Just received my 2015 8"8 Airborne for the Starboard Demo Trailer looks sweet. Will post a review as soon as I get it on the water, In will also take it down the beach on the weekend and try and get a review from someone heavier than me (84kgs).
More to follow soon
Had a quick paddle in distinctly average Perth conditions....... Hanging out for a wave this weekend as soon as I do will get a review up.
Zeus you are a perfect test pilot come up for a surf or the board will be at Gerroa 1st weekend in Nov and keep an eye on the Starboard Australia Facebook site in the next couple of days I am going to post my Demo dates from now to Merimbula.
looking forward to seeing you again. How is the little Zeus?
Rod
Very tempted to try this shape out, its sort of short and fat and I reckon it might be pretty stable to.
Looks like a super fun performance board - bit too big for me, but if it's anything like lasts years 7'4" & 7'10" Airborn's, it should be a winner!
Have you got any others to try yet Rod?
Little Zeus is ripping mate 
He is an absolute legend! Where can I find you early next week? Monday/Tuesday?
Anymore feedback on this board? Would love to hear how it performs in shoulder to head high waves.
Anyone had a few rides on this board in everyday NSW east coast beach breaks and also surfed the JP 8 2 X 32?
I am interested in info on speed, responsiveness, weight, durability etc I am 76 kg and average SUP PER.
Was having a surf last weekend on my 9' x 29 Starbie Pro carbon when I bumped into Paul from The Zu on his new brushed carbon 8'8. We were at Sandy Pt in Victoria, near Wilsons Prom.
It was a bit windy and quite rough but there were some good, well over head high sets coming through. Waves were quite fat and lumpy but really good fun. The 9x 29 was perfect, fast enough to get on and narrow enough to not be too worried by the lumps on the face.
After a few waves we swapped boards, Paul hadn't looked all that comfortable on the 8'8 on the wave and as soon as he got a wave on the 9 just ripped. He was making sections and looking like he was having a great time.
First impression of the 8'8, very stable, ridiculously stable! Got onto a wave and it just felt slow and dead compared to the 9. Had to get right forward to get it onto the fat waves, of course other end of the spectrum to the 9 x 29. Then I thought about it and remembered how my 7' 10 x 31 1/2 Airborn works, despite feeling slow you just have to get your back foot back, as soon as you do the board is completely transformed. Almost feels like there is a real rocker change, quite a bit of rocker in the nose and mid section then much flatter in the tail, that's just my impression though.
The other thing that makes a huge difference is moving your back foot towards the edge of the board, that wide tail needs to sink the rail. If you can get your back foot on the pad and either heel or toes right over the rail, the board absolutely cranks turns.
Now I'm too light for this, only 68kg. And that's probably part of the reason I had to get right back and right over the rail I wanted to sink. But despite that it was really fun once I started to suss it out.
We swapped back and I gave my thoughts to Paul about getting more performance out of the 8'8 and it made a huge difference, you just have to be so much more definite about cranking the board over but when you do it's just amazing how fast it will turn. First wave he got back and over the rail and it was transformed, he did a really tight, powerful bottom turn. It took me quite a few sessions to work out my 7'10 x 31 1/2, initially I thought it was slow and boring, but now in small waves just love it. Actually makes for really fun sessions in waves that I wouldn't have even bothered surfing on a regular 8'6 or 9' board. That's where I think these boards shine.
So my impression, relatively hard to get onto that days big fat beach break waves. Super stable, well for me at 68kg. Feels like a dog unless you get back and get over the rail. When you do, awesome!
Not a beginner board even though it may seem like it from the width. Can imagine intermediate paddlers not used to moving on a board never getting even close to realising the performance potential it really has. Particularly because it feels pretty slow getting onto the wave, so you need to move right forward and paddle like billy-oh, then when you are on the wave get right back quickly to bottom turn. Once you get it, easy, automatic, no problem. Of course this is in fat, beach break waves, steeper waves - completely different story.
Getting out through white water was fine, gets pushed back a little more than the 9 x 29 because of the width but the full nose bobs up through the white water no problem.
Really need someone who weighs 20kg or more than me to try it though. My view on the 31 1/2 wide Airborn boards is that they are absolutely awesome in conditions that suit them. In bigger waves, particularly if its lumpy on the faces, my 7'10" starts to feel very wide and a little spooky.
Keep in mind both that this board is very big for me, I usually surf the 7'7 x 27 and I'm 55 and a very average but enthusiastic surfer!
Hope that helps, I'm sponsored by Starboard/Auswind but always try to tell it like I see it.
Any 90kg sup-er who tried it yet?I have 9.0 PRO wich got be replaced under waranty for the new 8.5Pro :) and serious considdering buying one Airborn8.8 for the smaller mushy days.
