Hey Dave, great review as always! There aren't a lot of detailed reviews for this board so I thought I would share my thoughts after riding it for a month. I picked up the 7'6" during the recent sale (6'1" and 215lbs) after seeing my buddy hanging 5 on it in Malibu. I rode it in everything from 1 foot mush to head high sets and it really shined when the waves got good. I think it will be a great step up board for when waves get bigger this winter. The Board has a hug sweet spot and on bigger sets, you can literally 2 stroke into waves. I agree with you that it's not a paddle beast as it tends to nose dive a bit, but there is a weird things with this board where you wont think you are in the wave then it "locks" and you start flying down the face. Hard to explain, but you know it when you feel it, almost like hitting the go button and dropping in like a skateboard from the top. The 2+1turns really well on rail and its hold is incredible when the wave pitches + if you shift your feet around you can link sections and blast around flat spots / whitewater. I have a quad set for it but haven't found the need to try them yet. Im using it almost like a big guy short board / sitting out the back a bit with the long boarders and have been really stoked on it. It tends to slows your waves down and gives you time to think about what you want to do next on the wave. As a big guy it it helps even the playing field with people sitting out the back and lets you get in before the guys sitting on the inside on short boards. Long rides, great hold, turns much better than expected and its super stable. Thunderbolt Red is flexy and feels incredible as usual. Love everything minus the paddling but getting used to it. Board Reference - Seaside & Beyond 7'4" - Great but with lowish volume, it just felt too long for how it paddled and turned. My shorter Seaside paddles about the same but with less board to swing on turns. Ova turns better IMO. - 7'0" Outlier 2+1 is incredible for small or mushy surf but tends to slide out on steep waves or backside on anything that is head high since it so flat. Paddles better than Ova and glides like a long board but much less hold on good waves. This board seems to be a perfect middle ground and great shape for most of the days I surf. I bet the 7'0" would be a great 1 board quiver for most people 140-185 and 7'6-8' for big boys 185+. I rode it at Malibu, Porto, Middles / Uppers, San O, Point Breaks in Mexico. Cheers!
Hi Great detailed feedback really appreciate that. Hope it helps others too..Not sure if it was you I was talking to but sold mine as I had to have another back operation so cleared out a lot of boards till I work out where I am at and what I can do after recovery. It was a friend that bought it though and he said exactly the same. He's able to use it in everything from smaller to bigger waves and finds it's smoothing his surfing out and a good option for when the wave doesn't have quite the shape for his shorter board here which is often. I think the Outlier would be a good one from our local wave too from everything I hear very flat faced a lot of the time so we dont need much rocker and do need help to get in and make sections.I agree too does everything nicely as a single with sides I think that was the main intention of the fin set up and good hold. For me it was just a little harder to duck dive than I was expecting which was quite surprising. For everything else it was really on point as an all rounder your kinda rarely on the "wrong board" for the conditions when it does most things well. Anyways glad your stoked and thanks for your time commenting. I wont ramble on myself for too long as you nailed it with your description and comparison. Cheers :-)
"That's me being fussy to be fair" statement is why I follow and subscribed years ago mate!!!! Just be you and I'll keep watching my across the Tasman fellow surfer 🤙
Ho Dave thanks for your video! I am looking for a mid to ride when I am just lazy or want to to cruise. I am 31, good paddler and was thinking about the ova over the mid6 or the moe just because it is more versatile. a mid 6 for my understanding surf like a short board basically with more liters ecc ecc. like the fact that the ova change between the fin set up and love skindog surfboards and I think it can be an awsome travel board to have in the quiver. I just came from a Maldives trip and I think with a quad set up would have performed well also int the “juicy” days we had for an early entry and to have right amount of speed especially in backhand trains. I found one discounted one 30% brand new and 7’. I am deciding if go for it in these days
Hi mate. Yeah I was keen on a Mid 6 but thought the 7 was a bit refined lower volume and quite a bit of rocket for me but would make an excellent “sensible and conservancy ” step up im short and like to be able to duck dive my boards too so 7 is about the limit of length I can do that easily on. The 7’6” mid 6 looks quite different to the 7 more volume and a bit more width so doesn’t look as blade like. I actually sold my ova. A friend bought it and he’s loving it for exactly what you said. He can ride it in small and bigger waves and likes the fin options. He’s in pretty good shape and taller too so seems to suit him well. I found it a little hard to duck dive think the nose is a little wider than I thought so even though it’s thin it was a bit harder to sink than the one I made myself and that’s much thicker. If you think it rip suit you it probably will it’s pretty versatile nice to ride lots of options and the thunderbolt tech is great. Especially if your getting a bargain price. Hope that helps.
