Where to from here: SP24, SP25 or something else?

On my recent Moon's Maldives trip, I won a Sunnova SUP. (I feel guilty, I already have a few boards.)

But now I get to choose a new board!

My current "go-to" board is the 8'8" x 31.5 Flow V2. I am 60 yo, 6'3" and down to 94 kg (but will be back to 100 kg soon enough).

I was surfing the Flow in the Maldives, and during one session, there were a bunch of guys surfing Genration boards. One guy was some kind of champion and was up to his knees in water whilst waiting for the wave. I got talking to another fella who turned out to be Ian Cairns. He was telling me that the board he was on was much more sophisticated than the Flow: concave this, fancy rails, something about the tail - I forget what he said... And I don't know which board he was on... Wasted opportunity?

So, who out there knows the SP24 or SP25 (or Kanga) and the Flow V2?

The goal is to find a better board when attempting to bring out my inner grom (turns in all their forms): waves big enough so you can get the speed to turn, but not too big (i.e., a little over head high) so you can stay in control.

I love my 8'5 Blurr V2 but it is a bit small/tippy. The 8'7 Placid is fun in certain conditions. I am very happy with the Flow - but maybe there is something better?

Any ideas?

Get either the wedge or 25 at 7'8", if you don't like it I'd be happy to have it.

A close up of a close up - taken from the top of a cliff half a mile away hence the dodgy quality. At least it shows the board on the first outing!!

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bomberdave said..

cantSUPenough said..
On my recent Moon's Maldives trip, I won a Sunnova SUP. (I feel guilty, I already have a few boards.)

But now I get to choose a new board!

My current "go-to" board is the 8'8" x 31.5 Flow V2. I am 60 yo, 6'3" and down to 94 kg (but will be back to 100 kg soon enough).

I was surfing the Flow in the Maldives, and during one session, there were a bunch of guys surfing Genration boards. One guy was some kind of champion and was up to his knees in water whilst waiting for the wave. I got talking to another fella who turned out to be Ian Cairns. He was telling me that the board he was on was much more sophisticated than the Flow: concave this, fancy rails, something about the tail - I forget what he said... And I don't know which board he was on... Wasted opportunity?

So, who out there knows the SP24 or SP25 (or Kanga) and the Flow V2?

The goal is to find a better board when attempting to bring out my inner grom (turns in all their forms): waves big enough so you can get the speed to turn, but not too big (i.e., a little over head high) so you can stay in control.

I love my 8'5 Blurr V2 but it is a bit small/tippy. The 8'7 Placid is fun in certain conditions. I am very happy with the Flow - but maybe there is something better?

Any ideas?

CSE .. I recon there are quite a few of us in the same situation.... I have the flow V2 at 8'8 and agree its an awesome board. With the cost of a new board now, its no longer a case of buying one new and if you dont like it sell it as you stand to lose hundreds of $$$$.

Perhaps its an opportunity for a board manufacturer to offer a buy back scheme. It may build brand loyalty, put more good second hand boards back in the market potentially. Retail shops have more stock on hand at various price points and gives punters more reason to visit the retail outlet.......

Back to the boards... I too have an expanding list of interest ... SP25, Kanga, spice, 9'6ish custom revolution...... $$$$$$$

I tell you what, if you were thinking about a longer board, my custom 9'9 Insane has exceeded my hopes. It is a real keeper. I expect it would scale down nicely.

two tough choices 25 for smaller waves 24 for med-big ...Kanga maybe a allrounder.

A free board means time to explore new shapes .

8'8 flow will be hard to beat and I wouldn't get a board that runs into the same dimensions ,because the 8'8 flow is perfect

so either a size bigger or smaller board would be my choice ,8,5 x SP25 or SP 24 x 8,10

I sold my placid so I have left a space open for my next board ,

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Tardy said..
two tough choices 25 for smaller waves 24 for med-big ...Kanga maybe a allrounder.

A free board means time to explore new shapes .

8'8 flow will be hard to beat and I wouldn't get a board that runs into the same dimensions ,because the 8'8 flow is perfect

so either a size bigger or smaller board would be my choice ,8,5 x SP25 or SP 24 x 8,10

I sold my placid so I have left a space open for my next board ,

So you're telling me I need three boards!

The Flow is a good board. The truth is that the biggest limiting factor for my Flow is the guy riding it...

Having said that, when you transition from the Acid, to Flash, to Placid, and then to the Flow, it just shows how seemingly small changes to the design can make major differences to stability, speed, and performance. Maybe they have a better Flow.

Cantsupenough, this is my sp25 8'8,137 litres. I'm 100kg and at first it was a bit twichy but I never fell in and soon got used to it. I'm happy with the board and there are lots of reviews about this board including videos by supthecreek (Rick) and other's on seabreeze.

My Acid as well keeps giving me the goods. While mostly used in the medium size surf, yesterday I picked it to tackles some 2xoverhead and it was a butter knife. With the quobbas the speeds I was hitting were maxed but it felt nicely controlled. If I had the disposable income to keep the new sticks coming I am sure I would. Since I do not I am lucky that Bert's older shapes are still quite viable.

