Sunova Speeed 8'10 - First Impressions

[Board Stiff]

My Speeed arrived last week and I got it in the water for a quick test about an hour before sundown last Sunday. Waves at Jenness Beach were clean but only about knee high, and there wasn't much wind. I paddled out on my knees and was able to stand up, turn around, and catch the second wave I paddled for. After that, though, I ended up falling a lot while paddling around or paddling for waves and didn't have much more success catching waves, mainly because I was falling whenever I'd turn to paddle for a wave or move forward to get in position.

I went back out today, and had much better luck. I got to Long Sands beach around 4:00 this afternoon, just as the wind was starting to die down a bit. Once I got outside I was able to stand up and got a lot more comfortable. I still fell a bunch of times as I was attempting to turn for waves or paddle out over some, but as the session went on, I started to get my legs under me and figure out how to position my feet for stability. Once I figured out how to step back and keep my rear foot on the center line, I found it very easy to spin around and position for an approaching wave.

Whereas the first time out, I'd been trying to position myself in a parallel stance forward of the handle to paddle into waves, I had more success today in surf stance with one foot back a ways and the front foot just forward of the handle, both on the centerline. With the wind still blowing offshore at a decent clip, I found it easier to lineup farther inside than last time and take a later drop. The Speeed was much more controlled in this situation than any of the other boards I've surfed before (Crusier, Allwave, Nalu).

I caught 3 or 4 really clean, chest high waves this way and had some of the best rides I've ever had! Each time I was able to get into the pocket and race effortlessly down the line. It was amazing how rock solid the board felt with the inside rail slicing along the steep face of the wave, and the outside rail just suspended over the water below! When closeouts appeared, it was easy enough to shift my weight a bit and pull out of the wave, and on the couple occasions that I stumbled onto the right spot on the tail, I was amazed at how sharply and easily it cut back.

I don't have the surf experience or knowledge to offer a very technical review of this board, but I can say that despite being the lowest volume board I've ever paddled, I was surfing it better on my second time out than anything else I've paddled before. It is a really fun board, and I think it will help me improve my surfing a lot!

[TallDude]

With every new board you have to get used to it to find out how to get more out of it. The smaller the board, the smaller the sweet spot. I'm stoked for you and your new board. Lots of great surfing ahead for you dude....

[supthecreek]

Welcome to the addiction to Speeed

Good to hear that you adjusted so quickly.... another consideration now is..... you are getting into winter gear and conditions, so you are doing great!

Hope to have a Speeed session with you sometime this winter

[nalu-sup]

And it will just keep getting better as your skills develop to explore the potential of that board. It took me a couple of weeks to get my balance dialed in when it was windy or choppy. The key for me in roughy water was really developing my paddle bracing skills so that the paddle was always actively in the water as a third leg.
One hint for going out through white water if you are not already dialed in; the wide nose can tend to really kick up when it hits the foam pile, and if you are in a parallel stance it will buck you off. Right before you hit the wave, hop into more of a surf stance exactly like you described for paddling into a wave, and it is easier to absorb the pitching up of the nose.
It sounds like you have already found the magic sweet spot for turning that board. For me, it is with my rear foot right over the bump in the outline which puts it over the thruster and channel, and my front foot on our just behind the handle. Then keep that rear foot active moving from rail to rail.
Enjoy your new toy!

[Wetstuff]

Board Stiff says; "It was amazing how rock solid the board felt with the inside rail slicing along the steep face of the wave, and the outside rail just suspended over the water below!"   

Also a happy surprise with my 9-5 Speeed. In our pitchy shore break a long ride may/might/could exceed 10sec.  Most of the other bulky railed boards had me in the pit all too soon.  I was actually able to hold a high line with the Speeed before being slapped into chum.

(I don't think I will ever get two feet on the C/L ..I tried it on flatwater -- Oh No!)

Jim