Hi, great review and loads of super useful information to digest. I'm looking for a bit of advice as I am in the market to grab myself a mid-length and from what I can see you look like an expert on the subject lol. At the moment I have the 9'5" Gem (Thunderbolt Red) and a 5'10" Seaside so looking for something around the 7-foot mark for when the waves get overhead or maybe something versatile that I can throw in the back of the campervan as a one board quiver kind of thing. Anyway, I've been looking at the Thunderbolt boards (My Gem is awesome) and I am struggling to pick between the Moe and the Ova. Bearing in mind that I am an old bugger (nearly sixty) and my surfing ability sucks, which one do you think might fit me best? Any advice is much appreciated... Cheers Stuart
Hey mate thanks for the feedback and thanks for reaching out. Lol yeah no expert but have definitely been through a bit of trial and error 🤣 Yeah that's a tough one aye as the thunderbolt tech is fantastic but some of the mids are at that higher end of what you can duck dive. The Sunday was a bit of a revaluation of how many litres you can get away with in the right length and nose size but I didn't really like the fin set ups so ironically the one I made myself is working best out of everything I have tried in terms of paddle duck dive and feel. I personally still wonder if I should have got the moe or the ova too. Decision would have been ridiculous hard if the moe was only 7'0" with all the same numbers as I feel like at my hight it's hard to duck dive anything over 7'0" ironically the ova is a little lower volume and not too thick in the nose but still probably as hard if not harder to duck dive than the Sunday as the Sunday has a more narrow nose and even though it's 6 more litres it still duck dives more easily. On the other hand although I haven't tried it in anything big I think the ova tail would probably be one of the best in a bigger wave. I think if your a bit taller than me and feel like you can duck dive the moe and are looking to ride a quad or thruster style of riding In smaller waves as well maybe the Moe if your looking to only ride it in bigger stuff and have a tail that feels like a smaller performance longboard maybe the ova. Alternatively if you want more shortboard genetics and are happy with a Polly or a different epoxy tech there are a couple of other options that could be on your short list like a chilli mid strength or a party crasher or a crowd killer or a smooth operator. Those could be customised to get exactly the volume length and width you have. Seeing you have a 5'10" Sunday you must be in half decent shape and skill and not all they heavy. If your set on the thunderbolt yeah either could be good. I wish I could ride tht Moe and still wonder if that would be more me but I do like the general feel of the ova a lot too just still not had it out in a decent wave as I have been hooked on the one I made myself since the first ride. That seems to have really nailed it which is crazy to say but I guess I have made a few now so gotten to the dims I want. I might be wrong and it could be really close so please do have a good luck at other reviews but in my head I'm still thinking if you want it to be like a more practical big guy shortboard hybrid the moe could be the one depending on your high weight desire to duck dive well etc. And if your wanting something to feel a little more like a high performance longboard then the ova could be the go. The fins are much further up on the ova and that concaves are long vee double out back again more like a performance longboard style which makes sense and the mo has concaves and fin position more coming from making a hybrid shortboard bigger wider and more user friendly. Hope that helps a little. Sorry I can't help more but I feel like I could as easily be wrong as right between those too as still have doubts between them myself. Guys at the local surf shop says feedback on the Moe is it will go in a bit of everything. maybe not super big but it's good to know it will do smaller waves too. Many of the mids are too pulled in at the tail for the waves we ride.
