Author Topic: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST  (Read 20111 times)

beached

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #15 on: March 21, 2015, 05:42:21 AM »
pretty much my feeling regards my 8'4" ST. it's just so fast/agile on even the smallest waves, i take it out whenever i can...but...i do not find it is the most stable board in any kind of chop, so i go for different boards on those days.  my balance probably is on the sucky side, though.   for me, the key to this board is getting all the way back on the tail; if i don't, it can slide on a steeper face. but a quick hop back and i feel that i'm in complete control.

mrbig

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2015, 05:56:44 AM »
Surfafrica, Great to hear about your trip and to see the pics.

Sounds like it is doing what you wanted!

Man that water looked NICE!
Let it come to you..
SMIK 9'2" Hipster Mini Mal
SMIK 8'8" Short Mac Freo Rainbow Bridge
SMIK 8'4" Hipster Twin
King's 8'2" Accelerator SharkBoy

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2015, 12:56:41 PM »
I just ordered one from Kirk last week, 8'4" carbon rails, Vector net.  ...
Where were you in Mexico?

You'll love the carbon rails.  They feel sooo solid (and I'm a bit of a rail basher). 

We were down in Punta de Mita.  Love that area.

Here are some pics of the DIY travel case I made for the ST.  Worked like a charm.  Love the velcro in/out.

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 #18 on: March 22, 2015, 08:35:46 PM »
I just ordered one from Kirk last week, 8'4" carbon rails, Vector net.  ...
Where were you in Mexico?

You'll love the carbon rails.  They feel sooo solid (and I'm a bit of a rail basher). 

We were down in Punta de Mita.  Love that area.

Here are some pics of the DIY travel case I made for the ST.  Worked like a charm.  Love the velcro in/out.
Punta Mita is on my to do list.  I've hit Sayulita, Zihua, Saladita and Troncones on the mainland, but not Mita yet.
Great idea on the case, that looks bomber!
JP

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #19 on: April 09, 2015, 07:45:52 PM »
Another shot on the ST from Mexico.  And one of my buddy (I had to wrestle him to get the board back!).
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

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #20 on: April 09, 2015, 07:51:33 PM »
Works in cold Canadian water 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

mrbig

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #21 on: April 11, 2015, 04:20:25 PM »
surfafrica, Glad to hear that the ST worked out so well. Looks to me like your balance issues are improving, eh!
Let it come to you..
SMIK 9'2" Hipster Mini Mal
SMIK 8'8" Short Mac Freo Rainbow Bridge
SMIK 8'4" Hipster Twin
King's 8'2" Accelerator SharkBoy

socalgremmy

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #22 on: April 16, 2015, 11:11:07 AM »
JP4
How do you like your ST? How much do you weigh?
How about a review.....
Am trying to decide which size to get.....
Bob

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #23 on: April 16, 2015, 01:53:34 PM »
surfafrica, Glad to hear that the ST worked out so well. Looks to me like your balance issues are improving, eh!

My balance feels normal in two cases:  on a wave and when I have a 3-beer buzz on.  I figure on a wave, my muscle memory and visual balance take over for my vestibular system.  As for the beer buzz, I think my brain just remembers what  my balance was like when I was buzzed and gives the "all is normal" message.  The best part about the Mexico trip was I'd often get a 2-for-1....waves with a 3-beer buzz on!

Am trying to decide which size to get.....
Bob

My thoughts (take 'em for what it's worth): If you don't get the chance to demo the 8'0 or 8'4, one thing to think about is where the board fits in your quiver.  If you want this to be a more stable board for choppy conditions, and have a tippier board already, consider the 8'4.  If you have a bigger board for when it's choppy and want something with a little more zip on the wave, consider the 8'0.  If you are looking for a quiver killer, I'd do whatever it takes to try at least one of the sizes before committing. 
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

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #24 on: June 03, 2015, 12:02:16 PM »
Quote from: surfafrica
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.

