So next week I'm off to Northern Portugal for a week of sup surfing. I'll be turning up with a wetsuit and and not much more. I can use any of the boards below and will be driven to the best beach each day...! Feeling slightly excited but havnt got a clue which boards I'm going use. I have Gong boards and have 9' 29" Zero 115L (all size waves perf longboard) and a 7'6 29" Mob (use in small clean waves, Tomo shape ish). I'm around 70 to 75kgs so lots of these boards are in theory accesable for me although I'd class myself as a competent intermediate.

Interested to hear which ones you think are could be fun. I'm not really a nose rider but like surfing fairly laid back - hence 9' Zero. But when it's on the Zero handles juice, steep drops and charging down the line..

FLOW 7'5" x 26 1/8" @ 78L
FLOW 8'1" x 28 1/2" @ 101L
FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
FLASH 8'3" x 28 5/8" @ 102L
CREEK 7'10" x 26 7/8" @88L
CREEK 8'1" x 27 11/16" @96L
CREEK 9'1" x 31 1/8" @136L
SPEEED 7'11" x 26 1/8" @ 94L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
SPEEED 8'10" x 29 1/8" @ 130L
SPEEED 9'5" x 31 1/2" @ 160

SOUL 8'6" x 30" @ 121L
SOUL 9'5 x 31 3/4" @ 150L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
SURF 10'2" x 33" @ 185L
SURF 10'6" x 30" @ 158L

nah ...nothing there I wanna ride ..LOL.

TRY THEM ALL .

missing a 8'10 creek

If it was my choice? (70 kg intermediate geezer)

Day 1 8'10" Speeed (the board I have and am comfortable in all conditions up to head high)
Day 2 8'5" Speeed (I have an 8'7" Creek and this would comparable and fun for me if it is reasonably clean)
Day 3 7'11" Speeed or 8'1" Creek (in my dreams)

The Speeed is for good reason arguably the most popular Sunova board ever designed. If you can surf off your back foot if will be lots of fun.

That is is an amazing quiver to choose from. Have fun and let us know your impressions when you get back. I would be very interested to know how they compare to your Gong boards.

cheers

Bob

Select to expand quote

IanInca said..
So next week I'm off to Northern Portugal for a week of sup surfing. I'll be turning up with a wetsuit and and not much more. I can use any of the boards below and will be driven to the best beach each day...! Feeling slightly excited but havnt got a clue which boards I'm going use. I have Gong boards and have 9' 29" Zero 115L (all size waves perf longboard) and a 7'6 29" Mob (use in small clean waves, Tomo shape ish). I'm around 70 to 75kgs so lots of these boards are in theory accesable for me although I'd class myself as a competent intermediate.

Interested to hear which ones you think are could be fun. I'm not really a nose rider but like surfing fairly laid back - hence 9' Zero. But when it's on the Zero handles juice, steep drops and charging down the line..

FLOW 7'5" x 26 1/8" @ 78L
FLOW 8'1" x 28 1/2" @ 101L
FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
FLASH 8'3" x 28 5/8" @ 102L
CREEK 7'10" x 26 7/8" @88L
CREEK 8'1" x 27 11/16" @96L
CREEK 9'1" x 31 1/8" @136L
SPEEED 7'11" x 26 1/8" @ 94L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
SPEEED 8'10" x 29 1/8" @ 130L
SPEEED 9'5" x 31 1/2" @ 160

SOUL 8'6" x 30" @ 121L
SOUL 9'5 x 31 3/4" @ 150L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
SURF 10'2" x 33" @ 185L
SURF 10'6" x 30" @ 158L

IanInca, Im looking at going to Portugal next year, I would be interested to know which company have you booked with ???

Ininca, say hi to Tiago for me, he has such a beautiful setup and is a super qualified guide!

I have owned four of those boards. My preference/experience is:

1. Small waves and noseriding: Style
2. Fast down the line, but still fun to turn (but you must jump on the tail): Speed
3. If there is the opportunity (and desire) to ride like a surfboard (i.e. cutbacks, etc.): Flash (or the Flow if someone else has the Flash)

I have not tried the creek.

The size is up to you (and the conditions).

Personally I prefer the Acid, but the Flash and Flow are pretty good on waves.

I hope that helps.

Select to expand quote

bomberdave said..

