Wing foiling has been pretty front and center for me over the last year since I live in the gorge but I'm missing the waves a bit and am looking to chase our local beach break again this year.
I've had great success riding my 9'2"x30" 126l Kalama in past years. It's stable in the nasty wind chop and washingmachine ocean conditions that are the norm here. I really like the quad setup on it as well. However, I've had a glimmer or two of more performance oriented longboards in the past and my mind is wandering towards a new ride.
I'd like to go narrower, I demo'd a 28" board (NSP DC Super X) and was stoked on how fast that board got rail to rail in comparison to my Kalama. If I could find another quad, I'd steer towards that as well but quads seem uncommon in the industry. I have zero desire to go longer, but I also don't crave anything like the misery I had on a 8'2" Quatro Carve Pro. I want to score tons of waves, go fast, and I don't mind moving up, down, side to side on the board to optimize my turns and experience.
So... I'm wondering if the Speeed checks these boxes? My weight seems to fluctuate between 90-100kg when fully soaked in winter vs summer gear so I'm thinking the 8'8" 123l would be the easiest transition. Drops 6" of length, 2" of width, but only 3l less than my Kalama (does this mean super thick rails?). I've comfortably paddled down to 108l on a 9'x28" Kalama but worry that the 8'5" x 27.5" 113l Speeed would feel drastically less stable out the back and would sacrifice too much on the catch for my taste, but I'm open to hearing if I'm wrong about that.
Hi B,
I can't provide any info on the Speed, but wondering if you are going to sell your 9'2" as I have a friend that lives in the NW that is interested in getting one. I am also curious why you decided against the Kalama 9'0". I have spent some time on that board and it seems like it ticks a lot of your boxes. No disrespect to the Speed, from all reports it sounds like a great board.
Select to expand quoteSurlygringo said..
Hi B,
I can't provide any info on the Speed, but wondering if you are going to sell your 9'2" as I have a friend that lives in the NW that is interested in getting one. I am also curious why you decided against the Kalama 9'0". I have spent some time on that board and it seems like it ticks a lot of your boxes. No disrespect to the Speed, from all reports it sounds like a great board.
Reasonable questions for sure.
1. Yes, I will likely offload my current Kalama.
2. I recently got my first Sunova, the Carver foilboard and I'm LOVING it. I was always curious about Sunova SUPs so I'm just thinking it's time to take the leap and try another brand.
The Speed is quite a rockered board, so whilst the straight outline aids side to side stability, the rocker takes it away longitudinally. It isn't the most stable board to paddle IMO - but it does catch waves easy. (fyi I've had 3).
I'd say the rails are full-ish - not fat, but not thin compared to a V2 Flow or Style.
The Speeed is not a longboard shape basically at all. It's a board that needs shape in the wave to work at its best, if your riding fat slow points it wouldn't be the best choice. It is also a drivey board and feels locked in - you do need to stand right on the tail to get it to turn, due to the straight rail line. Hard to do if the waves are typically small and fat. It is definitely not a slashy feeling loose board.
If you are looking for a fast high performance longboard feel, and want a thin railed Sunova - IMO the Revolution is where you should look. They go right down to 25.5" wide (if you are up for it). You can easily go custom too if you want to make it narrow but want to add a bit more volume. When it was designed they started with a normal surfboard longboard and made it bigger, not what is usually done for sup. That's why the rails are super thin.
Also, the tail rocker is more akin to a shortboard, so when you do stand back it accelerates, unlike say the Style that slows down and pivots. I had the same tail rocker put on my custom Surf longboard years ago (the Revolution didn't exist then). For me it helps carry speed through turns.
I'm sure Sunova could make it with a quad if you wanted, but as a thruster with a smaller centre is where most say it really shines.
A Smik Hipster Longboard would be worth a look too.
.25'' of outline is easily noticeable, 2'' is giant, if you don't need the width of your current then go for it. You say you are in washing machine and want to catch a ton of waves so there is a tough compromise there. I used to have the 8'5 speed as a board I progressed on after learning at 65kg. That board would be very very tough to paddle in anything that isn't pretty clean for a 90kg rider.
supcreek has a lot of 8'10 speed vids in beachbreak you can find on YouTube.
8'10 speed would be more like it for your weight I would think, I've seen lighter rider than you ripping on it, more performance than you might think and the built in speed compares favorably to a longboard imo in average conditions. The shape does roll rail to rail easily which can take getting used to in chop. A small trailer fin can make it much easier to turn and even faster, with some loss in paddling stability.
Another idea would be a quiver with a short wide beach break board for pumping down the line, keeping the longboard for stability.
I would agree with what Hoppo said about the speed,I have been riding the 8-10 speed for the last six or so years in PNW waves and weight the same as you but probably older.Yes this board works in almost any kind of wave I run it with the two stock front fins and a smaller center once you learn how it rides it does live up to the name.At a little over 29 wide it's not that stable in typical Oregon surf with a domed deck and thin tail with plenty of rocker.
To me this board really shines is when I had a chance to ride it in some point break waves down in Baja Mex.Could I go smaller yes in really clean conditions but up here no I need all the help with stability I can get.
IMO, longboard surfing is a different breed from shortboard surfing.
If you are after surfing more like the Kalama than your other SUPs, then you will have to stick with a longboard style board IMO.
The Speeed is not really a longboard style board, but it's a good board!
It is narrow, the rails are low and the deck is domed, so it is not a "stability" board when standing outside between sets.
It is a very stable board when paddling because the super kicked up, wide nose gives a ton of "lift" as you paddle and makes it rock solid.
If you are ok with a sort of "hybrid" ride, the 8'5 or 8'8 Speeed should be fine.
Speeed Guild Factors
Me at 100 kg (65 years old when I had the 8'10)
8'10 x 29 @130 L = 1.3 G/F
at 68 years old 107 kg
9'2 x 30.25 @ 148L = 1.28 G/F
Was my go-to NE winter board in full 4/3 mm wetsuit
You at 90 kg (age ?)
8'5 x 27.5 @ 113L = 1.25 G/F
8'8 x 28.5 @ 123L = 1.36 G/F
Hopefully with this info, you can gauge the size that will suit you best.
I just had my first surf on my Revolution 10' x 30 yesterday, but I didn't get much of a feel for it because it was basically all head high closeouts, where I'd get in one turn if I was lucky. The rails of the Revolution are super thin.... more like a prone longboard, so I found it fairly tippy for 30" wide, even with the wide nose. (75 yo 107 kg)
video of me on the 9'2 Speeed in full winter gear
Good feedback everyone, I really appreciate the input, it sounds like maybe I misjudged the stability of the speeed. That's why this community is so great!
I have the 8.5 speed Also a10 x28 long board about the same litres ! I find most time when its side chop the speed is easier , i the speed is a surfboard not a long board on its day its one of the purest board going around ! Im 72 kg wet and getting closer to 70 than 60??
Select to expand quoteBWalnut said..
Good feedback everyone, I really appreciate the input, it sounds like maybe I misjudged the stability of the speeed. That's why this community is so great!
Hi Walnut. I also found the Speed unstable in chop. It didn't really fit into my quiver.it was TOO fast in clean punchy waves and i found it controlling me rather than the other way round. It paddles into anything though and the fun factor is silly. I'm just not sure what conditions it suits best and I suspect my style of riding doesn't suit it (prefer to generate my own speed). I'm tempted to try one of the smaller models if I can get my hands on a used one.
anyway, hope this helps and best of luck
