Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => Sessions => Topic started by: SUPcheat on April 10, 2014, 04:26:08 PM
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I decided to attempt another hard board adventure. My standard practice board for some time has been the Red Paddle Mega inflatable. It is a lot of fun, but large at 10'8", 36 inches wide and 6 inches thick. I am 6'1" and maybe about 215 lbs. when geared up on the waves. 64 year old late bloomer.
I rented a Gerry Lopez Surf Music (9'0"Lx34"Wx4.25"T 160.2 Litres Future 2+1 Fin Setup) from Covewater. I figured I would be out of my depth, but the worst that could happen would be a knee paddle/surf session. I have been on the ocean since last May, stood up on first wave last September.
I tried my neighbor's Pearson Laird Arrow 11'/29 3/4wide over a month ago, and couldn't even figure out how to stand up on it, so I was not sanguine about the Lopez.
I took it out to Privates Santa Cruz. Shock of Shocks, I was able to stand up on it, falling very little in situations that I may have even fallen on the Mega, and after about an 45 minutes, I was able to handle the darn thing without an excess of stress. The sweet spot is smaller, and the tremble/twitch factor was a lot greater, but my body was able to dial it in after a while. It felt kind of like a mini Mega, and my reflexes were not futile and did not have to start completely from scratch.
Conditions were windy and choppy, not ideal for a first session on a new board, but was able to deal with waves, chop, white water, wind pretty well. The Lopez is not a fast paddler, but I suppose it is designed more for the surf side of the equation than the paddling side.
When I came into shore, a nice fellow on a longboard who was out there said he thought that I was riding it well on the waves and that I was controlling the board rather than vice versa. It didn't quite feel like that, but I was grateful for the encouragement.
I am sure it's entire surf capabilities are beyond me at the point, but I also managed some step backs and short wave rides with it, though the lock remains unpicked as to its potential there. Every motion is just more delicate and less forceful.
It needs some really hard paddling to catch the wave. It turns on a dime compared to the Mega, but obviously, I need to practice for the twitchiness to turn into actual control. I actually seemed to have better luck catching waves with Mega, but then, I have been on that for 9 months.
I was happy I could even manage it and will take it out again tomorrow and see if I can improve on the theme. It bodes well that I might eventually deal with a board that might be as low as 150L and 33 inches wide at about 8.5 to 9 feet.
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Great job Karl. Seeing you out there the past few times we have run into each other, I really think you should be on a "hard" board, for sure. It's kind of one those thing where you just half to take the leap and do it. Every time I get a new smaller board, it doesn't take more than a few months for me me to wish I got something even smaller. Smaller can mean many things, shorter, thinner and narrower, pulled in nose/tail, etc.. It doesn't mean you do it all at once. Trying and buying different length and shape boards allows me to figure out what works and what doesn't work for me. Have fun on it tomorrow!!
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Mr Cheat.... you are on your way!
Good for you... 2nd big step taken!
I sense a new board is in your future... 8)
You will improve much faster on a standard SUP board... the feedback is consistent, where the inflatable feedback is quirky.
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Cheat - Nice progression to the 9' Lopez. I have the same board and love the stability. I like it set up as a quad...see Scott at Covewater for some GL quads if you get one of these. Not having a center fin is a big plus with the kelp around Privates and makes the board looser
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I agree...smart move...and quite a jump. If you can do that so easily you should have it wired for some waves soon enough. Progression starts slowly and gathers steam. I was on my 12-6 for about a year before I started getting other boards. You'll soon be justifying different boards for different uses...I smell a quiver coming....mark my words... ;)
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Thanks, guys.
I guess it is like graduating from lengthy kookdom to intermediate gromdom. I am just glad I can progress at my tender age. I guess it is also nice to see that lengthy practice on a more forgiving board can actually be contributory to more challenging board, not just start over entirely.
The Lopez has that "secondary" balance thing where it tilts/twitches rapidly then stabilizes a bit and you can actually ride around that secondary balance. The Mega just had one basic balance condition, on or off, but it is forgiving.