IanInca said..
So next week I'm off to Northern Portugal for a week of sup surfing. I'll be turning up with a wetsuit and and not much more. I can use any of the boards below and will be driven to the best beach each day...! Feeling slightly excited but havnt got a clue which boards I'm going use. I have Gong boards and have 9' 29" Zero 115L (all size waves perf longboard) and a 7'6 29" Mob (use in small clean waves, Tomo shape ish). I'm around 70 to 75kgs so lots of these boards are in theory accesable for me although I'd class myself as a competent intermediate.

Interested to hear which ones you think are could be fun. I'm not really a nose rider but like surfing fairly laid back - hence 9' Zero. But when it's on the Zero handles juice, steep drops and charging down the line..

FLOW 7'5" x 26 1/8" @ 78L
FLOW 8'1" x 28 1/2" @ 101L
FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
FLASH 8'3" x 28 5/8" @ 102L
CREEK 7'10" x 26 7/8" @88L
CREEK 8'1" x 27 11/16" @96L
CREEK 9'1" x 31 1/8" @136L
SPEEED 7'11" x 26 1/8" @ 94L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
SPEEED 8'10" x 29 1/8" @ 130L
SPEEED 9'5" x 31 1/2" @ 160

SOUL 8'6" x 30" @ 121L
SOUL 9'5 x 31 3/4" @ 150L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
SURF 10'2" x 33" @ 185L
SURF 10'6" x 30" @ 158L

IanInca, Im looking at going to Portugal next year, I would be interested to know which company have you booked with ???

Dave, the place (as sup the creek mentioned) is run by Tiago Silver. This is the link www.maukalodge.com/sup-surfing-retreats/

It's very reasonably priced, he collects from Lisbon Airport, has boards and paddles for you to use, takes you to the best beach of the day, coaches you and does video analysis at the end of the day! I'll put a post at the end of the trip with my thoughts on it and feedback on the boards...

Select to expand quote

supthecreek said..
Ininca, say hi to Tiago for me, he has such a beautiful setup and is a super qualified guide!

I will do buddy.. Very excited..!

Bob and can't Sup enough, thanks for your suggestions.. Will definitely feedback on boards and trip when I return on the 8th Oct..

Looks like a awesome setup
Enjoy

Awesome
Small Speeed, obvz
Small Flow, obvz

Then all of them

What's the best time of the year to take this trip and have to best chance at decent waves?

Best to ask Tiago!

I was there New Years till April... I don't know if it was typical, but here's what I got:
January had a lot of waves and favorable winds
February was 20 ft everyday with howling north wind.
March was good on the south facing coast in the Cascais area, where north winds are off-shore.

I suspect that Oct - Dec is a pretty good bet, but of course it will depend on where you are going in Portugal.

Let us know how your trip goes, interested in a similar one myself.
Have a great time and hope you get plenty of waves.

2 days in..

1st day.. 4 to 5 ft beechbreek light wind, heavy wave. 8'5 Speed very stable but not feeling the love yet!


2nd day.. What can I say.. I saw Nazare working today. It was too big for us so we headed for the insane place Nazare. It was one of the amazing things I have ever experienced. The photos don't do it justice..







It's dropping off a bit tomorrow but I'm very inspired to be a bit braver!!

Nazare is a cool town... and awesome gladiator arena!
Great workaround for a massive swell

Lorenzo gave us good waves last week in New England.... and it was much closer to Europe, so I have been cam watching over there!

Folks, My body is utterly broken after 5 days of 4 to 6ft+ beech breaks. Portugal served up pretty close to perfection every morning with some wind in the afternoon on a few days. I didn't have the skills to totally get the best out of the conditions or the boards but I learnt alot and at times it was a humbling experience. I also wanted to test a few short boards to decide if I wanted a perf shortsup alongside my perf longsup.

I'm 72kgs, 47yrs, Intermediate, main board 9' 29" 115L Gong Zero (perf longboard)

Boards I surfed on the trip.

FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
Infinity B-Line 8'8 x 31" @ 125L

I used the Speed most of all as someone else had reserved the Style which would have been my first choice. I used the Style when he was taking a break.

The Speed was alot more stable than I anticipated and it certainly punches through waves comfortably. The 1st day, 1st session,1 wave I pulled into a very heavy big wave which I tried to race on a fairly high line, the wave exploded and i had the longest hold down I have had for many a year!! Welcome to Portugal!! I felt comfortable on the board but its not the board for me.I dont think I got to the tail enough and I'm probably not dynamic enough. I was expecting the board to be quicker than my Zero but it wasn't. The biggest disappointment was I though it was pretty sluggish to paddle and to take off with. Again this could be my clumsy technique but my wave count would have been 50% more on my board.

