Author Topic: Steve's 9.5 Hammer  (Read 3761 times)

SUPcheat

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Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« on: March 17, 2017, 05:19:01 PM »
Steve (Southwesterly) was kind enough to lend me his SupSports Hammer 9.5x33@178L to try today.  I have been curious to try a Hammer for a while.

I was tired today and have a cold, not much spark, so I wasn’t optimal, and waves weren’t huge today, but I still had a lot of fun trying this guy out. Conditions were reasonably calm.  It’s a lot more volume than my current boards (Speed 8.10@130 and Prowave 9.3@134) and I think Steve just gave me the Hammer to see me standing up more.

I am not that much of a balance maven, so it still took me a while to get used to Hammer, and of course, as with any board, it requires different muscles than the other boards.  It is definitely nice to balance, but not a complete breeze.  I think I noticed the advantage most when coming back through the shore reflections (rocky road) around Privates, where the board washed off shore reflections like they weren’t there.

One session is only enough for a few impressions but a few things were obvious

Wave entry was about the same as Speeed, maybe a little easier.  Hammer has only a little nose rocker, so I tended to perl it at first.  That’s not a fault of the board, just technique to get on the back just enough then weight forward just enough to enter without tipping the nose down too much.  It would probably be better at entry if I keyed into it more with practice.

However, standup wave entry is buttery smooth, a wonderful sensation compared to other boards I have been on so far. 

Bottom turn was easy, a surprise for a larger board.

Riding to the crest and re-entry was easy, also a surprise for a larger board.  I can’t do roundabouts yet, but I have seen Steve do several on larger waves on this board.

Turning around on the board to catch waves while standing was also easy, another surprise for a large board. With the added stability, it is easier to turn around than Speed and a lot easier than Prowave.  I could do aggressive buoy turns and really snap it around and clamber back up with the stability, cool.
My only board that is easier to turn around standing is the 8.7 Flow, a much smaller board.

  I can’t really do buoy turns on Speed 8.10 so well, because it is so light at my current weight (at least 235 lbs. wet with gear), stepping back on it tends just to sink it.  Doing buoy turns on Hammer is fun, and I could see getting some practice to snap around very quickly to catch waves.  I had the nose up and was able to do 360’s  on it while standing towards the tail.

I rented a Naish Mana 9.5 a couple of years ago and didn’t like it at all, I thought it was a log.  Hammer is no log, and is adroit to turn and handle, even though it is wider than the Mana I had.

This Hammer is carbon construction and pretty light for a large board, I had no trouble  carrying it.  It is in quad configuration with pretty standard sized fins placed pretty far toward the edges of the wide tail.

Hammer has decent glide, but not quite as much as I thought it would, probably because of the width.  However, the glide plus stability is a positive.

Hammer is counter intuitive, because looking at the board (wide, thicker rails, wide tail, very large planing surface) you would not think it was an agile performer and bottom turner such as it is.  It’s  a Cadillac that can also handle very well for this size.  Fun, stable, and it also looks like a nice coastal cruiser for going up and down L41.  Tomorrow, I think I will take it up the coast a bit out in the deeper water.  No large waves on the horizon, so I won’t be able to get it into larger stuff, but I think it would be great on bigger waves.

Very cool board.

Anyway, thanks to Steve for letting me try this board.  I thought it would be good, but it is  better than I thought.

2013 Fanatic Prowave LTD 9'3"x30.5x@134L
Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2017, 07:43:17 PM »
Thanks Cheat,

Good review and like how you compare it to your current boards.

Cheers

Bob
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paddlejones

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2017, 08:08:19 PM »
Nice review, I've been watching this board for a while...

Bummer that Craig's listers can be flakes, one is teasing me on the list now  :-\

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2017, 08:32:21 PM »
@SUPcheat

A very nice review. Glad you found the Hammer to your liking. Since I couldn't demo a Hammer, I had to rely on comments from other Hammer owners and took a chance and ordered a Hammer and which you can see in my signature.

Your demo comments just confirmed I made the right decision since I really like my Hammer for both flat water cruising, which it really isn't designed for and surfing which it is designed for.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2017, 09:07:34 PM »
https://slo.craigslist.org/spo/6045846354.html

He finally got back to me, it's an 8/11. I'm going to pass

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2017, 09:34:59 PM »
https://slo.craigslist.org/spo/6045846354.html

He finally got back to me, it's an 8/11. I'm going to pass

WOW! That's the deal of the century for a carbon Hammer at that price...
Looks newish...we would definitely buy it back at that price...

Thing is...we don't make a 9'6" production Hammer...that would be a custom...

War Dog SUP Carbon 9'6" - $500 (los osos)


Kinda makes me wonder if it's hot...there's a big discrepancy between an 8'11" and a "9'6""

Scratch that thought...I kinda remember this guy...might have been his wife...or, ex-wife's board...don't think that the board saw much use...but, it's still in the realm of possibilities that he/she had it stolen...;-)

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« Last Edit: March 17, 2017, 09:48:27 PM by SUPsports »
Mahalos...{:~)

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surfcowboy

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2017, 01:45:04 AM »
That's a great looking board.

Can't imagine why that guy's not happily married with a page like that out on the web.