Kurt, I plan on trying out various hardboards according to your advice and will make a decision about a hard board after rental trials here and there over time. My neighbor took the Laird Pearson Arrow on a lengthy vacation, but I will give it another stab as well when he gets back with it.
I can easily afford a "quiver", but easing the wife unit, who already thinks I am nuts, into another board klunking around the house is another story.
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She'll get use to it ;D
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hi SUPCHEAT!!!
First of all, congratulations!!!! well done!
Second, i started a year ago and my first SUP was the RedPaddle Mega (still have it) when i figured out that SUP was for me and started getting waves i started looking for a "hard,easy and forgiving wave board" (110 kg and 5´8´´)
Then i found The Zone, and then i read the post from SUPthe creek. Ending buying a AllWAVE 9´6 . Excelent, almost no need for a learnig curve.
That was a great board, great stability, very manuverable. almost not using de RedP mega anymore
Here i´m a year later downsizing again. first i was going for a PROWAVE 9´6 (153 liters) but i thougth that could go smaller and bougth a Naish Hokua 9´5 GT (putting my hands on it this weekend with a forecast of 6´ waves, 14 sec of period and no wind, as good as it get here in Uruguay!!!)
Conclusion: Go for a hard wave board, demo all you can, its going to be more easy to catch waves and even paddle in flat water.
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...easing the wife unit, who already thinks I am nuts, into another board klunking around the house is another story.
Carl
woohoo! and i missed you out there! For the summer I am riding my 'big boy' Pearson/Laird 12 footer - lots of glide for me, and I am about your size. Keep up the kook! Your wife is right, you know.... now the job is to stay that way! ;D ;D ;D
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Supcheat, That is a great story. The width of the Lopez is the special sauce that makes a 9' board as stable as it was for you. And remember when you decide on the hard board of your choice, just let the air out of the inflatable and there is just one board clunking around the domicile! 8)
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Thanks, again, guys.
Today's session, was able to ride the Lopez from the get go pretty well. I still had trouble figuring out what it wanted for the drop in, many waves riding under, and it does not like to knee surf as the wave mostly just wants to punch through from the back. However, this also means that it doesn't catch any rail for knock off in the churning white water. I was able to stand up surf a large mound of white water because of this characteristic, which most certainly would have knocked me over on the Mega.
I got a hunch toward the end of the session, though, instead of a right foot step back toward the narrow end of the board from the stability point parallel to the handle slot, it wants a step forward with the left foot toward the front. Then a second step if necessary to put the feet in surfer stance on the midline. It also seemed to want to take the wave somewhat lateral, riding the front down into the drop with the right edge and fin eventually catching.
When I caught one wave this way, it took off like a rocket, faster than anything I can remember, but my reflexes couldn't keep up for more than a couple of seconds before it was SupCheat in space.
The board appears to have most of its bulk forward of the handle slot, and the tail is unstable unless foot exactly on the middle with forward motion.
I was too tired to continue testing the drop theory, if it is correct at all. Things turned into major chop, wind and swell for a while after 2PM around Shark's cove, so it was actually more fun riding the bounding swells around rather than surfing. I did that for a while.
Anyway, I am just stoked that I was able to do this ride, it made me feel hopeful for progress. I may rent the board again for a couple of sessions.
I would like to put in a plug for Covewater SUP in Santa Cruz, a first class experience with the staff.
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Next on the rental menu, the 9'5" Naish Mana, may try it out next week. About the same volume as the Lopez 9' Surf Music i.e. 155-160L but narrower at 32" and a bit longer.
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Another chapter in the annals of elderly Kook Grom.
I rented the SimSup K41 8'8" 32" 145L today to try it out and see if I could balance on it. (reminder: regular board is Red Paddle Mega inflatable 10-8, 6 thick, 36 inches wide, me: 6'1" 215lbs.)
My "method" is to learn how to knee paddle first, catch waves on my knees to see how it goes, and then stand up to balance.
