Author Topic: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design  (Read 8671 times)

surfshaver

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After much deliberation on what would be my next board, I decided on the 8'7" x 115 liter Creek.  It recently arrived, and just my luck I came down with a bad cold this week so I haven't gotten out on it just yet.

First impression is that this is likely the most beautiful board I've ever owned.  The "starburst" fade over the wood grain is gorgeous and with a highly polished surface, it reminds me of a 1958 Les Paul guitar.  I know I'm going to end up dinging it and the thought makes me a little heartsick.  As Rick has said, pictures do not do justice to this board.  Looks are less important to me than performance, but I gotta say, it's really purty.

Second, the channels in the tail seem so much larger in person and combined with the tail rocker that appears to start really early, it looks like the tail design will give this board a lot of grip and hook when you stomp on it.  Overall the rails are a bit chunkier than those on the Acid but are still tucked and hard.

The only demerit is the board seems a bit heavy -- 8.3 kgs is a pound or two more than similar performance shapes from other major boardmakers for an 8 and a half foot board. I'm sure the color coat and gloss coat add to this, as well as the extra foam in the full nose.  I'll wait to judge whether I will feel the weight on the wave.

I have been riding a 7'10" L41 Popdart over the last year as my primary board and while I really enjoy it and think I have yet to really get the most out of it, I will say my wave count has gone down.  It doesn't glide much so I have to catch waves closer to prone surfers, and it's a handful in choppier conditions.  I love it from chest high to 3-4 feet overhead, but I wanted something for windy afternoons, bigger waves, and crowds.

I rode an 8'8' Acid XL on some overhead days and loved it.  I agonized over deciding between the Acid, the new Flash and the Creek.  Tino at Sunova reco'd the Creek as the best "all seasons" board.  I'm happy to see pics of James Casey riding one in competition and good surfers giving it raves.

I wanted to share some thoughts about Planshape.  It's only one aspect of board design, but seems relevant.

Many of the first performance SUPs were basically blown-up shortboards, with pointed noses that are narrower than their tails.  The Acid is an extreme example of this, the Flow less so.  Some performance boards are basically the same in terms of nose and tail width: the Flash is an example, and I think JP Surf Pro and Starboard Pro models are like this as well.

Then you have boards where the nose is WIDER than the tail.  This is the Creek, the new Smik Hipster Twin, and of course, the most extreme version being the Speed.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Wider Nose than Tail shape may be optimal for sup performance, as it enables you to paddle into waves earlier, and also because by definition most sup surfing is driving off the front foot more than the back, then using the back foot to jam turns.  A wider nose also makes for a more parallel rail line in the front half of the board, which increases speed.

It seems counterintuitive, but having the tail pulled in more than the nose may make sense for harder turning on a bigger board.  Many of the new school longboard styles, like Infinity's New Deal, also seem to follow the formula of narrower tail than nose.

Maybe I'm just rationalizing my decision on the Creek over the Acid.  Time will tell.  Once I have the chance to get it out on the water, I'll come back with thoughts from the test drive!





« Last Edit: December 03, 2017, 01:30:09 PM by surfshaver »

FRP

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2017, 07:22:55 PM »
Thanks. This is the exact board that I am lusting after. Will need to sell a board first to keep peace in the family. Looking forward to updates with your sessions on this board. Beautiful finish on your board. Wow!

Bob
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"The time spent surfing is time that is added to my life" “In the ocean we are all connected”
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supthecreek

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2017, 09:52:16 PM »
Shaver, super stoked to see you have your board and looking forward to your impressions!

SunovaBouy

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2017, 07:45:01 AM »
Oh my.

I like THAT!!

 ;D

anonsurfer

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2017, 09:16:13 AM »
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Wider Nose than Tail shape may be optimal for sup performance... 

I am finding this to be true.  Everything else being equal I prefer a shorter board with a wider nose than a longer board with narrow nose.   

