Pro 2017 8'5 at 112L on left
Pro 2019 8'3 at 110L on right

That's awesome! How did you get one of each already?
looks like such a more fun and playful model than the previous 8'5 which I had and always wished for a less narrow nose, flatter deck etc.

could you take some side on profile views to show the thickness and deck profile? Is there a big difference in old. Vs new flat deck?

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TAA said..
Pro 2017 8'5 at 112L on left
Pro 2019 8'3 at 110L on right

That shape nose puts me off

Has Startouch disappeared for 2019?

Maybe the photos a touch misleading but the deck looks rather similar for both? Not noticeably flatter on the new one?

New rails look fairly similar, maybe a longer gradual decline to the end rail width where the old one seemed to have a higher volume closer to the rail and then a sharp decline to the rail edge thickness?

When do you reckon you'll be able to take both for a spin and give a review?
pretty excited!

I am kind of digging the new shape... will look forward to a ride report if you have a moment.

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Foam said..
That shape nose puts me off

It is too bad, because these "semi-Tomo" noses are incredibly better than pointed noses, but a lot of customers are like you, so brands are afraid of them...

You should try them. For me, the main advantage is the added safety in heavy drops, digging the front rail doesn't make the board yaw as much and can mean the difference between disaster and ride-saving recovery :-)

Hey TAA

Any reviews or rides on the new 8'3 pro yet? When are these likely to hit normal stores?

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benjl said..
Hey TAA

Any reviews or rides on the new 8'3 pro yet? When are these likely to hit normal stores?

Not a big one on reviews because everyone is different
But if you like the 2017 ,2018 pro boards you'll love 2019.
Fast turning machine
And at 90kg easy to paddle. On par with stability with the 2017 and 2L smaller .
Volume is more equal over the board where the 2017 was the middle and back.
More aggressive you get with it the more it loves it.

Just butt ugly

Actually I think it looks good.
TAA what is the new weight? and the old weight? and can you tell/feel the difference that the channels make?:-)
thanks:-)

This new model will always be remembered as the butt ugly one, good move I reckon, its like putting lots of full stops at the end of a sentence.........................................................................the butt ugly one..............................................................................................................

Wow... maybe it is because I have a hypernut but I am a fan of the semi-tomo nose and think it looks good.

TAA,

I found the 8'5 Pro to be a tad corky (at 85kgs) compared to my other boards even in the same volume range--105-118L. Not sure if you feel the same way but with the volume on this one spread out a bit more does that change this feeling? The 8'3 or 7'10 look interesting to me.

Hi All,

Finally back from my trip away and have some time to put my thoughts down on the new 8'3 Pro.

Rider: Experienced (associated with Starboard)
Weight: 80kg
Board: 8'3 x 29 Blue Carbon
Volume: 110L
Thickness: 4.1"
Board Weight: 6.8kg (200gr less than my 2018 Carbon Balsa)

First impression was that I liked the overall finish in the new Blue Carbon (Flax Balsa) in terms of graphics and overall look but the jury is still out on the nose shape. The Blue Carbon is 200gr lighter than the previous Carbon Balsa construction and from initial use the Flax rails are far stronger than the full Carbon rails, while the use of Flax with Balsa provides a little more flex in the board than full Carbon.

Now with regards to construction, the 2019 boards are no longer Carbon other than a very small rail band for structural strength. Blue Carbon is a throw back to previous years where Starboard started on producing boards in a more environmentally sustainable way. Blue Carbon is Carbon captured from the environment by coastal ecosystems such as Mangrove trees, where Starboard also plant one tree for each board sold.

Furthermore materials such as Flax / Balsa used in the boards construction are natural materials and are incorporated with recycled PET to replace PVC, bio resins, recycled deck pads and water based dyes all go into creating a more environmental package.

Performance:
I'm just going to say it, the best Pro produced to date.........
I definitely had my doubts during initial R & D discussions about channel bottoms, reduced lengths and outline changes, but boy do they work.

The first thing you notice is that the board is just as stable as the old 8'5 during normal use, the only area I found it a little twitchy was riding out a wave in white water. Paddling out through white water is much the same and standing out the back you can still relax with the board actually feeling a bit less corky than the Carbon versions, I think with the refined rails the flax / Balsa sits a little lower in the water.

Paddling on and catching a wave is much the same, however for me as I cannot stand in surf stance I did get some wash over the nose at times. Taking a steep drop felt pretty comfortable with no real sign the nose was going to catch. Where the new board really shines is the speed it generates straight out of the blocks, stand on the tail and it just goes from under you and accelerates quickly. This translates in being able to setup quicker for the bottom turn and redirecting up the wave face. This is done with more speed but is contained through the turn by grip through the channels and being able to engaged the rails a little easier. You can however turn flatter and push the tail out for a slide.