@@lawson45uk thanks 👍 I really appreciate your expertise. Sounds like the mo might be more my kind of board. I'll take your advice and check out the other recommendations too. 🤙
How is this board on late drops/takeoffs? I've had a 7'2 FCD for years and it has save my arse many times on late drops, very forgiving, just a pinch of a weight shift back and I'm good. FCD is old and beat along with expensive, price range on this model skindog is perfect, but I'm older and slower so I only expect the late drops to increase. 🙂
Hey Dave, hope you’re well. I’m riding a ‘hullucious twin’ made by ray Findlay. The hull is great in chop, and in general rides very smoothly. Was thinking about how combing hull on the nose but into concaves etc would work. Anyways hope to see you rags again soon
Hey Haggis :-) Good to hear from you mate, hope your well. Yeah I think a couple of people including yourself have mentioned that model and really stoked in it. I really like Rays shapes. He seems to have that approach of some really cool and out of the norm outlines but with excellent fundamental basics and sensible rockers etc so not surprised they are popular here. I was keen to try the Outlier as I mentioned that's a beautiful refined rail in a hull design but think it still goes a littke sharp off the tail but it's just very pulled in and might not have worked well in the slow waves here. Even the Sunday has a nice bit of roll just in the front and then transitions to modern. I ended up making one more for myself as you will see if you end up watching my next video really pleased with that so far. Nice to hear from your mate, hope your well and getting waves.
@@lawson45uk hope you’re getting some waves too. I’ve actually got ray to shape me a 5 fin setup with his hull contours on bottom but I pulled in the nose and tail a bit. Electric board as a quad, I’ve tried as a thruster too but I’m not a thruster guy. Really like the board you shaped too, great job, love to see your review once you’ve ridden it. Now you gotta come back up here to swap boards and stories lol. Hope you’re well too mate, all the best.
@@nzhaggisnz yeah nice it's cool when you have a good relationship with a good shaper aye. You can tweak things and make some improvments together👍 lol yup not into thrusters either. Seems to slow that board down too much but they have their place too for sure. Would be nice to be up in Ragland again for sure. Cool wee place. Couple of locals have moved from here to there recently. Yeah would be fun to swap boards and talk some shit 😜 maybe one day I will get back up their for a trip. Not surfed anywhere but my local break got years. In fact raglan was the last time I surfed another break. I don't travel much. Cheers buddy. Take care 🤙 yeah will try do a wee update on the ova and my own one in a bit once I find some waves to get into 🙏
hey mate.cheers for sharing another refreshing and helpful video always find your discussions really interesting. Im still riding my 7'3 keel sunday but not getting out as much as id like to. last surf was 3 ft soft taupo bay and i struggled. happily resigning myself to bigger boards and thinking of, when i can afford to getting a longboard or two maybe the gem and upsized special T .Unsure how much overlap there though or if a good pairing.Iv watched your old videos and even read some online forums where they were quoting your videos. Im also considering selling the Sunday in favour of torq big boy act or ci mid or something more versatile and backhand west coast wave confident. For me.at my size sunday seems to need a bit of grunt and preferably R/h wave .I think im midlenght fussy too haha vids appreciated mate look forward to watching your custom one next 👍🤙
Thanks mate, appreciate your support. I tend to dribble on a bit but nice to hear people don't mind the detail sometimes lol. Ok that's interesting.. I would have maybe thought the Sunday might have the edge over some other boards in smaller waves with the volume but I couldn't really get mine going well in anything under 2-3ft. To be honest I think most Mids are a bit like that most are really not grovel boards at all. Yeah I liked the look of the big boy too. Friend of mine just bought an ACT don and said the tech is good. Still not sure how grovelly. The Chopper is nice too but also pulled in tail and quite refined. Guys at Exit here were saying the Moe does a bit of everything.. Perhaps that in 8ft could be an option. The 7'2" is nice too but probably not that far off the sunday for smaller waves but hard to tell. Hmm Gem and special T both fantastic boards. I guess if you had a 9'1" Gem and 9'6" Special T that would be a good combo but depends on your volume happy zones. 78 Litres is a good bit of volume but if you wanted that for the smaller stuff and your in that zone for volume maybe a cool combo. I have the Haven and the Blender so you would be doing a pretty similar split I would say. I did consider just having a 9'1" Special T again and nothing else but since I have 2 and they have gone up in price so much I might as well have both options :-) lol Just let me know if you want to bounce any ideas off me but sounds like you have a good handle on what you want. Special T and GEM are both very nice and natural and easy to ride. Both boards I would consider if I were looking from scratch again. Cheers.
Oh and ci mid I think also isn't really great for small waves from what I have heard but I haven't ridden one so not sure. Cheers. Devon Howard said it's really designed for point waves and more medium sized waves than small.
