Is there anyone other than a fan boy out there that can give me an HONEST response regarding Sunova's Quality. I am currently riding a Fanatic 2015 ProWave and love it!!! Will not buy one of the new ones as they completely screwed them up this year, Way to unpredictable. I don't often use forums as I cant stand all the he says she says crap!!! A lot of people I have spoken to regard the Sunova as a twitchy unrefined board and they are purely trying to flood an already crowded market. I would seriously consider one but I want true testimony!!! Every other brand gets a flogging on these things and I don't believe for a second that they are as superior as made out to be over other proven brands.. CONVERT ME!!!

I have 2 Sunova surfboards for around 10 years and they still look like new. I have 2 Sups as well and have no issues with these. The boards are light, well made and surf well. Both boards are in better physical condition than any other sup that I have owned for the same time. Not sure where you are getting advice from and if you live near a shop that stocks them then a demo is worthwhile. If you ride one I don't think you will be disappointed. Most sups are built by windsurfing/kite brands now, however Sunova is a pure surf product.

If you like the look of balsa, the quality is fine.
I have a custom speed and to my eye it seems probably better built than any of my mates boards.
I usually build my own boards but Sonova is better than what I do.
You seriously think they are unrefined, just sit one next to any other shape and compare?
Twitchy? The Speed has a definite point that you must get back to to get the best turning out of it, but that's the design, you don't crank turns from up the front.
But if you want a true testimony, just demo one, you may like it, you may think it's crapp, up to you?
cheers.

I get my first ever Sunova late tonight - 8'10" Acid. I've had most of the other top brands. I will let you know my views

Maybe you consider me one of the "fan boys". I actually run an international training company and have zero financial interest in Sunova SUPs or any other brands. I have four Sunovas and have made my opinions clear. That's what I thought these forums were for. The two Speeds I have are fantastic, but you have to ride them a certain way. I love my Flow - built for fun. I personally don't like my Style - I will sell it. I want to buy an Acid but I am concerned about size vs stability.

I also have two yellow boards and a white board and they have all had quality issues. I recently bought one of those yellow boards, sneezed, and it has a ding... I do not take particularly good care of my boards but you would struggle to see a mark on any of the Sunovas.

I'm a loud & proud Sunova 'fan boy' with zero financial interest nor affiliation in the company. I've tried numerous brands over the past 3 years & somehow my quiver always remains Sunova top-heavy. I don't expect everyone to value my honest (you may call it rose tinted) reviews however if they help just 1 other person enjoy half the stoke that my Sunova boards bring me, well then it's all worth while. There are plenty quality brands to choose from so it's just about finding the right 1 for you...demo demo demo

PS - given this is your 1st post, I feel like I've taken the bait

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SUPbru said..
I'm a loud & proud Sunova 'fan boy' with zero financial interest nor affiliation in the company. I've tried numerous brands over the past 3 years & somehow my quiver always remains Sunova top-heavy. I don't expect everyone to value my honest (you may call it rose tinted) reviews however if they help just 1 other person enjoy half the stoke that my Sunova boards bring me, well then it's all worth while. There are plenty quality brands to choose from so it's just about finding the right 1 for you...demo demo demo

PS - given this is your 1st post, I feel like I've taken the bait

Thanks mate, You are dead right.. Just have to find the right board for the individual. I have found it in many brands over the years but they keep bloody changing everything hahaha. My biggest concern with Sunova to be honest is the construction. All there shapes make sense on paper and they look awesome, I have demo'd and I want to like them (maybe I'm just fussy)I just the impression that the refinement may not quite be there. At the end of the day, Yes I own 6 Boards but its still a considerable amount of money hahaha. I suppose I'm looking for the worst in something so I can definitively weigh up the pros and cons.

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cantSUPenough said..
Maybe you consider me one of the "fan boys". I actually run an international training company and have zero financial interest in Sunova SUPs or any other brands. I have four Sunovas and have made my opinions clear. That's what I thought these forums were for. The two Speeds I have are fantastic, but you have to ride them a certain way. I love my Flow - built for fun. I personally don't like my Style - I will sell it. I want to buy an Acid but I am concerned about size vs stability.

I also have two yellow boards and a white board and they have all had quality issues. I recently bought one of those yellow boards, sneezed, and it has a ding... I do not take particularly good care of my boards but you would struggle to see a mark on any of the Sunovas.

