Hello to you all and your magnificent forum! Im 55, love to surf skate, used to surf a 7ft fish and a 8'6" power nose/egg, and i presently boogieboard here in Washington State. I know waves, and have good balance, and I would like to purchase a SUP board. 5'9" and probably almost 90kg in a soggy full suit in our 48-52F water. Our waves are wind waves, tidal, slopy and low power, often choppy, and often on breaks far from shore because they are located over silt deposits from rivers and creeks.
Have my eye on Sunova shroom, genration sp 25, wedge, skate, and Jimmy Lewis super frank or destroyer, NSP DC surf wide or elements, and three brothers makes a board called a 9ft Rico that looks interesting. Not sure on all the sizes that would work well.
Any input is good input, still reading all of your posts!

Hi Rachael, welcome to the forum!

I used to live in Washington State (near Bainbridge Island) - that is some cold water! I was always wary of surfing as I was told there were often logs in the water...

It would be handy if you could rent/borrow a bigger board just to overcome the early wobbles as you get used to SUP paddling/surfing, but with your experience, you will master it quickly.

I have not used any of those boards, but have experience on lots of other Sunova boards. I think starting with the Speed might work well. It is pretty stable, pretty fast to paddle, paddles straight, and it is fun. I would not go shorter than 9'5" to begin with. (When I was a similar weight to you, I loved the 8'10" Speed but I had been sup surfing a couple of years by then and was probably surfing in better conditions - less choppy, etc.)

The Placid is a bit more fun in the surf, but in wind-driven waves it might be a bit slow. It is stable though.

Personally, I prefer the new Flow. If you were able to surf a 7ft fish in those waves then a Flow might go well. It is fast and fun, and surfs like a surfboard.

There is one guy on this forum from Vancouver Island, but his name escapes me...

I hope that helps.

Hi Rachael, welcome to the Breeze!
I am on the US East Coast, and have ridden virtually every Sunova and GenRation model, and have videos on each.
It would be fun to discuss all the options and what might work best for you in your area.
My email, if you wish to discuss in detail:
supthecreek@gmail.com

I currently have a batch of new boards, so I will be dropping new video sessions on them... keep an eye for them on the Breeze!
I think I'll post one right now!

Check out my YouTube channel where there are already many videos on the boards you mentioned.
I tried to add a link to my channel, but it won't work...
so...on YouTube, just search Rick Weeks Sunova and click my name on any video, to get to my channel.
It's the easiest way to see all the boards in action.... and my thoughts on them.
and yes... I am basically the Sunova Mascot

Hi Rachael,
I found the 8'10 sunova flow would handle all conditions. It was stable and surfed well. My wife had a few goes on it and she was a novice. She also found it stable and easy to ride.

My thoughts based on my own experience (in OR), so sample size = 1 :)

It's tricky picking your first SUP, because you're probably going to start out feeling really unstable and then your balance and stability skills will advance rapidly. Half of this seems to be stuff you can consciously work on - like bracing and foot placement, and half is just muscle memory sort of unconscious stuff. But even if you spend a lot of time on a SUP, it's still a different beast balancing in the surf.

You might want something like a ~ 10'6" x 32" all-around shape for your first sessions so you can cruise around and catch waves easily. But it's gonna be heavy to carry, especially in the wind, and a bit sketchy to deal with in whitewater. My friend has 3 boards and uses his big all-arounder (a Naish Nalu) for the small short-period summer days, or real small long-period stuff in fall - so you might be good to go with one board. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow that Nalu for my first few sessions. This is the type of board that you'd probably have the easiest time finding used or borrowing from someone in your network, and you'd have a lot of use for it even if you move to another board for waves (plus it'd be easiest to sell).

I would start there and then look to the types of boards on your list. Just thinking that if you go straight to a JL Super Frank or something (which I would love to try for summer days here), you'd have to get a jumbo one to have fun at first, but soon that extra size would be all costs and no benefit. Gorge Performance in PDX has a bunch of 8.5-9.5' ~150L'ish boards like Infinity RNB, Fanatic Allwave, Starboard Wedge that could be good second boards (i.e., ones to move on to next), save you shipping costs.

Have fun on your search!