Morning mate! sorry late reply. thanks.for the response -Im actually not sure of my longboard volume.And hope to only purchase once..any tips? for smaller waves i thought more the merrier?TJ has a good video up with his longboard quiver explained. looks like he rides 9 6 special T . Im 100kg so thought safe bet for me . Also thought 9 ft mark for a more performance shape longboard.( Gem and the HI4 looks cool too) i like the look of the thunderbolt tech. Hope youve been getting some good waves down there recently! i had a good surf last east coast swell on my sunday and a couple ok backhand waves so think i will stick with it and work on it. Cheers Dave have a good one!
@@lukewadham1726 Crap just wrote a reply and lost it lol. I just got another Special T myself and have done an updated review. if you want an easy to ride all rounder single fin that's not all loggy I rekon the 9'6" be great for you at 100kg. I was also eying up the Hi4 at 9'3" as a one longboard quiver for me. Probably be more towards the fairly performance all rounder for you and they yeah the GEM if your comfortable with lower volume and want a drive off the tail single and side bits for better waves. Spoke to my mate again at the weekend he's been enjoying the his Don Nose rider in ATC i think that's also in your volume range and an all rounder. Guess it would be smart to get the one your getting for the smaller stuff first and go from there so you get an idea of volume etc. Ideally if you could borrow or demo something similar but I think you would be safe with the Special T. I had mine out in 1ft and a bit bigger recently and it feels good in most stuff, 9'0" isn't a super super early in glidey as a longer long board but the paddle to performance ratio is really good. Feels very natural and easy to ride. Probably the one I would be most confident to recommend out of the pack for smaller waves and an all rounder but I haven't ridden that actual size so could be a little different to what
@@lukewadham1726 Sorry just got cut off mid sentence but yeah special T 9'6" I think would be a good once to start you off. Exit surf down here have one at this stage but might be gone to the guy that I bought my 9'0" version off soon :-) lol He loves the board but wanted a bit more glide as he's wanting to get into the nose riding and easy wave catching in the smaller stuff more. He said the 9 was great and he would probably regret selling it but it's more racy and he likes the 9 when it's a little bigger. Cheers.
Hi, thank you for all the info about this board! With this board in 8 foot size, what size 2 plus 1 fins would you recommend? I'm 6'3" 200 pounds. Thank you
Hi Joe. I would probably have a look at the Skindog set that was made for this board. It's quite a lot of surface area.. I would say too big for me on the 7'ft bit for a heavier rider on the 8ft could be great. You could have a look at something like the Josh Hall 7.5" fin from captain fin with some medium sides or something too just depends how much fin you want. I dont like to over fin mids and longboards personally but I was surprised how much fin area this board was ok with and still remained responsive. Or a Kai salas 7" with some sides too that would work. I dont really like the FCS2 single fins as they dont tend to stay in too good but the fin types are good. The flying diamonds versions be a great option too to start. Try the 7" with the sides and go up on the sides if you feel you can use a bit more. exitsurf.co.nz/collections/winter-sale/products/flying-diamonds-kai-sallas-hp-clear?_pos=4&_sid=095b8beac&_ss=r&variant=39371503075383 exitsurf.co.nz/collections/winter-sale/products/flying-diamonds-kai-sallas-hp-sides-clear?_pos=3&_sid=02f14df3b&_ss=r
I have the cream colored 7' outlier ands its incredible in small-medium / mushy waves. After my first session I started calling it the Cream Dream and ride it about 50% of the time. Almost like an ultimate groveler but also handles larger waves when they are rolling or off a point. Once it gets punchy or powerful it tends to slide out on the bottom turns just because of how flat the rocker is. 1-4 foot it catches everything and turns really well for how long it is.
Exactly...so basically perfect for Dave's local conditions most of the time. I think he would love it. My mate and I who have one both say...never leave home without it. @@Ironlung330
Cheers buddy.. Yeah it's a bit early to say for sure as we have had really lame waves for a bit and i'm a bit down on my own ability too lately. Finding all but Longboards a little harder going but I was expecting a bit more paddle power and a bit easier to duck dive. I think if there was a 7"0" 50Litre Mo I might have gone for that model it's just so hard to know with mids they can be really tricky to get right for you personally. I think it's like going back to the old Surftech Tuflite days if you want that tech there might not be a model that's got the perfect dims rocker and volume combination. I think boards are getting so expensive, especially mid lengths and i'm so fussy and particular it's hard for me to be completely stoked sometimes. It's interesting actually.. When I got the Sunday I was worried it was too much volume and I was surprised how well it paddled and still duck dived but I couldn't get on with how it handled from fin set ups so i'm actually looking forward to the one I just shaped more and not being full of myself but I feel like I have sold many of the boards I have made myself that have actually gone better than than many of the ones you can buy.. Few of my mates that are not so fussy are loving boards I made for them and i'm still fluffing around spending a fortune trying to find "the one" in "the tech" so I dont have to think about it anyone lmao but should probably just land on the "Really great dont mess with it" board and leave it at that... I think some times you can get 90% there and run around in circles chasing the 10% and not really getting anywhere ;-) Maybe just get the OCD hypnotized out of me LMAO :-) Cheers.