Thanks mate. That's the sort of response I was looking for... Its good to hear the small issues that know one ever seems to talk about, The "yellow" boards I have 2 of and you are right... they do have some faults however I have just decided to cop it as they perform the way I want. I love my Fanatic but this year they just missed the mark for me, I may want the impossible but need to see value for money and versatility.
Cheers

After a lot of deliberation I've decided to get a Speed. Getting the 9'2 as I'm a bigger bloke. There's enough info around to convince me they work and the construction is good .

I had one for 3 months, it depressed quite badly in standing zone especially under front foot. I'm 80kg.
Also got a couple of small shatters but they didn't take on water.

Shapes are good definitely wouldn't call them unrefined. Just a matter of finding a shape and size to suit your style and ability.

Dude - a few things worth considering:

- every brand has the odd 'lemon' so it's just pot luck if you land up with 1 however, some brands have more than others & some brands have better after sale service vs others
- any board can get damaged if it's caught in the wrong place at the wrong time....although the construction of some brands is noticeably superior vs others
- like cSe & Carbs touched on, not all Sunova models are for everyone so it's about cherry picking which boards have the wow factor in terms of what you want to get out of them

Trust your gut instinct & maybe even buy 2nd hand if you want to test out the construction....at least that way, hopefully any teething problems will already be evident + it won't leave a big hole in your wallet if you decide it's not for you.

Good luck with it

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Carbs79 said..
I had one for 3 months, it depressed quite badly under in standing zone especially under front foot. I'm 80kg.
Also got a couple of small shatters but they didn't take on water.

Shapes are good definitely wouldn't call them unrefined. Just a matter of finding a shape and size to suit your style and ability.

I don't like the sound of that

I have an 8-8 Speeed.

In terms of refinement of shape, it is amazing. Most fun SUP I have ever surfed and its making me consider selling all of my other boards cause they don't get used any more.

Construction wise, I give it a meh.

Better than my old boardworks C4 Subvector, better than the old PSH wood veneer boards, better than old school first run Naish boards, not nearly as durable as my 2012 and 2014 AST starboards have been. I rode my 2012 widepoint for 4 years without ever needing a repair. That was bulletproof board, and maybe a little magical. My Sunova is just okay.

Ive had to fix this board three times in 6 months, All damage to the bottom including a fin box repair. top has also picked up cosmetic shatters from from paddle strikes, no repair necessary. I replaced the tail pad for one I liked better (pure personal preference), but when I had the tail of it was clear that a lot of the fiberglass under the deck never wetted out completely, which maybe explains why it gets significant foot wells.

Maybe its lemon, but one is a small sample size and I'm rough on boards and paddles, so I ain't mad or anything. I buy boards and expect that I will have to repair them. I'm just saying if I could get a Speeed that was as durable as the Starboard I bought 5 years ago was, I would be thrilled.

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cantSUPenough said..
Maybe you consider me one of the "fan boys". I actually run an international training company and have zero financial interest in Sunova SUPs or any other brands. I have four Sunovas and have made my opinions clear. That's what I thought these forums were for. The two Speeds I have are fantastic, but you have to ride them a certain way. I love my Flow - built for fun. I personally don't like my Style - I will sell it. I want to buy an Acid but I am concerned about size vs stability.

I also have two yellow boards and a white board and they have all had quality issues. I recently bought one of those yellow boards, sneezed, and it has a ding... I do not take particularly good care of my boards but you would struggle to see a mark on any of the Sunovas.

cantSUPenough why don't you like the Style ?

I got to agree with SUPbru and the other guys here..I have had lots if boards over the years...Some of the well known big brands as well as smaller players in the market that I really liked and my last purchase was an 8'5 Speeed. I have to work hard and save for my boards so do alot of research before making my purchases. In NZ some boards you can't demo and have to go on reviews and advice of others...And I've been totally impressed by my Sunova so much so that I'm now pulling the trigger on an Acid. Why? I trust the construction and build quality..My Sunova still looks new and I surf it hard but take care to look after it, they surf like I want a SUP board to surf and the Team have proven to provide great service - cosmetically they look great but that's a personal preference. The handle too is a big plus IMO.
I don't have any affiliation to Sunova at all ( wish i did).just sharing the Stoke .
Chur

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FrustratedinQLD said..
A lot of people I have spoken to regard the Sunova as a twitchy unrefined board...

Hmmm...I would seriously question the validity of 'a lot of people' then?! I had never heard of Sunova before I got the 8'10 Acid as my big wave and choppy water board, and while it has plenty of volume for me it certainly is not twitchy, it is aggressive and demands to be ridden hard but rips in mush as well as good waves. It is the most refined board I have had, and I have had a few, both in performance and construction.

