Sunova Acid 8’11 x 30" @120L Review

Sunova Acid 8’11 Review

I recently got the 2015 Sunova Acid 8’11 x 30” x 41/4” @120L in the XXX tech construction. I got it to be my big board to partner with a Deep Minion 7’4 x 27.75” @104L and use it on the choppy days when the Minion is too hard and for chunky beach breaks with a lot of current and white water. I hadn’t even heard of Sunova or Bert Burger until I got the board to demo. Turns out Bert knows what he is talking about…

Requirements: It was really important that it worked in small crappy choppy waves as that is what I needed the bigger board to work in – as well as the odd good wave session. The rider: I am 46, 5’7”, 85kg, competent/advanced rider based in Auckland, NZ.

Previous boards” 9’5 Naish Mana, 9’ Hokua, 8’5 Luke Short Designs, 8’6 LSD Fish, 8’4 Fanatic ProWave.

Current boards: 8’11 Sunova Acid @120L, 7’4 Deep Minion @104L, 14’ x 26” DC custom raceboard. All Aussie brands for some reason!?

Shape: I will let Bert talk you through this bit but it’s a short board turned into a SUP with loads of outline curve, thin tucked rails and a radical flyer and hip that pulls into a narrow tail.

Construction: These boards look beautiful! They have curves in all the right places and the balsa wood deck looks amazing plus the silver paint effect on the parabolic rails makes the board a premium product. They are pretty light and I am very impressed with the new pull-out handle which is so much better than most other brands. It even has a mini windsurfing track built in which is perfect for me as I wavesail and now I have a light wind ‘float’n’ride’ waveboard as a back up when the wind is 8-15knots and there is side-shore wind and waves. The goretex vent plug is the way to go and should be on all boards.

Fins: Tri-fin set up. The stock fins are quite big but have a bit of flex and work well. I usually never use stock fins as they are often poor quality or too big and stiff. But I haven’t felt the need to change the fins yet, but I will experiment with different sized fins and flex.

All these features make the Acid XXX construction a very premium and attractive product.

Conditions: I have had about 6 sessions/8 hours on it in waist to shoulder high crappy beach breaks and in glassy and pretty choppy conditions i.e. not the waves it is actually designed for. However, this board needed to work in these conditions, as that is what I needed a bigger board to do. I will report back when I have had some quality waves but wanted to write this review while I have the time right now.

Riding: When I first jumped on the 8’11 Acid it felt a bit tippy for its size, @120L x 30” wide, for a couple of minutes but I quickly adapted and now I find it very stable in the choppiest of sea states. It sits low in the water due to the thin rails and doesn’t feel corky at all in side chop which is great. It feels really crisp to ride which I like as I am used to that feel from having had loads of sandwich construction boards. It feels nervous under foot, in an exciting way, like it wants to really take off and charge down the line! But at the same time you can relax and do some mellow turns on it – but you know you shouldn’t. The Acid catches everything you go for! Really impressed at how easily it gets into the fattest choppiest crappy waves and generates lift and speed. I haven’t missed a wave on it yet! Now for a board that is supposed to be for fast bowling waves, it is super easy to turn from the middle, as you do, in soft crappy waves. I was stoked that it was able to be ridden mid rail in small gutless waves as that is what I ride a lot i.e. not going to get back to the tail pad in these waves. But I have done some sweet fast bottom turns on some clean shoulder high waves, where you get over the rail and get the paddle in the wave face and can get low and leveraged into the turn, and it was electric! Backside riding on a SUP is tricky at the best of times and kinda technical, but I have found the radically pulled in tail on the Acid makes it really pivoty going backside bottom and top turns. The pivoty action seems to make backside turns tighter and snappier! So the backside riding ability of the Acid is amazing and is doing wonders for my backside hacks.

Narrow tail: Bert talks about,” the narrow tail means you can stall it and hit the brakes , wash off speed if you need to”. Now washing off speed is something I have never thought I’d need to do on a SUP as you are always wanting more speed not less and while I have done a lot of SUP surfing I have never been in barreling waves where I needed to stall and tuck in. The ability to wash off speed and make pivoty turns is something I have found can work in small waves to stay in the pocket rather than get pushed out into the flats and try to get more speed again.