@@lawson45uk hi mate. I completely understand. I just bought exactly this board a week ago. And I like it a lot. The only thing is that maybe I expected a bit more was drive. I was wondering if this had to do with the fins. I only had an 6 inch single and normal sides. Does the size of the single fin influence the drive of the board as well and if so in which way? I know from my twin fin that bigger generally gives more drive but I don’t know about single fins with sides. I do immensely like the way it takes off so smoothly. Any advice would be great. Thnx heaps
@@SunriseSessions Hey buddy. That's great if the board is everything you expected but lacking a bit of drive I think that should be very fixable with fins for sure. The tail is fairly pulled in and quite refined on the OVA. Fin surface area, fin base, fin rake, fin position it all adds up big time. Personally I don't really buy any single fins that I can't at least find the surface area and base measurement on or be able to go into a shop and physically compare to my other fins. From my little experience so far the OVA seems to be fine with a good amount of fin without it spoiling the turning and it carries good speed through turns. Obviously your own weight and the feel you like etc comes into it too but I am running a Kai Sallas 6.5" Single Fin with FCS Performer Large rear quads as side bites at the moment. That to me is a lot of overall fin area and the same as I would use on my 9ft blender but it seems to be working pretty well. Ben skinner uses even bigger. His own set is 7" Centre and medium thrusters as side bites. I personally think that might be a bit and world tour level longboarders would be used to pushing hard on bigger fins so probably makes sense for ben. His older futures set was great in my longboard and its probably a similar template. I would stay away from single fins running the FCS2 clip in system I dont find them reliable myself would sooner set and forget with a screw plate. Had too many FCS2 singles drop out and wobble around. Ok so enough blah blah blah from me lol I would recommend: Make sure your fin is at least 6" deep close to 5" or more base. Ideally if you know the surface area you would probably want 21 square inches and up but maybe not over 25-26. And for sides see if you can borrow a medium or large rear quad pair in a performer from someone and go from there. Side bites make a big difference.. Most guys on performance longboards with deep concaves seem to like fiarly large sides and a 6.5-7 Single fin in a Dolphin or fairly all round kind of shape with a bit of rake. Something like the Kai Sallas. For fin position on single and sides I usually assume the shaper put the front fin / side bite fin boxes where he wanted them so I put the front fins or side bites in and make sure the front of the single fin is about 25-50mm back from the back of the frint fins / side bites. On this board that's actually pretty close to the center of the board or a little forward. Give that lot a crack and see how you go. Let me know if that's the same kind of set up you want to get and I can help you choose fins if you like. Links below to Skinner talking the board and fins and a link to FCS fin specs. FCS, Captain Fin and Flying Diamonds all make some good singles. I have always found the FCS Kai Sallas 6.5 good for single and sides. Just get it in the screw plate version if you can. Flying Diamonds Kai Sallas HP is the same in Flying diamonds. You can get that in 6.5,7,7.5" but I would probably try 6.5 first. Hope that helps. Cheers. czcams.com/video/4poavDYa_HI/video.html www.surffcs.com.au/pages/fcs-fin-data
@@SunriseSessions Sorry meant to say I think the Skindog set might be a bit big but didn't finish the sentence. That would be the max I would put in but think a little less probably fine for most.
People watch your videos because they want to hear your thoughts on boards or board concepts. I think your ‘waffling’ is more helpful to people than you realize. ( for me at least). We all waffle in our heads, so it’s actually quite helpful hearing unedited thoughts.