The Flow I had a few sessions on and I thought it was pretty similar as the Speed in terms of stability and paddle speed. It was more reactive on the wave but I found it this slightly twitchy as opposed to loose. One of the sessions the wind got up and I felt it was a little bouncy on the wave. One of the other surfers took it out and really liked it.

On the final day I took the B-Line out for 4 hours. I was expecting it to feel corky due to the litres and clumsy due to the width. I was wrong as it was really fun on the wave. I would never of guessed it was 125L. The width did make take offs more difficult as the rowing effect meant I was taking off sideways or doing some last gasp corrective strokes. It really held a fast line and locked in nicely which was confidence inspiring..A really nice board

The Style was the winner by some distance. The guy that had reserved this board consistently scored more waves than everyone else, rode longer rides and on average probably had more water time than anyone else - would have been more if I hadn't kept stealing it. This board isn't just for small waves as this was happy to pull into some very heavy waves. The stability is pretty similar to the other boards but when you have put a few strokes in it flies and feels very very stable. The paddle out could be pretty difficult but the Style really helped due to ability to chew up ground super quick. Paddling into a wave was amazing, being a little further out it strolled into the wave giving loads of time to set up. On the tail its turn nicely and have a little walk to the front and its super stable with loads of speed. If there was a 9 or 9'2 i'd be tempted!!

A quick word on the Creek, the boys who used these boards loved them. Hope that helps anyone particularly if you are an Intermediate surfer as many of the reviews are written by alot more competent riders than me. It was great testing these fantastic boards and Sunovas can certainly take some abuse and are very well made. One of the biggest revelations to me was the that there wasn't much to choose between them all in terms on stability and how the litres didn't make any apparent difference.

In summary its finally made my mind up I'm definitely in the long sup camp and won't be after a short board (other than my mush board). I'm also evan more happy with my Zero than I was before my trip.....

Select to expand quote

IanInca said..
Folks, My body is utterly broken after 5 days of 4 to 6ft+ beech breaks. Portugal served up pretty close to perfection every morning with some wind in the afternoon on a few days. I didn't have the skills to totally get the best out of the conditions or the boards but I learnt alot and at times it was a humbling experience. I also wanted to test a few short boards to decide if I wanted a perf shortsup alongside my perf longsup.

I'm 72kgs, 47yrs, Intermediate, main board 9' 29" 115L Gong Zero (perf longboard)

Boards I surfed on the trip.

FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
Infinity B-Line 8'8 x 31" @ 125L

I used the Speed most of all as someone else had reserved the Style which would have been my first choice. I used the Style when he was taking a break.

The Speed was alot more stable than I anticipated and it certainly punches through waves comfortably. The 1st day, 1st session,1 wave I pulled into a very heavy big wave which I tried to race on a fairly high line, the wave exploded and i had the longest hold down I have had for many a year!! Welcome to Portugal!! I felt comfortable on the board but its not the board for me.I dont think I got to the tail enough and I'm probably not dynamic enough. I was expecting the board to be quicker than my Zero but it wasn't. The biggest disappointment was I though it was pretty sluggish to paddle and to take off with. Again this could be my clumsy technique but my wave count would have been 50% more on my board.

The Flow I had a few sessions on and I thought it was pretty similar as the Speed in terms of stability and paddle speed. It was more reactive on the wave but I found it this slightly twitchy as opposed to loose. One of the sessions the wind got up and I felt it was a little bouncy on the wave. One of the other surfers took it out and really liked it.

On the final day I took the B-Line out for 4 hours. I was expecting it to feel corky due to the litres and clumsy due to the width. I was wrong as it was really fun on the wave. I would never of guessed it was 125L. The width did make take offs more difficult as the rowing effect meant I was taking off sideways or doing some last gasp corrective strokes. It really held a fast line and locked in nicely which was confidence inspiring..A really nice board

The Style was the winner by some distance. The guy that had reserved this board consistently scored more waves than everyone else, rode longer rides and on average probably had more water time than anyone else - would have been more if I hadn't kept stealing it. This board isn't just for small waves as this was happy to pull into some very heavy waves. The stability is pretty similar to the other boards but when you have put a few strokes in it flies and feels very very stable. The paddle out could be pretty difficult but the Style really helped due to ability to chew up ground super quick. Paddling into a wave was amazing, being a little further out it strolled into the wave giving loads of time to set up. On the tail its turn nicely and have a little walk to the front and its super stable with loads of speed. If there was a 9 or 9'2 i'd be tempted!!