My other option would be a WP8.2 Liked the older one, but found it a bit corky.
I picked up my new 2015 7'10 x 31.5 and took it for a session last weekend.
I've had a few SB's including the 7'4 pod and have stuck with the 8'2 SB carbon and a flat water monster as my go to boards. I looked at the 7'10 as board to take in smaller waves (up to 3-4 ft) on those rare clean days. The 8'2 is fantastic but the thickness you really feel when you carve the smaller ones but its stable when the wind and chop gets up.
I weigh 85 and found the board manageable in the fairly clean conditions I had but with chop it would be a struggle to stay upright the whole time.
I was out in 2-3ft clean waves and the board absolutely rocks and I agree the with guy reviewing the 8'8 that you need to get right back on the board.
IMO if you weigh around 75-85 and you're fairly competent then the 7'10 x 31.5 is pretty spot on for small clean conditions.
Select to expand quoteMDL said..
I picked up my new 2015 7'10 x 31.5 and took it for a session last weekend.
I've had a few SB's including the 7'4 pod and have stuck with the 8'2 SB carbon and a flat water monster as my go to boards. I looked at the 7'10 as board to take in smaller waves (up to 3-4 ft) on those rare clean days. The 8'2 is fantastic but the thickness you really feel when you carve the smaller ones but its stable when the wind and chop gets up.
I weigh 85 and found the board manageable in the fairly clean conditions I had but with chop it would be a struggle to stay upright the whole time.
I was out in 2-3ft clean waves and the board absolutely rocks and I agree the with guy reviewing the 8'8 that you need to get right back on the board.
IMO if you weigh around 75-85 and you're fairly competent then the 7'10 x 31.5 is pretty spot on for small clean conditions.
Hi MDL, So do you think there is much change form the 2014 air bourne to the 2015?
Hi all,
New to this forum but been watching in anticipation of my ordered carbon 8'8 AB as a messy conditions or small wave board when my SB 2013 9' Pro feels too tippy. I'm 100kg before donning my 4/3 or 5/4/3. Usually waves are waist to head+ right point breaks along the southern coast of Vancouver Island in Canada, with occasional 5 hour drives north to Tofino BC beach breaks.
Recently tried the 8'8 in my first SUP surf contest in Tofino during a heat and afterwards, trading off with a buddy's 9' -something Slingshot quad. Won my heat in junky surf and noticed that while it feels slow paddling - (most likely due to its width low stance, plowing water) - it really scoots on the wave. I had read JonathonC's post before I tried it and was mindful of my rear foot positioning and I agree that (like many boards) really respond to having a foot over the fins. The other noticeable trait on my limited surf was its flat deck area and impressive stability. While the board was half underwater with my weight, stability in the 3-way chop was really quite impressive, especially compared to my 29" wide Pro. I should have mine in the next month or two (fingers crossed) and I'll post pictures or a video link and be able to report on a wider variety of wave types.
Cheers,
Joji, aka colderh20
Victoria, Canada
More or less the same experience here. On paper the numbers aren't that big but in IRL the difference between the boards are huge (I will make pics Morrow when they are lying next to eachother)
I,m 90kg+ wetsuit and got a 8.8 AB carbon next to my Pro9.0 2014 and it suprises how much more stable it feels next to the Pro 9.0, The way thinner rails are something you fee straight away when being of balance as they sink a lot quicker as with the pro, the pad as well, it just offers more grip..The reason I bought my AB8.8 is that the PRO9.0 needs a faster and slightly steeper wave to get at speed and find that nice loose feel, When its too slow of a wave the board catches but never releases and feels a bit sticky....and we don,t have that many "pro" days (so basically the pro is my holiday board). But plenty of days of hip to head high with a bit slow and often confused waves. Doesnt sound fun, but you gotta do with what you get :) On a wave hip to chest high very slow longboard style clean wave the AB8.8 catches early and if you step back like Jonathan advices into the grey/orange zone you hit the turbo button. The board accelerates on the smallest and slowest waves of only hiphigh and feels lively and turny. You can very easily make a slashy lipturn with it where with the 9.0 in the same conditions it would be a wider rather lame turn.
Basicly where the Pro begin to lack a bit the AB starets to shine (and I guess the other way around as well although i,m gonna try to stretch it a bit with a nubster for the AB in bigger waves) :)My Pro 9.0 wil be replaced with the new 8.5Pro as soon as they are in Holland, but with these two boards i,m a happy camper in most of the conditions :)For real slow longboard waves I get myself a 10ftx25x115l longboard noseride sup (from Gong) and if that won,t work I grab my Allstar12.6 :) 
Hi Jeroen heb je je Airborn in Nederland gekocht? Ik dacht dat hij nog niet leverbaar was.
