Searching for Stability

[stoneaxe]

Review of the 14' x 30" Sunova Search.
Me...59 years old, 275 lbs, crappy balance, lots of experience but not in great shape at the moment.

1st....what a silly great board this is. I'm absolutely going to have to steal it from Creek for some surfing someday soon. I think if you are sub 200lbs it wouldn't seem like it but responds nicely for me.

With Bill coming out for the CCBC I needed to find a board well suited for me to use in the crossing. After a lousy winter/spring and with lots of stuff hurting I wanted something to make it easier and the Search seemed like just the ticket. I've said previously that the Search looks a lot like my 14' Vec, and at 1st glance it does but the differences are striking. Especially when you paddle it.

The rockers are similar front and rear. Front to back stability is a bit better, easy to move around on cross stepping. You would think that the 2" extra would make it more stable side to side than the Vec....but it's not. The rails are more thinned out and bury easily, especially for a 14'er. The reason that I want to surf it is the thin rails and because it's far easier to throw around. The Vec was never this light.  Not sure on the weight but it feels very light for a board this size.  And even though the Search feels light it only has minor scuff marks on the rear rail...just like Rick's other boards that despite being paddled frequently in demos all look almost new. You can't argue with the build quality.

I'm not usually happy with boards that folks say have good secondary stability....that's usual applied to boards with rounded hulls but in this case it's because the rails are so refined. It feels very different, secondary stability usually just means I fall slower. But these bury easy then get progressively more difficult until they basically just stop. Match that with how easy it is to move around, the extra width and the lightness and once I got it i was able to recover from almost anything.

Pono and I paddled Plymouth harbor in an upwind/downbreezer. I was wondering how it would do into the wind and chop with all that nose but it felt great....no slap which surprised me and it cut through both with ease. The secret to my success is being able to paddle hard and brace more than most. At 1st I was sometimes catching the forward rail on the paddle side when stroking hard but as I got used to it and learned the trim of the board it felt good. The down breezer on the way back was fun. I have problems with chop/swell/waves from behind but I felt far more comfortable than usual and i caught a few short glides. She's no speedster but the responsiveness to a hard stroke and the confidence the stability brings allowing it makes getting onto a bump easy. We didn't get all that many chances to paddle it beyond that but I could tell it was a good choice for the crossing.

I had only planned on doing 1/2 the CCBC this year as a relay with ECsup (Brownie) but we both felt good enough day of and had conditions that allowed us to paddle most of it. The Search made it pretty easy. I was very comfortable for most of it. We had some crazy water as we approached Jeremy point and my legs were starting to feel it a bit but no falls. Paddling in to Mayo beach I felt great. I didn't do the full mileage and was a bit frustrated thinking I had a lot left in the tank and definitely could have. I still love my Vec but she is battle worn and feels heavy under my feet after being on the Search for a day. I don't think there is anyway I can possible talk Sue into the idea that I need another board and a silver 14'er is sure to be noticed but......

[PonoBill]

Paint it cream-colored as stick a Vec sticker on it.