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Gboots said..

cantSUPenough said..
Maybe you consider me one of the "fan boys". I actually run an international training company and have zero financial interest in Sunova SUPs or any other brands. I have four Sunovas and have made my opinions clear. That's what I thought these forums were for. The two Speeds I have are fantastic, but you have to ride them a certain way. I love my Flow - built for fun. I personally don't like my Style - I will sell it. I want to buy an Acid but I am concerned about size vs stability.

I also have two yellow boards and a white board and they have all had quality issues. I recently bought one of those yellow boards, sneezed, and it has a ding... I do not take particularly good care of my boards but you would struggle to see a mark on any of the Sunovas.

cantSUPenough why don't you like the Style ?

Every time I have ridden it I have come away wishing that I took out my speeed instead. I find it heavy (and thus slow to get off the mark when paddling for a wave), it is harder to turn for the wave, and I find it stiff to ride. But of course I am comparing a 10' board to an 8'10 board. There is nothing wrong with the board, but I just find it more fun to ride the speed; I can get up toward the nose of my speeed, I can catch waves pretty easily on my speed, I can maneuver the speed easier, I personally don't find the style a lot more stable, and I can personally have more fun on the wave with a speed. That's just my preferred way of surfing.

Thanks cantSUPenough.
Very interesting comment about paddling for a wave. I expected that the style would have been easing to catch a wave with given the length and straight outline. The speeed also has a straight outline so what it's telling me is that the speeed is an excellent paddler for its length at 8'10.
The other thing it is telling me is that although the style is longer, it is very thin and sits low in the water and is hence harder to get moving initially as you are pushing water to get lift .
The speeed 8'10 has 130L.
The style 10 has same volume.
The speeed 8'10 is 5/8 inch thicker
Widths are similar.
So the style must be sitting lower in water when stationery and needs more effort to get moving.

I currently have 3 Sunovas , 1 x87 Flow , 1x88 Speeed , 1x85 Speed custom (arrives next week)
These boards are extremely tough as I take them back and forward to Bali regularly without any issues
I have also had 4 other brands of boards which have not been to the same standard as my Sunova`s
More importantly the back up service and care you get direct from the Sunova team is outstanding
They have made me 2 customs so far and its never an issue or too hard and the team are pleasure to deal with

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DHUSOUTH said..
I currently have 3 Sunovas , 1 x87 Flow , 1x88 Speeed , 1x85 Speed custom (arrives next week)
These boards are extremely tough as I take them back and forward to Bali regularly without any issues
I have also had 4 other brands of boards which have not been to the same standard as my Sunova`s
More importantly the back up service and care you get direct from the Sunova team is outstanding
They have made me 2 customs so far and its never an issue or too hard and the team are pleasure to deal with

100% agree.
I'm not affiliated with Sunova in any way but my agent is ready for their call..
I have had 2 boards and can confirm they are as tough as anything around. I use mine at least 3 times a week in shorebreaks and hardly had a scratch and no deck depressions either.
XXX balsa construction is the go though.. The eco tech not quite as durable.
Can also vouch for their customer service.
Had a couple of warranty issues which were sorted without any drama. I can give anyone the details if needed.

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Gboots said..
Thanks cantSUPenough.
Very interesting comment about paddling for a wave. I expected that the style would have been easing to catch a wave with given the length and straight outline. The speeed also has a straight outline so what it's telling me is that the speeed is an excellent paddler for its length at 8'10.
The other thing it is telling me is that although the style is longer, it is very thin and sits low in the water and is hence harder to get moving initially as you are pushing water to get lift .
The speeed 8'10 has 130L.
The style 10 has same volume.
The speeed 8'10 is 5/8 inch thicker
Widths are similar.
So the style must be sitting lower in water when stationery and needs more effort to get moving.

Interesting - what I have experienced does not make logical sense; if they are the same volume they are the same weight and should require the same paddle force to get started (except that the style has more board in the water). But that is what I always felt when paddling for a wave. I also felt I could man-handle the speeed easier out there - respond to chop, turn it, etc. I guess the style has more board to push sideways through the water and more swing-weight. On both boards you can step on the tail to make it easier to swing, but the bottom line was that I just did not get anything out of the Style that made me want to take it out.

Select to expand quote

cantSUPenough said..

