How I spent my Election Day 
(I voted early)
I took a road trip out of state, and scored some great waves!
Set on HD... it didn't do it automatically
Rick this is by far one of the most entertainingly shot and edited videos I've seen from STC Studios!
Green water bail shots, personality close-ups, the static camera line-up shots with you flying through in and out of frame dodging proners(I'll bet they were so pissed at you having the nerve to take "their waves"!) Skate POV I could go on.
Ha! thanks for the screening.....
Love those waves...what a fab place to surf.
has anything taken the place instead of your fave Speeed?
Thanks Breezers!
AkeG.... thanks for the comments... I wondered if spitting a mouthful at the cam, was too much
I get along very well there...even though that break is hours from home, I am a quasi local there and have earned the friendship of many locals .
I always go alone.... and move around the line-ups during a session, so I don't overdo any of the takeoff zones.
When I get set waves from waaay back, they hoot for me 
Slab.... the Speeed is always going to be the workhorse in my quiver. If I had the fitness to ride my Acid all the time, I would chose it 1st, but anytime that the conditions are demanding and a lot of good surfers are out, I take the Speeed, because it is failsafe.... I have complete trust in the Speeed on super late takeoffs and control through a crowd of proners inside.
I took these two boards on this road trip, because I wanted to get some video of them.... it was forecast to be 3'+ feet.
The Speeed or Acid would have been freeking awesome in those waves... but the old guy in me was glad for the stability of these boards for a long session!
So STC you gunna tell us who you voted for . Last year when over your way I couldn't find one Hillary fan 
mind you no one was showing the love for the Don ether 
Thanks for the test drive video creek.Im an unashamed speed nut but ive tried the skate and absolutely hated it.Did i miss something on that day or has it been modified since 2015 or or or ????????
Warning:
I'm a full on Sunova PIMP..... totally stoked to claim that
Hi Lucyloo
As an avowed Speeed freak myself, I understand.
Yes....The Skate is the same board as 2015.
Lots depend on the waves you use the Skate on, in the wrong waves, it doesn't work... it is condition specific.
Less rocker overall, flatter nose, very wide tail.... all designed to maximize weak, smaller, flatter waves, and provide the comfort of greater stability.
One 3' hollow day, I got my ass handed to me.... walls were not big enough to get control of the nose before I got to the "square" bottom of the wave and the nose would stick in and the lip would swat me off.......but then, it was never designed for those waves.
When I 1st saw a Skate, I was 100% sure I would hate it.... because I do NOT like wide tails. Period.
I had a friends 8'8 Skate XL in my livingroom for 3 weeks and had no interest in riding it.... hell... I made fun of it!
My buddy came and wanted to try my Acid, so I ended up on the Skate..... after the 1st wave, I wanted one 
Something very relaxing and effortless about the Skate in weak conditions...
much more stable than my Speeed for those long sessions on wonky summer days.
It picks up anything easily, surprised the hell out of me when I 1st rode it.... effortless and carve'y turns.... I didn't expect that.
sooooo....I have ridden it in all conditions to test it, because people ask
On smaller fun summer days, it is awesome... so I wanted to test it's limits.
I have had a blast on OH hollow waves, where I had enough wall, to control how the nose enters the bottom, it was super fast and very interesting, but not a 1st choice.... I just wanted to see if it could handle it.
The head high day in the video was perfect for it...
the waves were not steep, but rather a nice slope with an easy bottom.... nothing to stick the nose in, so it runs extremely well in those conditions...
I have to dial back the hardest turns a bit, because of the wide tail, but totally manageable and super fun.
Size for size, the Skate more stable than the Speeed
I needed something for those road trips in winter with a full wetsuit. The waves are all point and reef type waves that are much less demanding than my home beachbreaks, so I can use a "comfort" board like the 9'2 Skate.
All in all, the Skate has great utility.... it is best suited for:
Soft, weak waves with a gentle face.
Stability and overall ease of use
Intermediate or skilled, the Skate fills a very valid spot in the quiver.... I choose it often, because it is just plain easy fun.
"the ONE" 9'5 is another great choice for beginner or intermediate.... OR BIG SUPster looking for some performance.
With 160 liters of float and thicker rails than most Sunova's, it is very stable... and yet surfs easily and well... in a wider range of conditions than the Skate.
It is a more traditional shape, with a good surf rocker, that still paddles well in flat-water.
It is an excellent choice for many, many SUPsters.
It will handle small, weak waves and bigger, more serious stuff.... it was extremely at home in the waves on the video.... and you can see the speed and surfability is impressive.
"the ONE" is the board that I most recommend to women who want a manageable flat-water board, for casual use.
Very compact, light.... easy to carry and load.... enough float to bring the dog or small child..... and fits inside the average SUV.
I have seen too many casual paddlers lose interest, because they simply don't want to deal with handling a long, heavy board every outing. So they quit.
"The One" 9'5 puts a BIG smile on their face when I hand it to them!
"the ONE" is EXTREMELY affordable in the awesome new ECO-TEC build (the one in the video)
If you are a newbie or a BIGBOY..... these are Sunova's built for you! (and they come in BIGger sizes as well)
Thanks for the detailed response creek it really does explain a bit about why i struggled the day of my test drive.We now have between us here at Surf Beach the 9.2 8.10 8.8 and 8.5 speed and im looking forward to dialing in the smaller speeds this summer so ill not get chance to try other models although one of the speeders is looking at a Style now so fingers crossed he gets it and we get a bit of quality tip time on that one.I did purcahase the Atlantis Runway but moved it on as i was not using it enough.Its was always the speed as my first choice and have found the 8.10 to nose ride really well in the suitable conditions.Keep up the good work and thanks
When I look st the skate it reminds me a bit of my JP surf widebody.....at 8 8 it is also 32 wide and a fish shape and has same tail......but a quad and more pulled in tail And 136 litres. These shapes are great fun in weaker surf but my JP is no probs on steeper bits at 8 8.