A quick word on the Creek, the boys who used these boards loved them. Hope that helps anyone particularly if you are an Intermediate surfer as many of the reviews are written by alot more competent riders than me. It was great testing these fantastic boards and Sunovas can certainly take some abuse and are very well made. One of the biggest revelations to me was the that there wasn't much to choose between them all in terms on stability and how the litres didn't make any apparent difference.

In summary its finally made my mind up I'm definitely in the long sup camp and won't be after a short board (other than my mush board). I'm also evan more happy with my Zero than I was before my trip.....

I finally made my mind up! Your a lucky man!What a great way to go about making a decision re boards I would love to do this as I continually make expensive mistakes!,congratulations on going the longboard direction,that's where I am headed as well,in time I hope I can say I've finally made up my mind,so is my wife

Select to expand quote

justaddwater said..

IanInca said..
Folks, My body is utterly broken after 5 days of 4 to 6ft+ beech breaks. Portugal served up pretty close to perfection every morning with some wind in the afternoon on a few days. I didn't have the skills to totally get the best out of the conditions or the boards but I learnt alot and at times it was a humbling experience. I also wanted to test a few short boards to decide if I wanted a perf shortsup alongside my perf longsup.

I'm 72kgs, 47yrs, Intermediate, main board 9' 29" 115L Gong Zero (perf longboard)

Boards I surfed on the trip.

FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
Infinity B-Line 8'8 x 31" @ 125L

I used the Speed most of all as someone else had reserved the Style which would have been my first choice. I used the Style when he was taking a break.

The Speed was alot more stable than I anticipated and it certainly punches through waves comfortably. The 1st day, 1st session,1 wave I pulled into a very heavy big wave which I tried to race on a fairly high line, the wave exploded and i had the longest hold down I have had for many a year!! Welcome to Portugal!! I felt comfortable on the board but its not the board for me.I dont think I got to the tail enough and I'm probably not dynamic enough. I was expecting the board to be quicker than my Zero but it wasn't. The biggest disappointment was I though it was pretty sluggish to paddle and to take off with. Again this could be my clumsy technique but my wave count would have been 50% more on my board.

The Flow I had a few sessions on and I thought it was pretty similar as the Speed in terms of stability and paddle speed. It was more reactive on the wave but I found it this slightly twitchy as opposed to loose. One of the sessions the wind got up and I felt it was a little bouncy on the wave. One of the other surfers took it out and really liked it.

On the final day I took the B-Line out for 4 hours. I was expecting it to feel corky due to the litres and clumsy due to the width. I was wrong as it was really fun on the wave. I would never of guessed it was 125L. The width did make take offs more difficult as the rowing effect meant I was taking off sideways or doing some last gasp corrective strokes. It really held a fast line and locked in nicely which was confidence inspiring..A really nice board

The Style was the winner by some distance. The guy that had reserved this board consistently scored more waves than everyone else, rode longer rides and on average probably had more water time than anyone else - would have been more if I hadn't kept stealing it. This board isn't just for small waves as this was happy to pull into some very heavy waves. The stability is pretty similar to the other boards but when you have put a few strokes in it flies and feels very very stable. The paddle out could be pretty difficult but the Style really helped due to ability to chew up ground super quick. Paddling into a wave was amazing, being a little further out it strolled into the wave giving loads of time to set up. On the tail its turn nicely and have a little walk to the front and its super stable with loads of speed. If there was a 9 or 9'2 i'd be tempted!!

A quick word on the Creek, the boys who used these boards loved them. Hope that helps anyone particularly if you are an Intermediate surfer as many of the reviews are written by alot more competent riders than me. It was great testing these fantastic boards and Sunovas can certainly take some abuse and are very well made. One of the biggest revelations to me was the that there wasn't much to choose between them all in terms on stability and how the litres didn't make any apparent difference.

In summary its finally made my mind up I'm definitely in the long sup camp and won't be after a short board (other than my mush board). I'm also evan more happy with my Zero than I was before my trip.....

I finally made my mind up! Your a lucky man!What a great way to go about making a decision re boards I would love to do this as I continually make expensive mistakes!,congratulations on going the longboard direction,that's where I am headed as well,in time I hope I can say I've finally made up my mind,so is my wife

Lol... The holiday, coaching, board etc..cost less than a board which is how I justified it to my wife!!

Select to expand quote

IanInca said..

justaddwater said..