The ocean around Shark's Cove closeout section Santa Cruz was windy with relentless sets coming in. Great for surfing, not so great for balance practice on a new board.
Unfortunately, there was no peace and quiet of any length, and lots of low tide beach break. I spent most of the session learning how to knee paddle against white water and waves etc.
By the time I got to "balance practice" I was already shot, with my twitch muscles exhausted by unfamiliar endeavors.
I stood up twice, the first time too far back with a fall. The second time, I was close to the right balance point, and rode around briefly before a wave knocked me off.
The strange thing is, I am confident I can stand up balance this board with some practice, but I just got too tired and decided to just enjoy the session knee surfing.
This board is a FANTASTIC knee surfer. If it is like this stand up surfing, it is a winner. I caught at least 15 good waves on my knees. It would even surf a closeout wall of churning wall of white water coming up from behind to my great surprise.
The mega won't knee surf much above 3.5 ft, without standing up to catch them, but the K41 would knee surf at least up to 5 feet without skipping a beat and probably more. It just melted down into the wave for the roller coaster.
The proners at the breaks seemed to be fluffing quite a bit while I was charging on knee surfing and catching nearly every wave. I was only knocked off twice, once because I leaned forward and the second time because a big one just blew me off the board.
I will have to take it out again sometime, and think that if i get at least 15 minutes of calm, I will be able to pick the "balance lock" and stand up on it. At my weight, it seemed to wet the rails just right. Part of the problem was, the deck pad does not extend far enough forward, and I had to grab the slippery part, which made standing up harder.
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Nice Supcheat....nice to read you are trying different boards.
I have been thinking of renting the large SIMSUP at Covewater, or maybe a bit smaller one,
although I do like the glide. Also, I think they have a Jimmy Lewis Striker that I'd like to try
(actually, I'd really like to try the Black & Blue Noserider but I don't think they have one yet).
As for lack of traction on the bow, they probably wouldn't mind if you put some surf wax on the front deck.
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Keep it up Carl, one step at a time. I might be around on Sunday afternoon. Let us know how it goes.
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Keep it up Carl, one step at a time. I might be around on Sunday afternoon. Let us know how it goes.
Thanks, Kurt. Sunday so far is predicted to be good, albeit windy, with tide conditions good from about 12:40PM onward. I might rent the Naish Mana 9'5", but don't know if I want to try another new board in windy conditions.
Although I could balance the 9' Lopez Surf Music pretty easily and rather quickly, I couldn't knee surf it worth a bean, it just punched through. Standing, I never did quite figure out what it wanted. The L41 just seems to catch anything of any description that has some force from behind and ride it on in.
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I enjoyed the 8'0 L41 I tried out. It gets up and goes on everything. Fun board. Definitely give it another try.
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The trick with standing on the the L41 is to come up in the right position to begin with, you need your front foot pretty far forward, and you should come up in a surf stance. I have pretty much the same board (8'8" X 32") and I'm 245 and 67. It doesn't take too long to get used to standing on the board, but I think if you start knee surfing it you'll set yourself back. Get used to paddling the board around in flatwater. When you go to get into a wave you'll probably find the board pivots pretty quickly. I start with the board parallel to the wave I want, and start paddling hard just before it gets to me. I shoot for the center of the pocket--it's much easier to catch a critical wave with this thing. Once you're in, it's a little rocket. Turns on a dime and gives you nine cents change.
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You're absolutely right, Pono. I should always take these things to the harbor first for standup practice.
I'm just a space cadet and I have gotten to enjoy being on the ocean, which used to terrify me, and just fooling around anyway.
It is interesting to feel the dynamics of different boards. A skilled surfer can probably step and trim a board to take the drop properly with just about anything. The L41 seems to tilt down as the wave comes up from behind and then push forward into the drop almost on its own, nice for somebody like me who is a ways from that kind of skill set.
