Author Topic: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST  (Read 20108 times)

surfafrica

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7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« on: December 13, 2014, 01:55:40 PM »
L41 SIMSUP ST
- 7'8" x 30", 119 L
- stringerless EPS core
- S-glass
- carbon rails
- vector net bottom
- carbon strip down the center on top
- hulled nose
- single concave down the middle
- double concave/vee in the tail

Rider:
- 5'7", 145 lbs, 41 years old
- low-intermediate (emphasis on the low)
- bad back & shoulders from multiple sports injuries
- used to surf longboards and wide/thick mid-sized surfboards
- coming off of an old 10' x 27", 150 L SurfTech Laird SUP
- been out of the water for the most part for the past two years due to injuries

Placing the order:
My plan is to have a two board quiver--a shorter board for smaller glassier days and a bigger board for choppier or bigger days (looking forward to figuring that order out in the next few months!). I used to surf a thick, wide-tailed 6'6" surfboard and loved it. So after reading some SIMSUP reviews and chatting with some of you here on the zone, I thought a SIMSUP might be a fun option for my shorter board.  Before contacting Kirk, I looked over his different models, and the ST sounded like it could be a good fit.  I emailed Kirk a bunch of details--my size, skill level, how I like to surf, my goals for this board and info about the breaks I usually ride.  He also suggested I consider the ST.  He said for my size, I could go down to a 7'4" but with my injuries and skill, I might want to consider a 7'8" or 7'10".  I decided to go 7'8".

First impressions out of the box:
- Holy sh-t this thing is light!
- Step rails, step rails, step rails.
- Love the look of the deep double concave and vee in the tail.
- Vector net...ya man!
- This thing looks like my snowboard from 1988.
- No, wait a minute, this thing looks like my buddy's SuperFish.

I surf in cold water so I decided to go with wax instead of a deck pad. I love the feel of the board under my feet when I can go without booties and the smell/routine of wax has good sentimental value for me.  For the tail pad, I used the Von Sol Big Square--it was a good fit.

Once I put the tail pad on and fins in, the hand grip had perfect balance. It was so nice carrying this board down to the beach.

Day 1:
My buddy ordered an 8'6" ST at the same time (he's 205 lbs) so we went out for our first ride together.  We hit a dumpy little beach break. Waves were waist to chest high and pretty gutless. The mid-sized waves offered some short walls--both lefts and rights. There was a competing swell causing wobbles and a fair amount of wind chop--not an ideal first run! Coming fresh off of injuries and trying such a new shape, I was nervous. During a lull, I pulled a Pocahontas and paddled out on my knees ahead of my buddy. OK, deep breath...one foot up...second foot up....wobble wobble splash.  Oh sh-t. OK, try again.  Repeat.  Oh crap.  7'8"? What was I thinking? OK, keep your legs loose. Let the board do the work. Up....splash. Oh man. I looked over at my buddy and the same thing was happening to him. I started talking myself down from the situation...it's choppy...this is new...take a breath...relax...try again.

Being so nervous about trying this board, I paid extra attention to the "stance" thread that's been going on here on the zone.  I also watched the Vimeo vids of Kirk and some others riding SIMSUPs to watch where they were putting their feet. They often paddled with a fairly staggered stance like many of the pros & groms on their 25" toothpicks. I gave that a try. Not a chance. It felt so awkward and unstable.  I haven't given up on it and think with some practice and re-working my foot weight, it could be a good option, but that practice is for another day. 

I ended up settling on a shoulder-width front-facing side-by-side stance with my front foot slightly staggered with my back foot by 1/3 a length (you can see the wax marks on one of the pics below). With that, I started getting some time up and standing.  Then I did what I do when I coach my kids' hockey teams. I bent my knees more and lined up my hips over the balls of my feet. I went into a hockey stance.  I was probably even holding my paddle like a hockey stick.  I instantly felt more stable. So after 20-30 minutes of struggling, I was ready to try for some waves! Funny enough, my buddy seemed to figure the same thing out at about the same time.