IanInca said..
Folks, My body is utterly broken after 5 days of 4 to 6ft+ beech breaks. Portugal served up pretty close to perfection every morning with some wind in the afternoon on a few days. I didn't have the skills to totally get the best out of the conditions or the boards but I learnt alot and at times it was a humbling experience. I also wanted to test a few short boards to decide if I wanted a perf shortsup alongside my perf longsup.

I'm 72kgs, 47yrs, Intermediate, main board 9' 29" 115L Gong Zero (perf longboard)

Boards I surfed on the trip.

FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
Infinity B-Line 8'8 x 31" @ 125L

I used the Speed most of all as someone else had reserved the Style which would have been my first choice. I used the Style when he was taking a break.

The Speed was alot more stable than I anticipated and it certainly punches through waves comfortably. The 1st day, 1st session,1 wave I pulled into a very heavy big wave which I tried to race on a fairly high line, the wave exploded and i had the longest hold down I have had for many a year!! Welcome to Portugal!! I felt comfortable on the board but its not the board for me.I dont think I got to the tail enough and I'm probably not dynamic enough. I was expecting the board to be quicker than my Zero but it wasn't. The biggest disappointment was I though it was pretty sluggish to paddle and to take off with. Again this could be my clumsy technique but my wave count would have been 50% more on my board.

The Flow I had a few sessions on and I thought it was pretty similar as the Speed in terms of stability and paddle speed. It was more reactive on the wave but I found it this slightly twitchy as opposed to loose. One of the sessions the wind got up and I felt it was a little bouncy on the wave. One of the other surfers took it out and really liked it.

On the final day I took the B-Line out for 4 hours. I was expecting it to feel corky due to the litres and clumsy due to the width. I was wrong as it was really fun on the wave. I would never of guessed it was 125L. The width did make take offs more difficult as the rowing effect meant I was taking off sideways or doing some last gasp corrective strokes. It really held a fast line and locked in nicely which was confidence inspiring..A really nice board

The Style was the winner by some distance. The guy that had reserved this board consistently scored more waves than everyone else, rode longer rides and on average probably had more water time than anyone else - would have been more if I hadn't kept stealing it. This board isn't just for small waves as this was happy to pull into some very heavy waves. The stability is pretty similar to the other boards but when you have put a few strokes in it flies and feels very very stable. The paddle out could be pretty difficult but the Style really helped due to ability to chew up ground super quick. Paddling into a wave was amazing, being a little further out it strolled into the wave giving loads of time to set up. On the tail its turn nicely and have a little walk to the front and its super stable with loads of speed. If there was a 9 or 9'2 i'd be tempted!!

A quick word on the Creek, the boys who used these boards loved them. Hope that helps anyone particularly if you are an Intermediate surfer as many of the reviews are written by alot more competent riders than me. It was great testing these fantastic boards and Sunovas can certainly take some abuse and are very well made. One of the biggest revelations to me was the that there wasn't much to choose between them all in terms on stability and how the litres didn't make any apparent difference.

In summary its finally made my mind up I'm definitely in the long sup camp and won't be after a short board (other than my mush board). I'm also evan more happy with my Zero than I was before my trip.....

I finally made my mind up! Your a lucky man!What a great way to go about making a decision re boards I would love to do this as I continually make expensive mistakes!,congratulations on going the longboard direction,that's where I am headed as well,in time I hope I can say I've finally made up my mind,so is my wife

Lol... The holiday, coaching, board etc..cost less than a board which is how I justified it to my wife!!

Hi,

Just registered here. I am very very new to SUP. Just last AUG I tried for the first time in my life and I am 55.
I liked it a lot and I settled for the last couple of months with an inflatable Chinese sup. But then it started...
It happened to me 25yrs ago with the MTB so I know how it goes...Here I am therefore looking for assistance,
I'll try however to keep it simple.
My chances for surf in Greece are very very limited as the seas are different nd they do not offer swells suitable for surf.
I could paddle cruise/touring (not to far), in the myriads beautiful seas and places all over Greece. Not in rivers or lakes however.
Waters maybe calm or choppy (or very very wavy as the wind rules here many days during the summer but i will avoid these).

I found sunova and I find it difficult to resist to the beauty of this board. My search blocked to the following options:
Search 12x30
One 10,2x33
Kruze 10,6 x30

Given the environment I'll be paddling I am looking -probably- for the best combination of a stable with good glide and track board that can handle easily a few chops and if sometime in the far future a wave arises ..not to hesitate to take it. I understand from what I read in here, all the above are doing exactly those things but how can I choose what is best for me? I would appreciated your expert help here in helping understand the borders of each one of the above & if I can have your recommendation so I can narrow. down my choice.

