Author Topic: Starboard 9' 8" Fish  (Read 5512 times)

Yoma

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Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« on: May 07, 2008, 12:34:56 PM »
I really want to get shorter board now (have been riding JL 11' for while and Big Blue now) and have been checking  many reviews etc.  I like Starboard 9' 8" Fish lot (price seems great too!!), but can't demo anywhere around where I live.

Is anyone riding Starbaord 9' 8"? If so, any thoughts etc will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

jonysan

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2008, 02:46:27 PM »
Hi Yoma,
Very good information about riding the 9'8", on a Cornwall England based blog, www.csx355.blogspot.com, lots of real world info regarding stability and surf use.    . I'm riding the 11'2" Starboard, but after reading about the 9'8" I want one too!     John

Yoma

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2008, 04:29:51 PM »
Thanks John,

I know what you mean...I read and heard lots of interesting things about the 9' 8" and can't wait to get on it, but no one around here (NW) got one yet. I wish this guy had his weight etc so I could figure out whether it'll work for me as I'm 210 LB pretty big guy.

csx355

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #3 on: May 08, 2008, 12:45:40 PM »
Hi Yoma - I have the 9'8 (and write the csx355blog) I'm 5'10" and hover around 200lbs give or take - at 210 you will not have a problem - Gavin (the guy I surf with) may have a few lbs on me and he has just got the 9'0" again no problem with float. These boards have to be the easiest - shortest boards for any errgh 'well built' yeh well built bloke to ride.  They are not without their faults but they rock in the surf. ('Rock' being a relative term used by a fat novice). Converting from a JL11 was not a problem. Regards Steve. Hope this helps.

linter

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #4 on: May 08, 2008, 01:15:10 PM »
They are not without their faults but they rock in the surf. ('Rock' being a relative term used by a fat novice). Converting from a JL11 was not a problem. Regards Steve. Hope this helps.

hey ho csx355 -- could you say a few words about what aspects of the 9-8 you're not so happy with?  i seem to recall from your blog -- great blog, btw -- that the width of the boards sometimes leads to the rails catching.  could you expound on that a bit, and on whatever else?  thanks!

Yoma

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #5 on: May 08, 2008, 03:20:28 PM »
Steve,

Thanks so much for your input. That's very nice to know. Now I want to get 9' 8" even more.....I gotta work it out.  I would love to hear some downside of this fish too if there is any.

I'll be travelling to your area around early Sep (I know it's still long time away) for one of my best friend's wife's big 40 years birthday (they pay flights and accomodations for my whole family!!) so maybe have chance to SUP around there as I see at your belog that there is surf shop who rent out those SUP.

Big Mahalo and hope to see you in the water soon.

Aloha,

Yoma

csx355

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #6 on: May 08, 2008, 11:38:51 PM »
Hi Linter - Please bear in mind that I am not an expert - my blog and my thoughts are just an opinion of things I see as a novice -

Ref the rails digging in - there are some occaisions on steeper wave faces that I catch the outside edge (beach side) of the board - when this happens I'm off - this is caused by me not getting my weighting correctly on the inside rail - however being a wider board 30" probably does not help - this does not happen all the time and if the board was narrower it would not be so easy for me to get to that situation in the first place so I not unhappy just looking for perfection in all circumstances at all times (blame the tools is my philosophy)  ;) .

I always try to  look after my kit, Starboard make no bones about the Sport and TufSkin constructions - the Sport looks sexy as But if I'm honest I have some reservations about how long it's going to stay that way - The red paint seems to chip fairly easily - It does not put me off - I love the board - there may well be better but at the moment I'm dead chuffed -

Yoma - you wont be disappointed depending on where you are staying there will not be a problem getting on a board.

Thanks for reading the blog. - Steve

Jim

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2008, 01:31:00 AM »

Hi Yoma,

Here's another positive mini-review of the 9'8" - I've had mine one week and only been out on it three times, once in thigh high waves and twice in flat water, I can tell you this board is confidence inspiring, I never thought as a relative beginner & at 190lbs, that I'd be able to ride a board so short.
I came from a starboard 12'6" and got a demo on the 9'8" first, just couldn't believe how stable it was.
I'd say it paddles very well for it's length, so I'd be happy to use this board for coastal exploration if there's no waves and I hadn't brought the 12'6" with me - it glides along very nicely for such a short board.
My first impressions in the surf is that it is a joy for me to turn a shorter board around so easily to catch waves whilst also have enough stability for my weight and ability so that I'm not falling off all the time and missing waves, it also noserides really well - there's a big ol' concave up front flowing into vee through the mid-section and tail.

FYI - the 9'8" is 155L as against the 12'6"'s 205L

Hope you get a chance to demo one soon 8)

Jim



linter

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2008, 01:52:39 AM »
steve and jim: thanks for your insights.  re catching the rail: i hear you about that.  i do it fairly frequently on my 11-2 but am sssslowly getting better at sticking the inside rail.
   anyway, i sure would love to demo a 9-8.  anyone reading this thread live in the NE of the US have one that i could paddle around for a few minutes? 

Yoma

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2008, 11:17:11 AM »
Hi Steve and Jim,

You guys made me feel go buy 9' 8" so bad. Though, I still gotta work it out with my wife....I have way too many surfboards already!

If anyone has it or someone will do demo at NW of US, please let me know. I would love to get on it. Thanks again for your input.

Aloha

Yoma

 

1tuberider

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Re: Starboard 9' 8" Fish
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2008, 05:35:51 AM »
I love my 9'8.  I got it mid April. 

After the few get use to it sessions - this board rips.
 Bottom turns, cutbacks, noserides, stability.  I have not used the 9'0 yet but my friend has one and I am happy with the 9'8.  He likes his 9'0 so I image either board works well.  I weigh around 190 and wear a full wetsuit.  I have also been surfing around 43 years.

The fish design turns so nice and noserides so well that my 10'6 naish is for sale. 



 


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