Standing up is actually easier once you are on to the balance and less work than kneesing. Unfortunately I kind of like knee paddling. It's an uncontrolled shuttle ride and loathsome to the true surfer, but for me it's better than nothing, just a fallback crawl before walking.
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Supdiscobay, Hey Kurt you wouldn't remember the width and volume on the 8' L41 you tested by any chance. Old man going short for summer is curious! No whirlpools with that bad boy..Gracias
Cleve 8)
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At any point near max weight (rails under water) the L41 is very sensitive to pitch, the sweet spot is pretty small, so you have to get your body and your head over the balance point right away or you'll fall either forwards or backwards. I don't think I've ever fallen off the thing to the side. I look like Jesus on mine--no visible board unless you're looking down at it.
While that makes it a little tough to stay on in choppy water, it's actually a real blessing for catching waves, going fast, and turning hard. A little weight shift forward, like just thinking about it, puts the nose down. I was able to ride current backwards in the Columbia by tilting my head forward and pushing the nose down while I braced like mad with the paddle. Given that my balance sucks, that was pretty amazing. The sensitivity makes it very easy to do things on the board without a lot of moving around. But you have to be in the right spot to begin with.
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Yes, Pono, I had that impression that there was an unforgiving and relatively small sweet spot slightlty forward of the handle notch. I was almost there the second time, I just found it hard to slide around on the slick nose while performing the last stand up, and by that time, I was tired anyway.
I think with some of these boards it is lock and key, once you get the motion it is easier to repeat, it is just getting the movement right the first time that is hard.
At my weight, the rails on the 8'8" seemed just about right, just a very light wash of water over the sides, neither sunk nor bobbing up.
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Supdiscobay, Hey Kurt you wouldn't remember the width and volume on the 8' L41 you tested by any chance. Old man going short for summer is curious! No whirlpools with that bad boy..Gracias
Cleve 8)
31" and 137ltrs
And what PB says is correct. Side to side is not an issue, for and aft is the problem. The 8'5" GL sweetie pie was the same way. When you paddle in a staggered stance for a long time your back leg will feel it. But that stance really helps balance on the shorter boards, no matter what width they are.
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Kurt, Thanks for the L41 info. Contacted Kirk and he responded immediately. I have noticed on my Angelo 8'8" that I morphed into a staggered stance to address the fore and aft control issues on takeoff. It is clearly not as sensitive as the L41 boards, but is short enough that fore and aft issues have appeared - in my case more of wave catching than actual splashdown. Chop will still remind me that the spirit of Tippy Wan Ken Obi is alive and well. But the waves made are worth it! 8)
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I got a Vernor 9' 32.75" Marko EPS, 21 inch tail 4+1 custom. A little narrower than the Lopez Surf Music 9' (32.75 vs. 34" wide), a little thicker (4.5 " vs. 4.25"), looks like a little less nose and tail rocker. I would estimate volume to be 150 to 160. It is in tri-fin config, but can be changed over to quad or 5. It's 20 pounds which makes it really easy to handle.
Vernor is local to Santa Cruz and is better known for surf boards, but they are starting to make more SUP oriented boards.
I got it today and will take it out tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be windy but we'll see. I think if I was able to ride the Surf Music, this one should be OK. I will have this one for a while to practice on, and still have four rentals from Covewater.
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?? extra post.
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Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5", Marko EPS, 21.25 inch tail 4+1 custom Superlite. Me, about 215 lbs, 6'1".
I had my first session with this board today. Conditions were supposed to be really windy, but were not. It was a perfect day for a first time out with a new board. There was some glass, some chop, some shore break to wade through, and some extra wind and chop toward the end of the session. Small waves, 2 to 3 feet on low tide shoaling conditions.
Knee paddling was immediately easy with the Vernor, a good sign, not much side to side wobble at all. The session was probably 60 percent stand up and 40 percent knee paddle.