Early November I will be in Brisbane for business and I have located already the shops selling those boards. I hope your experience will help me make the right decision. I am 93kgs and my family will also "play" with it.

I have also noticed the 2020 starboard Generation board which is more of a touring board (12,6x28) but pretty new without any reviews. Since I am a novice paddler I am skeptical to try something no one else has yet. I am also concerned on the stability at 28" wide.
Any advise will be highly welcome and who knows maybe in a year I will be talking from a different basis!
thanks

An Atlantis Venom from the Surfboard Warehouse would be awesome in Greece as an all rounder for a 12 foot board . The Sunova Search is most similar (bit wider and less nose rocker). The Search also comes in a 14ft version .
The Atlantis Venom is 12 by 28

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Sunova-12--Search-or-similar-?page=1&groupID=10070736

Select to expand quote

Gboots said..
An Atlantis Venom from the Surfboard Warehouse would be awesome in Greece as an all rounder for a 12 foot board . The Sunova Search is most similar (bit wider and less nose rocker). The Search also comes in a 14ft version .
The Atlantis Venom is 12 by 28

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Sunova-12--Search-or-similar-?page=1&groupID=10070736

Agree on the sunova search 12/14 ft could also consider the point break model at 32 wide if stability is a big factor

Select to expand quote

Gboots said..
An Atlantis Venom from the Surfboard Warehouse would be awesome in Greece as an all rounder for a 12 foot board . The Sunova Search is most similar (bit wider and less nose rocker). The Search also comes in a 14ft version .
The Atlantis Venom is 12 by 28

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Sunova-12--Search-or-similar-?page=1&groupID=10070736

Appreciate the responses. I thought the search might be what I am looking for. I understand that the PtBreak is custom, I feel it won't be available during my limited stay in AUS.
I've checked SW before as there is also the Atlantis Eco Mano a nice wooden made board.
Following your suggestion I checked but the venom doesn't look available any longer, It looks however similar to the starboard generation I mentioned here above

Select to expand quote

IanInca said..
Folks, My body is utterly broken after 5 days of 4 to 6ft+ beech breaks. Portugal served up pretty close to perfection every morning with some wind in the afternoon on a few days. I didn't have the skills to totally get the best out of the conditions or the boards but I learnt alot and at times it was a humbling experience. I also wanted to test a few short boards to decide if I wanted a perf shortsup alongside my perf longsup.

I'm 72kgs, 47yrs, Intermediate, main board 9' 29" 115L Gong Zero (perf longboard)

Boards I surfed on the trip.

FLOW 8'4" x 29 3/8" @ 110L
SPEEED 8'5" x 27 3/4" @ 112L
STYLE 9'6" x 27 9/16" @ 112L
Infinity B-Line 8'8 x 31" @ 125L

I used the Speed most of all as someone else had reserved the Style which would have been my first choice. I used the Style when he was taking a break.

The Speed was alot more stable than I anticipated and it certainly punches through waves comfortably. The 1st day, 1st session,1 wave I pulled into a very heavy big wave which I tried to race on a fairly high line, the wave exploded and i had the longest hold down I have had for many a year!! Welcome to Portugal!! I felt comfortable on the board but its not the board for me.I dont think I got to the tail enough and I'm probably not dynamic enough. I was expecting the board to be quicker than my Zero but it wasn't. The biggest disappointment was I though it was pretty sluggish to paddle and to take off with. Again this could be my clumsy technique but my wave count would have been 50% more on my board.

The Flow I had a few sessions on and I thought it was pretty similar as the Speed in terms of stability and paddle speed. It was more reactive on the wave but I found it this slightly twitchy as opposed to loose. One of the sessions the wind got up and I felt it was a little bouncy on the wave. One of the other surfers took it out and really liked it.

On the final day I took the B-Line out for 4 hours. I was expecting it to feel corky due to the litres and clumsy due to the width. I was wrong as it was really fun on the wave. I would never of guessed it was 125L. The width did make take offs more difficult as the rowing effect meant I was taking off sideways or doing some last gasp corrective strokes. It really held a fast line and locked in nicely which was confidence inspiring..A really nice board

The Style was the winner by some distance. The guy that had reserved this board consistently scored more waves than everyone else, rode longer rides and on average probably had more water time than anyone else - would have been more if I hadn't kept stealing it. This board isn't just for small waves as this was happy to pull into some very heavy waves. The stability is pretty similar to the other boards but when you have put a few strokes in it flies and feels very very stable. The paddle out could be pretty difficult but the Style really helped due to ability to chew up ground super quick. Paddling into a wave was amazing, being a little further out it strolled into the wave giving loads of time to set up. On the tail its turn nicely and have a little walk to the front and its super stable with loads of speed. If there was a 9 or 9'2 i'd be tempted!!

