Wondering if I could ask a question if I may of the Sunova crowd - I had opportunity to have a look at a prototype 'Shroom yesterday at SurfFX and really like the look of it. I'm looking at coming down from a 10' Naish Mana (190L), and have not ridden either the 9'5" Speeed or a 'Shroom (believe the 'Shroom's are not in stock yet for a few weeks anyway). From all reports the Speeed is much more performance-oriented for faster waves and the 'Shroom is more for mushy slop? Obviously the 8'11" 'Shroom at 34"+ wide is massively wider than the 9'5" Speeed (31"?) and with the concave deck & bottom presumedly very very stable, but having watched Bert's video on the Speeed where he talks about the rails being under the water, thus creating 'hydro' tensioned stability (for lack of a better description), I'm curious as to the stability difference in the 2 boards when paddling slow or waiting for a set. Any thoughts on if it'll be a huge difference in that regard? Understood the Speeed will very much outperform the 'Shroom on a wave, but just trying to work out whether I'm likely to have low-speed balance issues on either coming down from the 10' Mana @ 190L to either of the Sunovas at 160L...sorry for the long post, and folks may not know much about the 'Shroom anyway yet, but I guess but thought I'd ask just in case someone does!
Have a good weekend all.

Hi 808

For some perspective:
My 8'3 Shroom is at least as stable as my 8'10 Speeed.
The 8'11 Shroom should be like an aircraft carrier, I don't think you would have any issues dropping down to that size.
The 8'11 Shroom will be much more stable than even the 9'5 Speeed.

Performance is a harder discussion.

I have to use only my boards for this comparison, because I don't know exactly how the bigger Shroom will ride... Bert does a great job keeping performance qualities consistent throughout a range... so I'm guessing the Shroom will as well.

8'3 Shoom vs 8'10 Speeed:
The Speeed is great in all size waves and conditions. It has a nice tight carve off the tail and good overall surfability. The Speeed stability is similar to a same size traditional design.

The Shroom is a super stable board... much wider than the Speeed
My 8'3 at 123 liters is fine for my 104 kg's
In smaller waves, my Shroom will pump super fast for it's width, and snap quick turns up and down the face..... much more "shortboard" moves than the 8'10 Speeed. It actually wears me out because it requires so much more work snapping turns, while the Speeed is a more relaxing ride.

The Shroom is very fast, but if the waves get bigger, the speed makes turning more problematic.... I have to scrub off speed to throw a turn, because the wide tail will want to "lay back down" if going too fast. I can surf the 8'3 Shroom in head high waves, but I need to throttle back in the performance department.... when I could be pushing much harder on my 8'10 Speeed.

I hope that helps a bit.... I'll know more after I get to ride a bigger Shroom.

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supthecreek said...
Hi 808

For some perspective:
My 8'3 Shroom is at least as stable as my 8'10 Speeed.
The 8'11 Shroom should be like an aircraft carrier, I don't think you would have any issues dropping down to that size.
The 8'11 Shroom will be much more stable than even the 9'5 Speeed.

Performance is a harder discussion.

I have to use only my boards for this comparison, because I don't know exactly how the bigger Shroom will ride... Bert does a great job keeping performance qualities consistent throughout a range... so I'm guessing the Shroom will as well.

8'3 Shoom vs 8'10 Speeed:
The Speeed is great in all size waves and conditions. It has a nice tight carve off the tail and good overall surfability. The Speeed stability is similar to a same size traditional design.

The Shroom is a super stable board... much wider than the Speeed
My 8'3 at 123 liters is fine for my 104 kg's
In smaller waves, my Shroom will pump super fast for it's width, and snap quick turns up and down the face..... much more "shortboard" moves than the 8'10 Speeed. It actually wears me out because it requires so much more work snapping turns, while the Speeed is a more relaxing ride.