Gboots said..
Thanks cantSUPenough.
Very interesting comment about paddling for a wave. I expected that the style would have been easing to catch a wave with given the length and straight outline. The speeed also has a straight outline so what it's telling me is that the speeed is an excellent paddler for its length at 8'10.
The other thing it is telling me is that although the style is longer, it is very thin and sits low in the water and is hence harder to get moving initially as you are pushing water to get lift .
The speeed 8'10 has 130L.
The style 10 has same volume.
The speeed 8'10 is 5/8 inch thicker
Widths are similar.
So the style must be sitting lower in water when stationery and needs more effort to get moving.

Interesting - what I have experienced does not make logical sense; if they are the same volume they are the same weight and should require the same paddle force to get started (except that the style has more board in the water). But that is what I always felt when paddling for a wave. I also felt I could man-handle the speeed easier out there - respond to chop, turn it, etc. I guess the style has more board to push sideways through the water and more swing-weight. On both boards you can step on the tail to make it easier to swing, but the bottom line was that I just did not get anything out of the Style that made me want to take it out.

I shouldnt really take over thread with style words, so will be quick then move back to my points in general on sunova.
Style - having recently purchased one (already have a speeed 7'11, yes very different in volume and length and feel) i have tried it with different fins and found they played a big part. Firstly the 2+1, what the H is that centre fin, like a bent roo dood wak, and the sides are huge, like XL fins. the board did not turn at all unless on the tail even to paddle into a wave. next tried the XL sides and put a von piros V8 in middle, better but still felt overfinned. FInally dropped the sides and went to a 9 3/4 dolphin sort of shaped std longboard fin in centre of box. perfect. Now it turns into a wave quick out back, i can turn it to do little cut backs and re-position and now getting up front for some party time. With all the tail rocker it rides different to the speeed, i found got to get forward to paddle onto lumps or fat un broken waves, get the hang of it and she good. to turn, its not like the speeed with rail turns its a stomp the tail and whip the big punt nose around. i like it, fun difference really. Would like to try a larger speeed to see the difference one day.

OK, so first i buy all my boards full price or second hand and use them a lot, between 3-7 times a week and even tho i try to be careful, they get flogged mainly due to lots of use. Last few boards simply fell apart after a year of use, some smaller brands, some large brands (with a black fish) that a pimped hard on their so called awesome construction. FAILED epicly, was the most dissapointed with that one not only construction but after moving to a speeed i realised how boggy and slow the old board was.

Speeed - paddles into waves easy, fast, can ride in middle to make sections, or pump it down line, or get on the tail and throw it round like a shortboard. nice. mine is second hand and 2 years old and still water tight and light and recon will last a lot longer. has a few crunches from last owner and i have hit rocks carrying down tracks to reef breaks but bit of solar rez and she still good!
Style - fun longboard plus a family board, great excuse!
flow - keen as to try, look real fun shape
acid - if you got good waves get on, unfortunately that is not the case in perth so not worth it i dont think.

THE FEEL - after riding stiff carbon boards that i find feel dead and corky i love the flex and feel of the balsa. it feels alive. hard to explain but i feel it in both boards.
price - i think pretty good and no wonder hardly a soul is riding star anymore. 3g for a board is ridiculous.
construction - seem pretty tough, i mean if you land on it you will still smash it or if yo ustrike it hard, but they seem good. maybe the flex of the timber helps somewhat.

DOWNSIDES - fin boxes. firstly i so wish sunova would get rid of FCS, they suck. they come loose all the time and always feel wobbly and inferior to futures. also my centre box on the style is sloppy and pretty average. have had to pack all fins with duct tape (even the sunova one) to get it tight. plus tried a fcsII and it fell out on a small wave when i pushed hard on tail.
a revision on fin boxes would make a world difference, tho seem s Bert loves the FCS so prob wont happen.

Would i recommend and buy sunova again tho - absolutely.

Great review Caution! I will try different fins before I sell the Style.

Select to expand quote

CAUTION said..

cantSUPenough said..

Gboots said..
Thanks cantSUPenough.
Very interesting comment about paddling for a wave. I expected that the style would have been easing to catch a wave with given the length and straight outline. The speeed also has a straight outline so what it's telling me is that the speeed is an excellent paddler for its length at 8'10.
The other thing it is telling me is that although the style is longer, it is very thin and sits low in the water and is hence harder to get moving initially as you are pushing water to get lift .
The speeed 8'10 has 130L.
The style 10 has same volume.
The speeed 8'10 is 5/8 inch thicker
Widths are similar.
So the style must be sitting lower in water when stationery and needs more effort to get moving.

