Hi All,

I'm back on this forum after sometime and again I'd like to have your insights regarding the two boards in subject.

I own a SB Pro 9x30 2021 (starlite) since 9 months and used it alot in several different conditions (including on flat water but mostly in waves).

I like how it performs but now I'm asking myself how it would be to have a different board (different design) with less volume.

I'm interested to improve my speed and turns, especially on my back hand (BTW I'm regular, 178cm and with a weight between 75 and 80kg depending on seasons). Also I wouldn't mind a board that help me catching waves easier using less efforts.

I've contacted Sunova support and explained my situation. They suggested a Sunova Creek 8'10 or 8'7 among all the boards they sell.

I was thinking about the 8'10 because it has a volume of around 125 Liters vs. the 157 liters of my SB pro.

However I don't really have a chance to try one of these Sunova boards since they are very rarely seen in my region (South of Spain) and there are no sellers dealing with it that have something in stock.

Therefore here I am asking your help to understand if Sunova suggestion was good?

In particular I'm interested to understand:

1) if you tried both boards (the SB pro and the Creek) and can comment on which one is better for you and why?

2) How stable is the Creek 8'10? The SB pro floats well but I wouldn't say is very stable compared to other SB boards.

3) If you didn't try the SB pro but another similar board and also the Creek then I'm also interested in your opinion

It would be awesome to get some insights from Creek about all my questions due to his experience with Sunova...

Looking forward to read your replies guys!!!

Thanks

Hi DaniNewbie. I'm around your weight & height. But haven't tried the SB Pro.
I have two Sunovas. The Soul which is 110 litres x 8ft 3" x 29" wide. It has the round tail. I have had this board for over 5 years & still love it. It gets onto waves easy, glides really well and even more as I put my weight forward when the wave loses its wall & wash. It turns quite well with its original Sunova fins which has the centre fin one size smaller than the sides.
It's great on small & overhead waves without that bouncy corkiness.
I absolutely love the board. That's why I didn't sell it.
I cannot understand why Sunova stopped selling the Soul? But maybe they have one similar in dimensions with a different name.

And about 2 years ago I wanted a slightly bigger board that would give me a bit better stability & speed for those big days for when I would need to out run a closing wave as well as balance a bit better in chop. So I bought the Creeek 8ft 10"
The difference between these two boards is my body position when I want speed & glide. The Creeek needs you to stand more towards the tail & does slow down more as the power of the wave reduces. Even when you step forward to try & get a bit more glide. But this is only very minor.
Both the Soul & the Creeek need the back foot on the tailpad for those sharp turns if you want to shred more. But I am more of a carver with my back foot more forward of the tailpad. And both boards still turn ok for me for bottom turns & cutbacks. Both boards have little corkiness which I think is critical in big choppy surf. Unlike my JP Widebody which is wider at 32" with more volume at 124 litres. which had me thrown off in chop. But I'm quite sure the JP Pro boards don't do this. The Widebody is more for smaller beachy waves anyway.
The Creeek also paddles onto waves quite easily.
But if you are more into shredding waves with high powered sharp turns. Then definitely the other boards of Sunova as they recommend for that.
I cannot fault the Sunova boards in their recommended performance. Bert Burger has it nailed.
As for build. Mine are still great in the XXX material. And none have suffered that osmosis surface when leaving them damp in the board bag unlike some painted boards.
The only problem I found is that the Creeek board deck pad can smell if left damp in the bag. Which I haven't noticed with my earlier purchased Soul. So not sure if the material has changed. But that is a very minor issue as I think all boards should be dry soon after use anyway.

Good luck.

Seajuice said..
Hi DaniNewbie. I'm around your weight & height. But haven't tried the SB Pro.
I have two Sunovas. The Soul which is 110 litres x 8ft 3" x 29" wide. It has the round tail. I have had this board for over 5 years & still love it. It gets onto waves easy, glides really well and even more as I put my weight forward when the wave loses its wall & wash. It turns quite well with its original Sunova fins which has the centre fin one size smaller than the sides.
It's great on small & overhead waves without that bouncy corkiness.
I absolutely love the board. That's why I didn't sell it.
I cannot understand why Sunova stopped selling the Soul? But maybe they have one similar in dimensions with a different name.

