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Napnap said..
... Only real negative is size of centre fin - its just way too big in my opinion. Other than that all good, hope your search is goes well!

The same with me, I put in a 16cm centre fin right from the start with my 8'6 and this felt fine so far.

Well I still haven't taken out the Placid and now we have another lock down and next week I will lose my licence for three months. Will have to learn to SUP all over again.

I've had my Quatro Glide out now in some decent Portuguese waves the last days, from over headhigh wobbly to headhigh glassy, and what should I say.
The 8'6 performs in all conditions and makes me look like a better surfer than I am.
It is stable in moving water, picks up speed nicely and turns as good as the pilot could do.
I think the Quatro Glide is highly underestimated when it comes to recommend good everyday all around surfboards.
Alex

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Napnap said..
Hi, similar problem here. I wanted something for my local UK NE coast conditions (Saltburn). When its on here it can be epic (relatively speaking), however most of the time it's North Sea mess - windy, chop (very choppy) etc. Wanted a stable board that could could cover most of the conditions I face. I went with a 'local' supplier in the NE. Board is 9' 'fishy' outline 150ltr (big volume I know, I'm 6'3 and 86kg) but it is super stable, loads of glide and is very lively off the tail. Unexpected bonus, punching out through the white stuff is a revelation. I'd spent ages trying to hunt down a board from all the major players in the UK this year but couldn't find one anywhere, and I hadn't considered Gong (they look good) at the time. Moral of the story is - what you are looking for could be closer to home. I'm considering a smaller board from the same supplier for the winter months here.

I surf Saltburn (and other NE Spots) on both my Flow 8'7 and Placid 8'7. The Flow is XXX and the Placid TR3. I use PCC7's in the Flow, same in the Placid but smaller rears. My Flow "floats" more in the windblown rippy chop, so makes it slightly easier, but given the bigger cleaner days the Placid has that dig in and groove that I like. Both boards are brilliant, I have a 7'9 Shroom also, thats a cracker on the smaller cleaner days, plenty of float and nice wide tail for that lift and float riding, it grips really well too.. I haven't changed the fin setup on this yet.
I had an 8'10 Speeed, but it was too big for me... I'm on the look out for a 7'9 if anyones got one..
I'm 78kg and 1.56m.

I read a lot of Tardys posts, Creeks too so just search for Placid and Flow and Speeed on here for full in depth analysis and gossip on the boards.

Great forum this, I've learned loads from all the contributors.

I might as well buy a new paddle while I'm in SUP hibernation. I'm 168cm, 70kg low intermediate supper. I have a new 8'7" placid and near new 10' starboard long board. I have been using an adjustable Fanatic paddle but it gets waterlogged easily. I want a good paddle for surfing and to help improve my supping. I noticed smik do a nice paddle at a reasonable price.

This thread has taken a few turns, personally really like this sort of thing. Lizardman, I've got a tapered carbon paddle from local UK supplier (Loco). Smik one seems tapered as well. Felt strange at first coming from a two piece but absolutely love the 'progressive' nature of how it flexes. Can't comment on blade/catch etc as the blades seem very different. My daughter lives in Fremantle and compared to us here in the UK your restrictions seem proportionate. We're fully open, Boris is MIA, the attitude here seems like it's all over, you've been vaccinated, nothing to see here, business as usual. Great only thing is we've travelled to Woolacombe in South Devon, weather totally blown out with only one good day out so far, must be torture for you with your new board nd situation

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Napnap said..
NOONOO, the Quattro is a very very stable board, 8'6 is more stable than the Guppy 9'. Its laterally more sensitive but in a positive way. It paddles and deals with white stuff etc going out as good as the Guppy. The purpose today was to see how it managed choppy North Sea conditions, genuinely did not bother me at all, really became just background 'noise'. The board is seriously stable. Didn't expect much of the conditions but managed to catch a few, (seriously crap conditions), it pivots from the back predictably to turn and catch waves easily and glide, stability and tracking are good. It's very easy to surf and flatters what skills you have. In terms of being more laterally sensitive in a positive way compared to the Guppy this meant it reacted more to toe and heel pressure to initiate movement compared to the Guppy which requires more positive foot movement. It seems tough, newbie long boarder (complete with gittee goatee!) dropped in and twatted the rear toe side rail as he ditched, just flaked a bit of paint away. Only real negative is size of centre fin - its just way too big in my opinion. Other than that all good, hope your search is goes well!

