I have an amazing Shroom 8.7 from april. In these months I had an umbelievable lot of fun and my wave riding skills has increased so I need a smaller board. Probably this board will be my winter board when the overall weight increase not only for the wetsuit. I prefear the short boards for a lot of reasons not the least for the short place in wich I store the board.
My usual conditions in Italy are choppy messy waves not very big. The bigger ones rarely are easy and funny to ride and when happens I'm at work.
The medium average waves often are closer each other, fast, curly and difficult to manage with a long board.
In the late summer have also bought to my young son an Hypernut carbon 7.8 115lt, very useful for me in flat water for legs workout but too difficult and tiring for wave riding. In some small waves I liked it very very much: stable for the dimensions, flat deck, incredibly light, quite fast and straigh paddling, easy on the waves.
I'm 49's x 192 cm x 90kg (6,3ft x 200lbs) and I hate drop too much in the water so an easy and stable board is better for me. The Shroom 8.7 is large and "stable as a rock" but in the bigger waves probably it suffers a lack of acceleration and I feel it a little bit huge. The great and wise SupTheCreek said it to me...
So my dilemma in a new short board is about Shroom 8.3 and the new Hypernut 7.10x130lt, the 8.0ft shorted version of last year. I deeply love the Sunova construction, the fabolous duoble concave shape of the Shroom, the iperconfortable concave deck, the amazing look but the Hypernut probably is a little bit more versatile but also very expensive (circa 1.000? more of the carbon version). It's useless to say that I cant try before buy anything and the used market in Italy is very disadvantageous... Could you give to me some good advices?
Thank you!
Carlo
Carlo
Another thought would be a Gong board. They make several short high volume performance boards that are made for those kind of waves. You have a winter board now the Shroom, and it sounds like you are progressing fast enough that it won't be long until you are comfortable on your son's Nut. Finally France is not that far away......yes you could go up and demo some boards.......Colas is close to your dimensions has a lot of experience with Gong boards and hopefully he can chime in? Just a thought.
Cheers
Bob
My son's first board was a yellow Gong 7.6x31 MOB x 120 lt woodkfusion. The Gong's has a very good price and nice look and very suitable for the short and messy mediterranean conditions. Unfortunately the construction of that board hasn't a very good quality and after only 4 months I sold it. Probably Gong had some trouble with this series and has changed all the production with new materials after this summer.
The best wave riders of my sup friends have Gong board for years (especially carbon version). In general, I see that Gong boards are developed for more skilled suppers. In fact, The Hyper Nut carbon 2018 7.8x30 x 115 lt, despite the 5 lt less, it's more stable and easyer to use than the Gong MOB that has a doomed deck, an high central volume and a thinner, rail, tail and nose.
The last Gong MOB board (FSP) relased few months ago seems also more difficult than the previuos but really more stronger (see the video!). Probably if I could try an 8.3 MOB x 140lt I can change idea but nowadays Gong is not at the top of my preferences. I'm searching an easy board for most conditions.
Hi Colas,
before the MOB i bought another used Gong, a pro model carbon made, used for some years: a light and indestructible. Unfortunately that model was too much demanding for a novice like my son (7.8x28x105lt). So I bought a brand new MOB. My son has loved his MOB and in a couple of month, has became a very good wave rider. I really appreciate the efforts and authentic passion of Gong staff to do a good product at a very good price but not always the sight is correct especially in new product. Also the board aren't all the same but my board had some problems. When I see the Gong video with the hammer I thought that the bearded chief of Gongs, changing completely technology, has correct all the problems that I found. I don't know Filipo but my good friend is Mariano Billet a strong Gong addicted like others friends of mine, very high level suppers. Unfortunately my skills are quite lower and my age higher and so I need something "easy&short". By the way, Mariano always says that my Sunova Shroom isn't a board but the door of my house! I like something similar but a little bit smaller. A thinner board is more responsive but for me is tiring and more difficult to ride. For me the priority is catch and ride the bigger number of waves in a easy way. There are several months before next summer and a lot of thoughts about my next board.
A thinner board is more responsive but for me is tiring and more difficult to ride. For me the priority is catch and ride the bigger number of waves in a easy way. There are several months before next summer and a lot of thoughts about my next board.
By reading you, I think you should try to keep some length in a board, and not try to get too short a board. The Mob is a very stable shape for its size, if you have problems with it, it was most probably due to the short length.
Short boards are performing great on the short Mediterranean waves, but they require more commitment, in placement for the takeoff, paddling technique, and explosive paddling power. I think you are looking the wrong way when you say "my skills are quite lower and my age higher and so I need something "easy&short"". You seem to need something easy and nimble, not necessarily short. There is no shame in not wanting to invest the time to master a short board and prefer having more immediate fun.
In the Gong line, that would be the NFA, or something similar in other brands, that is a modern performance longboard shape: longboard outline, but with some rocker, performance rails with medium volume, strong and light construction, and not too narrow.