Topics

1

SUP General / Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?

« on: April 27, 2022, 12:24:19 PM »

Didn't make it over a set wave this a.m. and the board went over the falls and broke my leash.  When I finally caught up to my board I found this    Creased it all the way across about 3' from the tail.

I'll see if I can get it fixed but it does give me the excuse to start shopping for a new board. 

This was my first "real" board (8'7" Wedge, 143L) and I love it but am looking for a tad more maneuverability.  It is just a bit unwieldy to try and crank a turn on the imperfect beach break waves I usually surf.

Wanting to be a bit more active in my surfing (rather than just shooting down the line) I'm looking at shorter lengths and slightly less volume and "surf-ier" shapes.  I've narrowed it down to a couple of boards for now (but keeping an open mind for other suggestions and assuming I can find one) - 2021/22 8'0 Starboard Pro (121L) or an 8'5" Infinity Blurr v2 (121L).

A few questions for the gallery...

• is a 20L drop in volume too aggressive?  I mostly surf the dawn patrol so the conditions are usually pretty clean.  I'm pretty stable on the Wedge but it is a (32") wide board.  So not sure if a drop to 29.5/30.5" width will be too much. I'm 5'11" 195# for reference.
• I'm leaning towards the Starboard just because it is a little shorter so in theory would be a bit more maneuverable, but does 5" really make a difference?(...that's what she said).  Conversely, is 8' too short?
• Will the promised added performance gain be just in my head?  The Wedge has really been a great board and can surf small mush waves as well as take about as big and steep of a drop as I'll ever take.  The main thing I wish for is to be able to get back to tail without it wheelie-ing which then makes me a bit out of control on a faster wave.  Just better technique?
• Quatro has a board in this range (Carve 8'2" 120L) but they just look a little "bulky" to me.  Do they surf better than they look? 
• does anybody have any experience with the SB Pro and BlurrV2 and can compare/contrast?

Thanks for any feedback!

2

Gear Talk / Starboard Limited Series construction

« on: November 21, 2021, 08:21:56 AM »

Does anyone know if the new Limited Series construction is supposed to be a step-up, -down, or equivalent to the Starlite construction?

The 2022 Pro only comes in the Blue Carbon and Limited Series but other models still come in Starlite too.

 Not that I could afford the Carbon construction one anyway but just curious.

3

Gear Talk / The little things..

« on: July 22, 2021, 08:36:56 PM »

I just bought a paddle direct from Black Project.  Signed up for their mailing list and got a 15% discount.  It was free shipping as well (arrived in 3 days, ymmv) and came with a paddle bag (even for their entry-level paddle!). 

Inside the paddle bag was an extra leash string and, some will probably laugh but this is what prompted me to write this post... a big stick of hot glue.  Maybe all paddle mfg's do this but this little touch really made me feel like they actually put some thought into what the customers want/need.  Maybe it's just a stick generic Amazon hot glue, but the fact that I won't have to go on Amazon and buy a pack of hot glue if my handle ever comes loose makes me happy.

4

Technique / How many steps to the tail?

« on: June 30, 2021, 08:34:02 AM »

Relatively new to SUP surfing and after a few months on a 9'2" Nugg I bought a new 8'7" Starboard Wedge and have been surfing it for the last 3 months or so.

I'm very happy with the Wedge and feel like I catch my share of waves with it.  However, I'm having a tough time getting back to the tail to initiate a harder turn.

When I catch a wave and transition to surfer stance, my feet are roughly centered over the handle front and back.  Maybe 60/40 to the rear.  From there, I feel like I need to step back three times before my back foot is on the tail pad to initiate a proper turn.

I feel like I should be able to get back to the tail in two steps at the most but two steps seems too unstable and I usually start to wheelie.  Three steps seems more stable but takes too long. 

What should I work on?  Make my 3 steps quicker or work on my footwork and taking 2 steps to get to the tail?  Or does it just come with more time on the water?

Just for reference, I'm 5'11" and low-intermediate shortboard surfer so I'm used to just a quick small step to get to the tail.

The video below is an example of a wave that I am on where towards the end I'm trying to step back far enough to do a hard bottom turn to hit the lip but stepping back takes too long and I run out of time and just end up having to kick out the back. (Sorry it's so tiny, it's off of the Surfline cams)



Thanks!

5

Technique / Riding out the whitewater after a wave

« on: March 01, 2021, 04:17:27 PM »

Here is a noob question:

How do I ride out the whitewater after a wave if I can't kick out the back or if I'm finishing up a session and just want to ride the whitewater in?  This would be mostly 3-4' beach break waves.

I'm only about 15 sessions into my SUP surfing journey but I do prone surf.  On a shortboard, if I straighten out on a closeout or just want to ride the whitewater in I can do it no problem.

On my SUP (9'2" Riviera Nugg), if I straighten out on a wave, the second that whitewater hits, I am falling backwards.  I've tried standing in different parts of the board - more centered, more biased to the tail.  Standing centered might be marginally better but the end result is the same.  The board goes shooting out from under me.

Do I just need to crouch down more and anticipate the push better?