Many thanks Napnap. Sounds like a great option. One I will keep in the back of my mind. In truth my board search took a bit of an unexpected turn. Second hand SUPs in my area are like hens teeth but one turned up - a 8'7" Loco Aztec @ 145L (I think). I ummed and ah'd over it for some time but the price was too good to ignore in the end. I kind of came to the conclusion that the limiting factor in board performance is me rather than the equipment I'm using. Yes, some boards will be easier but ultimately I'm not anywhere good enough to feel the differences between boards of a similar size and shape. The only thing I need is a board that can get going in small junk and is small and light enough to carry on the beach walks I sometimes have to take. If it doesn't work out then I dont stand to lose much, if anything to be honest. The price was that low. The downside is I haven't had a chance to get on it yet thanks to work which is honestly doing my head in at the moment. Pretty close to breaking point in reality. Thankfully i'm working to address that problem.

Lizardman's Placid and poss new paddle, your Aztec, Alex's Glide all to be reviewed/being reviewed -interesting thread and lots to look forward to. Hope it all works out well for everyone!

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SunnyBouy said..

Napnap said..
Hi, similar problem here. I wanted something for my local UK NE coast conditions (Saltburn). When its on here it can be epic (relatively speaking), however most of the time it's North Sea mess - windy, chop (very choppy) etc. Wanted a stable board that could could cover most of the conditions I face. I went with a 'local' supplier in the NE. Board is 9' 'fishy' outline 150ltr (big volume I know, I'm 6'3 and 86kg) but it is super stable, loads of glide and is very lively off the tail. Unexpected bonus, punching out through the white stuff is a revelation. I'd spent ages trying to hunt down a board from all the major players in the UK this year but couldn't find one anywhere, and I hadn't considered Gong (they look good) at the time. Moral of the story is - what you are looking for could be closer to home. I'm considering a smaller board from the same supplier for the winter months here.

I surf Saltburn (and other NE Spots) on both my Flow 8'7 and Placid 8'7. The Flow is XXX and the Placid TR3. I use PCC7's in the Flow, same in the Placid but smaller rears. My Flow "floats" more in the windblown rippy chop, so makes it slightly easier, but given the bigger cleaner days the Placid has that dig in and groove that I like. Both boards are brilliant, I have a 7'9 Shroom also, thats a cracker on the smaller cleaner days, plenty of float and nice wide tail for that lift and float riding, it grips really well too.. I haven't changed the fin setup on this yet.
I had an 8'10 Speeed, but it was too big for me... I'm on the look out for a 7'9 if anyones got one..
I'm 78kg and 1.56m.

I read a lot of Tardys posts, Creeks too so just search for Placid and Flow and Speeed on here for full in depth analysis and gossip on the boards.

Great forum this, I've learned loads from all the contributors.

I have a 7 .11 been in the water4 times surfed 2

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Napnap said..
Lizardman's Placid and poss new paddle, your Aztec, Alex's Glide all to be reviewed/being reviewed -interesting thread and lots to look forward to. Hope it all works out well for everyone!

Not sure I'm the best person to be reviewing anything to be honest but happy to share my thoughts.

A couple of things to note. The Aztec is not a board Loco make anymore. They make an inflatable version but the Aztec has been replaced by the Hybrid I think. Secondly, the board can be ridden as a thruster or a quad so I'll have some experimenting to do on that side.

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Napnap said..
This thread has taken a few turns, personally really like this sort of thing. Lizardman, I've got a tapered carbon paddle from local UK supplier (Loco). Smik one seems tapered as well. Felt strange at first coming from a two piece but absolutely love the 'progressive' nature of how it flexes. Can't comment on blade/catch etc as the blades seem very different. My daughter lives in Fremantle and compared to us here in the UK your restrictions seem proportionate. We're fully open, Boris is MIA, the attitude here seems like it's all over, you've been vaccinated, nothing to see here, business as usual. Great only thing is we've travelled to Woolacombe in South Devon, weather totally blown out with only one good day out so far, must be torture for you with your new board nd situation

You could check out x-paddle from kaisports in uk, they do a carbon kevlar fixed paddle. It has an oval shaft. Seems pretty good, I've had it about 6 months. The last SB enduro carbon paddle I had broke after only a month. Live in Cornwall, waves are typicallly bigger more powerful than NS, and have gone through 4 paddles in 2 years, since taking up supping, after 40 yrs prone, so was looking for something a bit more robust and this fits the bill hopefully.