I quickly realized that I had the wrong paddle. On my longboard SUP, the glide was so good, I never really had to dig deep or paddle with too much vigor to get into waves.  I mean, at times I had to work, but in general, gliding into waves was no big deal. Not so with this 7'8". My paddle was too long and the blade was too big.  I couldn't get my cadence up to where I needed it to be and I was too weak to power the size of the paddle. I need a lower gear! I just placed an order for a smaller blade yesterday (thanks Jim).

OK, back to the task at hand.  Catch a wave. On my first try, a right was coming my way (my forehand).  One stroke, two strokes, holy sh-t...I'm heading across the beach. The wave hit my heal edge and my board flew out from under me.  OK, so now I understand what people are talking about when they say they have a tricky time going straight.  It wasn't a problem on my 10-footer. So I started trying to time my paddles and start at an angle with anticipation.  I also started to apply more weight to the paddle-side rail with one foot.  I got a little better at it over the weekend, but I need to work on it a lot more.

On my second try, I went for a waist high left (backhand).  As soon as I moved to surf stance, I was surprised that I was already on the tail pad. Great! OK, this is a left. Game on. Heal turn bottom turn.  Nope...board goes straight and I fall on my back.  My foot was sitting in the middle of the tail and I tried to pivot turn it like my 2 + 1 longboard. Come to think of it, I've never surfed a quad before. I clearly had to get my back foot closer to the engaged rail. At this point, I looked over to see my buddy dive bombing a chest high close out.  He was heading straight for the beach, but at least he got one on the board (pun intended).

After a few more attempts with some close outs, I got up on the face of a left (backhand). It was short, and I'm sure I was in a stink-bug gorilla stance, but after the first 30 minutes of the session, this was victory. I managed to snag a few more waves after that. Nothing great, but I was getting them. The board wasn't pearling at all. In fact, I probably could have stood further towards the nose. A lot of people describe SIMS-influenced boards a skatey.  I don't think I felt that with the ST. The board felt like it had grip, and I felt like I had good control if I rode it from the tail (for my skill level).

Day 2:
The conditions were the same as the day before (booo). I won't write a novel like I did about our first day, but a few things happened today.  We both struggled again for the first 15-20 minutes like the day before, but for some reason we "got it" after that first 15-20. And once we did, I watched my buddy get 5 quick consecutive waves. For me, it was all about going back to that "hockey stance". Then, the chop died down a bit for a few minutes (by no means glassy, but less chop).  I caught myself comfortably standing on the board without paddling and without bracing. It felt great. It gave me confidence that without the chop we were in, this board would be plenty stable. During that period, I caught a right (forehand) that walled up before dumping.  I put my feet closer to the rail, bottomed turned, headed up the face and mellowly carved back down, straightening out before the close out. Remember, I'm a low-intermediate so this was pure glory for me. It felt more like my old wide/thick mid-sized surfboard than a SUP. That is exactly what I was looking for with this board. Big thumbs up Kirk.

Summary:
The conditions sucked and we had to work really hard out there. But I couldn't be happier. If this was going to be my only board, I'd probably want one a bit bigger (I'll need to try my buddy's 8'6" sometime). But knowing I'm going to get a bigger board to round my quiver, this 7'8" seems to be the right call for my size/skill. My buddy's first words coming out of the water were about how fast the board took off once he caught a wave--yep, just as advertised. It really was like moving from a longboard to a mid-sized surfboard. I needed to catch the waves later, which is what I expected, but I didn't have to get in too late. Sure, I couldn't glide-in, but a few well-timed strokes did the trick. The wide hulled-nose lifted out of the water when needed and then the board quickly picked up speed. I need more time on the face of a wave, but from the taste I got, it feels more like my old surfboards and less like my 10' SUP, but didn't feel as skatey as I expected. And it wasn't only when carrying the board that I appreciated the light weight--it was nice to turn a board that didn't feel like a tank. I can't wait to get this board into better conditions with less chop and waves with more face. 
50 years old, 5'7", 150 lbs, intermediate
Infinity RNB: 7'6 x 28, 95 L https://goo.gl/SqlWR4
Kronos LB: 8'10 x 26.5, 84 L https://goo.gl/4iQdps
Kronos Nano: 7'4 x 26, 81 L https://goo.gl/kAM8W6

surfcowboy

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2014, 04:52:47 PM »
Love it, man. I'll bet a couple more sessions and you'll have it dialed.

