Looking for rider feedback on the 10'6" Fanatic Fly.
Have had nothing but good experiences so far with the Fanatic line of boards (specifically the 9'6" Allwave and the larger 11' Fly).
Would it be a stretch to consider the 10'6" Fly a "performance" nose-rider type longboard SUP? One that can handle chest-high and over surf with equal parts speed and turn-ability?
Been seeking to fill the 10' (range) longboard SUP nose rider void in my life.....really not particularly locked-in on any one brand or model, want to explore all options. Any and all opinions appreciated!
I had a 10 foot fly it was great, very versatile, turned on a coin, nose rides well
so its a very good board.
i changed to a Starboard 10 foot Nose rider and i must say its a better board for my style.
see if you can demo a couple of boards as everyone is different
hope i have helped they are both great boards
i own a 10'6 fly and love it...in the surf above ankle high....wow there are heaps off different boards and craft that would be more fun....i use mine to dump crab pots off now
Hi AkeG,
The 10ft Fly is a great board to paddle and surf. I've ridden the Fly boards of all sizes in surf from calf high to double overhead (BTW, double o'head is not really doable 
). The Fly boards aren't especially longboardy (is that a word?) in the way they surf, they tend to be much more manoeuvrable and don't require you to get up on the nose or walk the board for best trim.
If you are looking for a more performance oriented nose rider, I'd be looking at Hobie ATR's and also the Surftech Laird 10'er.
If it's an allrounder, the Fly is better as it's a little more stable than a dedicated Nose rider.
DM
DM
do these go OK on flatwater - general bay cruising, fitness + touring about (when there's no wind to go windsurfing)
i bought a 10-6 last year and sold it just about as soon as i could. to me, it just felt *heavy* on the wave. stable as all get out, but a dog otherwise, imho. ditto for the starboard noserider. jesus, i hated that board. too fat, too wide in the nose, totally unrefined (again, imho). i talked to the guy who drew up the original design and he told that what starboard produced bears no likeness to what he'd hoped for.
i think my problem with both the fanatic and the starboard is the business of having the wide point up toward the nose. what this allows for, i think, is better noseriding out on the shoulder of a wave, which works on a surfboard but turns a SUP into a real piggish oinker.
the better SUP noserider, i say, is one that has the widest point more toward the middle or rear of the board, much like, say, the old bing nuuhiwa surfboard:
From what I gather, these are made to noserider better in the pocket than on the shoulder.
Anyway, here's one SUP interpretation of that design (more or less; wide point is still more forward), shaped specifically to be a noserider by Ed Angulo in Hawaii. This board is light on the wave and, if you can noseride, it's just about perfect. I'd get another one of these in an instant if i could, but they're very expensive, which is why i've been looking around for a backup board and tried out the fly and the starboard.
