Warning:
I'm a full on Sunova PIMP..... totally stoked to claim that
Hi Lucyloo
As an avowed Speeed freak myself, I understand.
Yes....The Skate is the same board as 2015.
Lots depend on the waves you use the Skate on, in the wrong waves, it doesn't work... it is condition specific.
Less rocker overall, flatter nose, very wide tail.... all designed to maximize weak, smaller, flatter waves, and provide the comfort of greater stability.
One 3' hollow day, I got my ass handed to me.... walls were not big enough to get control of the nose before I got to the "square" bottom of the wave and the nose would stick in and the lip would swat me off.......but then, it was never designed for those waves.
When I 1st saw a Skate, I was 100% sure I would hate it.... because I do NOT like wide tails. Period.
I had a friends 8'8 Skate XL in my livingroom for 3 weeks and had
no interest in riding it.... hell... I made fun of it!
My buddy came and wanted to try my Acid, so I ended up on the Skate..... after the 1st wave, I wanted one
Something very relaxing and effortless about the Skate in weak conditions...
much more stable than my Speeed for those long sessions on wonky summer days.
It picks up anything easily, surprised the hell out of me when I 1st rode it.... effortless and carve'y turns.... I didn't expect that.
sooooo....I have ridden it in all conditions to test it, because people ask
On smaller fun summer days, it is awesome... so I wanted to test it's limits.
I
have had a blast on OH hollow waves, where I had enough wall, to control how the nose enters the bottom, it was super fast and very interesting, but not a 1st choice.... I just wanted to see if it could handle it.
The head high day in the video was perfect for it...
the waves were not steep, but rather a nice slope with an easy bottom.... nothing to stick the nose in, so it runs extremely well in those conditions...
I have to dial back the hardest turns a bit, because of the wide tail, but totally manageable and super fun.
Size for size, the Skate more stable than the Speeed
I needed something for those road trips in winter with a full wetsuit. The waves are all point and reef type waves that are much less demanding than my home beachbreaks, so I can use a "comfort" board like the 9'2 Skate.
All in all, the Skate has great utility.... it is best suited for:
Soft, weak waves with a gentle face.
Stability and overall ease of use
Intermediate or skilled, the Skate fills a very valid spot in the quiver.... I choose it often, because it is just plain easy fun.
"the ONE" 9'5 is another great choice for beginner or intermediate.... OR BIG SUPster looking for some performance.
With 160 liters of float and thicker rails than most Sunova's, it is very stable... and yet surfs easily and well... in a wider range of conditions than the Skate.
It is a more traditional shape, with a good surf rocker, that still paddles well in flat-water.
It is an excellent choice for many, many SUPsters.
It will handle small, weak waves and bigger, more serious stuff.... it was extremely at home in the waves on the video.... and you can see the speed and surfability is impressive.
"the ONE" is the board that I
most recommend to women who want a manageable flat-water board, for casual use.
Very compact, light.... easy to carry and load.... enough float to bring the dog or small child..... and fits inside the average SUV.
I have seen too many casual paddlers lose interest, because they simply don't want to deal with handling a long, heavy board every outing. So they quit.
"The One" 9'5 puts a BIG smile on their face when I hand it to them!
"the ONE" is EXTREMELY affordable in the awesome new ECO-TEC build (the one in the video)
If you are a newbie or a BIGBOY..... these are Sunova's built for you! (and they come in BIGger sizes as well)