Interesting - what I have experienced does not make logical sense; if they are the same volume they are the same weight and should require the same paddle force to get started (except that the style has more board in the water). But that is what I always felt when paddling for a wave. I also felt I could man-handle the speeed easier out there - respond to chop, turn it, etc. I guess the style has more board to push sideways through the water and more swing-weight. On both boards you can step on the tail to make it easier to swing, but the bottom line was that I just did not get anything out of the Style that made me want to take it out.

I shouldnt really take over thread with style words, so will be quick then move back to my points in general on sunova.
Style - having recently purchased one (already have a speeed 7'11, yes very different in volume and length and feel) i have tried it with different fins and found they played a big part. Firstly the 2+1, what the H is that centre fin, like a bent roo dood wak, and the sides are huge, like XL fins. the board did not turn at all unless on the tail even to paddle into a wave. next tried the XL sides and put a von piros V8 in middle, better but still felt overfinned. FInally dropped the sides and went to a 9 3/4 dolphin sort of shaped std longboard fin in centre of box. perfect. Now it turns into a wave quick out back, i can turn it to do little cut backs and re-position and now getting up front for some party time. With all the tail rocker it rides different to the speeed, i found got to get forward to paddle onto lumps or fat un broken waves, get the hang of it and she good. to turn, its not like the speeed with rail turns its a stomp the tail and whip the big punt nose around. i like it, fun difference really. Would like to try a larger speeed to see the difference one day.

OK, so first i buy all my boards full price or second hand and use them a lot, between 3-7 times a week and even tho i try to be careful, they get flogged mainly due to lots of use. Last few boards simply fell apart after a year of use, some smaller brands, some large brands (with a black fish) that a pimped hard on their so called awesome construction. FAILED epicly, was the most dissapointed with that one not only construction but after moving to a speeed i realised how boggy and slow the old board was.

Speeed - paddles into waves easy, fast, can ride in middle to make sections, or pump it down line, or get on the tail and throw it round like a shortboard. nice. mine is second hand and 2 years old and still water tight and light and recon will last a lot longer. has a few crunches from last owner and i have hit rocks carrying down tracks to reef breaks but bit of solar rez and she still good!
Style - fun longboard plus a family board, great excuse!
flow - keen as to try, look real fun shape
acid - if you got good waves get on, unfortunately that is not the case in perth so not worth it i dont think.

THE FEEL - after riding stiff carbon boards that i find feel dead and corky i love the flex and feel of the balsa. it feels alive. hard to explain but i feel it in both boards.
price - i think pretty good and no wonder hardly a soul is riding star anymore. 3g for a board is ridiculous.
construction - seem pretty tough, i mean if you land on it you will still smash it or if yo ustrike it hard, but they seem good. maybe the flex of the timber helps somewhat.

DOWNSIDES - fin boxes. firstly i so wish sunova would get rid of FCS, they suck. they come loose all the time and always feel wobbly and inferior to futures. also my centre box on the style is sloppy and pretty average. have had to pack all fins with duct tape (even the sunova one) to get it tight. plus tried a fcsII and it fell out on a small wave when i pushed hard on tail.
a revision on fin boxes would make a world difference, tho seem s Bert loves the FCS so prob wont happen.

Would i recommend and buy sunova again tho - absolutely.

Some rally good points, Caution. I think the style needs to down finned significantly, that centre fin is well i don't know what Bert's logic is there. I replaced my centre fin with 7-5 dolphin cut away,when I wen't smaller the tail would drift or drop out when on the nose.Find the sides ok I don't have any feeling that its effecting my turns. I'm in the 90kg range.
I have found you need to have your front foot a little further forward when paddling for waves, totally agree with your comments re' flex coming out of bottom turns its kapow! In regards to tippyness or twitchyness,Its really just a characteristic that you feel they are not as stable, its perhaps due to the slightly rolled dome deck that runs all the way down to the rails,rails that for 10-0 are shall I say it quite refined. Absolutely love the build quailty.
cheers.

Select to expand quote

rodriguez said..

CAUTION said..

cantSUPenough said..

Gboots said..
Thanks cantSUPenough.
Very interesting comment about paddling for a wave. I expected that the style would have been easing to catch a wave with given the length and straight outline. The speeed also has a straight outline so what it's telling me is that the speeed is an excellent paddler for its length at 8'10.
The other thing it is telling me is that although the style is longer, it is very thin and sits low in the water and is hence harder to get moving initially as you are pushing water to get lift .
The speeed 8'10 has 130L.
The style 10 has same volume.
The speeed 8'10 is 5/8 inch thicker
Widths are similar.
So the style must be sitting lower in water when stationery and needs more effort to get moving.