I was able to stand up on it the first time I tried, Yay! It was definitely work, of course, since my reflexes aren't tuned to the board, but I would say it has the general stability of the 9'34" Gerry Lopez Surf Music. However, it seems to have even better secondary stability than that board. Secondary stability is still new to me, but it seemed I could step on the rail to tip it and learn to step back without always falling off, and ride the rail a little.
The rails seemed to be sunk just about right, with a very light wash over edges as the board moved around.
I never managed to stand up on the 8'8" 32" L41 board for any length of time, because by the time I got to learn the knee paddle and try standing up, I was already exhausted.
Catching the small waves seemed no sweat on the Vernor. 80 percent knee surfing and 20 percent stand up surfing. This board has the smoothest, most buttery glide on the small waves that I have ever felt and it seemed to ride forever.
These waves would never have caught the Red Paddle Mega (10'8", 36" inflatable). I would say the wave catching is at least comparable on these small waves to the L41, and much better than i remember the Surf Music. The Surf Music mostly just rolled under and had a much more finicky requirement for catching waves that I didn't quite figure out. The Vernor doesn't seem to need either a late start or a lot of paddling energy. It rode white water from behind pretty well.
Presently, the Vernor has a thruster set up with a fairly long performance center fin. I have fins to convert it to a quad whenever. There was boatloads of kelp, so the "kelp braking" was abundant today. The Surf Music and the L41 that I tried both had quad setups.
Wind picked up later in the session, but I was able to bobble in the chop pretty well with the Vernor, at least as well as I remember the Surf Music. It looks like I can learn to hard paddle the Vernor pretty well, too, and it seems to have better glide than the Surf Music.
This board is a keeper for me. With enough stability to train my balance without too much pain, I think it is the perfect transition board for me to learn a shorter hard board. It is better than the Surf Music catching the waves I encountered, about as well as the L41 board, it has comparable balance to the Surf Music, with better secondary balance. It also has that buttery smooth glide that I have never felt before, really something. It is also extremely light, which makes it easier to handle and carry with less risk of ding.
So this one is a buy and keep. I still have four rentals at Covewater, so I will spend those trying other board from time to time. No, I didn't buy this one from Covewater, so I guess I am a foul and immoral rental traitor.
I'll take the Vernor out tomorrow to see if the honeymoon lasts, but I am definitely keeping it.
The Mega will be used for kelp farming, coast touring, and opportunistic surfing, and the Vernor for surf as it stands now.
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Second session on Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5", beautiful day but heavy offshore winds blowing back small waves, backwards downwinder trying to paddle into them. Short session but balance easier than yesterday. Only fell in once. Kneesies a lot mainly because of wind. Seems to have some paddling glide, so not painful to go up and down the coast for different breaks.
Me like board, I think I will learn a lot on it.
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Eight sessions on the Vernor 9'32.75".
Balancing right away isn't the same as mastering the board, still have a ways to go, but making progress.
I am glad I didn't try to go shorter with this one, I think this size is right at the cusp of challenge and frustration for my stage of the game i.e. I can learn without torture, but still need to acquire some real new skills to manage the board. If it were too painful and frustrating, I might feel a bit defeated and lose fun while learning. I can have both some fun and lots of challenge with this one.
Lots of windy days. I was surprised that because I was learning in wind, I had to keep from over compensating on the recent days without wind i.e. re-learn a bit in calm.
I am standing up on waves, getting some nice rides, trying to master a quick turn around to catch them. Board has some glide and oddly enough paddles pretty straight in spite of small size. Maybe it is the 9 inch center fin set all the way back. I may set it up as a quad next week to avoid kelp braking. It seems like should be able to paddle reasonably long distances on non-windy days, not a touring board, but OK in spite of relatively small size.
Punched a hole in it, probably on the submerged rocks around Shark's cove, and learned to patch it already. I thought I was going to gut it before even using it because waves at Shark's sometimes have a tendency to take you right into the submerged rocks when tide is up a bit.
On my knees, catching some waves, I found myself turning, paddling, and riding the rail laterally and connecting sections while turning back and forth on and off the rail. I understand what that is now. Not something I could do with the Mega. I just have to do that standing up.