I'm looking at the same idea of a short and long quiver as well, but I may keep my 9'0 as a "middle", well and then there's my flat water board and then... That's still two, right?

Can't wait to hear about the first glassy waist high day you get on this.

Zooport

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2014, 05:52:41 PM »
Yep, those wide tailed boards have to have a foot on the rail, right at the tail to turn.  My wide-tailed BORD is the same.  They turn pretty good, but they require a slight technique modification. 

I agree with Surfcowboy, you will get the hang of it and then love it.  Perfect board for you.
8'6 Soul Compass
9'1 Sunova Creek
9'6 WaveStorm SUP
9'8 Starboard Element

supsurf-tw

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2014, 06:13:51 PM »
Yep, those wide tailed boards have to have a foot on the rail, right at the tail to turn.  My wide-tailed BORD is the same.  They turn pretty good, but they require a slight technique modification. 

 

The wide tails are great for SUP. You just have to remember to move the back foot around a little. It's a small price to pay for going short and having great stability. Just keep the widepoint back a bit.
Boards:

 
8-10 x 31 Egg
8-11 X 32 Double wing Fangtail Tom Whitaker
8-6 X 30 1\2  Inbetweener Tom Whitaker
8-4 x 30 Hyper quad Tom Whitaker (wife's now)
8-4 X 31 1\4.  Round (wide) Diamond Tail Quad Tom Whitaker
 9-4 X 30 1\2. Swallow Stinger Quad Tom Whitaker (ex wifes now)
10-0 Brusurf for teach

firesurf

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2014, 03:27:53 PM »
Nice board! Hope you dig it...
Picked up my 8' S3 today. Should have some surf for Christmas.

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2014, 09:12:42 AM »
Picked up my 8' S3 today. Should have some surf for Christmas.

Oh man, it looks fantastic! The rails and color combo turned out great.  I thought the S3 had a double-winged tail.  Does Kirk make a wingless version too?
50 years old, 5'7", 150 lbs, intermediate
Infinity RNB: 7'6 x 28, 95 L https://goo.gl/SqlWR4
Kronos LB: 8'10 x 26.5, 84 L https://goo.gl/4iQdps
Kronos Nano: 7'4 x 26, 81 L https://goo.gl/kAM8W6

firesurf

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #6 on: December 19, 2014, 03:58:12 PM »
It does have the double wings. The black rails just make it hard to see.

Socalsupper70

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2014, 04:33:52 PM »
Kirk is pumping out some really nice boards lately.
Still loving my Phoenix V3-rode a friends board the other day for a few waves with a much pinnier tail and kooked it up bad-so used to having a heavy back foot on the rail.
These sim sups have changed my surfing-its a little more down the line speed hunting to get around crumbly sections and then stomping on the rail to make the quads bite-but i catch more waves and just have more fun.

Dont see myself going to a narrower tailed board any time soon unless Sano mysteriously overnight becomes a top to bottom wave...
HE>I.com
Instagram- @supjuan

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2014, 02:08:38 PM »
I took the ST out for a "flat" water paddle this afternoon.  Turned out to be more of a downwinder.  The wind was blowing and the bay was rocking (no swell, but lots of wind chop blowing in).  I had no problems on the ST.  It felt nice and stable.  Paddled around for 30 minutes and didn't get knocked in (which I was happy about--it was miserable out there and I was OK coming in dry).  Makes me realize how much cross-chop we were dealing with during our first couple of sessions (see above). I'm a good 5 hours away from the nearest break, so I probably won't get some surf in until January.  I can't wait to get this board into good conditions (scheduled for Mexico in March!).