And about 2 years ago I wanted a slightly bigger board that would give me a bit better stability & speed for those big days for when I would need to out run a closing wave as well as balance a bit better in chop. So I bought the Creeek 8ft 10"
The difference between these two boards is my body position when I want speed & glide. The Creeek needs you to stand more towards the tail & does slow down more as the power of the wave reduces. Even when you step forward to try & get a bit more glide. But this is only very minor.
Both the Soul & the Creeek need the back foot on the tailpad for those sharp turns if you want to shred more. But I am more of a carver with my back foot more forward of the tailpad. And both boards still turn ok for me for bottom turns & cutbacks. Both boards have little corkiness which I think is critical in big choppy surf. Unlike my JP Widebody which is wider at 32" with more volume at 124 litres. which had me thrown off in chop. But I'm quite sure the JP Pro boards don't do this. The Widebody is more for smaller beachy waves anyway.
The Creeek also paddles onto waves quite easily.
But if you are more into shredding waves with high powered sharp turns. Then definitely the other boards of Sunova as they recommend for that.
I cannot fault the Sunova boards in their recommended performance. Bert Burger has it nailed.
As for build. Mine are still great in the XXX material. And none have suffered that osmosis surface when leaving them damp in the board bag unlike some painted boards.
The only problem I found is that the Creeek board deck pad can smell if left damp in the bag. Which I haven't noticed with my earlier purchased Soul. So not sure if the material has changed. But that is a very minor issue as I think all boards should be dry soon after use anyway.

Good luck.

Thanks Seajuice....so if you had to choice again between a Creek and another Sunova board what would you pick?

Consider that conditions here vary greatly between flat water, to knee high then head to 2 meters. Sometimes there is also lateral (left to right or right to left) wind to take into consideration.

Cheers

LastSupper said..
Go 4 a holday to thailand and sample the whares ! Or go to the Maldives with the sunova crew

Yeah that would be awesome but a bit difficult to organize unfortunately.

My other option is to go for a SUP clinic in Portugal where they just use Sunova boards...at some point next year. So I can try them all and also improve my level.

castawaycove said..
Never been on the SB but owned a Creek for many years. It is not a stable board but has stability features built-in that make it more stable than other performance-type boards. I think what is most important for you to consider is the term "corky" Seajuice mentioned. Corky means your board is on top of the water. Your board will bounce like a cork. As you improve both your paddling and surfing this becomes a disadvantage because it is much more difficult to bury your rail and create a good turn. This takes you to a board like the Creek or Flow for that matter. When litered properly for your size, the rail line will sit under the water. Your foot will get wet even in flat water. This does not mean you are below the water or on a low litered board. The shape, whether stepper rails or lowered rails creates. Ultimately, the water on top of the rails actually makes you more stable. As a bonus, the board will surf much better. This is an adjustment and takes a little time to get used to. Hence, why I think Sunova recommended the Creek. wide tail, thick in the standing area but heavily rockered. It is a good board to make the move from Corky boards to performance boards.

Thanks, great advice on the corky term...I always wondered what that meant in practice.

DaniNewbie said..
Hi All,

I'm back on this forum after sometime and again I'd like to have your insights regarding the two boards in subject.

I own a SB Pro 9x30 2021 (starlite) since 9 months and used it alot in several different conditions (including on flat water but mostly in waves).

I like how it performs but now I'm asking myself how it would be to have a different board (different design) with less volume.

I'm interested to improve my speed and turns, especially on my back hand (BTW I'm regular, 178cm and with a weight between 75 and 80kg depending on seasons). Also I wouldn't mind a board that help me catching waves easier using less efforts.

I've contacted Sunova support and explained my situation. They suggested a Sunova Creek 8'10 or 8'7 among all the boards they sell.

I was thinking about the 8'10 because it has a volume of around 125 Liters vs. the 157 liters of my SB pro.

However I don't really have a chance to try one of these Sunova boards since they are very rarely seen in my region (South of Spain) and there are no sellers dealing with it that have something in stock.

Therefore here I am asking your help to understand if Sunova suggestion was good?

In particular I'm interested to understand:

1) if you tried both boards (the SB pro and the Creek) and can comment on which one is better for you and why?

2) How stable is the Creek 8'10? The SB pro floats well but I wouldn't say is very stable compared to other SB boards.

3) If you didn't try the SB pro but another similar board and also the Creek then I'm also interested in your opinion

It would be awesome to get some insights from Creek about all my questions due to his experience with Sunova...

Looking forward to read your replies guys!!!

Thanks

Hi Dani
Welcome back onto the Breeze.... I appreciate you asking for my input!

I have surfed a 9'0 SB Pro but it was a 2019, I think.

Because I am a Sunova guy, I will let others comment on the performance, but I will say this about the volume:
For your weight....
When you get into that much volume on a 30" wide board, you begin to sacrifice stability because you raise your center of gravity up too far above the water.... that combined with the corkyness leads to a twitchy, unstable feeling.

