Author Topic: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?  (Read 7617 times)

SurfKiteSUP

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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!

gone_foiling

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2022, 07:33:21 PM »
Looking at the pic, why does that fiberglass look dry? Board pros chime in
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My shenanigans on insta @gone_foiling

eastbound

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2022, 06:46:34 AM »
my 2020 starboard pro blue carbon 8'10" x 29" is my go to board -- i am 6'2" 195 lbs 63yo -- all fast NY area beach break -- i believe that a key part of the preferred performance is the relatively skinny width for a board of this size -- it is tippier positioning than wider boards, but on steep face it holds better and stalls/accelerates nicely -- it is light for its size, swings well, pumps great incl back into section -- like i said,  it's my go to

i just surfed baby waves first time out since a hip replacement 10/15/21 -- board felt great, tho a little tippy after hiatus, but the hip felt bomb proof   lol

i have previously owned a widepoint 9'6" (first surf sup), an airborn widepoint 8'10, and a 2019 blue carbon pro --- they all served me well, given stages i was in

here's where starboard owns me: my 2019 pro surfed great but had a legit defect underfoot -- kept cracking just from normal use -- starboard sent me a brand new 2020 (my current go to) to make me whole

i am chomping to but a new pro, but want to get wet some more before i choose size

prevailing message: consider the skinniness of the pro--as an attribute on the wave, but as a contributor to tippiness when positioning

i have a board buying problem, but have never owned an infinity
Portal Barra 8'4"
Sunova Creek 8'7"
Starboard Pro Blue Carbon  8'10"
KeNalu Mana 82, xTuf, ergoT

SUS4Life

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2022, 08:35:29 AM »
I only have experience with old starboard pro(7'4 and 8'0) and the infinity blur v1(7'6).  In term of performance, infinity wins on the surf.  It turns better and it just feel better on the surf.  But my starboard have bomber construction(both full carbon and the regular fiberglass construction), haven't snap a starboard in half yet.  But seems like the opposite for your case.  I have broke the nose off on my infinity when it hit my shin.  I personally would go for the infinity but its hard to said unless you can demo both board side by side.

SurfKiteSUP

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2022, 09:10:09 AM »
Looking at the pic, why does that fiberglass look dry? Board pros chime in

Hmm, didn't notice that before.  Good eye!  I will ask about it when I take it into the shop for repair estimates.

Bean

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2022, 10:25:04 AM »
I would expect it to chip out like that, on the side that was compressed.  The glass-fibers themselves look pretty normal and uniformly saturated.  It's very possible that the fiberglass layer is cured before the wood veneer is added in which case there is no chemical-bond between the glass and wood laminations.  On compression, the physical-bond is the first to give up the ghost. 

If the rest of the board is in decent shape, it should be an easy buckle repair.

supthecreek

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2022, 06:55:36 PM »
Hi SurfKite

I folded my 9'6 Prowave years back, about 1' from the tail, but looked very similar to yours.
I found it was a pretty easy fix, because the rocker was still intact on the bottom of the board.
It was still "together" like yours, so I gave it a try.

Heres a link to my thread on it:
https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,27108.0.html



SurfKiteSUP

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2022, 09:29:10 PM »
Thanks for all the feedback so far!

@STC - Thanks for the vote of confidence but there's no way I would come close to your handiwork.  My previous repair attempts on my surfboards have all been hack jobs so I'll let the professionals fix this one. haha 

I did take the board into the ding repair and the quick estimate is "around $200" so not too bad.

I also went into the local SUP shop to window shop and the owner was really steering me towards the Infinity RNB.  He says he should have one for demo mid-May'ish so I guess I'll put it on the list. 

I may not have much of a choice b/c he said his Starboard rep said he basically wasn't going to be able to get him any boards (that he wants) until 2023!  He says he's getting like 50 boards (many spoken for already) from Infinity in the coming months.

kayadogg

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2022, 05:58:45 PM »
I can’t speak for the Starboard models discussed here but I have a lot of experience with Infinity boards, specifically the RNB, Blurr V1 and V2 and mode of their other models. The RNB is “fun” but lacks the performance of the V1/V2. The Blurr surfs much differently than the RNB so just keep that in mind. If the shop near you offers demos, I would try that before settling on one or the other. I have two RNBs but rarely pull them out, the B-Line or a Blurr has been my go to for a couple of years now.


kwhilden

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2022, 06:05:24 PM »
Market conditions may "force" your hand in which board you choose. The supply chain for boards is gnarly right now. 

