Here's my first surf report on the SPX 8'7 for waves chest high wave ,not powerful waves but some nice faces ,I have been riding the 8'8 flow for 2 years now ,so I will be comparing the 8'7 SPX with that and in general the performance ,first off the fins where the right size for it thank you Rick and Dave ,so I will be staying with the quad combo ,first off it is nothing like the flow at all ,it stands alone as a pro board and it really wants and needS to be surfed that way or your just wasting your money buying one as there are way easier boards to ride than the 8'7 SPX ,

I thought the fins where too small because it was quite wobble to paddle around on ,but it is a performance shape, and it will misbehave in rough water as everything is trimmed for performance ,so it really does paddle and surf like a small 8'7 board just with a little bit more float that does seem to pop you back up again if you tip to one side ,

It does not really catch waves as good as the flow or as fast as the flow so the flow seems to be better in not so grunty waves ,
I caught a few right handers and could not really get it going ,so thought the only way to really get the feel was on my forehand so over to the lefts I went ,caught a few lazy waves it felt stable and kinda sluggish ,it wasn't until I caught the set waves that i could really feel what this board was capable of ,it is not at all fazed by big OR steep drops or choppy faces ,I was just jumping on it to get it going ,and it jumped up and felt free and easy i snapped off the crumbling face and it snapped around just waiting for the next one ,

it turns way sharper than the flow and likes to be pumped and it was jumping around looking for action like a boxer in a ring looking for the next hit ,I had to lift my game and start surfing like a pro ,(i'm not a pro lol ) being a pro board it liked quick snaps of the lip and I pushed it as hard as I could in ever turn all my weight on the tail ,it just wanted more and the volume had me popping out of the white wash and I was free again for the next face and lip ,
I was stuffed after ever wave ,about 5-6 turns on ever wave ,I felt it does like more power in the wave than the flow ,I was riding and felt it could handle more size in the wave ,so i will take it on our powerful reef break soon ,i think it will come into its own ,
but so far .

very snappy in turns ,very tight turner .amazing
needs to be pumped a bit
jumps out of white wash with ease
don't expect it to feel bigger than a 8'7 ,like i though it might with the extra volume ,
needs a bit more harder paddling to catch waves .
it will handle what you throw at it .
likes a bit of size in waves .
Its a pro model so prefers to be surfed hard ,not much of a coaster ,

I felt I needed to get fitter to ride it ,had not surfed for 2 weeks ,but game on ,
Go hard and you will come out smiling ,
I'm 100 kgs and 59 ,

I am still exploring this board ,

Thanks CSE ,I hope there are more pleasant surprises ,first surf on any board is not that good ,I think I need to look where I'm putting my feet ,but had it on the kick pad did entice some magic ,I will vid the next encounter of the 3rd kind ,

supthecreek said..
DUDE... good solid info in your report!
That's the kind of stuff I am looking for when I am researching a board.
Your thoughts are almost exactly the thoughts I have on the Wedge.... it needs someone stronger than me to unlock the potential.

I am a bit surprised because it looks very similar to the SP25, and that board is quick and easy in low power, snappy turns and very stable. The pointy nose adds challenges, but it seems the SPX is a big change from the SP25. Like CSE said, numbers are only numbers.... that's why I appreciate details like you have given.

To me it seems like it would be a good board to ride a size larger than you think you want.

Sounds like you have a winner for your bigger juice!
Get some rest... you'll need it!!

Thanks STC ,I try to be honest when reporting backon a board ,it really isn't much stabler than my 8'8 flow
even though the flow is under water ,i guess the water holds it down .But it is the sharpest turning board I have ever ridden ,
and at anytime .

and yes as you said I could of gone the next size up easily with no regrets ,I hope to have it dialled in
after a couple of weeks ,I need to lift my game .

NO Worries Hop ,had a good session on it today ,i will post a vid later ,

Well done, SPX in paradise. It looks like you have already dialed it in pretty well - getting vertical!

But seriously, what an amazing place!

It also great to see your foot back there over the fins - I don't know how you twist to capture than in your vids - you are more flexible than I am!

You must be happy with the board - or would you prefer the Flow out there?

Unreal Tardy

YES ,i think definitely it will handle the bigger juice ,and yes the water is so clean and warm at the moment .

Don't be jealous Rick your surfing is good ,and we don't want you to snap stuff ,I do walk the rear leg up at times ,
but when its time to top and bottom I feel more comfy with my foot right up the back so as to pivot the board ,it just feels natural to me ,don't ask me why i have no idea .

Thank you , kook hat , on the peak of the hat

Tardy said..
Thank you , kook hat , on the peak of the hat

Nice. I bought myself a kook hat. Now I just need to upgrade my GoPro to something less ancient.

theSeb said..

Tardy said..
Thank you , kook hat , on the peak of the hat

Nice. I bought myself a kook hat. Now I just need to upgrade my GoPro to something less ancient.

I'm still using my GoPro session

theSeb said..

Tardy said..
Thank you , kook hat , on the peak of the hat

Nice. I bought myself a kook hat. Now I just need to upgrade my GoPro to something less ancient.

Ancient is best!
The Hero Sessions is perfect to be mounted on a Kook hat visor.
It MUST be a stiff brimmed Kook Hat with chin strap.

The new Da Kine are not up to the task any more, sadly.

Mounting a full sized GoPro on a Kook Hat works, but it is heavy and tends to shake a lot when surfing.... the new ones have auto stabilization that should help... but still, they are heavy and have a tendency to smack the visor down into your face during a wipeout.

IMO: See if you can find a used Sessions for sale.... and be prepared to pay more than they originally cost

Even the Hero Mini is a LOT bigger than the Sessions (but the mini is better than a standard GoPro)

Hi Dave ,I got some shapers ,they are quite a flexible fin and the rears are a little small for my weight so I made up a Nubster and that has made it track a lot better without taking the looseness out of it ,I probably will get slightly bigger rears soon as Nubster s I feel drive a little hard ,and you don't get that free release on the turns ,so I will get slightly stiffer fins for the rear ,but like the placid it needs slightly bigger rears unlike the flow .the tail is quite wide and the square tail is different to ride ,but no matter what the wave ,it just seems to be able to turn when and where ever you want ,I really am still trying to master this board .it seems quite tricky ,you need to be aware of the nose ,it will dig in and send you in a different direction ,you have to steer straight down the wave and brake the nose free before turning ,my 8'7flow was similar ,it's a short board for me ,I would not go any shorter .Its just a personal choice ,

Hey Tardy ,
Do you prefer the board as quad or thruster?

He's a quad guy usually...

Steveo1 said..
Hey Tardy ,
Do you prefer the board as quad or thruster?

Hey Steve ,yep I'm a quad guy I'm going to get bigger rears ,as this sucker is like riding a lizard ,I wish their'd
rounded the nose off like the flow ,it gets a bit stuck in chop .you need to stay back on the board when catching waves
not like the flow where it has more volume in the nose and you can walk up and get it down the face easier ,its thrown me
a few times ,but once on the wave yee ha .