The Shroom is very fast, but if the waves get bigger, the speed makes turning more problematic.... I have to scrub off speed to throw a turn, because the wide tail will want to "lay back down" if going too fast. I can surf the 8'3 Shroom in head high waves, but I need to throttle back in the performance department.... when I could be pushing much harder on my 8'10 Speeed.

I hope that helps a bit.... I'll know more after I get to ride a bigger Shroom.

Excellent - pretty much exactly the input I was hoping for. Thanks STC

The rear fins setup seems quite nice: close to the center for a "thruster" feel, and 2 possible positions. Well done.

Any of the Sunova folk know if Sunova will be doing a board bag for the 'Shrooms, coz people will have a helluva time getting something to fit otherwise! Fat/stepped rails, wide nose and tail will be problematic, even for the Minion-style bags that Flying Objects make!!

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colas said...
The rear fins setup seems quite nice: close to the center for a "thruster" feel, and 2 possible positions. Well done.

Yep looks very interesting! Saw an earlier post on Bert's thinking about it - can't decal the details but it seemed sound logic to me

I took the shroom from surf fx out for a couple of days on small stuff,,,,,,,I own an 8.5 speeed.... The shroom is just plain and simple fun fun fun...It is fast snappy and @ 711 31ish from memory 103 litres was about as stable as my 8.5 speed ...I am 6.2 88 kgs...

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dirtburp said...
I took the shroom from surf fx out for a couple of days on small stuff,,,,,,,I own an 8.5 speeed.... The shroom is just plain and simple fun fun fun...It is fast snappy and @ 711 31ish from memory 103 litres was about as stable as my 8.5 speed ...I am 6.2 88 kgs...

Cheers dirtburp - I'm thinking will wait and see what Demo's come through in the 'Shroom once the production ones are in - I think the guys said they may put an 8'7" in their demo fleet but could be wrong. I'm your height but around 112kgs so the 7'11 @ 103L would be under water with me on it! Not looking for THAT much of a challenge!

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808-Obsession said..
Wondering if I could ask a question if I may of the Sunova crowd - I had opportunity to have a look at a prototype 'Shroom yesterday at SurfFX and really like the look of it. I'm looking at coming down from a 10' Naish Mana (190L), and have not ridden either the 9'5" Speeed or a 'Shroom (believe the 'Shroom's are not in stock yet for a few weeks anyway). From all reports the Speeed is much more performance-oriented for faster waves and the 'Shroom is more for mushy slop? Obviously the 8'11" 'Shroom at 34"+ wide is massively wider than the 9'5" Speeed (31"?) and with the concave deck & bottom presumedly very very stable, but having watched Bert's video on the Speeed where he talks about the rails being under the water, thus creating 'hydro' tensioned stability (for lack of a better description), I'm curious as to the stability difference in the 2 boards when paddling slow or waiting for a set. Any thoughts on if it'll be a huge difference in that regard? Understood the Speeed will very much outperform the 'Shroom on a wave, but just trying to work out whether I'm likely to have low-speed balance issues on either coming down from the 10' Mana @ 190L to either of the Sunovas at 160L...sorry for the long post, and folks may not know much about the 'Shroom anyway yet, but I guess but thought I'd ask just in case someone does!
Have a good weekend all.

plenty of better boards that will suit a far wider set of conditions than this. This is just a big thick plank made for hardly no conditions. Speeed, Flow or a Soul would be better….especially the Flow which is a super board to surf.

STC - from memory (earlier posts) your 'Shroom was an early-release - did it come with a board bag? If not, have you had any luck sourcing something to fit the unusual shape (i.e. thick & stepped rails and wide nose & tail)?

Select to expand quote

supthecreek said...
Hi 808

For some perspective:
My 8'3 Shroom is at least as stable as my 8'10 Speeed.
The 8'11 Shroom should be like an aircraft carrier, I don't think you would have any issues dropping down to that size.
The 8'11 Shroom will be much more stable than even the 9'5 Speeed.