After some time on the 7'8" SIMS, I'd say that for my size/skill (145 lbs, low intermediate), the 7'8" WOULD be the right size if this was going to be my only board--I wouldn't want/need any bigger.  With a bigger board in the quiver, I could easily go smaller on the SIMS. 
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 #25 on: July 07, 2015, 08:25:47 PM »
JP4
How do you like your ST? How much do you weigh?
How about a review.....
Am trying to decide which size to get.....
Bob
Finally got to ride it in the ocean today in knee to shoulder high conditions. It was really fun! It's 8'4" x31 x4 1/4. I weigh about 170lb suited up.  Standing at the handle, the tail is just barely awash.
I spent several days getting used to it on the river, paddling in the wind and catching some little wind waves.  That really helped me find the right place to stand and get comfortable before heading to the surf.
A little background, I'm not a great surfer. I've been long boarding prone sporadically for 25 years, but always pretty much sucked.  I was a half decent wave sailor for a bit.  The last few years I've got out SUSing on occasion and have been riding a Starboard Element most recently. I just spent a few weeks on Oahu SUSing on a 10'2" Blue Planet Easy.
The day started out small, which was great, as I got a chance to find my balance and warm up on really small waves.  The first two I wasn't used to the sudden acceleration and got thrown off the back.  After that it was really pretty easy.  As everyone says, the speed is unreal and I found it very natural to step back to the tail and bottom turn. Having never ridden anything this short and responsive, it was a revelation. I spent three hours out on it and towards the end we started getting a South swell with nice clean shoulder high sets mixed in. Had some of the best drops of my life!
I think for my size and ability, Kirk nailed the size on this.  It's quite stable and is plenty high performance for my ability. I'm not worried about growing out of it anytime soon. 
JP

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #26 on: July 31, 2015, 09:26:08 PM »
I've got over 20 hours on the ST now in knee to head high conditions and I'm still thrilled with this board.  Every time I go out I learn just a little more and i'm now comfortable enough to start pushing my comfort zone a bit.  For comparison I took my old 9'8" Starboard Element out the other day after warming up on the ST.  I gave it a good solid thirty minutes and couldn't wait to get back on the ST.  It was so slow to accelerate and catch waves compared to the ST (duh!) that it just wasn't nearly as much fun.  Maybe if it was really windy I'd enjoy the extra stability, but I think that's the only case where I'll take the Element into the surf from now on. 
I still think Kirk really nailed the size on this thing (8'4" x 31") for my low intermediate ability level, as I only start to struggle  when the wind and chop get pretty bad. I stood on it for six hours Tuesday with only an hour break for lunch ;D.  I also enjoy the way I can pivot this smaller board with a slight step back to "chicken jibe" in front of opportune waves on the paddle out.  Hard for me to do that on the bigger Element. Also enjoying the bomber construction of this thing.  I have the carbon rails and there's been a few times where I though for sure I'd have damage and so far the only ding is a slight pressure ding in the forward deck from my knee as I was having my ego adjusted by Mother Ocean :) Super fun board.
JP

beached

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #27 on: August 01, 2015, 04:14:31 AM »
yeah, the worst part of owning my 8'4" ST is that it has rendered all my other boards useless. every once in a while i take out one of my other 3 boards, and they all seem to be anchored compared to the ST. At about 205 lbs, I find stability challenging at times not so much in wind chop, but rather dealing with backwash from high tide and small rollers from every direction. Having the ST for about 9 months now, I'm still learning some things on it, but the one thing that is the most clear is that once i hop back close to the tail, this thing will go wherever i want it to. i'm very curious to see how this board compares to all the newer models coming out like the Speeed, Hypernut, Slate, Raptor, etc. I suspect it'll hold its own against any of those, but would love to know first hand.     

surfafrica

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Re: 7'8" L41 SIMSUP ST
« Reply #28 on: February 29, 2016, 09:17:09 AM »
Well, I just sold my SIMS. It was the perfect board to introduce me to sub 8-foot boards and completely changed my perspective on what surfing a SUP can feel like.  When I started on it, it felt small, but it didn't take long to feel extremely comfortable under my feet.  With more time on it, I wanted less width and less volume.  The fact that it help me get to that point means it did it's job.   

The board also looks as good now as it did when I bought it.  It is a tough SOB.  Probably the best quality build of any custom surfboard or SUP I've owned.

I'm happy that the buyer is a good friend of mine.  He's a stronger wave rider than me and is going to be able to really get this board moving. He'll be coming off an 8'6 x 31, 140 L board and I think he is going to love the agility of the SIMS.  Welcome to the addiction my friend. ...also cool that I'll be able to sneak it out for the odd session still  ;-)

Here's a vid of the my last surf on it as the owner (posted earlier, so some of you might have seen this already)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1dVMqe6EX4
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

 


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