Both models are great options, and one of the best benefits will be a much lighter board.  Weight matters a lot. Especially in small beach break. 

You'll be just fine on a narrower board.  Provided you spend some time learning better paddle technique.  Learn how to scull and brace your paddle, and you can be extremely stable on a narrow board. I'm 110kg riding a 125 liter board, and I'm fine whenever my paddle is in the water.

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B-Walnut

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2022, 08:28:12 PM »
In my experience, the liter drop isn't the biggest thing to consider, its the board dimensions.

Your wedge was 32" wide, the blurr is 30.5" wide, and the starboard is 29" wide. I think you'll likely find the literage is no big deal at your weight, but the stability in relation to the boards balance point will change dramatically.

I'm your same weight and have the quatro carve pro you mentioned. I dropped from a 9'8"x30 down to that 8'2"x29" and found my balance to be badly off. It surfs unbelievably well, but it was a painful learning curve for me. After going through all the effort to figure it out, I discovered I prefer longer boards anyways   ;D and am selling off my carve pro and going with the same literage, but at a 9'2"x30" instead.

So, I'd say if you have tried something as small as the starboard and liked it, then you're good to go. If you haven't tried it, I'd go blurr because it will already be a huge upgrade in mobility (every 32" wide board I've ridden was fun, but was also a chunker).

SurfKiteSUP

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Re: Starboard Pro vs. Infinity Blurr v2, thoughts?
« Reply #11 on: February 09, 2024, 11:14:12 AM »
Just to circle back to my original post.. almost two years later I'm the proud new owner of a lightly used 8'5"x30.5", 121L Infinity BlurrV2.

First of all though...
Many thanks to @supthecreek for his remarkably detailed emails when I casually asked in an email basically, "Do you think a Genration Kanga would suit me?"  I feel bad for all the effort he put in to provide me with all the pros and cons and possible alternatives since I didn't end up buying his eventual recommendation, an SPX.  @supthecreek, you are really a great ambassador for Sunova and the sport in general.  Sunova/GR will be at the top of my list for my next board for sure.

I've only had a few surfs on the Blurr so far but I think I'll be happy with it.  I can definitely tell the difference the volume and outline make to the stability but I was able to stand up immediately and paddle around, albeit a bit tentatively.  After an hour or so, I was feeling a bit more comfortable and able to catch a few smaller waves.  I realized I had some bad/lazy habits from being on the Wedge though.

The main one was the stability of the Wedge didn't really require me to paddle around in a semi-surf stance so I never really practiced it.  The Blurr definitely requires it especially when paddling for a wave.  I don't think it has to be an extreme staggered stance but about an 18" difference fore/aft is enough to noticeably improve the perceived stability.

Another stability-related bad habit was to not get my paddle in the water immediately after popping up. You can be quite sloppy on the popup on the Wedge and get away with it.  The Blurr is less forgiving and having the paddle in the water helps quite a bit.

The Blurr weighs about 16lbs and the Wedge (after a buckle repair) weighs about 22lbs - both of them weighed with fins.  So, quite a noticeable difference there too.

One thing I don't like about the Infinity is the shallow handle. You can't really stick your whole hand in to get a comfortable grip.  A fairly minor gripe since it's almost a third lighter than the Starboard but still a little annoying during longer treks down to the beach.

The Blurr is faster than the Wedge down-the-line but that's probably to be expected due to it's narrower width, finer rails, and much smaller center fin on the Blurr.  I've only surfed with the stock Infinity fins so far but have a set of Black Project Flow (Large) fins waiting.  Not expecting much difference there though since their templates are almost the same.

Haven't had a chance to do many turns on the Blurr yet (mostly closeout beachbreaks lately) but the few I have done have felt really good.  Even though the Blurr is only a couple inches shorter than the Wedge, it feels like I don't have to reach as far to get the rear foot closer to the tailpad.  That and the thinner rails from the stepped deck make turns easier to initiate and hold.

Hoping to get in the water this weekend finally after all the rain we've had in SoCal and continue to get a better feel for the new board.

Thanks again to everyone with their input and suggestions!

 


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