As others have said, you will generally be more comfortable when you get lower in the water

Your wish, that I will focus on is:
"I'm interested to improve my speed and turns, especially on my back hand "

Backhand is key here because I certainly have several favorites when surfing backside.
I find I don't surf backside as well on my shorter, snappier boards like the Placid and SP25... probably because backside, I don't pump speed as well on shorter arc boards.

Because of my particular backside turn, I always choose the Creek or Kanga at good backside breaks.
Sometimes the Flow V2 as well.
They all have great drive off the bottom turn and carry speed down the line.

Note on the Creek:
I never had the same success with my 8'10 or 9'1 that I do on my 9'4... I find the Creek needs extra surface area for me to get the most performance out of it. (I am 100 kg)


The Kanga you can go considerably shorter and still get stability and drive. I have ordered an 8'9 but this video is on the 9'6


FlowV2 is best one size up from where you think you should be, because I find the low "S" rails to be a bit twitchy

My picks for you to maximize great turns and speed on your backhand:
Creek - 8'10 (smaller isn't better IMO)
Kanga - 8'9 or 8'6 (the Kanga is a very stable shape so you can go shorter)
FlowV2 - 8'8 (Least stable IMO)

They are all good paddlers and catch waves easily

colas said..

supthecreek said..
As others have said, you will generally be more comfortable when you get lower in the water

Quite true, and I would add that it is often what keeps people from getting down in volume:

"If I am feeling unstable with this volume, there is no way I could get down in size"... but actually, they would feel stabler on a less corky board after some minutes of adaptation...

Reducing thickness and volume, (but not width), is the key for a smooth transition to smaller boards.

So right Colas. My lowest volume board is the Jimmy Lewis Supertech at about 94 litres. I feel comfortable on 110 litres or more.
But my Supertech is only 27 inch wide & feels very light. And as soon as I stand on it. It feels very corky as if it had more volume than my other boards! And I hate that feeling! I go more into a half surf stance to change my left right balance more to a more forward back stance. By doing this it sort of makes the width wider.

DaniNewbie said..
Hi All,

I'm back on this forum after sometime and again I'd like to have your insights regarding the two boards in subject.

I own a SB Pro 9x30 2021 (starlite) since 9 months and used it alot in several different conditions (including on flat water but mostly in waves).

I like how it performs but now I'm asking myself how it would be to have a different board (different design) with less volume.

I'm interested to improve my speed and turns, especially on my back hand (BTW I'm regular, 178cm and with a weight between 75 and 80kg depending on seasons). Also I wouldn't mind a board that help me catching waves easier using less efforts.

I've contacted Sunova support and explained my situation. They suggested a Sunova Creek 8'10 or 8'7 among all the boards they sell.

I was thinking about the 8'10 because it has a volume of around 125 Liters vs. the 157 liters of my SB pro.

However I don't really have a chance to try one of these Sunova boards since they are very rarely seen in my region (South of Spain) and there are no sellers dealing with it that have something in stock.

Therefore here I am asking your help to understand if Sunova suggestion was good?

In particular I'm interested to understand:

1) if you tried both boards (the SB pro and the Creek) and can comment on which one is better for you and why?

2) How stable is the Creek 8'10? The SB pro floats well but I wouldn't say is very stable compared to other SB boards.

3) If you didn't try the SB pro but another similar board and also the Creek then I'm also interested in your opinion

It would be awesome to get some insights from Creek about all my questions due to his experience with Sunova...

Looking forward to read your replies guys!!!

Thanks

I've just invested in a Sunova Flow 8'4" 111tr. I'm 83kg late 50's and it's plenty stable. Upgraded from a 8'3" 111ltr SMik spitfire V1. The Smik is a great board, but wanted something with sharper rails. The Sunova, with all the latest refinements over a 2017 board, hits the mark, with improved performance, lighter weight and better deck grip. The Sunova stability is very similar to the spitfire, even with the stepped rails. I'd say it surf's a bit more like a traditional surfboard, fast and powerful turns.
Will give a more in depth review later. Have an infinity blur v2 on order, the Ukrainian crisis permitting and will compare all 3 boards.

THE FLOW is a great board ,nice sharp turning board and great speed ,rails can really make it ride higher on the wave ,
8'8 is a great size for my 97 kgs ,I don't think i could ride smaller ,
The creek 8,10 is more stable for sure ,it has great glide on a wave ,I found it harder to do very sharp turns like the flow
but all and all the creek is a ok board ,it does catch waves very easy .

DaniNewbie said..

supthecreek said..

DaniNewbie said..
Hi All,

I'm back on this forum after sometime and again I'd like to have your insights regarding the two boards in subject.

I own a SB Pro 9x30 2021 (starlite) since 9 months and used it alot in several different conditions (including on flat water but mostly in waves).