A quick word on the Creek, the boys who used these boards loved them. Hope that helps anyone particularly if you are an Intermediate surfer as many of the reviews are written by alot more competent riders than me. It was great testing these fantastic boards and Sunovas can certainly take some abuse and are very well made. One of the biggest revelations to me was the that there wasn't much to choose between them all in terms on stability and how the litres didn't make any apparent difference.

In summary its finally made my mind up I'm definitely in the long sup camp and won't be after a short board (other than my mush board). I'm also evan more happy with my Zero than I was before my trip.....

Hey, thats a great write up. Thanks for taking the time to pass on your thoughts about the boards and the location.
I've been itching to go there for two years, but unable to fit it all in.. But it's on my list to do.

Whatever boards you like/dislike/don't get on with/get on with Portugal is a brilliant place to try them all out eh..

Awesome.

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IanInca said..
was happy to pull into some very heavy waves. The stability is pretty similar to the other boards but when you have put a few strokes in it flies and feels very very stable. The paddle out could be pretty difficult but the Style really helped due to ability to chew up ground super quick. Paddling into a wave was amazing, being a little further out it strolled into the wave giving loads of time to set up. On the tail its turn nicely and have a little walk to the front and its super stable with loads of speed. If there was a 9 or 9'2 i'd be tempted!!

Hi Ian

great review of these boards. Regarding your comments on the Sunova Style. I agree if there was a 9 ft model I would be very interested!

Cheers

Bob

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Thebike said..
Hi,

Just registered here. I am very very new to SUP. Just last AUG I tried for the first time in my life and I am 55.
I liked it a lot and I settled for the last couple of months with an inflatable Chinese sup. But then it started...
It happened to me 25yrs ago with the MTB so I know how it goes...Here I am therefore looking for assistance,
I'll try however to keep it simple.
My chances for surf in Greece are very very limited as the seas are different nd they do not offer swells suitable for surf.
I could paddle cruise/touring (not to far), in the myriads beautiful seas and places all over Greece. Not in rivers or lakes however.
Waters maybe calm or choppy (or very very wavy as the wind rules here many days during the summer but i will avoid these).

I found sunova and I find it difficult to resist to the beauty of this board. My search blocked to the following options:
Search 12x30
One 10,2x33
Kruze 10,6 x30

Given the environment I'll be paddling I am looking -probably- for the best combination of a stable with good glide and track board that can handle easily a few chops and if sometime in the far future a wave arises ..not to hesitate to take it. I understand from what I read in here, all the above are doing exactly those things but how can I choose what is best for me? I would appreciated your expert help here in helping understand the borders of each one of the above & if I can have your recommendation so I can narrow. down my choice.

Early November I will be in Brisbane for business and I have located already the shops selling those boards. I hope your experience will help me make the right decision. I am 93kgs and my family will also "play" with it.

I have also noticed the 2020 starboard Generation board which is more of a touring board (12,6x28) but pretty new without any reviews. Since I am a novice paddler I am skeptical to try something no one else has yet. I am also concerned on the stability at 28" wide.
Any advise will be highly welcome and who knows maybe in a year I will be talking from a different basis!
thanks

Hi biker
Welcome to SUP and the Breeze..... you are totally screwed now, no way out of this addiction.

First off... if you are planning on flying home with any of your choices, it's probably not going to happen.
Airlines have limits on length.... the limit is usually somewhere around 9'6
You could get a 2-piece Sunova, that would fly with you, or

You could buy a Sunova from the dealer in Greece. Website below:
www.windstar.gr/sunova/

ok...
I have owned or surfed all of the Sunova's you are considering.

The 12' Search is a great paddler and a very fun surfer.... but I believe that it may be quite difficult for a new SUPster to learn surfing on.
A certain skill set is required to properly surf the Search.

The 12' Point Break is not a custom... it is now a stock board, that should be available through any dealer.
It was designed specifically for surf, and is very stable paddler, so it is a very good choice
The reality is that it can only be shipped by container, so you may have to wait a while if none are in stock.

The 10'6 Kruze is fun to paddle and is interesting to surf.
I had to make adjustments to surf this board.... very much like an old school, thick railed early 60's surfboard
A manageable choice that may suit your needs.
Search "Rick Weeks Kruze" on youtube to see me surf it.... I don't want to totally derail this thread with a video.