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cantSUPenough said..
Hi Rachael, welcome to the forum!

I used to live in Washington State (near Bainbridge Island) - that is some cold water! I was always wary of surfing as I was told there were often logs in the water...

It would be handy if you could rent/borrow a bigger board just to overcome the early wobbles as you get used to SUP paddling/surfing, but with your experience, you will master it quickly.

I have not used any of those boards, but have experience on lots of other Sunova boards. I think starting with the Speed might work well. It is pretty stable, pretty fast to paddle, paddles straight, and it is fun. I would not go shorter than 9'5" to begin with. (When I was a similar weight to you, I loved the 8'10" Speed but I had been sup surfing a couple of years by then and was probably surfing in better conditions - less choppy, etc.)

The Placid is a bit more fun in the surf, but in wind-driven waves it might be a bit slow. It is stable though.

Personally, I prefer the new Flow. If you were able to surf a 7ft fish in those waves then a Flow might go well. It is fast and fun, and surfs like a surfboard.

There is one guy on this forum from Vancouver Island, but his name escapes me...

I hope that helps.

Yes, I like that speed. That speeed is a great looking board, but I figured that the nose, which looks 'blocky', would be hard to swing over. What has been your experience carving with it as far as weight up front? I guess the tail would help, real tight back there.

I used my old fish in San Diego, California. Long ago. Much better waves. Beautiful California waves. Another lifetime.

Thanks!

Select to expand quote

supthecreek said..
Hi Rachael, welcome to the Breeze!
I am on the US East Coast, and have ridden virtually every Sunova and GenRation model, and have videos on each.
It would be fun to discuss all the options and what might work best for you in your area.
My email, if you wish to discuss in detail:
supthecreek@gmail.com

I currently have a batch of new boards, so I will be dropping new video sessions on them... keep an eye for them on the Breeze!
I think I'll post one right now!

Check out my YouTube channel where there are already many videos on the boards you mentioned.
I tried to add a link to my channel, but it won't work...
so...on YouTube, just search Rick Weeks Sunova and click my name on any video, to get to my channel.
It's the easiest way to see all the boards in action.... and my thoughts on them.
and yes... I am basically the Sunova Mascot

OMG, I love your video's. Thanks for taking the time to film your adventures. Our 'ankle biters" are lion's mane jelly fish. Ha!
Please tell me about your rides on a sunova wedge. I have to hit a tree once in a while, looks like a perfect match. Big lippy front end and some heft in case you didn't manage to slide over the log. Would you drive it with tri skag like old style(what i had been used to) or like all the new 4 fin deals? Boards didn't sport 4 like teeth when I surfed last. My boogie has 2 fins (and 4 sets of holes)...experimented. Wedge any?

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Steveo1 said..
Hi Rachael,
I found the 8'10 sunova flow would handle all conditions. It was stable and surfed well. My wife had a few goes on it and she was a novice. She also found it stable and easy to ride.

What Kg are you? just wondering, 8'10 is shorter than i think i would start with... but it will likely be my only board for quite a while and shorter might be where i need to be within a yr. 8"10 might be good.

Hi Rachael,
I was about 90 to 95kgs at the time. The board was 31 wide & 130 litres and was fun to ride. I found it a good alround board for me.
Watch Ricks video's to get some good ideas.
Cheers mate.

bigger than my weight on that size flow, good to know, thanks. Watching video's. This forum is great!
I see an old flow, and a new flow...or different flow. This is casey flow? or just new version of flow. Im drowning in 'whats a good fit'. Guess everybody's been there. Sooo many boards...

Hi Rachael,
The older flow. As with any board if you can. Try before you buy.










A few pics on fun days.
Good luck.

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Rachael said..

cantSUPenough said..
Hi Rachael, welcome to the forum!

I used to live in Washington State (near Bainbridge Island) - that is some cold water! I was always wary of surfing as I was told there were often logs in the water...

It would be handy if you could rent/borrow a bigger board just to overcome the early wobbles as you get used to SUP paddling/surfing, but with your experience, you will master it quickly.

