Hi ,anyone got any experience with both boards and how they compare stability wise ? and also performance wise . been enjoying the 8'10 for a year+ , and wondering if the 8'5 is a step-up ? , volume figures are same I think 115ltrs .... cheers

8'5 offers more performance as in looser and tighter turns at the expense of being somewhat more unstable. The 7'8 is similar stability to 8'5 and and very loose but not as drivey and will cork on bigger faster waves due to extra width. None are really better or worse than the other - they are just different.....at least they all do what they were promised to do.....

cheers for all the advice .... hadnt really considered sub 8ft boards as the only one I tried had zero glide catching waves .... I sup a mixture of 'fastish' waves reef , but also some clean softer fatter faces (on which something like the 7'8 could be killer??) , but not really beach breaks much ..... I will keep the 8'10 in my quiver . I was basically looking tighter 'less resistance' in carves than my 8'10 (it pivots turns pretty quick , but want a tighter quicker carve) .Reading the stability feedback of the 8'5 (ie less stable) , it would re-position in my quiver for smaller (less than head & half) super glassy conditions . I like bit of stability when it gets bit bigger , and my 8'10 can even feel pretty tippy when bigger and choppy or offshores . So , bearing in mind where it would sit - the 7'8 's etc could give it competition ..... but then ive read alot of negative stuff about super small boards - so maybe I should just stick to the 1 board quiver Ive already got ???!!! cheers

cheers standuper - thought the extra midwidth of a 7'8 might add bit of extra lift on slower sections - but from what your saying - just drag ! Quick question - to someone whose tried both, presuming 8'5 has way more glide than the 7'8 ?