@@Mark-hj7hi thanks mate. Appreciate that 🙏 I have always tried to keep it just me un sponsored un edited unbias so it's nice to know people stick around for that not Inspite of 😂
Yeah sorry Steve that’s just what my content is I’m afraid. Just me taking about my feelings on the technicals of the boards and how I found they ride to try and help others make the right choice for them. I do it for free and not sponsored so I don’t make footage and music and nice edits. Hopefully you found something worth while for your time and sorry if you didn’t but thanks for watching and commenting.
Hey Dave, great review as always! There aren't a lot of detailed reviews for this board so I thought I would share my thoughts after riding it for a month.
I picked up the 7'6" during the recent sale (6'1" and 215lbs) after seeing my buddy hanging 5 on it in Malibu. I rode it in everything from 1 foot mush to head high sets and it really shined when the waves got good. I think it will be a great step up board for when waves get bigger this winter. The Board has a hug sweet spot and on bigger sets, you can literally 2 stroke into waves. I agree with you that it's not a paddle beast as it tends to nose dive a bit, but there is a weird things with this board where you wont think you are in the wave then it "locks" and you start flying down the face. Hard to explain, but you know it when you feel it, almost like hitting the go button and dropping in like a skateboard from the top. The 2+1turns really well on rail and its hold is incredible when the wave pitches + if you shift your feet around you can link sections and blast around flat spots / whitewater. I have a quad set for it but haven't found the need to try them yet.
Im using it almost like a big guy short board / sitting out the back a bit with the long boarders and have been really stoked on it. It tends to slows your waves down and gives you time to think about what you want to do next on the wave. As a big guy it it helps even the playing field with people sitting out the back and lets you get in before the guys sitting on the inside on short boards. Long rides, great hold, turns much better than expected and its super stable. Thunderbolt Red is flexy and feels incredible as usual. Love everything minus the paddling but getting used to it.
Board Reference
- Seaside & Beyond 7'4" - Great but with lowish volume, it just felt too long for how it paddled and turned. My shorter Seaside paddles about the same but with less board to swing on turns. Ova turns better IMO.
- 7'0" Outlier 2+1 is incredible for small or mushy surf but tends to slide out on steep waves or backside on anything that is head high since it so flat. Paddles better than Ova and glides like a long board but much less hold on good waves.
This board seems to be a perfect middle ground and great shape for most of the days I surf. I bet the 7'0" would be a great 1 board quiver for most people 140-185 and 7'6-8' for big boys 185+. I rode it at Malibu, Porto, Middles / Uppers, San O, Point Breaks in Mexico.
Cheers!
Hi Great detailed feedback really appreciate that. Hope it helps others too..Not sure if it was you I was talking to but sold mine as I had to have another back operation so cleared out a lot of boards till I work out where I am at and what I can do after recovery. It was a friend that bought it though and he said exactly the same. He's able to use it in everything from smaller to bigger waves and finds it's smoothing his surfing out and a good option for when the wave doesn't have quite the shape for his shorter board here which is often. I think the Outlier would be a good one from our local wave too from everything I hear very flat faced a lot of the time so we dont need much rocker and do need help to get in and make sections.I agree too does everything nicely as a single with sides I think that was the main intention of the fin set up and good hold. For me it was just a little harder to duck dive than I was expecting which was quite surprising. For everything else it was really on point as an all rounder your kinda rarely on the "wrong board" for the conditions when it does most things well. Anyways glad your stoked and thanks for your time commenting. I wont ramble on myself for too long as you nailed it with your description and comparison. Cheers :-)
"That's me being fussy to be fair" statement is why I follow and subscribed years ago mate!!!! Just be you and I'll keep watching my across the Tasman fellow surfer 🤙
:-) Cheers buddy much appreciated and thanks for sticking with me.