Interesting - what I have experienced does not make logical sense; if they are the same volume they are the same weight and should require the same paddle force to get started (except that the style has more board in the water). But that is what I always felt when paddling for a wave. I also felt I could man-handle the speeed easier out there - respond to chop, turn it, etc. I guess the style has more board to push sideways through the water and more swing-weight. On both boards you can step on the tail to make it easier to swing, but the bottom line was that I just did not get anything out of the Style that made me want to take it out.

I shouldnt really take over thread with style words, so will be quick then move back to my points in general on sunova.
Style - having recently purchased one (already have a speeed 7'11, yes very different in volume and length and feel) i have tried it with different fins and found they played a big part. Firstly the 2+1, what the H is that centre fin, like a bent roo dood wak, and the sides are huge, like XL fins. the board did not turn at all unless on the tail even to paddle into a wave. next tried the XL sides and put a von piros V8 in middle, better but still felt overfinned. FInally dropped the sides and went to a 9 3/4 dolphin sort of shaped std longboard fin in centre of box. perfect. Now it turns into a wave quick out back, i can turn it to do little cut backs and re-position and now getting up front for some party time. With all the tail rocker it rides different to the speeed, i found got to get forward to paddle onto lumps or fat un broken waves, get the hang of it and she good. to turn, its not like the speeed with rail turns its a stomp the tail and whip the big punt nose around. i like it, fun difference really. Would like to try a larger speeed to see the difference one day.

OK, so first i buy all my boards full price or second hand and use them a lot, between 3-7 times a week and even tho i try to be careful, they get flogged mainly due to lots of use. Last few boards simply fell apart after a year of use, some smaller brands, some large brands (with a black fish) that a pimped hard on their so called awesome construction. FAILED epicly, was the most dissapointed with that one not only construction but after moving to a speeed i realised how boggy and slow the old board was.

Speeed - paddles into waves easy, fast, can ride in middle to make sections, or pump it down line, or get on the tail and throw it round like a shortboard. nice. mine is second hand and 2 years old and still water tight and light and recon will last a lot longer. has a few crunches from last owner and i have hit rocks carrying down tracks to reef breaks but bit of solar rez and she still good!
Style - fun longboard plus a family board, great excuse!
flow - keen as to try, look real fun shape
acid - if you got good waves get on, unfortunately that is not the case in perth so not worth it i dont think.

THE FEEL - after riding stiff carbon boards that i find feel dead and corky i love the flex and feel of the balsa. it feels alive. hard to explain but i feel it in both boards.
price - i think pretty good and no wonder hardly a soul is riding star anymore. 3g for a board is ridiculous.
construction - seem pretty tough, i mean if you land on it you will still smash it or if yo ustrike it hard, but they seem good. maybe the flex of the timber helps somewhat.

DOWNSIDES - fin boxes. firstly i so wish sunova would get rid of FCS, they suck. they come loose all the time and always feel wobbly and inferior to futures. also my centre box on the style is sloppy and pretty average. have had to pack all fins with duct tape (even the sunova one) to get it tight. plus tried a fcsII and it fell out on a small wave when i pushed hard on tail.
a revision on fin boxes would make a world difference, tho seem s Bert loves the FCS so prob wont happen.

Would i recommend and buy sunova again tho - absolutely.

Some rally good points, Caution. I think the style needs to down finned significantly, that centre fin is well i don't know what Bert's logic is there. I replaced my centre fin with 7-5 dolphin cut away,when I wen't smaller the tail would drift or drop out when on the nose.Find the sides ok I don't have any feeling that its effecting my turns. I'm in the 90kg range.
I have found you need to have your front foot a little further forward when paddling for waves, totally agree with your comments re' flex coming out of bottom turns its kapow! In regards to tippyness or twitchyness,Its really just a characteristic that you feel they are not as stable, its perhaps due to the slightly rolled dome deck that runs all the way down to the rails,rails that for 10-0 are shall I say it quite refined. Absolutely love the build quailty.
cheers.