You could also keep an eye on the 2nd hand market on FB, there's the occasional good value deal to be had, much cheaper than buying new. Just picked up a 8.3 smik spitfire carbon, that's in good condition, it's V1, but goes fine for me, a high performance, forgiving SUP. Its in a similar condition to my hipster that I've had for 9 months, basically a few minor paint scrapes. It fits into the middle of my quiver, have a 8.5 Steller OZX for big windy days, and 8 Hipster for small clean days and the spitfire for anything inbetween.

In lock down for another two weeks at least

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Daveb27 said..
It fits into the middle of my quiver, have a 8.5 Steller OZX for big windy days, and 8 Hipster for small clean days and the spitfire for anything inbetween.

Cool quiver you have there, could you tell something about the Steller, it looks a bit like the JL Destroyer shape, how does the board go? How stable is it compared to the other two in your quiver?

About the Paddles, I was also looking at the x-paddle from kaisports but due to the Brexit I went for one that was already on this side of the water to avoid higher shipping and tax costs. In the end, I went for a Blackfish paddle, the silver skin Nootka, pretty happy with that but I think almost any carbon-fixed paddle would do nowadays it's just your personal preference of brand and shape.

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estingo said..

Daveb27 said..
It fits into the middle of my quiver, have a 8.5 Steller OZX for big windy days, and 8 Hipster for small clean days and the spitfire for anything inbetween.

Cool quiver you have there, could you tell something about the Steller, it looks a bit like the JL Destroyer shape, how does the board go? How stable is it compared to the other two in your quiver?

About the Paddles, I was also looking at the x-paddle from kaisports but due to the Brexit I went for one that was already on this side of the water to avoid higher shipping and tax costs. In the end, I went for a Blackfish paddle, the silver skin Nootka, pretty happy with that but I think almost any carbon-fixed paddle would do nowadays it's just your personal preference of brand and shape.

Re. Paddles, I think 100% carbon paddles are a bit brittle, as mentioned my enduro lasted about a month. Better if they are a mix of fibres IMO to give a bit of impact resistance; kevlar or innegra etc.

The Steller Design SUP is also 2nd hand, but like new. If you see one, get it, would be my advice, full Innegra and carbon. They're made in Japan, based on thunderbolt technology, that they use on the top-top end longboards sold by Firewire. Sharpest rails I've seen on an 8'5" SUP, it's 31" wide so has good stability for a 112ltr, making it better in big windy surf. Very fast, and draws and holds good lines on steep faces. Seems very strong, yet light. Snapped a paddle across the rail in OH powerful surf, not even a spider web crack. Smaller surf, you have to move your feet about a bit more, hence the Hipster & Spitfire.

I'd say the JL destroyer is more like the Hipster. JL do another, the Super Frank, which looks a similar deal, short and wide.

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Napnap said..
Lizardman's Placid and poss new paddle, your Aztec, Alex's Glide all to be reviewed/being reviewed -interesting thread and lots to look forward to. Hope it all works out well for everyone!

Well finally managed to get the Aztec out on the water. Took too long thanks to work etc. So here's my thoughts. Firstly I'm a novice SUP surfer. I'm garbage at it so I'm not really in a position to review the board in massive detail but I can log my experience and what that means for me as someone trying to develop their skills. I managed two short sessions over the weekend. The first on Saturday at my local beach - Black Rock Sands in North Wales, UK. It is not a surf beach, great for kite surfing but not for prone surfing. It gets too messy and blown out thanks to the numerous sand banks and SW facing aspect of the beach. We were there all day playing round with a mates new boat, wakeboarding etc. I'd actually missed the best surf. There was zero wind, so the sea state was glass but with a small 2' swell that reduced to a weak 1' by the time I got out. The board is 8'7" 145L. Other than the length it is a gentle step down from my Hypr Gun 11'6" x 28" 165L. The Loco is set as a thruster at the moment. I will need to get a quad set for it down the line to see how that goes but for now I simply need to concentrate on catching waves. The board was honestly a pleasant surprise. It took literally a minute to get used to the lower stability length ways but it was pretty solid transversely but again a couple of moments just to find that spot and understand that the tail is a little narrower than the nose. I was not expecting to catch anything, and even maybe struggle to simply stand on it, but the opposite happened. I caught several of these little ripples with ease. It was surprisingly quick to paddle too and very easy to turn down to that shorter length. Basically it was easy which is exactly how it should be in those conditions. The turning speed and quick entry was exactly what I need in a board at this stage along with the stability.