Overall impression: The Acid is a high performance SUP in a unique premium balsa wood epoxy sandwich construction that is rapidly becoming my “go-to” board. It is stable, fast, crisp, catches everything, can ride small soft choppy waves with ease, can be turned from the middle , offers pivoty and full rail turning options and makes backside riding is easy. It is like a Ferrari but you can take it to the supermarket and still have fun on it. I can feel the pedigree in the shape and can’t wait to ride some head high+ waves with open faces to full unleash the potential of the Acid as it will probably blow my mind!

Flow V Acid Direct from Bert “The Acid needs a competent rider .. low rails , defined Hip/Flyer, really narrow tail, more tail rocker, with the curvy outline , it has a similar twitchier feel to the Flow when surfing from the middle, the low rail can be buried at speed from the middle, it has a softer bottom edge so it handles late drops really well, the defined flyer gives it a pivoty feel off the back foot, the narrow tail means you can stall it and hit the brakes , wash off speed if you need to, the extra tail rocker allows you to attack the pocket at speed and have comfortable hold …the Acid is designed for sucky , bowly waves allowing a rider to go top to bottom with ease, for sure the most high performance board in the range , needing better quality waves” www.standuppaddleboarder.co.uk/sup-shop/sunova-uk-the-acid/

Nice review mate..I've been.looking at This range too to go with my Minion..

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to provide so much detail.

great review…I put a huge hole in my naish x32 hokua on the weekend and am now in the mkt for a new board. I will get a Sunova just not decided on which.

I don't get the sizes vs volume you use. The Sunova site has different sizes vs volume. What am I missing?

An Acid at 8.11 @ 120L sounds good..but I can't find it anywhere.

Yeah, Bert did a revamp of the range for 2016 and I would choose the 8′ 10″ x 29 3/4 x 4 1/4 @ 116L as it is closest to what I have at 8’11 x 30" @120L. The 2016 boards have a slightly less radical flyer and hip from what I have heard.

Available Sizes:

7′ 4″ x 24 3/4 x 3 3/4 @ 69L |
7′ 7″ x 25 5/8 x 3 3/4 @ 74L |
7′ 10″ x 26 3/8 x 3 3/4 @ 81L |
8′ 1″ x 27 1/4 x 3 7/8 @ 89L |
8′ 4″ x 28 1/8 x 4 @ 97L |
8′ 7″ x 28 7/8 x 4 1/8 @ 106L |
8′ 10″ x 29 3/4 x 4 1/4 @ 116L |
9′ 1″ x 30 5/8 x 4 3/8 @ 126L |
9′ 4″ x 31 1/2 x 4 1/2 @ 136L |

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Stev0 said..
Yeah, Bert did a revamp of the range for 2016 and I would choose the 8′ 10″ x 29 3/4 x 4 1/4 @ 116L as it is closest to what I have at 8’11 x 30" @120L. The 2016 boards have a slightly less radical flyer and hip from what I have heard.

True. Check the new 8'1.

These are the sizes and volume advertised on the Surffx website. These are 2016 models not 2015 runout stock. I would usually use the manufacturer dimensions but Surffx send AUS wide based on these sizes vs volumes. So I am still confused.

Perhaps someone from Surffx or Sunova could address this confusion and set the record straight? …..please.

7’8 x 26 1/4″ 76L
8’2 x 27 1/2″ 90L
8’8 x 29 1/4″ 106L
8’11 x 30 1/2″ 121L

and the Acid XL

7’8 x 26 3/4 x 3 3/4 79L
8’2 x 28 1/2 x 3 7/8 95L
8’8 x 30 1/4 x 4 1/8 113L
8’1 x 31 1/2 x 4 3/8 128L

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Gafas said..

burleighlocal said...
These are the sizes and volume advertised on the Surffx website. These are 2016 models not 2015 runout stock. I would usually use the manufacturer dimensions but Surffx send AUS wide based on these sizes vs volumes. So I am still confused.

Perhaps someone from Surffx or Sunova could address this confusion and set the record straight? …..please.

7’8 x 26 1/4″ 76L
8’2 x 27 1/2″ 90L
8’8 x 29 1/4″ 106L
8’11 x 30 1/2″ 121L

and the Acid XL

7’8 x 26 3/4 x 3 3/4 79L
8’2 x 28 1/2 x 3 7/8 95L
8’8 x 30 1/4 x 4 1/8 113L
8’1 x 31 1/2 x 4 3/8 128L

I'm a Sunoval dealer dealer for Portugal. Correct dimensions are the ones from Sunova's site.
The one you listed are from the previous range.

Well I'm even more confused then....Surfx is advertising these dimensions as 2016 boards? and Sunova is advertising different dimensions as 2016 boards?

