I'm probably not the best person to give the low down, as i've only been wavesailing for 2 seasons, but there are no other SSD reviews, so here goes...maybe i'll just get the ball rolling and some of the more experienced, can add on.


A big plus for me, was the one on one contact with the bloke that's building your board, through e-mail, phone calls and eventually meeting Mark up in Gerro. I spent an hour or so, talking about his designs and manufacturing techniques, in every minute detail. We went through my abilities and what i wanted out of the board and decided on an 88ish ltr, thrusters, fish like board.

Had about 5 decent wave sessions now in gero,lano and perth and I am stoked with the board. It has taken me onto the next level.

One of my problems before was that I lost speed coming up for the top turn and floundered, I am now making the top turn with a lot more ease, even in Perth's sloppy conditions.

The board gets my 90kg onto the plane in light winds, gets through the lulls yet has a smallish tail that can deal with the chop and big gusts. I'd say the comftable sail range is 4.7 - 6.

Jumps are a synch,

nice fat cushioned pads,

goes upwind like a dream - especially if you drive off the windward rail and thruster.

drive on the wave face

bottom turns

price

it takes a while to get the board built, but it's well worth the wait.

VERY happy all-round

windy, they have a web site?

Mineral

Website link: www.stonesurf.com/

hey mineral

i think u sail at the pinaroo???

sail there sometimes or at the reefs, feel free to have a spin if u see me there..

windy

WM thanks for the offer, wouldnt do such a fine board any justice I can tell you (you obviously havent seen me in action then)
Would need to gain a Looooottt more skills before I would venture onto a model such as this. Still on my trusty X-Cite ride 130 but about to get onto a JP94 freeride.
When I have mastered the knack of actually moving forward without any of my spectacular crashes, I will then track you down for at least a look. But give me a yell if you see me down there. Ol fulla with silver Gath helmet with flip visor, and always always wearing a NP buoyancy vest
Mineral

Cheers Windy for you post.

I too am 90kg and have been finding it hard to get the right wave board. After two seasons i can happily say that i am now sure i hate my 2005 EVO 92. After trying different fins in it its just not the board for me.

I have friends, good sailors who, all at sub 65kg have SSD boards and are going nuts at how good they are. May look into it after i have taken an axe to my EVO.

Thanks again for giving this heavier sailor some hope, i felt doomed to be with my ****e starboard.

Hi Monkey,

Don't give up on the Evo too soon. I weigh ca 110kg and have the 2004 Evo 92 which came with a tiny 22" fin. Although very loose and skatey, this board just gave me the ****s because it wouldn't plane easily, dropped off the plane quickly, and was less precise in the waves than my Acid 94.

This year I replaced the fin with a 25" Drake Natural Wave, which is the same fin (but 1" larger) that new Evos come with. What a revelation. The board sails much better (better upwind, quicker planing, better water release on jumps) but is still mega loose on the wave. Whereas I used to use my Acid whenever waves got half decent, I find myself going with the Evo almost all the time now because the board sails properly, and still has that amazing ability to generate power in less than perfect waves, where the Acid finds it tough to get moving. Get yourself one of these fins before you write this board off if you enjoy wave sailing.

Cheers, Jens

Re the Evo 92 2005 - Monkey - I feel exactly the same way. It just does not feel that right - planing has always been difficult. I will try one of those fins - but I am pretty skeptical. Am replacing with an SSD 90 litre, much looking forward to it.

Hi Folks,

This year at Margarets I saw a SSD thruster in Starboard colours marked up as a Pure Acid. So maybe by next season the Evo or Acid will be a SSD design? Best of both worlds? We'll have to wait and see.

Cheers, Jens

cheers Jens,

I truly have a love hate relationship with my EVO. After sailing it only a few times i changed the fin to a Select X wave 25cm. This did improve the board in all aspects yet i just tend to have better sailing on my acid88. I am keen to more up into the waves but am finding in hard to give up descent sailing sessions on my acid to " re-learn" how to sail the EVO. I know a couple of guys who have the EVO92 and say they are loose, and have drive. To be honest i am not sure what they mean as it just sails like a wardrobe door under my control.