I wasn't going to get a hard board until middle or end of summer, but decided I was precocious enough to jump the gun. Hope to have modest skills by summer's end.
I am getting an itch to make baby steps more into the lineup to catch better quality waves, so maybe get ready for some stink eye.
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I guess I am a believer in fins, now. I had three more sessions on my Vernor 9'32.75" the last couple of days.
The board has five boxes for quad and a center fin. The gentleman who sold me the board was a longboard aficionado, and placed a Future Fins 9 inch Performance fin all the way back in the center fin box to make it a 2+1 with a large center fin. I guess this was for stability because he thought I was too big for the board.
I found this a bit hard to turn around between waves. I was working out techniques to stomp the back rail and reverse paddle to speed up the turning process. Also, the big ole 9 inch fin tossed me off several times a session because of "kelp capture and anchoring" around Privates and Shark's Cove Santa Cruz.
The large center fin also makes the board a bit slower paddling into waves, and requires a healthy wave to catch anything.
I know this center fin can be placed further forward to loosen it up a bit, but I decided just to "go quad" because the hard boards I rented were quads, and I didn't want to feel the "kelp brakes" and toss offs so much. The quads are about three inchers or so.
The first two of my most recent three sessions were with the nine inch 2+1, the last today with the quad.
Anyway, the quad setup made a big difference in the small type surf around Shark's. I was able to turn the board much more rapidly to catch waves, get more paddling speed easier, and the board caught more of the small to medium waves for longer rides. General stability seems about the same with the impression (maybe delusion) of somewhat better secondary rail stability.
For the first time on this board, I felt like a SUP surfer, with reasonable control, able to paddle in and catch longer rides, turning a bit on the wave, riding the rail on the wave, connecting small sections etc.etc. I could pop up from knees, turn the board rapidly, and be standing up to catch with some paddling speed rather quickly. The kelp can still be felt to snag a slight bit, but no sudden brakes or toss offs. I was able to walk to the back of the board to stall it off the wave without falling off before it hit the submerged rocks at Shark's cove.
Anyway, I guess the large center fin would be for waves in the 4 plus range in "low kelp" conditions, while the quads are keepers for the 2-5 range in "kelp abundant" condition and are gave me a better experience today with my size, the board size, smaller soft waves etc.
It's interesting to feel a variable underfoot that I can appreciate.
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A couple of more sessions with the quad, and I am starting to get the hang of this board.
Last week, I got physically bowled off for the first time by another SUP. I thought I was clear and turned to catch a good wave, caught and was happy I was on it and dropped when I saw a red board to my left and he slammed right into me, with both of us flying head over heel into the churn. I apologized, because I was technically the drop in, but he was a nice guy and he apologized that he couldn't make the turn, nobody was hurt but it was a strange experience.
Today, went over to Shark's where there were some proners. They kind of gave me some stink eye from the get go. Three eventually went in, two buddies were left, middle aged guys.
I was catching the outside mush probably 4 to their 1 wave catching. A larger one came in, and I turned to catch it. I thought I was clear because they were way over THERE, but you never know, both of them were on the wave and cussed me out because I deprived them of the last one second of their ride. I think they were just looking for an excuse for the cuss out. I admit I got a sadistic pleasure from burning their ride because they were a-holes, as opposed to my usual attempt at strict protocol.
They went in shortly after and I was blessed for a while with the Shark's main break all to myself. It was good for about six long glides, one of them quite powerful and fast, and I managed to stay up for them. Now that I am standing up on them, I have to learn to improvise on them a bit with stepping, rail sliding and turning.
Eventually, an extremely fit looking older man on a racing board came by and surfed a few, then the surf instructor came out with some of his surf ducklings, and my exclusivity was over. A couple of novice paddlers also came over, so I decided to quit while I was ahead and went back to Privates.
Now that the board is quad'ed, I can turn it around pretty fast by reverse paddling then stomping and changing over to regular paddle.