Performance is a harder discussion.

I have to use only my boards for this comparison, because I don't know exactly how the bigger Shroom will ride... Bert does a great job keeping performance qualities consistent throughout a range... so I'm guessing the Shroom will as well.

8'3 Shoom vs 8'10 Speeed:
The Speeed is great in all size waves and conditions. It has a nice tight carve off the tail and good overall surfability. The Speeed stability is similar to a same size traditional design.

The Shroom is a super stable board... much wider than the Speeed
My 8'3 at 123 liters is fine for my 104 kg's
In smaller waves, my Shroom will pump super fast for it's width, and snap quick turns up and down the face..... much more "shortboard" moves than the 8'10 Speeed. It actually wears me out because it requires so much more work snapping turns, while the Speeed is a more relaxing ride.

The Shroom is very fast, but if the waves get bigger, the speed makes turning more problematic.... I have to scrub off speed to throw a turn, because the wide tail will want to "lay back down" if going too fast. I can surf the 8'3 Shroom in head high waves, but I need to throttle back in the performance department.... when I could be pushing much harder on my 8'10 Speeed.

I hope that helps a bit.... I'll know more after I get to ride a bigger Shroom.

I hate to be critical of a board I had never seen let alone ridden but 8'11x34 5/8!!!! That Is a raft!!

The only surf ( or at least surfable) sup I know of that is wider is the starboard Avanti at 36" wide but it is 11 long.

I'll attest to sunova having some special ju ju as I have one myself but I don't think anyone could really call the biggest shroom a surf shape - it is closer to the Naish odyseus more of a compact paddler that can catch waves or at least this is my uninformed opinion

808 said:
STC - from memory (earlier posts) your 'Shroom was an early-release - did it come with a board bag? If not, have you had any luck sourcing something to fit the unusual shape (i.e. thick & stepped rails and wide nose & tail)?


I have a 1st run 9'5 Speeed Bag, the newer ones have improvements like a center carry handle and such.

I took the 8'3 Shroom and plugged it into the 9'5 bag, with 4 fins on it.... plenty of room and a nice fit.
Then I pulled it all the way back in the bag to check side clearance and questimate what size Shroom it could accomodate.

My guess is
8'7 x 33 3/8 easily

8'11 is probably too wide, even with the expansion panel... but I'd be willing to try


The 9'5 Speeed bag actually is a very appropriate fit for the 8'3 or 8'7.... the excess length doesn't detract at all from the secure feel of the bag once zipped up. I kinda like it!

Lots of pics so you can see all the angles and fit.
Remember.... this is a prototype bag... the new ones are much spiffier!

Select to expand quote

supthecreek said...
808 said:
STC - from memory (earlier posts) your 'Shroom was an early-release - did it come with a board bag? If not, have you had any luck sourcing something to fit the unusual shape (i.e. thick & stepped rails and wide nose & tail)?


I have a 1st run 9'5 Speeed Bag, the newer ones have improvements like a center carry handle and such.

I took the 8'3 Shroom and plugged it into the 9'5 bag, with 4 fins on it.... plenty of room and a nice fit.
Then I pulled it all the way back in the bag to check side clearance and questimate what size Shroom it could accomodate.

My guess is
8'7 x 33 3/8 easily

8'11 is probably too wide, even with the expansion panel... but I'd be willing to try


The 9'5 Speeed bag actually is a very appropriate fit for the 8'3 or 8'7.... the excess length doesn't detract at all from the secure feel of the bag once zipped up. I kinda like it!

Lots of pics so you can see all the angles and fit.
Remember.... this is a prototype bag... the new ones are much spiffier!

Thanks (again!) for such a detailed response, Rick! Your input and assistance is always much appreciated

Select to expand quote

Youngbreezy said...
I hate to be critical of a board I had never seen let alone ridden but 8'11x34 5/8!!!! That Is a raft!!