Yeh u got an extra 10 kegs on me, i just couldnt turn the thing with sides. maybe some of those little ones u get on ebay that plug into the single fcs square.
re stability, well going from the 7'11x26 speeed to the style, i could stand on it for days. I feel the dropped rails sitting in water is better for stability for me eith water over top of rails rather than corky boards that sit up on water like my old worldwide. will be interesting to see how the wife goes on it.
This is something Bert promotes in his shapes and i agree with.

maybe i should start a style thread, sorry frustratinQLD but at least it is keeping ur post up top! still points in general on sunova for you to ponder over.
One thing you have not said is what sorta conditions u wanna ride a board in and what sort of waves? will play a big part in board decisions. For example loads of boards that work really well on east coast are dooseys in WA.

another account..that will no doubt ask a couple of questions then go never to be heard of again. The forum is littered with SUP posters using the same modus operandi. But I note the way a question is asked is different now...Still hilarious.

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CAUTION said..

rodriguez said..

CAUTION said..

cantSUPenough said..

Gboots said..
Thanks cantSUPenough.
Very interesting comment about paddling for a wave. I expected that the style would have been easing to catch a wave with given the length and straight outline. The speeed also has a straight outline so what it's telling me is that the speeed is an excellent paddler for its length at 8'10.
The other thing it is telling me is that although the style is longer, it is very thin and sits low in the water and is hence harder to get moving initially as you are pushing water to get lift .
The speeed 8'10 has 130L.
The style 10 has same volume.
The speeed 8'10 is 5/8 inch thicker
Widths are similar.
So the style must be sitting lower in water when stationery and needs more effort to get moving.

Interesting - what I have experienced does not make logical sense; if they are the same volume they are the same weight and should require the same paddle force to get started (except that the style has more board in the water). But that is what I always felt when paddling for a wave. I also felt I could man-handle the speeed easier out there - respond to chop, turn it, etc. I guess the style has more board to push sideways through the water and more swing-weight. On both boards you can step on the tail to make it easier to swing, but the bottom line was that I just did not get anything out of the Style that made me want to take it out.

I shouldnt really take over thread with style words, so will be quick then move back to my points in general on sunova.
Style - having recently purchased one (already have a speeed 7'11, yes very different in volume and length and feel) i have tried it with different fins and found they played a big part. Firstly the 2+1, what the H is that centre fin, like a bent roo dood wak, and the sides are huge, like XL fins. the board did not turn at all unless on the tail even to paddle into a wave. next tried the XL sides and put a von piros V8 in middle, better but still felt overfinned. FInally dropped the sides and went to a 9 3/4 dolphin sort of shaped std longboard fin in centre of box. perfect. Now it turns into a wave quick out back, i can turn it to do little cut backs and re-position and now getting up front for some party time. With all the tail rocker it rides different to the speeed, i found got to get forward to paddle onto lumps or fat un broken waves, get the hang of it and she good. to turn, its not like the speeed with rail turns its a stomp the tail and whip the big punt nose around. i like it, fun difference really. Would like to try a larger speeed to see the difference one day.

OK, so first i buy all my boards full price or second hand and use them a lot, between 3-7 times a week and even tho i try to be careful, they get flogged mainly due to lots of use. Last few boards simply fell apart after a year of use, some smaller brands, some large brands (with a black fish) that a pimped hard on their so called awesome construction. FAILED epicly, was the most dissapointed with that one not only construction but after moving to a speeed i realised how boggy and slow the old board was.

Speeed - paddles into waves easy, fast, can ride in middle to make sections, or pump it down line, or get on the tail and throw it round like a shortboard. nice. mine is second hand and 2 years old and still water tight and light and recon will last a lot longer. has a few crunches from last owner and i have hit rocks carrying down tracks to reef breaks but bit of solar rez and she still good!
Style - fun longboard plus a family board, great excuse!
flow - keen as to try, look real fun shape
acid - if you got good waves get on, unfortunately that is not the case in perth so not worth it i dont think.

THE FEEL - after riding stiff carbon boards that i find feel dead and corky i love the flex and feel of the balsa. it feels alive. hard to explain but i feel it in both boards.
price - i think pretty good and no wonder hardly a soul is riding star anymore. 3g for a board is ridiculous.
construction - seem pretty tough, i mean if you land on it you will still smash it or if yo ustrike it hard, but they seem good. maybe the flex of the timber helps somewhat.

DOWNSIDES - fin boxes. firstly i so wish sunova would get rid of FCS, they suck. they come loose all the time and always feel wobbly and inferior to futures. also my centre box on the style is sloppy and pretty average. have had to pack all fins with duct tape (even the sunova one) to get it tight. plus tried a fcsII and it fell out on a small wave when i pushed hard on tail.
a revision on fin boxes would make a world difference, tho seem s Bert loves the FCS so prob wont happen.