Flowing through the turns the board transitions from rail to rail easily and the speed continues through linking up sections much better than the older model. Having just had a ripping session in glassy Gnaraloo the speed generated meant no more paddling to keep up with faster moving waves. I still swap out the standard fins, I just find the centre fin a little too upright even though they have finally made it smaller.

Initially I did not think the changes made had a significant impact on performance as I only rode the board in metro mush. The speed generated still made navigating slop easier but after having had clean waves with linking turns the potential is opened up for this board to excel if given a good push. Certainly felt the board wasn't limiting in any way and had me trying to push a little harder.

Yet to determine any long term durability as this is a totally new construction but so far pretty happy all round.

Below are a few more comparison shots

Cheers,
Marco

Thanks for the comprehensive review, Marco! I think I probably would have ordered one already (because I really like how Starboard incorporated traits from the Hypernut into the Pro) except that it is going to distract me from focusing on foiling so I am going to wait for now. One question since we weigh about the same is whether you tried the 7'10x29? It seems to be very close in volume and dimensions to the 8'3--is it noticeably different in stability/performance?

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805StandUp said..
Thanks for the comprehensive review, Marco! I think I probably would have ordered one already (because I really like how Starboard incorporated traits from the Hypernut into the Pro) except that it is going to distract me from focusing on foiling so I am going to wait for now. One question since we weigh about the same is whether you tried the 7'10x29? It seems to be very close in volume and dimensions to the 8'3--is it noticeably different in stability/performance?

No I haven't tried any of the other sized Pro's in 2019 versions.

I have a test 2018 8'0 x 28 in the new flax balsa construction so I have been using this one when I get the chance. It's 102L and still doable for me, but do find I prone paddle out more than normal as it is a bit less stable.

So I'm guessing the 7'10 x 29 is going to be a tad more stable than this one but with all the attributes of the new shapes over the old.

Cheers,
Marco

Marco, great looking stick. So lucky and to be surfing NW locations you a truly blessed.
Aloha
Goggo

What's the consenses for the 8,3 for 90kg website say for up-to 90kg but Marco is 80kg a big difference

110L boards are generally within the realm of possibility for an experienced sup surfer in the 90kg range. If I weighted 90kg I would buy one.

Any fresh photos of this board

I saw one in person a few weeks ago- not quite white I had envisioned but looked pretty sweet and like it would boogie.
The flat deck is quite unique! It's almost like a step deck by being flat and then taking a big step down in to a low rail as opposed to the rail blending smoothly in to the domed deck. Would be really interesting to see how it feels innthe water and whether it's more or less stable.

it looked like a fun board

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benjl said..
I saw one in person a few weeks ago- not quite white I had envisioned but looked pretty sweet and like it would boogie.
The flat deck is quite unique! It's almost like a step deck by being flat and then taking a big step down in to a low rail as opposed to the rail blending smoothly in to the domed deck. Would be really interesting to see how it feels innthe water and whether it's more or less stable.

it looked like a fun board

From the photos above I can't see a steep deck at all

Hence why I said I was surprised seeing it in person

Great post Marco. Would you mind doing a side by side post of the 2018 8'6 hypernut vs the 2019 8'4?

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MickMc said..
Great post Marco. Would you mind doing a side by side post of the 2018 8'6 hypernut vs the 2019 8'4?

Hi MickMc,

I'll put up some pics for you tomorrow, but start a new thread.

Cheers,
Marco

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marco gribi said..

MickMc said..
Great post Marco. Would you mind doing a side by side post of the 2018 8'6 hypernut vs the 2019 8'4?

Hi MickMc,

I'll put up some pics for you tomorrow, but start a new thread.

Cheers,
Marco

Good plan, thanks mate.

Hey Marco G can you tell us more about them rails.? no carbon? solid balsa? or flax covered foam + glass?

In case any of you haven't seen the Supboarder review... looks really nice:

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lukemin said..
Hey Marco G can you tell us more about them rails.? no carbon? solid balsa? or flax covered foam + glass?

Hi Lukemin,

Firstly I don't know if I would call them like a step rail as suggested by Benjl, but more of a low apex rail where it sits close to the bottom edge. Basically this makes the board sit lower in the water than previous years and feeling less corky.

With regards to the rail build, they are bloody strong, we took a sample board and smacked it side on to the warehouse wall and it had no real signs of impact, a carbon railed board would have blown up, so that is a big improvement.

The actual layup is pretty solid with multiple layers:
EPS Foam Core
S Glass
High density RPET sheet (replaces PVC)
S Glass
Carbon Rail Band
UD Flax
Glass

Below is an exploded view of the construction, hope this helps.









Cheers,
Marco

I love the look of these new starboards. Kills me that they don't have a 8'7" 120l model.