My recommendation for you:
The 10'2 ONE is very stable and surfs pretty well.
It will be the easiest choice to learn on.... both paddling and surfing.
A nice stable platform for long relaxing cruises along the coast, that will be fine in choppier conditions
Surf wise, I rode it in Thailand and had a blast on it.... great fun in small, weak waves.

Your post inspired me to make a short video of my 10'2 ONE sessions in Thailand... I'll post on a new thread.

Select to expand quote

supthecreek said..

Thebike said..
Hi,

Just registered here. I am very very new to SUP. Just last AUG I tried for the first time in my life and I am 55.
I liked it a lot and I settled for the last couple of months with an inflatable Chinese sup. But then it started...
It happened to me 25yrs ago with the MTB so I know how it goes...Here I am therefore looking for assistance,
I'll try however to keep it simple.
My chances for surf in Greece are very very limited as the seas are different nd they do not offer swells suitable for surf.
I could paddle cruise/touring (not to far), in the myriads beautiful seas and places all over Greece. Not in rivers or lakes however.
Waters maybe calm or choppy (or very very wavy as the wind rules here many days during the summer but i will avoid these).

I found sunova and I find it difficult to resist to the beauty of this board. My search blocked to the following options:
Search 12x30
One 10,2x33
Kruze 10,6 x30

Given the environment I'll be paddling I am looking -probably- for the best combination of a stable with good glide and track board that can handle easily a few chops and if sometime in the far future a wave arises ..not to hesitate to take it. I understand from what I read in here, all the above are doing exactly those things but how can I choose what is best for me? I would appreciated your expert help here in helping understand the borders of each one of the above & if I can have your recommendation so I can narrow. down my choice.

Early November I will be in Brisbane for business and I have located already the shops selling those boards. I hope your experience will help me make the right decision. I am 93kgs and my family will also "play" with it.

I have also noticed the 2020 starboard Generation board which is more of a touring board (12,6x28) but pretty new without any reviews. Since I am a novice paddler I am skeptical to try something no one else has yet. I am also concerned on the stability at 28" wide.
Any advise will be highly welcome and who knows maybe in a year I will be talking from a different basis!
thanks

Hi biker
Welcome to SUP and the Breeze..... you are totally screwed now, no way out of this addiction.

First off... if you are planning on flying home with any of your choices, it's probably not going to happen.
Airlines have limits on length.... the limit is usually somewhere around 9'6
You could get a 2-piece Sunova, that would fly with you, or

You could buy a Sunova from the dealer in Greece. Website below:
www.windstar.gr/sunova/

ok...
I have owned or surfed all of the Sunova's you are considering.

The 12' Search is a great paddler and a very fun surfer.... but I believe that it may be quite difficult for a new SUPster to learn surfing on.
A certain skill set is required to properly surf the Search.

The 12' Point Break is not a custom... it is now a stock board, that should be available through any dealer.
It was designed specifically for surf, and is very stable paddler, so it is a very good choice
The reality is that it can only be shipped by container, so you may have to wait a while if none are in stock.

The 10'6 Kruze is fun to paddle and is interesting to surf.
I had to make adjustments to surf this board.... very much like an old school, thick railed early 60's surfboard
A manageable choice that may suit your needs.
Search "Rick Weeks Kruze" on youtube to see me surf it.... I don't want to totally derail this thread with a video.

My recommendation for you:
The 10'2 ONE is very stable and surfs pretty well.
It will be the easiest choice to learn on.... both paddling and surfing.
A nice stable platform for long relaxing cruises along the coast, that will be fine in choppier conditions
Surf wise, I rode it in Thailand and had a blast on it.... great fun in small, weak waves.

Your post inspired me to make a short video of my 10'2 ONE sessions in Thailand... I'll post on a new thread.

Thank you,
I was waiting to hear from you as well, since I've been through most - if not all - of your posts up to now. Your recommendation is highly appreciated.

You are right about the airline limits, I've requested an exception so far, as I am flying regularly; for a 12' board is not going to happen I am afraid; however, for a 10'2 length board I trust might be possible.

Frankly speaking I liked the skinnier shape of the SEARCH and its downwind capabilities that's why I was looking at the starboard Generation as well; but then again I am only judging by the looks and the internet pages.

Given its attractive pricing and all the input up to now my research seriously narrows down to the ONE. Since it can also handle choppy waters (amongst my top priorities) I am fine.

Looking forward for your new inspiring video then.
thanks again