Ho Dave thanks for your video! I am looking for a mid to ride when I am just lazy or want to to cruise. I am 31, good paddler and was thinking about the ova over the mid6 or the moe just because it is more versatile. a mid 6 for my understanding surf like a short board basically with more liters ecc ecc. like the fact that the ova change between the fin set up and love skindog surfboards and I think it can be an awsome travel board to have in the quiver. I just came from a Maldives trip and I think with a quad set up would have performed well also int the “juicy” days we had for an early entry and to have right amount of speed especially in backhand trains. I found one discounted one 30% brand new and 7’. I am deciding if go for it in these days
Hi mate. Yeah I was keen on a Mid 6 but thought the 7 was a bit refined lower volume and quite a bit of rocket for me but would make an excellent “sensible and conservancy ” step up im short and like to be able to duck dive my boards too so 7 is about the limit of length I can do that easily on. The 7’6” mid 6 looks quite different to the 7 more volume and a bit more width so doesn’t look as blade like. I actually sold my ova. A friend bought it and he’s loving it for exactly what you said. He can ride it in small and bigger waves and likes the fin options. He’s in pretty good shape and taller too so seems to suit him well. I found it a little hard to duck dive think the nose is a little wider than I thought so even though it’s thin it was a bit harder to sink than the one I made myself and that’s much thicker. If you think it rip suit you it probably will it’s pretty versatile nice to ride lots of options and the thunderbolt tech is great. Especially if your getting a bargain price. Hope that helps.
Hi, great review and loads of super useful information to digest. I'm looking for a bit of advice as I am in the market to grab myself a mid-length and from what I can see you look like an expert on the subject lol. At the moment I have the 9'5" Gem (Thunderbolt Red) and a 5'10" Seaside so looking for something around the 7-foot mark for when the waves get overhead or maybe something versatile that I can throw in the back of the campervan as a one board quiver kind of thing. Anyway, I've been looking at the Thunderbolt boards (My Gem is awesome) and I am struggling to pick between the Moe and the Ova. Bearing in mind that I am an old bugger (nearly sixty) and my surfing ability sucks, which one do you think might fit me best?
Any advice is much appreciated...
Cheers
Stuart
Hey mate thanks for the feedback and thanks for reaching out. Lol yeah no expert but have definitely been through a bit of trial and error 🤣 Yeah that's a tough one aye as the thunderbolt tech is fantastic but some of the mids are at that higher end of what you can duck dive. The Sunday was a bit of a revaluation of how many litres you can get away with in the right length and nose size but I didn't really like the fin set ups so ironically the one I made myself is working best out of everything I have tried in terms of paddle duck dive and feel. I personally still wonder if I should have got the moe or the ova too. Decision would have been ridiculous hard if the moe was only 7'0" with all the same numbers as I feel like at my hight it's hard to duck dive anything over 7'0" ironically the ova is a little lower volume and not too thick in the nose but still probably as hard if not harder to duck dive than the Sunday as the Sunday has a more narrow nose and even though it's 6 more litres it still duck dives more easily. On the other hand although I haven't tried it in anything big I think the ova tail would probably be one of the best in a bigger wave. I think if your a bit taller than me and feel like you can duck dive the moe and are looking to ride a quad or thruster style of riding In smaller waves as well maybe the Moe if your looking to only ride it in bigger stuff and have a tail that feels like a smaller performance longboard maybe the ova. Alternatively if you want more shortboard genetics and are happy with a Polly or a different epoxy tech there are a couple of other options that could be on your short list like a chilli mid strength or a party crasher or a crowd killer or a smooth operator. Those could be customised to get exactly the volume length and width you have. Seeing you have a 5'10" Sunday you must be in half decent shape and skill and not all they heavy. If your set on the thunderbolt yeah either could be good. I wish I could ride tht Moe and still wonder if that would be more me but I do like the general feel of the ova a lot too just still not had it out in a decent wave as I have been hooked on the one I made myself since the first ride. That seems to have really nailed it which is crazy to say but I guess I have made a few now so gotten to the dims I want. I might be wrong and it could be really close so please do have a good luck at other reviews but in my head I'm still thinking if you want it to be like a more practical big guy shortboard hybrid the moe could be the one depending on your high weight desire to duck dive well etc. And if your wanting something to feel a little more like a high performance longboard then the ova could be the go. The fins are much further up on the ova and that concaves are long vee double out back again more like a performance longboard style which makes sense and the mo has concaves and fin position more coming from making a hybrid shortboard bigger wider and more user friendly. Hope that helps a little. Sorry I can't help more but I feel like I could as easily be wrong as right between those too as still have doubts between them myself. Guys at the local surf shop says feedback on the Moe is it will go in a bit of everything. maybe not super big but it's good to know it will do smaller waves too. Many of the mids are too pulled in at the tail for the waves we ride.
@@lawson45uk thanks 👍 I really appreciate your expertise. Sounds like the mo might be more my kind of board. I'll take your advice and check out the other recommendations too. 🤙
@@stuartmillar8264 which did you go for in the end and how you getting on with it ?