I have t admit I find this process of improving balance kind of miraculous and supernatural. I can feel myself starting to predict the rails and step around the balance points on this board. My body is beginning to sublimate elements of the balance into the subconscious, another strange and miraculous feeling.
I am going goofy foot into the white water, and that seems to be working out well so far. I give the forward foot a push as i hit the paddle, go over, and put my feet back to center balance.
I am going to try to attack some of the cresting wave faces and turn on them, like I see the kids do with their boogie/ skitter boards in the beach breaks, and see how that goes.
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I'm glad Carl that you're progressing on your new board. As far as surf protocol goes, you have to set a good example at Sharks Cove. Privates is already ground zero for stand ups and that irritates a lot of people. Sharks Cove is the next logical step up the Point. There are people that surf there that are flat out SUP haters and want to draw line in the sand if you will. My best advice would be to blend in on the end section when you first get there. Nothing pisses the line up more than a new guy, prone or otherwise, paddling above people that have been waiting awhile for a wave.
So far, there haven't been any MAJOR confrontations, but there has been a lot of bad blood from pervious encounters between the two groups. Remember, it's not how many surfers are out there at one time, but who is out there at the time you're there.
Don't be the guy that starts World War Three. Like Turtle says to Rick Kane, "Be cool. Go blend, Barney".
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You are absolutely correct, Steve. I have to remind myself to practice that strict protocol at all times, but unfortunately, with stuff going on, it is not always easy to perfectly implement. As I get better, I will probably also get better at spotting.
I WAS way on the outside, it is just not always possible to see well when turning the board around. The larger the wave, the faster and more laterally they travel, but I usually remain in the area where their rides typically end, anyway. I am thinking that I should just get in the habit of turning from left to right rather than right to left, or whichever way the break is, and I should be able to see better. I think these guys were just "looking" for an excuse.
I have seen many SUPs do a lot worse things out there. Some guys just wade into the lineup and start picking them off. The surf instructors are pretty cool, that is where they hang out with their ducklings.
I notice that the vibe is much better when the boards are blue and lime green (rentals) and the surf instructors are out there, as opposed to the private individuals on long boards.
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See you out there.
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;)Blue and green - stealth. Spray that Lopez and wear a helmet! Hehehe! ;)
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I bashed my Vernor so it is in the shop for repairs. I told the repair shop guy I would probably be a frequent flyer, because it was my first hard board and I seem to be accident prone. It fell off my car onto the pavement and the back end cracked up. The inflatables were pretty indestructible, so I have to learn to finesse things a lot more with the hard boards.
Anyway, I decided to try the 2013 Naish Mana 9'5" from Covewater on my rental card. The 2014 model is supposed to be improved, but they had no 2014 rental.
Balance: no problem, got up right away and learning curve pretty quick. It was windy and very high tide large choppy when I first went out, still no problem balancing. I only fell off once side swiped by a surf break wave. I would put the balance as generally the same as the Gerry Lopez Surf Music 9'34" and my Vernor 9'32.75. The Vernor might be the least stable of the three, but not by much, I would call them very close. If you can balance one, you can very quickly balance the others.
Rails: pretty nice secondary balance and a really smooth transition from primary to secondary. Very large sweet spot.
Turning: the Mana was set up as a thruster, and it wasn't easy for me to turn, but I started to master the arc better as I went along. It still was harder to turn. I have gotten used to the Vernor, where I can charge the swell, turn on the same spot, and still have leisure time to paddle and change stance. The Mana was slower, but I would guess I could eventually find ways to turn it quicker. I don't know if it would be a real adept charger and turner in any circumstances, maybe with a fin change.
Catching waves: The Mana, like the Lopez, seems to require a power pop, or minimal wave to ignite it's engines. The L41 8'8" x 32" I rented was the easiest to drop in, if you put it in the way of anything north of 2 feet it dropped in and rode by itself. The Vernor probably has about 75 percent of the L41's drop in, but is much more stable to ride and stand on. I would guess the Mana thrives mainly in 3.5 and above waves with good cresting power. Unfortunately, the waves off the main breaks that I typically cruise are smaller.