Now that's a thing of beauty Tardy

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Gboots said..
Don't hear much about the Acid any more . Are these newer boards any better than the Acid shape ? I have an over sized acid and in sub 3 foot waves it is awesome and quite agile for its size and my dimensions

I need to try my Acids again. I was riding my biggest Acid 9'4 x 31.5 x 136L when the waves got bigger and lumpier (the Flow was too small), but the only issue that I had with the Acids was that to get the right volume/width/stability you had to go longer in length. They were my favorite for 2-3 years.

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cantSUPenough said..
On my recent Moon's Maldives trip, I won a Sunnova SUP. (I feel guilty, I already have a few boards.)

But now I get to choose a new board!

My current "go-to" board is the 8'8" x 31.5 Flow V2. I am 60 yo, 6'3" and down to 94 kg (but will be back to 100 kg soon enough).

I was surfing the Flow in the Maldives, and during one session, there were a bunch of guys surfing Genration boards. One guy was some kind of champion and was up to his knees in water whilst waiting for the wave. I got talking to another fella who turned out to be Ian Cairns. He was telling me that the board he was on was much more sophisticated than the Flow: concave this, fancy rails, something about the tail - I forget what he said... And I don't know which board he was on... Wasted opportunity?

So, who out there knows the SP24 or SP25 (or Kanga) and the Flow V2?

The goal is to find a better board when attempting to bring out my inner grom (turns in all their forms): waves big enough so you can get the speed to turn, but not too big (i.e., a little over head high) so you can stay in control.

I love my 8'5 Blurr V2 but it is a bit small/tippy. The 8'7 Placid is fun in certain conditions. I am very happy with the Flow - but maybe there is something better?

Any ideas?

Hi CSE

Late to the party on this one.... so distracted lately!

Definitely Sean Poynter and Ian "Kanga" Cairns!
Great crew to share a session with!
I hope you got to see Sean surf!

on to your questions...
I have all the boards you asked about:
Flow V2
9'0 - 9'4
Always a caveat when riding these boards... I seem to lose my groove if not in just the right size waves.
I surf them both pretty well in small surf, they have a nice Flow and turn easily and with some snap.
In anything over 3 feet, my videos always revel that I get a stiffer back leg and start to "pivot" turn instead of rolling off the rail.
Both have been in the Cargo trailer for a month
Today I realized that I haven't had them in my van since I got my Quobba twin tabs, that fit Flow FCS plugs.
I will use the 9'4 with Quobba Mixed Thruster Set and see it that solves my personal issue with the Flow.

SP25
8'8 - 8'11 - 9'5
The SP25's work well for me in basically everything... although I haven't had any out in well OH yet.
Fine in head high and feel they would be fine in bigger... but I don't know how big.
Fast and super snappy... and they add a wonderful smoothness to everything.

Last summer, I would have bet the farm that the bigger SP25's would be too wide, tails too thick
That is till I rode the 9'5 x 34 in Mexico last fall... so blown away!
Stupid stable, fast and really easy to snap turns!
I immediately ordered one and it has become my go-to in anything wonky or if it's small

SP24
9'7 -
way too big for bigger waves, but fun in small stuff, oddly enough!
In OH waves, after the bottom turn it is so thick that I was unable to sink the tail and scrub off speed to do any meaningful turns ... I was super stiff and colorless in a Hurricane swell.
I should have gotten a 9'1 or 9'2..... they would be plenty, even in winter gear.

It paddles amazingly well, surfs easily with no trickery to learn
Would actually be a good board for a newbie who needed some volume without a corky feel... and surfs great in average conditions, it turns easily when I don't have to deal with the speed like I do in bigger waves.
It's a great shape.... I would LOVE to get on a smaller one!

Kanga
8'9 - 9'6
and I surfed the 9'3 all week in Mexico

Like Kanga said... he worked with Bert Burger until he got his board right. Simple as that.
He created a board that works in a very small size and still sizes up to comfortably fit just about any person on the planet.
My respect for this board is no secret.... it's a one board quiver or a staple in van full of options.


Flow V2 vs SP25 - would it it be just more of the same? no.
Probably just me, but I don't see any similarities between the SP25 and Flow V2
I simply get better performance out of my SP25's

IMO the SP25 is fast, super snappy and easy on the stability end.
No contest in my view.... I always go with the SP25.
I believe my 8'8 SP25 is more comfortable than my 9'0 Flow V2... even though the numbers easily favor the Flow V2.

I like the way the Flow V2 performs in smaller surf, but for some reason I get a bit more drawn out on anything over 4'
To be honest, I haven't ridden my Flows with the Quobba's yet, so today, I put the Quobba's in my 9'4 and will surf it next session, to see how they change that board.
I picked the 9'4 because I get along with that size better than my 9'0 (I know... I am weird)

I'll make it easy :
For pure rad grom fun.... Get the 8'8 SP25

it won't be too big.... and it will offer quite a difference from the Flow V2 - IMO
and buy a mixed thruster set of Quobba's!!
and oh yeah... a deck pad
(I think I paid $22 USD for the blue pad on the SP24)
















9'7 SP24 in action.... NOT at all corky, but way too much volume to sink and scrub off speed
I did cutbacks like a runaway train going off the end of the tracks