I have not used any of those boards, but have experience on lots of other Sunova boards. I think starting with the Speed might work well. It is pretty stable, pretty fast to paddle, paddles straight, and it is fun. I would not go shorter than 9'5" to begin with. (When I was a similar weight to you, I loved the 8'10" Speed but I had been sup surfing a couple of years by then and was probably surfing in better conditions - less choppy, etc.)

The Placid is a bit more fun in the surf, but in wind-driven waves it might be a bit slow. It is stable though.

Personally, I prefer the new Flow. If you were able to surf a 7ft fish in those waves then a Flow might go well. It is fast and fun, and surfs like a surfboard.

There is one guy on this forum from Vancouver Island, but his name escapes me...

I hope that helps.

Yes, I like that speed. That speeed is a great looking board, but I figured that the nose, which looks 'blocky', would be hard to swing over. What has been your experience carving with it as far as weight up front? I guess the tail would help, real tight back there.

I used my old fish in San Diego, California. Long ago. Much better waves. Beautiful California waves. Another lifetime.

Thanks!

Good question. If you want a board to truly surf, then I would go for the Flow V2 - the new Casey Flow. If you want something with a little more stability, but a little slower on the wave, go for the Placid. My Speeed recommendation is based on the idea that in windy/choppy waves your focus might be on speed and stability not surfability.

I rode an 8'10 speed for a long time (I was a similar weight to you at the time and just a bit older at the time) and had fun on it. For me, it was a great transition board. Personally, I did not like the fact that you had to get back on the tail to turn it, and that it had a biggernose which added swing weight. In addition, there were times that I would perform a bottom turn on a bigger wave and the corner of the nose would catch on the face.

But, if conditions are not great and you are getting started, the speed should work fine.

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Rachael said..

supthecreek said..
Hi Rachael, welcome to the Breeze!
I am on the US East Coast, and have ridden virtually every Sunova and GenRation model, and have videos on each.
It would be fun to discuss all the options and what might work best for you in your area.
My email, if you wish to discuss in detail:
supthecreek@gmail.com

I currently have a batch of new boards, so I will be dropping new video sessions on them... keep an eye for them on the Breeze!
I think I'll post one right now!

Check out my YouTube channel where there are already many videos on the boards you mentioned.
I tried to add a link to my channel, but it won't work...
so...on YouTube, just search Rick Weeks Sunova and click my name on any video, to get to my channel.
It's the easiest way to see all the boards in action.... and my thoughts on them.
and yes... I am basically the Sunova Mascot

OMG, I love your video's. Thanks for taking the time to film your adventures. Our 'ankle biters" are lion's mane jelly fish. Ha!
Please tell me about your rides on a sunova wedge. I have to hit a tree once in a while, looks like a perfect match. Big lippy front end and some heft in case you didn't manage to slide over the log. Would you drive it with tri skag like old style(what i had been used to) or like all the new 4 fin deals? Boards didn't sport 4 like teeth when I surfed last. My boogie has 2 fins (and 4 sets of holes)...experimented. Wedge any?

Hi Rachael,

Thanks for the kind words, they a re much appreciated.

I have never posted a video on the Wedge for a reason... it is a board that will only suit a select few.
I was most stoked about the Wedge after watching Daniel Huges in person, surf better than just about everybody at an APP Tour Event. I had never seen a board that did what he could do.... so I got a bigger one for winter juice.
9'5 x 32 7/8 at 180 litersJust about the tippiest board I have ever been on.... so thick in the center that I was standing way up from the water.... but the rails were wet.
I never felt quite right on it, but then when I watched my video, I was surfing it really well.
So, I traded down for the 9'2 x x 32 at 167 liters
No problems with stability on it at all
I surf it just fine, but feel like it needs a rider with strong legs to push the tail hard enough to get the acceleration out of a turn that I saw from Daniel. That squirt out of turns is what gave Danial such amazing performance

There are just easier board to get great performance from without having to be world class.

I think for fit advanced surfers, the Wedge might just be the best board they've ever ridden.
I simply don't feel qualified to discuss the real merits of this board because I am simply not strong enough to surf it properly.
Next container, I will probably get the 8'8 x 30.25 at 141 liters, then maybe I'll be able to get a handle on it!

I certainly wouldn't slide over a log on any Sunova... they are not built for river surfing

The Wedge has 5 fin boxes, all Futures.... no US center box