Sunova Soul 8’11 (bought in 2015, don’t know if it’s the current version)
So here comes another newbie review!
Some info first: I’m german, English is my third language and I’m not very keen with it, so please keep this in mind while reading, I might not always be on point!
I’m a big guy, 1,92 and 90-95 Kg (6’4/200-210 lbs). No surfing background, windsurfing all my life, unfortunately quite often on small lakes or rivers and way to rarely in the waves..
It’s my third SUP season now, I’m doing some flatwater paddling at home, waveriding only during vacations several weeks per year, when there are waves but no wind for windsurfing, around 50-60 wave days in total up to now.
My first board was a Fanatic Allwave 9’6 (still got it for flatwater, girls…).
Boards I’ve recently tried: Fanatic ProWave 9’2, RRD iWave Classic 9’1, F-ONE Anakoa 8’10
I’ll begin with the end and then go the other way round: I’m very happy with the Soul!
It’s a beauty, the construction is very solid AND light, very nice details like the handle and the gore vent plug – it’s really well made!
I’ve had quite a lot of sessions on it and it still looks like new, just some paddle marks on the rails (no railsaver), no dings, nothing to complain about!
When I bought it, I was looking for a better turning, faster and more waveriding oriented board than the Allwave without too much challenge in terms of stability, float, row etc.. Well, it was the perfect choice! I was instantly feeling at home on it, no balance problems, no struggling, pure happiness right from the beginning. Paddling out through whitewaters, catching waves, holding position in choppy, windy conditions – no problem! The Soul is really easy to use without having the feeling to be limited in terms of performance. I’m unable to really describe it’s performance on a wave, lacking skills, experience and vocabulary. I’ll just say it feels solid, fluid and well-rounded to me. I can concentrate on the wave and what it asks me to do without having to think about the board. It still feels like there is a lot more potential to discover wich I’m looking forward to with growing skills. Compared to the other, more performance oriented boards I’ve tried (wich are a little to quite a bit smaller in width and volume, to be honest) the Soul has this relaxed feeling, absolutely easy going without being boring by any means. While the other boards (especially the RRD and the F-ONE) seem to need juicy waves to really shine, the Soul is happy in any conditions from small onshore slop to perfect overhead long period swell, only limited by my developable skill level. I’m thinking of going smaller (8’7 Flow..) from times to times, but after trying those smaller boards, I’m always happy to hop back on the Soul and enjoy the comfort bonus, especially in difficult, choppy conditions.
There is just one thing I’m thinking about: the fins seem quite big to me (105 tri fin setup). I’m wondering if I should try smaller/other fins, but have no idea what size/model to choose. The goal would be to loosen up the board a little and perhaps to make it a little faster -> keep the comfy general behavior but better the performance potential I’ll hopefully be able to explore one day..
So, any fin suggestions would be appreciated!
Just to round things up: on my last trip, I felt I had to use the GoPro on a mushy evening session after having some beers at the bar, so here’s my first GoPro edit:
Edit: totally forgot to mention the windsup option! the Soul, as almost every other Sunova SUP has a mini mast track (imho way better then the screw-in plugs on other brands). Used it in up to head high onshore to side offshore light wind conditions. It performs ok, but you got to remember it isn't it's main purpose. Makes you feel like chick norris going out through the waves, picks up waves nicely, but then no comparison to a full-on waveboard wich is quite normal just size wise.. Bottom line: it's good fun and you can make all kind off oldschool freestyle moves while waiting for waves in the line up, but once it's windy enough I'll instantly hop on my windsurfing waveboards!