I will get my hands on a 9'4 someday. And I am looking forward to it

Finally to use the 8'11 Sunova Acid @120L in anger in some clean head high waves and it just rips!

I have been playing around with the fins and got some FCS Nexus H-3 fins (large) and wow are they the perfect fit for the board! I had hoped the FCS Nexus H-3 fins would live up to their hype as they seem to be either loved or loathed by surfers in the reviews. I got some nice waves and the board just cuts through the wave like er...acid! The fins have great grip and release and very smooth and also snappy off the top. The large FCS Nexus H-3 fins are a lot smaller than the stock Sunova '102' glass fin which are quite big.

FCS Nexus H-3 fins review: "These fins are sweet. They maintain a good balance between hold and release, and they have a very smooth feel in transitions. The coolest thing about these fins is the flex pattern. The stiff base definitely generates more drive, while the flex in the tip allows the fin to store energy during turns. You really feel this the most in the amount of speed you have when you are coming out of a hard turn on a more powerful wave. These fins did well in conditions from choppy waist high to overhead and clean. Beginners might not get the benefit of the flex pattern, but intermediate and advanced surfers will enjoy the amount of speed they can carry through their turns."

FCS’s official release.The FCS H-3 NEXUS features TRICOIL technology, a dynamic flex pattern that effectively stores and releases energy as the surfer transitions from one turn into the next. This transition between turns is where most surfers struggle to maintain speed.At FCS we believe we’ve solved this problem by designing a fin with a highly efficient template, material stability, minimal drag characteristics, and above all, unparalleled flex properties. From the moment you ride the FCS H-3 NEXUS you’ll realise this fin has something special. Whether your surfing tight in the pocket or carving on the open face, you can surf confidently knowing all the elements of the fin are working in synergy to deliver the ultimate advantage, more speed. The performance of the H-3 Nexus is seamless; yet quite deliberate in the way it feels.

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supthecreek said..

My current weight + board + full winter wetsuit = 125 kg (yeah, yeah.... the last road trip was longer than my will power)

I love this quote! That is what a road trip is all about...just a little more Après activities than waves burnt off!

Thanks, Steve0, for your write up. I have my eye on the 8'7, so very keen to read and see more about your experiences. Awesome that creek is on the train too, as he doesn't hold back when he likes something! Looking forward to updated impressions and videos. Now I just need to need to convince myself that I can handle the drop in L and bank balance ...

I have a 7'8, got it second hand. Love it.

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supthecreek said..
StevO, you are spot on about how well the Acid works in smaller waves.
I keep hearing how it is made for serious juice..... turns out to be pretty sweet in the small stuff as well.

Being an avowed Sunova Speeed freeek, I was very excited to test out the Acid.

Well, I now have a 9'4 Sunova Acid

I got some great head high screamers on it a few weeks ago, while on a road trip, but no video.
It made waves that I thought I had no prayer of making...... long, fast, sectioning waves.
The key was how well the board pumps from the middle.... insane.
Turns are powerful and acceleration out of turns is stunning.

My 1st chance to ride the Acid and film it, was yesterday.
I am home, waves were small, so I decided to test the Acid on them.

My current weight + board + full winter wetsuit = 125 kg (yeah, yeah.... the last road trip was longer than my will power)
The 9'4 Acid however, is a slim 136 liters..... so the board is pretty much underwater, till I lose the wetsuit or some weight.
I also turned 68 on the road..... so I got that going for me.

I had a blast on the Acid... even in small stuff.....
It is going to be amazing in some juice!

So Acid or Speeed which one ???

(man the authorities are going to be all over this thread)

Hey gogogo, I reckon the 8'7 @106L would be a great option for you - it will sort out your front and backside cut backs and rip in small and bigger waves.

But I'd recommend keeping the 130L for the choppy days so you don't miss out or have crap session. I went for a one board quiver but quickly realised that I went too small to cope in the choppy days or like west coast Auckland where there is a lot of current and white water to deal with - so ended up with the 8'11 Acid @120L for those conditions. If I was going to have a 1 board quiver @85kg I'd get the newer 8'10 Acid model @116L...but I have a Deep Minion 7'4 @104L for clean small waves.

Cheers Stev0. Good point about the raw west coast and needing another solid board to handle the chop, if I want to head out consistently. My expectations might be slightly out of line given the extended summer. Hope you and creek keep the comments and videos coming in the meantime!