Sunova Creek 8'10"--Review

[eastbound]

Me: 59YO, 6’2, 188, in decent shape, solid intermediate SUP surfer, Progressive Democrat

I tend to be a bit of a one-board guy. Where others may enjoy trying out a variety of boards, I prefer to go with what has seemed to work.  Don’t ever want to risk wasting any waves fussing with gear. Very reticent to move skills backwards, while adjusting to a new board, especially if I have fun on incumbent.

First one-board was 8’10” Fanatic AllWave LTD. Great board, still my goto in FL, where I keep it at my Dad’s house. Most recent was the Starboard Airborn 8’8”.

Next, last Fall I bought an 8’10 Sunova Creek. Took me a while to get on the thing. First ride, the board was a bit tippier than my very stable Airborn, and I was into full winter rubber, so I waffled, and ended up sticking with the Airborn. The Creek had moments where it felt great, but adjustment vs the Airborn was still big.

Finally, dropped my Airborn from its storage loft and crunched one corner of the bat tail. Brooklyn aint got no repair shops, so repaired myself as always, which takes a couple weeks of incompetence and dry/sand timing issues. So I had no choice but to ramp it up with the Creek.

First takeaway: I have a Starboard Airborn 8’8” Blue Carbon for sale. Great board, decent shape, served me very well, given my progression. Much as I hate experimenting with new boards, once used to the Creek, when I went back to the airborn, after repair complete, it was clear the Creek was the new one-board!

I am totally over the relative tippiness, and any slight add’l challenge paddling into waves, full winter rubber be damned!—nbd after first solid session.

What’s become completely apparent, after 7 or 8 sessions in good chest and higher waves, is that I have quickly become a much better surfer on the Creek. I turn with greater ease and more rail/fin set. Where drops are too steep to scoot across the face early, I am now doing bottom turns, foot solid on the stomp, swinging back to the face—no spinout, no skatey flat feel, just hold, snap and accelerate. And where I can get across face early, I am now turning on face so much more, getting elementary cutbacks, and actually decent floaters—frontside and back. Speed on face is also best I have ever felt. I make fast sections now, where, on the airborn, I certainly would have kicked, straightened out or just dumped. I am still surprised when, foot on stomp, spread super wide and low, rail grabbed at times, I make waves that I would never have on my other boards. Makes a guy shake head and hoot! "Shit, i made that steep section!"

As to what the special sauce is? I am the last guy to have good insight there. I will say that the basic outline/shape of the board seems just right--tail of the Speed, not the Acid. Slim and svelte but just wide enough to not be too tippy paddling in. I wonder if the add’l surface area that contacts the water, due to the channels, tempers tippiness? As well, the geometry of the board as the tail/fin/ channel area transitions into the heft of the mid section, with consideration of rocker, simply works. I see it when I look at the board. It looks right—and certainly feels right on the wave. Feels to me like that is the area of the board responsible for the newfound acceleration I get from it.

Further, now that I am used to the board, I actually like the nose and shape for tougher paddleouts. But for occasional jaunts to a lovely NE pointbreak, I surf beach breaks with jetties local to me, so plenty of action paddling out. Board pierces and slides over whitewater nicely.

Now it’s likely that I was due for a bump in skills and would have kept improving on the airborn. But much of my obvious recent skill uptick has to be credited to the Creek. It is just the right board for me, right now.

Net, the Creek is my new one-board, which it will likely remain for a long while. It’s headed to Guiones next month, where things btwn us will only get better (tho, jeeze weve had nice waves up here this March).

[rbgar]

In short you made the 8-10 Creek great again   

[eastbound]

well-fielded---i hit what i thought was a solid prog dem ground ball--you threw me out at first!

back to the dugout

but, ya, the creek is doing for me what i want............

[supthecreek]

Very stoked you like the Creek Eastie...... and happy it is helping you get to the next level!

I look forward to surfing with you when I return from my world tour!

[stoneaxe]

Me: 59YO, 6’2, 188, in decent shape, solid intermediate SUP surfer, Progressive Democrat

Made me laugh EB

I'm much like you....once I'm comfortable I tend to stick. Happy you found your new one board. I love my Foote but I also can't wait to try a Creek this summer. I need to lose a few pounds 1st though....

[eastbound]

laughs are good stones!

and rbgar got me too!

youre welcome to try my 8'10" some day. regardless, i bet youd be fine on one of the 9'4"s floating around NE---that is, if we havenlt lost you to foiling by then!

seems, once they go to the dark side, they have no desire to return--beware the FOILCULT!

pls stones--no rev moon, no krishna, no FOIL

i am, in fact, kidding--FOILCULT looks like fun--if i lived by nice waves i might mix it in, but my wave time is too precious to risk waste on learning new stuff

cant wait to see what pono does in hood river this year--he will be all dialed on foil by then--in fact he may be the l ron hubbard of foiling by then--bet some cool shit evolves foilwise this summer at the gorge--i am surprised it hasnt already become a factor there