I like how it performs but now I'm asking myself how it would be to have a different board (different design) with less volume.

I'm interested to improve my speed and turns, especially on my back hand (BTW I'm regular, 178cm and with a weight between 75 and 80kg depending on seasons). Also I wouldn't mind a board that help me catching waves easier using less efforts.

I've contacted Sunova support and explained my situation. They suggested a Sunova Creek 8'10 or 8'7 among all the boards they sell.

I was thinking about the 8'10 because it has a volume of around 125 Liters vs. the 157 liters of my SB pro.

However I don't really have a chance to try one of these Sunova boards since they are very rarely seen in my region (South of Spain) and there are no sellers dealing with it that have something in stock.

Therefore here I am asking your help to understand if Sunova suggestion was good?

In particular I'm interested to understand:

1) if you tried both boards (the SB pro and the Creek) and can comment on which one is better for you and why?

2) How stable is the Creek 8'10? The SB pro floats well but I wouldn't say is very stable compared to other SB boards.

3) If you didn't try the SB pro but another similar board and also the Creek then I'm also interested in your opinion

It would be awesome to get some insights from Creek about all my questions due to his experience with Sunova...

Looking forward to read your replies guys!!!

Thanks

Hi Dani
Welcome back onto the Breeze.... I appreciate you asking for my input!

I have surfed a 9'0 SB Pro but it was a 2019, I think.

Because I am a Sunova guy, I will let others comment on the performance, but I will say this about the volume:
For your weight....
When you get into that much volume on a 30" wide board, you begin to sacrifice stability because you raise your center of gravity up too far above the water.... that combined with the corkyness leads to a twitchy, unstable feeling.

As others have said, you will generally be more comfortable when you get lower in the water

Your wish, that I will focus on is:
"I'm interested to improve my speed and turns, especially on my back hand "

Backhand is key here because I certainly have several favorites when surfing backside.
I find I don't surf backside as well on my shorter, snappier boards like the Placid and SP25... probably because backside, I don't pump speed as well on shorter arc boards.

Because of my particular backside turn, I always choose the Creek or Kanga at good backside breaks.
Sometimes the Flow V2 as well.
They all have great drive off the bottom turn and carry speed down the line.

Note on the Creek:
I never had the same success with my 8'10 or 9'1 that I do on my 9'4... I find the Creek needs extra surface area for me to get the most performance out of it. (I am 100 kg)

The Kanga you can go considerably shorter and still get stability and drive. I have ordered an 8'9 but this video is on the 9'6

FlowV2 is best one size up from where you think you should be, because I find the low "S" rails to be a bit twitchy

My picks for you to maximize great turns and speed on your backhand:
Creek - 8'10 (smaller isn't better IMO)
Kanga - 8'9 or 8'6 (the Kanga is a very stable shape so you can go shorter)
FlowV2 - 8'8 (Least stable IMO)

They are all good paddlers and catch waves easily

Thank you very much for your insight, it is very much appreciated.

Just two questions:

1) So based on my weight you reckon that a Creek 8'10'' would behave like a 9'4'' responds for your weight? As far as I understand there isn't much difference in volumes between an 8'10'' and a 9'4' right?

2) Regarding stability (in general) you and the others mentioned that the lowest one sits in the water the better...does this also apply when one is waiting on a lineup for waves or generally paddling in calm water? Or is just for surfing waves?


Thanks again!

1 -There is quite a difference in volumes and surface area between the 9'4 and 8'10 as shown below:

Creek 9'4 x 32 at 148 liters
Me 100 kg - 5'10
Guild factor is 1.48

Creek 8'10 x 30.25 at 125 liters (23 liters less that 9'4 Creek)
You 80 kg - 5'8
Guild factor is 1.57
so you should enjoy the same or better lift, glide and stability from the 8'10 that I get from the 9'4.
I think if you dropped to the 8'7 Creek, you would start to lose that.

2- IMO, the 8'10 will be much more stable and easier to stand around on than the higher volume Pro you are riding at the moment.
example:
I had a SUP that is 9'5 x 33 at 180 liters
It was the tippiest board I owned, so I traded it for a smaller size with much less volume and it is light years easier.

I believe that there is a blend of surface area and volume, that is key when it comes to stability and surfability.
Each shape is different... with the Placid I am reasonably comfortable on the 8'7 x 31.5 at 125 liters

Three Creeks side by side, for comparison

Hi again,

There is a second hand Sunova Soul 8'6'' 121L (XXX construction) for sale in a local listing and for a good price.

I was wondering how this compares to the Creek 8'10'' in term of stability and maneuverability?

Would appreciate if Mr. Creek and the other owners of a Soul could spend some words about this.

Thanks All!