The only surf ( or at least surfable) sup I know of that is wider is the starboard Avanti at 36" wide but it is 11 long.

I'll attest to sunova having some special ju ju as I have one myself but I don't think anyone could really call the biggest shroom a surf shape - it is closer to the Naish odyseus more of a compact paddler that can catch waves or at least this is my uninformed opinion

Hey youngbreezy - thanks for the input. I get where you're coming from re. the width - I can't recall where I saw it but there's a video floating around of the ethos behind the stepped rails, and the production 'Shroom's apparently will have serious concave both top and bottom. From memory this is designed to get it moving fast and make rail to rail turns quite quickly for such a wide board. I kinda like the idea of something easy to paddle (especially waiting between sets) that will still perform on waves - dare say it'll be a lot livelier than the Odysseus?

if you've tried a board, and then criticize it, that's legit. but slamming a board based solely on its dimensions really is a waste of space.

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Youngbreezy said..
The only surf ( or at least surfable) sup I know of that is wider is the starboard Avanti at 36" wide but it is 11 long.

Well, when you will be a Oldbreezy with plenty of experience :-), you will find that some different shapes are ultra fun and really surfable on different kind of waves.

Just like the Shroom should not be happy in hawaiian barrels, a narrow toothpick will be hell in mushy waves.

Hint: mush-shroom...

Just try a wide short shape in mushburgers, you will be amazed, plus you will be able to have an overdose of fun without any crowds...

I don't think I was "slamming" the board just by pointing out that this is an extremely wide board. If you look at it in a length to width ratio then this is possibly the most wide stubby board on the market. This is something that needs to be pointed out when considering boards.

I will admit that on second thoughts my comparison with a naish odyseus was way off as there are so many other factors such as rail thickness and rockerline etc. But I feel my comparison with a raft is still quite valid.

I do dig short wide shapes to make the most out of mushy waves I have an 8'6 sunova skate that is super fun in those conditions so I am certainly not discriminating against that style of board. (and Colas Youngbreezy is just a name I am really not that young)

I had a look at the 8'3" shroom in a shop a few weeks back and it looked kind of odd but at the same time pretty sweet, I think it would be super fun for the local perth conditions, I like the idea of the massive concave in both the hull and the bottom but I am still very skeptical that the 8'11"x 34.625 (with 160 liters of volume packed in a sub 9ft board!) will provide anyone with much real surfing fun, i am sure it could catch small waves like nobodies business and would be great for cruising in little waves but how much real surfing performance could one really expect?

Go the speeed i say !! (which I have also never ridden but top of my list)

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Youngbreezy said..
I am still very skeptical that the 8'11"x 34.625 (with 160 liters of volume packed in a sub 9ft board!) will provide anyone with much real surfing fun,

Well, given that sunova has a really a lot of sizes for each model, it makes sense providing performance shape for huge guys. They may not amount to a lot of market share, but they may not have a lot of choice either...

I have actually ridden a 7'9" x 34" x 140l board once, the Gong "minimal", but an "advanced beginner" board rather than a performance one.
www.gong-galaxy.com/magazine/pics/1-hour-4-boards/
me: www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=17499#p17499
pat kruut:

It is quite fun in slow waves. The problem is the market for it: it is not a board for a beginner, as being short it needs some paddling technique, plus you must surf it in a special way (move your feet around a lot, widen your turns to not get stuck on the wave face). It is definitely geared towards very tall & heavy people. I guess a Simmons shape makes more market sense in these sizes... or a Shroom.

It was made for the beginners that demanded a board that fitted in a car. It was then made obsolete by the inflatables.

here's another guy not having any fun on his 'raft':

I'll be the first to admit I'm not a great surfer - I think the Speeed is probably a better-performing board in decent waves, but if I'm honest - small, slow & mushy waves will be my main focus for a while. Think the 'Shroom will be the go - at least for a while. Will try and demo if I can