a hand full lol lot of water moving around there's no foul like an old foul
Awesome Towball..just got out here..not as big as that but got some nice sliders in..starting to feel a bit more natural on it now after 3 surfs
I can't see towball
on his speed anywhere......but apparently the point was really really good
I was the first out and the sun was not shining