Second session was back to normal conditions for this beach. Sub 10 knots of wind (cross) but the seas state was choppy but would still make out the 2' - 3' sets on this occasion. I struggled a little but still managed to catch a few with the issue being my ability to position the board in the chop before dropping in. So 100% me but still better than I would have managed with the bigger board I suspect. I did however notice that I need to be a lot more precise with my feet position for maximum stability on the board. I could be far more relaxed about that on the Hypr Gun. It was actually ok paddling out too. So overall the ball has been a really positive step for me. I've no idea on whether the board can be classed as a good one compared to other short stubby boards or even other surf shapes but it has opened a door of opportunity for me. It's the board I need at this moment in my development. I can grow with it.

Great to hear you are getting on well with your new board. I've just gone over to quads for the quattro and I really like the combination at my local. Friday gone was a special evening at Saltburn, 30 plus proners and one stand up (me). 2-3ft swell 9/10 secs and glass. Sun was setting at one end of the beach and the moon rising over the cliffs, smell of beer and fish and chips on the breeze and a couple of compliments from the prone guys on a couple of waves I caught, everything just clicked! With the right board for you and where you surf your progress will be rapid!!

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Napnap said..
Great to hear you are getting on well with your new board. I've just gone over to quads for the quattro and I really like the combination at my local. Friday gone was a special evening at Saltburn, 30 plus proners and one stand up (me). 2-3ft swell 9/10 secs and glass. Sun was setting at one end of the beach and the moon rising over the cliffs, smell of beer and fish and chips on the breeze and a couple of compliments from the prone guys on a couple of waves I caught, everything just clicked! With the right board for you and where you surf your progress will be rapid!!

Thank you Napnap. That is exactly the feeling I have. I can feel that I can progress with it and that it will help me do that. By some fluke I've managed to find a board that was local, cheap and does everything I could have asked from it. I'm sure there are other boards out there that could do the same but not local and not at what I paid.

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Napnap said..
Great to hear you are getting on well with your new board. I've just gone over to quads for the quattro and I really like the combination at my local. Friday gone was a special evening at Saltburn, 30 plus proners and one stand up (me). 2-3ft swell 9/10 secs and glass. Sun was setting at one end of the beach and the moon rising over the cliffs, smell of beer and fish and chips on the breeze and a couple of compliments from the prone guys on a couple of waves I caught, everything just clicked! With the right board for you and where you surf your progress will be rapid!!

Which Quad fins do you use for the Glide.
I'm thinking of trying Quads too, but so far was happy with the stok sidefins and a 15,5 cm / 6 " centerfin (stock is 17 cm, too big).

What do you find different in the Glide with the Quads compared to the Thruster?

I went for Rasta V2 medium. Was looking for speed first then turn, the description on the website seemed to fit the bill. Was not disappointed, the Glide is transformed. Friday just gone was spot on, admitted the conditions were the best we've seen this year at my local break (3-4ft 9sec v slight offshore glassy). I'm at an average early intermediate stage of development in my surfing but on Friday two locals commented on a couple of waves. One said 'You were really rippin it up on that one', never thought I'd hear that - still smile when I think about it!
Main differences - acceleration and flow/momentum into turns, really seemed to help smooth me out a lot and the board seemed to become more responsive to surfing from the 'center line' and required less movement of the back foot from rail to rail.
Also, only takes a couple of paddle strokes to swing round onto a wave. Don't really have enough current experience to probably explain what is happening but it felt more natural/in sync with my style/ability at the moment. Have no intention of going back just at the moment. Hope this is in some way useful.

Yes, very usefull, thanx.

I'll use the MFC Kai Quads, which i hve here from my last board. Also quite fast fins.

First time Ive ever bought a set of fins, was aware they had a big role to play in how they affected the 'feel' and 'performance' of a board but never really bothered to look close and still not sure about the finer points work. So,took a look this evening and was quite surprised to see how not simple they are.

Now you have done it !!! Nap nap,asking about fins! Ha ha,colas will be all over this !

Future has some pre-twisted fins.

You can read more about them on the Witchcraft site, who pioneered them:
witchcraft.nu/boards/trifin/

I finally managed to take the Placid out for a paddle, not in the surf but out in Port Phillip bay in calm conditions. First impressions is that the board is amazingly stable for it length and volume 8'7" 125 L, extremely responsive as I practised backfoot turns and turning in circles and I didnt fall off once as I have not been out on a board for close to 5 months. It also paddled well over a long distance so I am looking forward to taking out in the surf.