There were several waves I knew the Vernor (or the L41) would have caught that rolled under the Mana, and the Mana seems to need a lot of power to paddle, I didn't have a lot of success getting a good push on it with paddling as the wave arrived.
Overall, the Mana seems to be a board for somewhat larger waves with a Cadillac ride. I like my Vernor better because my wave count will be higher and it seems to be more maneuverable and likes the conditions I am stuck with off the breaks better. As far as larger 4 to overhead waves, I wouldn't know, but think that is where the Mana would shine.
On the couple of drop ins I managed with it, the ride was very stable and smooth, with less "turniness" than the Vernor, but still seeming like somebody with skills (not me currently) could turn it. It has a wonderful deck pad and large sweet spot, so I imagine the Mana is very trim-able and dance-able, especially with its very nice primary to secondary balance smoothness.
The Mana had pretty nice glide when conditions calmed down, but surprisingly, the Vernor is pretty close in this regard. The Vernor paddles pretty straight. I thought with its width and length, it would have had a tendency to go in circles, but no.
I am slightly above the Naish recommended weight for the 9'5" Mana, but their recommendation sounds very conservative.and think the Mana 9'5" would be excellent for a larger, heavier surfer up to 250 or so. The nominal volume of the Mana is 163L, and it felt floatier and bobber than my Vernor, which I estimate to be about 150L.
I am at the highest level of my incompetency in evaluating boards, so as far as turning, ripping or off the lip I am clueless, since I am still a beginner surfer learning the ropes. i liked the Mana and think it is a nice board, but probably the least preferred of the four hard boards I have tried because of it's wave requirement which means many more lost waves for SupCheat conditions. The Lopez Surf Music was also hard in this regard, but took off like a scalded cat when it eventually dropped in on a larger wave. I would like to try the 8'10' Mana version some time, that is probably where I would belong with some practice.
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Hey SUPcheat,
How are the rocker's different between the boards?
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High, Subber. Which two boards?
The Vernor has modest rocker with a turned up, pointed nose. It has kind of primary channel underneath that turns into the two channel depression toward the rear end. The Mana seems pretty smooth underneath, if it has that kind of thing, then it is subtle. I don't think either board has any kind of extreme rocker, both I would call moderate rocker. Maybe the Mana has a little more. As far as I can tell, the Vernor is kind of a "Super Sim" variant, sort of a cross between a more conventional board and a SimSup type.
I have no idea how the 2013 Mana and the 2014 compare, but there are differences, and Supthecreek knows what they are. He thinks the 2014 version is a lot better.
Hmm, I guess the 2013 Mana model is 31 inches wide, so I am impressed I could balance it easily.
Supthecreek quote:
"I owned last years 9’5 Mana GS
I never reviewed it because it is a well know model that’s been around for years.
I had a chance to upgrade to the 2014 model
I’m glad I did.
Many changes in the New 9’5 Mana
1 inch wider
Pulled in nose
Pulled in tail
Slight concave, nose to mid section
More foiled rails
Improved handle
Initial impressions:
The nose did not look as thin as the promo shots…
they must use a nose shot of the 8’5…Boo!
It is HEAVY. Heavier than my 2013 model…. Darn heavy.
I weighed it on a digital shipping scale - with fins = 28’2 lbs…. that’s a LOT of beef!
Naish site says:
24.5 = or – 6%
it is more than a pound over the 6% max plus 1.5 lbs for fins
Mine is well over the stated weight… Boo!
After you lug it to the beach… the weight disappears. The board surfs amazingly well for a recreational board.
It is agile and snappy…. And it will go vertical, which I wasn’t urged to try on my previous 9’5.
It rail turns better than many “Performance” boards I have ridden.
It feels solid and gives confidence and a stable platform. I will use this board way more than I had originally planned.
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