Saying all that I still see a lot of local legends sail on more traditional shaped boards who are killing it out there.

Not sure what to do to improve my sailing. I thought if i got the kit sorted the rest would be down to me but now its just got more confusing.

Hi Northern Monkey,

I know what you mean-it is confusing riding different boards. When I 1st got the Evo 92 I enjoyed it's loose skatey feeling and stopped using my Acid 94. Then on a trip to Margarets the following season I pulled out the Acid just out of interest, and was amazed at how much better the bottom turn felt. The rail gripped so well I could direct it exactly where I wanted, with no imprecision at all. This was particularly noticeable on bigger waves (>3/4 mast) where the Evo had a tendency to slide out most disconcertingly! From then on I used the Acid exclusively in good wave conditions, which consigned the Evo to Perth mostly.

At the beginning of this season I got the Drake Natural Wave fin, mainly as a matter of curiosity. Sailing in the Dutchies slop it was immediately apparent how much more drive there was, which improved pointing, planning and slop hopping. Then when I went to Gnarloo for a week the re finned Evo just went off in the <1/2 mast high waves, and I had no need for the Acid. Since then the only sailing I've done on the Acid is back down at Margies because there I don't need the extra power the Evo develops, and value the extra control of the Acid. The re-finned Evo is really nice in waves that don't have that Margarets power. For example South Passage at Lano has a nice wall, but it tends to be a bit onshore and lack power right at the start. The Evo deals with this really well, and gives you the speed and power you need to get high on the wave and begin the roller coaster properly. While I haven't sailed the Acid there I imagine it would be much slower to take off, and so not as much fun in those conditions.

Horses for courses I guess.

Cheers, Jens

Intresting your comments. Ive been sailing/living in Geraldton for 15 years and have ridden a huge variet of boards.My weight is between 97-105 kgs.
Everything u have said is right,SSD BOARD and mark have put a lot of time into developing boards that are loose stable and rip in small to big waves windy or not.

Problems with production boards are rail shape rocker and foot strap positions.Thats not to say theres not a right board out there, but its hard to develop your skills as the boards change so much from season to season ie shapes, volumes a styles change to suit market trends.They dont always improve.

Just like Holdens OPPS

You can never fine tune likes and dislikes with out basically starting out again especially if your into your 2nd to 5 season.

As with a custom one YOU get your first and then can upgrade the volume to suit your weight depending on beer consumption season to season, keeping the things u like.

Its all about knowing whats under your feet is going to make things fun and easyer as you get older and fatter not harder.

You want to rig up and know ,,, no matter what the conditions are your not going to struggle and use all your effort trying to have a good time watching lighter crew sail all over u.

Tip . Get THE board SHAPED with enough volume to float u and your biggest rig.NOTE If the rocker and bottom line and rails are flowing in a good board you will /should be able to use this board in ALL wind stringths and swell.

Execption to the rule is if your around 75-80 kgs lesss; Just get 2

Me
SSD thuster 220 fin and side fins 8"3" being 95--105kg My weight makes no difference in the lighter wind, but volume does.
10 -20% higher pointing ability Eary plainnig and just stable and easy.
One negitive, but, this applys to all boards, is to avoid rough choppy bouncy conditions. (bad for your knees trust me on that one).

Anyway

The board does what i want it to do and never bucks,
Good dog.

Lighter crew are using 210 200 fins on smaller boards.

Gotta love that new smell in the lounge room.

Any way a fan to.

Hi King,

You are lucky that you've got the one board that does everything. I've got 3!:
1) 97l Fish for light winds and big sails
2) 92l Evo for gutless waves
3) 94l Acid for gutsy waves

Crazy having 3 boards just for wavesailing aye?

I'm interested to hear that your SSD does everything for you. How wide is it in the guts and tail? What range of sail sizes do you use with it? How does it go when the swell gets up?

I guess I could use my Fish as my only board, but then I'd lose the looseness of the other ones, and I wouldn't like the performance when the wind gets strong.

Cheers, Jens

Not sure how being 20 kg's less can affect a rule, if the right volume and width can give a larger person 1 board quiver then surely the same should work for a little fella? don't agree with you on the Holden bit I'm gona click on the thumbs down on that one.
Evo's----- I'm over em. In 20 years time they'll be seen as a gimmick board.