I think short boarders are also discovering this as shown by an influx of "micro" longboards like the ...lost Couch Potato, Firewire Greedy Beaver, Channel Islands Hoglet, and the Hayden Shapes Plunder. 



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Night Wing

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2017, 09:26:03 PM »
Nice color scheme on your new Creek. Let us know how it performs when you first ride her.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

Biggreen

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2017, 06:13:24 AM »
Sweet board! I think Creek's design is spot on from all indications. Everything about it is well thought out.  And I think you'll find the wider nose easier and still as fun. I have two boards, exactly the same except for nose width. The pulled in nose board surfs great of course. But since we're standing while going for a wave the narrower nose I discovered is tippier (duh!) and can begin to plow on those waves where you've shifted your weight a little forward and are really having to DIG to get down on the wave. Since I always paddle out standing, the narrow nose is way more work on the balance side even though it slices through the waves nicely. And of course, like you say about sup surf being more front foot centric, that extra width/volume up front leads to better glide and an easier balance exercise, with I suspect, no loss in performance, or none us mortals can discern. When I went back and built the same board with a little wider nose, the new board instantly became my favorite for all the observations you stated in your post, surfshaver. You're gonna love your new ride. Can't wait to see footage of you rippin'!

surfshaver

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2018, 08:19:59 PM »
Gents--
I've finally got some time on the board and here are my first impressions.

TL;DR version: the board is reasonably stable while remaining responsive.  It has a very lively, loose feel with good flow but at the same time can handle steep drops in large, powerful surf. 

Specifics: it feels like the key to the board is the tail rocker/speed tail design.  I need more time on it, but it seems like the board has more rocker, particularly tail rocker, than other boards I've owned.

I need more wave time but so far I have been very happy with how the board feels on the wave. Fun!

IMHO the board is not as stable as you might think from all the talk.  It's not as tippy as the Acid and it's easy to stand on, but at my v/w ratio (1.27) the rails feel sensitive and it does seem to require more subtle movements.  It's definitely a performance board.  A user friendly one, for sure, but still a high performance board.  I had fun on it right away but i also have the sense I have a long way to go to push the upper limits of this board.

100% success for the intended design goal.  I'd say go down in volume/size for high performance, and go up in size for fun and wave count.

For me at 200 lbs wet, the 115 liter board does not have much glide -- I need to work to get in the wave.  Any smaller and I think it would be too much work.  So its exactly the right size. 

A question for Rick: is the rocker, especially the tail rocker, exactly the same as the Acid?  I thought it felt like actually might have more tail rocker than the Acid.

Would love to know!


supthecreek

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Re: My Creek has Arrived! First Impressions and some musing on SUP design
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2018, 02:13:48 PM »
Really interesting to start getting feedback from riders... thanks for the detailed report shaver!

I told Bert, when I ordered my 9’4 Creek that I wanted the EXACT tail off the 9’2 Speeed, using the exact rocker from the tail of the 9’2 Speeed. Then I said I wanted the performance rocker of the Acid on the rest of the board.
Then I asked if there was any way to blend the rockers in a way that made sense.
He said that he could absolutely do that.
So, to my mind, Bert made a masterful  lend if those two rockers.

The Speeed tail does have more rocker than the tail of the Acid, and I have never been let down by the Speeed tail, so I wanted that to carry on to the Creek.

On Stability:
My goal was simply a high peeformance board that I could ride in full winter gear.
I could not ride my 9’4 Acid in winter. The thin nose and 136 Liters were simply too difficult.
I weigh 235 in trunks, so I figured 148 Liters at 32” wide with a fuller nose would be managable and still perform.
I had no thoughts to how it would size down, as a model.

The Creek is stable for me, cuz I ride a big one 😃
Im getting a 9’1 at exactly the same liters as my 9’4 Acid, so it will be a good comp for head to head stabilty.
I am betting the Creek at 136 will be easier than the Acid at 136 liters, but time will tell

 


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