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Classifieds / Sunova Flow 8'7" x 30 1/4 121 Liter

« on: September 06, 2019, 09:28:17 AM »

Sunova Flow 8'7"x 30 1/4 121 liters. Excellent condition. No dings or repairs. Pad has a small tear on edge - see pic. Great board, really helped accelerate my progression, but it has a bit too much volume for me now and I rarely surf it. Comes with stock Sunova 5 fin set up (unused).  $900. PM or call Nine-Seven-Eight-204-4537

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Classifieds / 9'2" Fanatic Allwave - $575

« on: August 17, 2017, 07:19:47 AM »

Selling a Fanatic Allwave 9'2", 31.5"w, 160 liters. HRS construction. Has some paint wear on tip of nose and a small ding repair on deck side near tail pad, but overall board is in solid condition. Deck pad is in good shape. This is a fun board that combines stability with a decent level of performance. Lots of positive reviews on the Allwave can be found here on the zone. $575. Located in Seacoast NH. Pick up only.

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Sunova SUP / Sunova Flow 8'7" review (with some comparisons to Skate 8'8" XL)

« on: June 29, 2016, 08:55:48 AM »

Supthecreek encouraged me to post my impressions on my 8’7 Sunova Flow (and Sunova 8’8” XL Skate), claiming a newbie’s perspective would be helpful and relevant to others just starting out. So here goes. I apologize if the terminology I use is a bit off – I’m still learning. 

Background on my experience and board migration leading up to the Flow: Less than 2 years SUS, no prior prone experience. Currently 49 y/o, 170-175lbs. Surf mostly NH and Cape Cod. First board was a used Starboard Whopper - took me a couple days kooking around to catch my first wave, a pumping double overankle. I was hooked. Moved on to a used 9’2 Fanatic Allwave which allowed me to start working the wave face.

When I was ready for the next step, JimK of extremewidnsurfing.com provided some great advice and I ordered the 8’8” XL Skate through him last year (This is the same Skate that Creek reviewed recently - posted in Gear Talk).

From day one the Skate was super stable - to me even more so than the larger Allwave. Whereas the Allwave felt corky, the Skate feels grounded. The Skate provided a jump in performance over the Allwave - thinner more refined rails, thinned out nose and tail (albeit wide) delivered improved carving and it holds the face better with more speed when the waves wall up a bit.

The Skate remains a blast to ride but I wanted a board that would be quicker rail to rail in good waves and also better suited to handle steeper, larger waves with power. I knew I was going to get another Sunova, but so many choices – Speeed, Soul, Flow, Acid, etc. So I read countless Zone reviews, spoke to Creek and others who ride different Sunovas, had the pleasure of meeting Tino during his Spring East Coast tour and demoed fellow Zoner Badger’s 8’10 Flow (the lower volume 120L model – not the current 131L model).

I kept coming back to the Flow. I spoke to JimK to confirm that it would be the correct option for the style of surfing I am aspiring toward and I placed an order for the 8’7” - once again great advice, pricing and service from JimK. The board was packed super well – it arrived in perfect condition. Even came with 5 fins to cover all options. Kudos to the people at the factory who packaged it up.

Sorry no pics to compare against the Skate. Virtually same length but laying it on top of the Skate underscores how different the shapes are. Much curvier outline with pulled in nose and narrower tail (although still wide compared to a Speeed or Acid). More pronounced rocker. Tail and nose are even thinner than the Skate’s, concentrating its 120.5L volume a bit more toward the middle compared to the Skate’s 133.2L volume. 

First session – small with side chop. Normally I wouldn’t even go out but was anxious to test the new board. As expected the Flow did not have that initial 'glued to water' feeling that I had the first time I stood on the Skate. It was twitchy and I fell quite a bit, but before the session ended I was finding it fairly easy to brace and right it. Although not in the same league as the Skate, I was pleasantly surprised with the stability paddling out through the whitewater. Yaw was very pronounced compared to the Skate. Waves were soft and flat and the Flow felt very slow trimming down the line - not the best conditions for this board, so I was not discouraged. I was mostly interested in testing the balance anyway. 

The next session was...magic! Steady diet of clean waist/stomach high with some bigger sets rolling in. The pronounced yaw was now an advantage in the surf – pivot turns into the waves are super easy compared to the Skate. Turning from the middle is a breeze - just like I read about. Almost turns through osmosis - twist your torso and tweak your weighting is all you need. Plant the back foot further back toward the kick pad and rail to rail cutbacks are amazing. It took me a while to be able to turn the Skate sharply - but I need to move the back foot from rail to rail on that wide tail. The Flow is effortless and with more snap - unless the waves are small and mushy with no power…then the Skate shines.

I have had a couple more sessions on the Flow now in decent conditions. Despite the curvier outline and more pronounced rocker, the Flow feels faster for the initial few strokes into the wave and my wave count has been surprisingly high. On the wave the Flow really instills confidence. It likes to be worked rail to rail and It seems to reward more aggressive surfing (by my standards). I look forward for some bigger days with real juice.

The Skate got me hooked on the Sunova brand – durable, lightweight and so damn fun. In my opinion the construction is truly unique and really does provide a smooth ride where other boards I have tried can feel harsh and bouncy. And they are beautiful boards – if I had a nickel for every time someone stopped me coming out of the water to ask me about the Skate and comment on how great it looks, they would have funded the purchase of the Flow!

The Zone has been a great resource. It has accelerated my learning curve, led me to great board choices and introduced me to some fantastic people.

MDG