Hey guys,

Thanks so much for all the info on this forum. My first board last year was the Starboard Drive 10'5. It was a great beginners board but I've got into the surfing and want to get something more performance orientated.

I live in Tanzania and we get some pretty good swell 6 months of the year. Mostly waist to chest height with a few amazing overhead days. The Drive has been great in the smaller days but I need something smaller and faster to advance.

Getting boards here is quite tricky so most guys bring them up from South Africa where Starboard is quite big, so I was looking at Starboard Surf Pro 9'. Then I started reading here all the reviews about the Sunova Speeed 8'5 and was thinking that might give me more options. I guess the direct Sunova equivalent to the surf pro would be the soul but haven't read much about that.

So any thoughts on what would be a bettet option to move to the next level? I'm 90kg 178cm and 37yo.

Cheers
Chris

I'm a little longer 1.85 and 87 kg. I'm sure that 8.5 would be a huge challenge for me , that's why my choice is longer, Holland is windy and choppy.
Getting the board to Tanzania would be a challenge on it's self, you could try the Portugese Sunova guys however.

Tiago is on this forum by the name of Gaffas.

Hi Tanzi...
I am older and heavier than you (67 @ 100 kg)
All I can really offer is my opinion of what makes the Speeed work for me, and some random thoughts.

In summer, I have no problems on the 8'10 Speeed... so considering your age, weight and the fact that you don't need to consider winter gear, the 8'5 Speeed should be very easy for you after the initial adjustment period.

I know that I would struggle more on the 9' Starboard Pro because, although that dims are very similar to my 8'10, the pointier nose would translate to much less stable for me.... having said that, at 37 and 90 kg, the pro should be easy for you.

The question is how you like to surf.

The thing that drew me to the Speeed was the way the tail carved so sweetly.
It has never let me down.... in all conditions the Speeed has a crisp, tight, driving carve off the tail, that rocket you out of a turn, and tight cutbacks, without scrubbing off speed.

I bought a 9'5 for my winter conditions, and was a little concerned when I took it out on a 2xOH hurricane swell. It was amazing.... handled the biggest wave I have had in years with ease and the carve off the bottom was solid and tight. It never felt like a big board to me.... so Bert Burger has done and admirable job of making this design work through all sizes. The XXX construction has a unique "give" built into the bottom of the board, that translates into an extremely smooth and vibration free ride, while the deck is super hard and tough..... a perfect combo in my eyes.

The Speeed is fast and effortless. The wide, scoop nose is super light and effective, as well as providing the "takeoff" stability I need. On pointy nose boards, I tend to sink the nose as I drive into a wave, which means I can't "forward weight" as much as I can on the Speeed.

I have ridden many sub 9' boards in the past 2 months, including the 8'2 Wide Point, 8'8 Airborne, 8'8 World Wide.... mostly traditional shapes, but I am always glad to get back on my Speeed, but I have never ridden the Starboard Pro... it looks like a great board, so I can't comment to it's performance. I have owned a few Starboards and have always been happy with them.

The Sunova Soul is a more intermediate shape..... the performance Sunova's are the Acid, Speeed and Flow
I have a 9'2 Flow on the way, so I will be able to comment on that, by the end of December. I have never seen an Acid but I hear good things.

Another, though..... my buddy, who is 40 @ 72 kg, also has an 8'10 Speeed and loves it. The design is so consistent, that I jumped 2 sizes for my winter board and am quite happy..... so don't overlook the option of going with the 8'10 for comfort and ease, without giving up much performance, if any.

Here's a pic of my 72 kg friend,laying one over on his 8'10 Speeed

Thanks guys really useful feedback. I think the Speeed is definitely for me. They've estimated $400 to ship to Tanzania but then I'd still need to get it through customs which is a bit of a lottery. Now to decide on the size.

STC is a little bigger than me and is doing ok on a 8.10, only is going bigger for the winter gear .
Tanzania , as far as I know, you wil never have to use winter gear, 5 mm suit shoes gloves hood etc.
Means, you can get away with a 8.10 iffffff, is it any clean over there, or do any wind and current make it hard.
I mentioned Holland, almost ever there's wind and currents , this in combination with going to France and looking for bigger surf with offshore winds, I choose 9.2
My other board is a Hokua x 32 in 8.8 lenght , that's also the reason going a little longer now.

So I'm thinking 8.10 for you cause no winter gear.

Hi Tanz,
We are SUNOVER stockists too, we have had nothing but great feed back on these boards/ also the surf boards.
Just so happens we have 2 staff members visting Africa frequently.
June is the next time they will be in Tanzania - then again Sept for a SUP/SURF road trip , let us know if this helps you out at all.

Select to expand quote

SHQ said..
Hi Tanz,
We are SUNOVER stockists too, we have had nothing but great feed back on these boards/ also the surf boards.
Just so happens we have 2 staff members visting Africa frequently.
June is the next time they will be in Tanzania - then again Sept for a SUP/SURF road trip , let us know if this helps you out at all.

What a great offer, two thumbs up guys

I never paddled a Sunova, but i,m 188x92kg, paddle a Pro8.5 and owned a Pro 9.0 before.The 2014 9.0 is for my weight an allrounder that you can use in pretty much everything from serious chaos with wind till perfectly glassy serious waves. Even when wearing a full hooded 5mm suit incl 6mm boots etc etc its still comfortable.
When paddling the board feels a bit bigger, when riding it can still turn pretty tight (especially as a quad).
Start: no problem at all.
A friend of me who is just comfortable on his Mana9.5 tried it and within 15min he was catching waves with it.
If i have to back to one board, it will be that one.
The 8.5 I have is a different animal. My 9.0 got dings in the deck that shouldnt be there and under waranty I could replace by a new one and feeling so omfortable on the 9.0 I upgraded to the 8.5. looks like a small step, but is actually a pretty big one to me.
When its clean the 8.5 is an awesome board. Its as fast as the 9.0 on a wave and can ride wavesfrom hiphigh to decent barrels.
It can carve as nothing I paddled before and turn tighter as the 9.0 while being loose and playfull with a small centre fin in smaller stuff.

When its choppy or windy its for me a too hard board to paddle and catch waves with, unlike Supthecreek I seldom have problem with burrying the nose, its just really small when the conditions aren,t cooperating.
Fo me its not much of a problem because for those conditions I have the AB8.8, but I think that due this its also a to big step from a Drive (we owned one as wel) to the 8.5 while the 9.0 is doable.

Like Flow i,m from the Netherlands where we use wetsuits almost all year round and yesterday needed 5/6mm hooded suits with 6mm boots, but I paddled both boards also in clean waves and just wearing shorts conditions.

Thanks for you insight Jeroen. SHQ I have sent you a DM

Cheers
Chris