I was also thrilled that the ST fit into the back of my Mazda 5 (a mini mini-van).
50 years old, 5'7", 150 lbs, intermediate
Infinity RNB: 7'6 x 28, 95 L https://goo.gl/SqlWR4
Kronos LB: 8'10 x 26.5, 84 L https://goo.gl/4iQdps
Kronos Nano: 7'4 x 26, 81 L https://goo.gl/kAM8W6

firesurf

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2014, 03:23:07 PM »
SA, what does your ST wight?
This S3 with the pad and fins on my bathroom digital scale weighs 19.2 lbs.  I'm fairly certain the scale is close because I also weighed several other boards.
Supposed to have surf for Christmas.  ;D

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2014, 05:02:08 PM »
On a sketchy analog bathroom scale, mine comes out to about 16 lbs (with fins, leash, tail pad & wax).
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 05:04:46 PM by surfafrica »
50 years old, 5'7", 150 lbs, intermediate
Infinity RNB: 7'6 x 28, 95 L https://goo.gl/SqlWR4
Kronos LB: 8'10 x 26.5, 84 L https://goo.gl/4iQdps
Kronos Nano: 7'4 x 26, 81 L https://goo.gl/kAM8W6

firesurf

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #11 on: December 21, 2014, 06:36:53 AM »
Wondering if that pad could weigh 3 pounds.  I still have a new FCS dimpled pad that weights, I'm guessing here maybe half that sitting on the shelf. So down the road I may switch it. Also, I've already seal/filled the vent plug in the handle with Marine Tex. 

supthecreek

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #12 on: December 23, 2014, 08:02:49 PM »
Africa... really nice to read a detailed review.... thanks!

please update as your experience on the board increases.

firesurf... you are right on... dimple pad is a tad less than 1.4 lbs (I weighed it with backing paper still on)
still my favorite pad  ;D

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #13 on: March 20, 2015, 05:51:09 PM »
I just got back from a family trip to Mexico and had a solid week on the ST starting with knee high waves building to shoulder high waves over the week (with one session at head high). Here are some thoughts on the ST now that I've had some more time on it:

Catching waves:
- The board was more than stable enough. I was very comfortable even during long sessions.
- I was surprised with how easily I could get into waves (even with longboaders and longboard SUPers in the lineup).
- I started moving to surf stance earlier when catching waves.
- Once in position, I'd almost wait until the wave hit me before paddling.
- In some chest high sets, I caught some waves late with a no-paddle sideways side-slip down the face. I felt like I was 18 in a half-pipe.

On the wave:
- The board was super fun in the small stuff. So playful.
- The board really carried me through slow sections.
- I'm not a ripper by any means, but I really had fun carving up and down the face.
- The more I turned this board, the more I appreciated the light weight.
- The board could be swung down the line on a drop-in so fast it was crazy.
- I LOVED the speed when the waves had some more power to them.

A buddy of mine who surfs and SUPs tried the board for a session and said it was probably the most fun he's ever had on a SUP and felt like he was turning better on the SIMS than his two prone boards: a 9'0" longboard and a 7'3" SuperFish.

I'm really excited about this board and can't wait to get into some different conditions to see what else it can do.

My buddy managed to get a few shots of me...
50 years old, 5'7", 150 lbs, intermediate
Infinity RNB: 7'6 x 28, 95 L https://goo.gl/SqlWR4
Kronos LB: 8'10 x 26.5, 84 L https://goo.gl/4iQdps
Kronos Nano: 7'4 x 26, 81 L https://goo.gl/kAM8W6

JP4

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #14 on: March 20, 2015, 09:35:15 PM »
Surfafrica, great to hear you like your ST.  I just ordered one from Kirk last week, 8'4" carbon rails, Vector net.  Still trying to pick a color - too many choices! Thanks for the review!  Where were you in Mexico?
JP

 


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