Fair logic there.u r right.

But may be if i explained it like this.

Say u take 5.5 to 5.7 meter SAIL U still need a board thats big enough to carry it ,to often crew use this sail on a board that does not have the volume to really float them,(or a little under fined) thus it wouldnt matter even if you had 6m plus sail, so they get one(floaty board with slightly bigger fin) and there flying around everywhere. (With out being negitive one of the modle evos had a very unforgiving rocker line making planning very tricky for starting out ,with a small thick foiled fin)making it a little limiting in its all round use,with out experience (in that i mean working hard whilst sailing (constant tuning) .Anyway

When it gets a bit windyer the board starts to feel a bit bigger and they dont feel they need the exta volume as they hvent got the body weight to still feel comfortable and in control.The problem is then solved they can use a smaller board and or change down sails.

But if it gets hell gusty and light and there caught with say a 5m on the small board u get the big one.

The same applyes for a big block BUT there comes a point where you want the board to fit into the waves and not bit your ankles.Meaning the more volume u have in the rail, when u hit a lip the harder its going to come back at u, as u fly of the lip, there is a point where a board can feel just to big in the rail. and this will increase when the swell gets bigger or ur over powered creating a feelig your out of control and not in the sections of the wave .

Remenber your after control with varrying speed and a softness that alows you to flow and carve, and fly through the lip with control to land whilst carving into your next turn with squirt.

Anyway

Me BOARD has got suttle flyers to reduce the overall width in the tail which i have enjoyed.Pluss a wider stance . As for actual dimentions sorry bro, i would have to find my name in Marks black book,and get back to u.

I just dont need two boards,Then on the other hand there s nothing wrong with having a quiver of equipment you like to ride.Thats part of the fun and in some cases frustration when u make the wrong judgment of the conditions.

I Look at some of the old boards that havent been sold an ask my self how did i ride them,Only because im making it easyer every year, ill still have a quick go on them although lots of them were for when i was lighter.

If u dont like it, DONT ride it,,,get it stolen / swop it/ sell it/cut it in half, back over it. no one likes going back wards but learn from it.

Beer time

I'm afraid this still just makes it all confusing really.

I have only really sailed at Dutchies and the odd float around at main break at lancelin. So your comments Jens about taking the various boards on road trips is very interesting.

However, the problem i have is as my wavesailing is just starting its very difficult to tell whether its my technqiue that is limiting me, the kit, or a combination of the two. The marketing of various boards claims much improved wave sailing, but how frustrating is it when you get an EVO and your sailing goes backwards.

As an ambitous 30 something POM the quest to find decent kit to bring me on in the waves is proving to be a mission.

I suppose the search for the board to improve me will continue...

Anyway Jens, the next time its on at Dutchies if you see a big guy on a acid 88 with a smile on his face, or a big guy on a EVO92 looking pissed off, its probably me, please tell me what i'm doing wrong...

Regarding windy millers review at the top of the page, I just wanted to add my bit on the SSD boards - I bought one at the end of december this year and have never enjoyed windsurfing this much! Every time I take it out into the waves I can feel my riding improving, and each time I come in believing that really was the best sail I've ever had!
Even on the choppy days at Dutchies this board feels so good.

I'm just starting to get going better in the waves - little aerials, and getting more vertical on my bottom turns. The first time I took this board out it just did all this for me!! Really did make me feel much more in control and confident in the waves - you just look at a section in the wave and think 'i want to be there' and this board does it all for you!

I weigh 67kg and got a 63L SSD. I had a 74 fanatic goya before, which felt a bit big once it got to 4.7 weather, and always had to concentrate to stay in control in the chop on the windy days. I thought I wanted maybe a 63L evo, but having sailed with people on evos, found them a bit slow and not so good at pointing up wind. I told Mark at at SSD this and what I wanted from a board - I had an idea of length and width I wanted, and told him where my sailing was and what I was trying to get out of it. I trusted him with the main board shape he'd been testing and ended up with the 63L thruster.

