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Sunova SUP / My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« on: December 03, 2017, 01:27:03 PM »
After much deliberation on what would be my next board, I decided on the 8'7" x 115 liter Creek. It recently arrived, and just my luck I came down with a bad cold this week so I haven't gotten out on it just yet.
First impression is that this is likely the most beautiful board I've ever owned. The "starburst" fade over the wood grain is gorgeous and with a highly polished surface, it reminds me of a 1958 Les Paul guitar. I know I'm going to end up dinging it and the thought makes me a little heartsick. As Rick has said, pictures do not do justice to this board. Looks are less important to me than performance, but I gotta say, it's really purty.
Second, the channels in the tail seem so much larger in person and combined with the tail rocker that appears to start really early, it looks like the tail design will give this board a lot of grip and hook when you stomp on it. Overall the rails are a bit chunkier than those on the Acid but are still tucked and hard.
The only demerit is the board seems a bit heavy -- 8.3 kgs is a pound or two more than similar performance shapes from other major boardmakers for an 8 and a half foot board. I'm sure the color coat and gloss coat add to this, as well as the extra foam in the full nose. I'll wait to judge whether I will feel the weight on the wave.
I have been riding a 7'10" L41 Popdart over the last year as my primary board and while I really enjoy it and think I have yet to really get the most out of it, I will say my wave count has gone down. It doesn't glide much so I have to catch waves closer to prone surfers, and it's a handful in choppier conditions. I love it from chest high to 3-4 feet overhead, but I wanted something for windy afternoons, bigger waves, and crowds.
I rode an 8'8' Acid XL on some overhead days and loved it. I agonized over deciding between the Acid, the new Flash and the Creek. Tino at Sunova reco'd the Creek as the best "all seasons" board. I'm happy to see pics of James Casey riding one in competition and good surfers giving it raves.
I wanted to share some thoughts about Planshape. It's only one aspect of board design, but seems relevant.
Many of the first performance SUPs were basically blown-up shortboards, with pointed noses that are narrower than their tails. The Acid is an extreme example of this, the Flow less so. Some performance boards are basically the same in terms of nose and tail width: the Flash is an example, and I think JP Surf Pro and Starboard Pro models are like this as well.
Then you have boards where the nose is WIDER than the tail. This is the Creek, the new Smik Hipster Twin, and of course, the most extreme version being the Speed.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Wider Nose than Tail shape may be optimal for sup performance, as it enables you to paddle into waves earlier, and also because by definition most sup surfing is driving off the front foot more than the back, then using the back foot to jam turns. A wider nose also makes for a more parallel rail line in the front half of the board, which increases speed.
It seems counterintuitive, but having the tail pulled in more than the nose may make sense for harder turning on a bigger board. Many of the new school longboard styles, like Infinity's New Deal, also seem to follow the formula of narrower tail than nose.
Maybe I'm just rationalizing my decision on the Creek over the Acid. Time will tell. Once I have the chance to get it out on the water, I'll come back with thoughts from the test drive!
First impression is that this is likely the most beautiful board I've ever owned. The "starburst" fade over the wood grain is gorgeous and with a highly polished surface, it reminds me of a 1958 Les Paul guitar. I know I'm going to end up dinging it and the thought makes me a little heartsick. As Rick has said, pictures do not do justice to this board. Looks are less important to me than performance, but I gotta say, it's really purty.
Second, the channels in the tail seem so much larger in person and combined with the tail rocker that appears to start really early, it looks like the tail design will give this board a lot of grip and hook when you stomp on it. Overall the rails are a bit chunkier than those on the Acid but are still tucked and hard.
The only demerit is the board seems a bit heavy -- 8.3 kgs is a pound or two more than similar performance shapes from other major boardmakers for an 8 and a half foot board. I'm sure the color coat and gloss coat add to this, as well as the extra foam in the full nose. I'll wait to judge whether I will feel the weight on the wave.
I have been riding a 7'10" L41 Popdart over the last year as my primary board and while I really enjoy it and think I have yet to really get the most out of it, I will say my wave count has gone down. It doesn't glide much so I have to catch waves closer to prone surfers, and it's a handful in choppier conditions. I love it from chest high to 3-4 feet overhead, but I wanted something for windy afternoons, bigger waves, and crowds.
I rode an 8'8' Acid XL on some overhead days and loved it. I agonized over deciding between the Acid, the new Flash and the Creek. Tino at Sunova reco'd the Creek as the best "all seasons" board. I'm happy to see pics of James Casey riding one in competition and good surfers giving it raves.
I wanted to share some thoughts about Planshape. It's only one aspect of board design, but seems relevant.
Many of the first performance SUPs were basically blown-up shortboards, with pointed noses that are narrower than their tails. The Acid is an extreme example of this, the Flow less so. Some performance boards are basically the same in terms of nose and tail width: the Flash is an example, and I think JP Surf Pro and Starboard Pro models are like this as well.
Then you have boards where the nose is WIDER than the tail. This is the Creek, the new Smik Hipster Twin, and of course, the most extreme version being the Speed.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Wider Nose than Tail shape may be optimal for sup performance, as it enables you to paddle into waves earlier, and also because by definition most sup surfing is driving off the front foot more than the back, then using the back foot to jam turns. A wider nose also makes for a more parallel rail line in the front half of the board, which increases speed.
It seems counterintuitive, but having the tail pulled in more than the nose may make sense for harder turning on a bigger board. Many of the new school longboard styles, like Infinity's New Deal, also seem to follow the formula of narrower tail than nose.
Maybe I'm just rationalizing my decision on the Creek over the Acid. Time will tell. Once I have the chance to get it out on the water, I'll come back with thoughts from the test drive!