The thickness and I think the rocker as well.The AB seems to be a bit more flat in the middle.
I owned a WP8.2 and 8.10, but both AST instead of the way lighter carbon making them very hard to compare in feel.
Ok, I was fortunate to have ridden this last week at Merimbula in clean 1-2ft with the occasional bigger one. Short verdict?? LOVE IT!!! WANT ONE!!! 
At 100kg standing in the lineup was no trouble at all. Water level was just across the deck. It actually felt more stable than my X32 8'8" which surprised me. It was pretty full out there early and i was concerned that i didn't have enough length to paddle in early and compete with all the crew out there for the early on 10'6" to 11' boards but i can honestly say it wasn't an issue. It paddled straighter than the X32 when going for a wave and once on and dropping in, it just felt perfect! Super light and responsive, rail buried easily and changed direction very quickly. On one wave it came off the lip so fast i found myself landing flat on my back thinking "Well I wasn't expecting that." 
The rails are so refined and sharpen nicely at the tail and the little quad set that come with it suit the board admirably.
So now I'm faced with yet another dilemma.... Do I try and sell my brand new 2015 8'8", which is still a very fun board, and then drop close to another G to upgrade to the little carbon Starby shredder?? Gotta say, Im certainly tempted!!
Select to expand quoteZeusman said..
Ok, I was fortunate to have ridden this last week at Merimbula in clean 1-2ft with the occasional bigger one. Short verdict?? LOVE IT!!! WANT ONE!!!
At 100kg standing in the lineup was no trouble at all. Water level was just across the deck. It actually felt more stable than my X32 8'8" which surprised me. It was pretty full out there early and i was concerned that i didn't have enough length to paddle in early and compete with all the crew out there for the early on 10'6" to 11' boards but i can honestly say it wasn't an issue. It paddled straighter than the X32 when going for a wave and once on and dropping in, it just felt perfect! Super light and responsive, rail buried easily and changed direction very quickly. On one wave it came off the lip so fast i found myself landing flat on my back thinking "Well I wasn't expecting that." The rails are so refined and sharpen nicely at the tail and the little quad set that come with it suit the board admirably.
So now I'm faced with yet another dilemma.... Do I try and sell my brand new 2015 8'8", which is still a very fun board, and then drop close to another G to upgrade to the little carbon Starby shredder?? Gotta say, Im certainly tempted!!
So Zeusman, are you saying these surf better than the x32? 'cause I'm looking at going the same way!
Yes.... That's exactly what I'm saying. This board is most certainly a better ride than the x32. I'm not taking anything away from the x32, but the Airborne is just better.
Cheers Zeusman. Was leaning that way, definately going to demo towards the end of the month....
I used mine a couple of times now and slowly growing into it, and its for me an awesome board.
Stable and still very very able to rip in the less perfect conditions.
I tried yesterday for an hour or so my new carbon Pro8.5x29 headhigh but cold (5mm hooded suit+5mm boots kindacold) and very choppy.
The waves I got where awesome, but in between a lot of swimming.
I changed to the AB8.8 and yes she is less pretty with here bit wider hips, but she made live soo much easier for me over the slender Pro Model...
On not too fast waves the board got more then enough speed but if you wanna a go too fast on here she don,t seems to like it and start to bounce a bit.
Turning on here is really about positioning, when you are on the right spot.....she is really enjoyable, does everything you can think of and squirts on a wave
Select to expand quoteJeroensurf said...
I used mine a couple of times now and slowly growing into it, and its for me an awesome board.
Stable and still very very able to rip in the less perfect conditions.
I tried yesterday for an hour or so my new carbon Pro8.5x29 headhigh but cold (5mm hooded suit+5mm boots kindacold) and very choppy.
The waves I got where awesome, but in between a lot of swimming.
I changed to the AB8.8 and yes she is less pretty with here bit wider hips, but she made live soo much easier for me over the slender Pro Model...
On not too fast waves the board got more then enough speed but if you wanna a go too fast on here she don,t seems to like it and start to bounce a bit.
Turning on here is really about positioning, when you are on the right spot.....she is really enjoyable, does everything you can think of and squirts on a wave
Not as pretty??? Ain't nothing wrong with a bit more outline curve. " Fat bottom girls you make the rockin' world go round!!!" 
I am curious to know what the people who own/owned the Naish 8'8" x32 think of their new boards. Do you still think they are more stable? Do you think they are better boards? I have had my 8'8" for a few months now and love it. Stability is rarely an issue now. And I am sure that my surfing skills are not up to the capabilities of that board. But I can't help thinking about what might be next… (I am 90 kg and 6'3")