Mark and some friends with SSD's were saying about changing your sailing style slightly and foot pressures different - I did'nt find this, first time I jumped on the board everything just felt right and in control - the board really does fit like a shoe! Even though smaller than my old board, it still goes really well with my 5.2, planes really early and points really high - I don't need a bigger board, feel this one really does it all! I was sailing with a friend from europe on a trip to coronation, he was on a borrowed 80L old style wave board, was marginal wind and he was sailing ****! Couldnt ride front side and was struggling to get planning - jumped on my board and was planning the whole time and riding front side!

So obviously I'm pretty happy, my girlfriend isnt as I was'nt about much this season!

ALL,

cheers guys, after a few more discussions with the local SSD boys here in Perth and a re-read of the forum I think Kings point hit home "why am i trying to use a board i can't get on with?" I'm over it. The EVO's on the market and I'll be hopefully chatting to MR SSD soon.

Hi Everyone,

How would a SSD Thruster compare to a Delta/Kinetic Euphoria ?
I currently have a Starboard Fish 86L I want to upgrade. Find it very easy and loose but relatively slow and heavy. On the other hand, its top-end is limited by its tail width (difficult to control on choppy water in 25+ winds).
Cheers
JMM

That intresting to. BUT theres major differences.
I actually havent riden the Eurphria but have seen them and cast my eye over them.
The fin set up is very different as are the shapes.
I would say u need to make some enquiries.
As for the fish i have riden it. It is fun to ride, but it couldn t be your only board.

chalk and cheese, very different rockerlines and fin ideas
Windy Millers old board was a 86 starboard fish too. Have a chat to him, then if you like send me an email and l will break it all down for you.
Regards
Stoney

jmm888, haven't used the fishy 86 since getting the ssd. The ssd does everything better, especially on a wave ride.

I've also got a delta, use this for very windy days. But thinking about changing this to a small ssd - just prefer the fish shaped boards more user friendly than the classic shapes.

i was fooled by all the hype about evos..one board for all conditions? my ass! i bought one and it sucks.. and to rub salt in my wounded wallet, Mark let me ride some of his SSDs, they sailed rings around the evo, first wave and i was sold.. back on the beach he explained to me why it rode so good, 30 minuts later and it turns out its because he has been cutting his teeth on surfboards since before i was born!! and something to do with 3 fins, concaves and angles of realease! maybe a surfer would know what he was talking about but the proof is in his boards... he said windsurfers cant design wave boards cause they are windsurfers! i agree and my evo is a perfect example!
boxy rails, 4' of flat, fat nose, crap foot straps, crap screws, crap construction, crap non-skid, couldnt turn it.. it cost me 1500, but it was to big 4 windy days so i then got a $400 acid62, snapped the acid in half, cracked the evo then spent 300 on an 03 F2 64L...... and i didnt like not one of them!! i could have bought my 'VERY OWN' SSD 67.2L, 225.3cm long, 54.3cm wide, 3 fins! and the paint job?? black with hot pink flames and green lightning bolts of course.. it would be the best board ever and i could have had it..instead i have half an acid, a worthless evo and an old F2 i bought of a girl!

Having read all the info above.

Thruster for big days?? I was always of the opinion that a single fin was the go when the waves got large and thruster for small Perth, Dutchie days.

Still there may be something I'm missing.

There are sailors obviously using the SSD thrusters at Geraldton and I guess Gnaraloo and Margaret River.

Any first hand info on their use in big waves as compared to a single fin eg Acid

regards wayne

Hey Windy , put a few photo's of your board on the site so we can have a look at it.

Had a crack on Miller's SSD on Saturday on flat water.

It has thinner rails in the tail and a narrower tail than the Evo. This, and the thrusters made it more grippy to turn. Off the plane the tail tended to sink a bit more, but the nose rode high and kept me afloat. Different technique required, I suppose. It was a smidge faster than my Evo and went upwind a little better. At 88L it's got more volume than my Evo80 (and I think the max width is higher) so it's perhaps not a great comparison. I'll get him to let me have a crack on a wave next time and report back (hint hint )

It has really comfy footstraps and nice soft deckpads that absorbed all the chop.

Certainly didn't prompt me to "take an axe to my evo" but the SSD is an equally good board, worthy of consideration if you're looking for a new-gen.