Night Wing

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #7 on: March 18, 2017, 04:51:40 AM »
https://slo.craigslist.org/spo/6045846354.html

He finally got back to me, it's an 8/11. I'm going to pass

If it's an 8'11", then it is close to being just like my 8'11". Mine is a custom built Hammer since mine is 4" thick instead of 4.4" thick in a standard production made 8'11". This allowed me to drop the volume from 148 to 140 liters and this is perfect for my (now) 150 pound weight.

Any novice close to my weight or above, looking into getting their first sup for surfing would love this board. At it's present price, it's a steal.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

K-541`

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #8 on: March 18, 2017, 08:38:18 AM »
Husbank that's worth a few good chuckles over morning coffee 🍺

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2017, 12:41:48 PM »
Steve (Southwesterly) was kind enough to lend me his SupSports Hammer 9.5x33@178L to try today.  I have been curious to try a Hammer for a while.

I was tired today and have a cold, not much spark, so I wasn’t optimal, and waves weren’t huge today, but I still had a lot of fun trying this guy out. Conditions were reasonably calm.  It’s a lot more volume than my current boards (Speed 8.10@130 and Prowave 9.3@134) and I think Steve just gave me the Hammer to see me standing up more.

I am not that much of a balance maven, so it still took me a while to get used to Hammer, and of course, as with any board, it requires different muscles than the other boards.  It is definitely nice to balance, but not a complete breeze.  I think I noticed the advantage most when coming back through the shore reflections (rocky road) around Privates, where the board washed off shore reflections like they weren’t there.

One session is only enough for a few impressions but a few things were obvious

Wave entry was about the same as Speeed, maybe a little easier.  Hammer has only a little nose rocker, so I tended to perl it at first.  That’s not a fault of the board, just technique to get on the back just enough then weight forward just enough to enter without tipping the nose down too much.  It would probably be better at entry if I keyed into it more with practice.

However, standup wave entry is buttery smooth, a wonderful sensation compared to other boards I have been on so far. 

Bottom turn was easy, a surprise for a larger board.

Riding to the crest and re-entry was easy, also a surprise for a larger board.  I can’t do roundabouts yet, but I have seen Steve do several on larger waves on this board.

Turning around on the board to catch waves while standing was also easy, another surprise for a large board. With the added stability, it is easier to turn around than Speed and a lot easier than Prowave.  I could do aggressive buoy turns and really snap it around and clamber back up with the stability, cool.
My only board that is easier to turn around standing is the 8.7 Flow, a much smaller board.

  I can’t really do buoy turns on Speed 8.10 so well, because it is so light at my current weight (at least 235 lbs. wet with gear), stepping back on it tends just to sink it.  Doing buoy turns on Hammer is fun, and I could see getting some practice to snap around very quickly to catch waves.  I had the nose up and was able to do 360’s  on it while standing towards the tail.

I rented a Naish Mana 9.5 a couple of years ago and didn’t like it at all, I thought it was a log.  Hammer is no log, and is adroit to turn and handle, even though it is wider than the Mana I had.

This Hammer is carbon construction and pretty light for a large board, I had no trouble  carrying it.  It is in quad configuration with pretty standard sized fins placed pretty far toward the edges of the wide tail.

Hammer has decent glide, but not quite as much as I thought it would, probably because of the width.  However, the glide plus stability is a positive.

Hammer is counter intuitive, because looking at the board (wide, thicker rails, wide tail, very large planing surface) you would not think it was an agile performer and bottom turner such as it is.  It’s  a Cadillac that can also handle very well for this size.  Fun, stable, and it also looks like a nice coastal cruiser for going up and down L41.  Tomorrow, I think I will take it up the coast a bit out in the deeper water.  No large waves on the horizon, so I won’t be able to get it into larger stuff, but I think it would be great on bigger waves.

Very cool board.

Anyway, thanks to Steve for letting me try this board.  I thought it would be good, but it is  better than I thought.

Yup...stoked that you had a chance to check it out and ride a few...another really very cool ride characteristic is the fact that the Hammer accelerates when you move forward on the board...exhilarating nose rides...no matter the size...bottom hydrodynamics take over...

To the Hammer...every wave is a nail...;-)

http://supsports.com/standup-paddle-boards/hammer-series/

It also comes out of a cutback without bleeding speed off...volume distribution and Chisel Tail...
Additionally, it's unique in the fact that it responds to foot steering from the standing position...

https://youtu.be/fbUsAXhO3Lc

https://youtu.be/roAvDHU_ohI

More Hammer info here...over 117,000 views...

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,19674.0.html
« Last Edit: March 18, 2017, 12:44:08 PM by SUPsports »
Mahalos...{:~)

WARDOG ®
Owner/CEO  StandUp Paddle Sports®  &   SurfingSports®.com, Inc.

(805)962-SUPS (7877) store
(888)805-9978 toll free

Retail Store:
Standup Paddle Sports, LLC
121 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

SUP Sports ®

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Re: Steve's 9.5 Hammer
« Reply #10 on: March 20, 2017, 07:08:50 PM »
A video with 3D rendering that highlights the design elements of the Hammer SUP model...a truly unique design...

https://youtu.be/mPoktHI3oHo

Mahalos...{:~)

WARDOG ®
Owner/CEO  StandUp Paddle Sports®  &   SurfingSports®.com, Inc.

(805)962-SUPS (7877) store
(888)805-9978 toll free

Retail Store:
Standup Paddle Sports, LLC
121 Santa Barbara St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

 


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