Would i recommend and buy sunova again tho - absolutely.

Some rally good points, Caution. I think the style needs to down finned significantly, that centre fin is well i don't know what Bert's logic is there. I replaced my centre fin with 7-5 dolphin cut away,when I wen't smaller the tail would drift or drop out when on the nose.Find the sides ok I don't have any feeling that its effecting my turns. I'm in the 90kg range.
I have found you need to have your front foot a little further forward when paddling for waves, totally agree with your comments re' flex coming out of bottom turns its kapow! In regards to tippyness or twitchyness,Its really just a characteristic that you feel they are not as stable, its perhaps due to the slightly rolled dome deck that runs all the way down to the rails,rails that for 10-0 are shall I say it quite refined. Absolutely love the build quailty.
cheers.

Yeh u got an extra 10 kegs on me, i just couldnt turn the thing with sides. maybe some of those little ones u get on ebay that plug into the single fcs square.
re stability, well going from the 7'11x26 speeed to the style, i could stand on it for days. I feel the dropped rails sitting in water is better for stability for me eith water over top of rails rather than corky boards that sit up on water like my old worldwide. will be interesting to see how the wife goes on it.
This is something Bert promotes in his shapes and i agree with.

maybe i should start a style thread, sorry frustratinQLD but at least it is keeping ur post up top! still points in general on sunova for you to ponder over.
One thing you have not said is what sorta conditions u wanna ride a board in and what sort of waves? will play a big part in board decisions. For example loads of boards that work really well on east coast are dooseys in WA.

Yep feet are always wet,I agree its hard to tip over when most of the rail is under water or close to it.
I have 9-0 @145 and i stand a fare way back while waiting for waves so, the tail is a little under water.
I would never have done that before seeing what wet feet does for balance and not drifting around too much.

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Smash1 said..
I get my first ever Sunova late tonight - 8'10" Acid. I've had most of the other top brands. I will let you know my views

Well, I just took it down to Balmoral Beach to give it a first test run/paddle in flat water with a strong breeze blowing. At 185cm tall and 100kgs, I thought that it might be a bit of a struggle when I looked at it floating in the water. I just jumped straight on and paddled away. I was really impressed with its stability and ease to paddle. Can't wait to get it in the surf.
Its an amazing looking board, superb finish and super light.

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CAUTION said..
tried a fcsII and it fell out on a small wave when i pushed hard on tail.

I have a hard time picturing what could be the cause of this. Could it be that the box is too sunken in the glass and the fin cannot lock completely in place?

On my FCSII boxes I cannot remove the fins with my bare hands, I would cut myself due to the force needed, I must use a towel or a sweater arm, I cannot imagine falling out without something (leash, rock) pulling hard on them. I believe you, I am just wondering if there is something different on the FCSII boxes where this happen...

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colas said..

CAUTION said..
tried a fcsII and it fell out on a small wave when i pushed hard on tail.

I have a hard time picturing what could be the cause of this. Could it be that the box is too sunken in the glass and the fin cannot lock completely in place?

On my FCSII boxes I cannot remove the fins with my bare hands, I would cut myself due to the force needed, I must use a towel or a sweater arm, I cannot imagine falling out without something (leash, rock) pulling hard on them. I believe you, I am just wondering if there is something different on the FCSII boxes where this happen...

Colas, sunova use std US boxes i believe. Note i am talking about the centre longboard box, not sides. THe FCSII longboard fin clicked in , they click into the slot the threaded square washer normally slides in, but barely was very loose, the width of the slot was just too wide. I could easily push in and out. hence why i also have to put duct tape on both sides of all std screw fins. I have read and experienced it before with windsurfing boxes, got to sometimes tape fins, sometimes sand to get in a box.

Total Fanboy streetwalker here.
I took up streetwalking for Fanatic then Naish, Starboard and Hobie because there was so little information for big boys, who wanted some performance. I just wanted to share what I found out after buying them and using them, so sue me.

Now I PIMP for Sunova, but I don't have to pay any more, cuz they like me
Probably cuz I'm a top rider, in the prime of life. (68 yo - 104 kg)


So..... Sunovas are very well built.... but I have always cautioned everyone to be gentle with the bottom of the boards.
Deck and rails = tough as nails
Bottom is thinner, less protected... on purpose.

The thinner bottom is designed to absorb the chatter from chop.
Super smooth ride, but tender...
and you will poke a hole in the bottom, if you drop it on rocks.
I did that ONCE... and learned.