How is this board on late drops/takeoffs? I've had a 7'2 FCD for years and it has save my arse many times on late drops, very forgiving, just a pinch of a weight shift back and I'm good. FCD is old and beat along with expensive, price range on this model skindog is perfect, but I'm older and slower so I only expect the late drops to increase. 🙂
Hey Dave, hope you’re well. I’m riding a ‘hullucious twin’ made by ray Findlay. The hull is great in chop, and in general rides very smoothly. Was thinking about how combing hull on the nose but into concaves etc would work. Anyways hope to see you rags again soon
Hey Haggis :-) Good to hear from you mate, hope your well. Yeah I think a couple of people including yourself have mentioned that model and really stoked in it. I really like Rays shapes. He seems to have that approach of some really cool and out of the norm outlines but with excellent fundamental basics and sensible rockers etc so not surprised they are popular here. I was keen to try the Outlier as I mentioned that's a beautiful refined rail in a hull design but think it still goes a littke sharp off the tail but it's just very pulled in and might not have worked well in the slow waves here. Even the Sunday has a nice bit of roll just in the front and then transitions to modern. I ended up making one more for myself as you will see if you end up watching my next video really pleased with that so far. Nice to hear from your mate, hope your well and getting waves.
@@lawson45uk hope you’re getting some waves too. I’ve actually got ray to shape me a 5 fin setup with his hull contours on bottom but I pulled in the nose and tail a bit. Electric board as a quad, I’ve tried as a thruster too but I’m not a thruster guy. Really like the board you shaped too, great job, love to see your review once you’ve ridden it. Now you gotta come back up here to swap boards and stories lol. Hope you’re well too mate, all the best.
@@nzhaggisnz yeah nice it's cool when you have a good relationship with a good shaper aye. You can tweak things and make some improvments together👍 lol yup not into thrusters either. Seems to slow that board down too much but they have their place too for sure. Would be nice to be up in Ragland again for sure. Cool wee place. Couple of locals have moved from here to there recently. Yeah would be fun to swap boards and talk some shit 😜 maybe one day I will get back up their for a trip. Not surfed anywhere but my local break got years. In fact raglan was the last time I surfed another break. I don't travel much. Cheers buddy. Take care 🤙 yeah will try do a wee update on the ova and my own one in a bit once I find some waves to get into 🙏
hey mate.cheers for sharing another refreshing and helpful video always find your discussions really interesting.
Im still riding my 7'3 keel sunday but not getting out as much as id like to. last surf was 3 ft soft taupo bay and i struggled. happily resigning myself to bigger boards and thinking of, when i can afford to getting a longboard or two maybe the gem and upsized special T .Unsure how much overlap there though or if a good pairing.Iv watched your old videos and even read some online forums where they were quoting your videos. Im also considering selling the Sunday in favour of torq big boy act or ci mid or something more versatile and backhand west coast wave confident. For me.at my size sunday seems to need a bit of grunt and preferably R/h wave .I think im midlenght fussy too haha vids appreciated mate look forward to watching your custom one next 👍🤙
Thanks mate, appreciate your support. I tend to dribble on a bit but nice to hear people don't mind the detail sometimes lol. Ok that's interesting.. I would have maybe thought the Sunday might have the edge over some other boards in smaller waves with the volume but I couldn't really get mine going well in anything under 2-3ft. To be honest I think most Mids are a bit like that most are really not grovel boards at all. Yeah I liked the look of the big boy too. Friend of mine just bought an ACT don and said the tech is good. Still not sure how grovelly. The Chopper is nice too but also pulled in tail and quite refined. Guys at Exit here were saying the Moe does a bit of everything.. Perhaps that in 8ft could be an option. The 7'2" is nice too but probably not that far off the sunday for smaller waves but hard to tell. Hmm Gem and special T both fantastic boards. I guess if you had a 9'1" Gem and 9'6" Special T that would be a good combo but depends on your volume happy zones. 78 Litres is a good bit of volume but if you wanted that for the smaller stuff and your in that zone for volume maybe a cool combo. I have the Haven and the Blender so you would be doing a pretty similar split I would say. I did consider just having a 9'1" Special T again and nothing else but since I have 2 and they have gone up in price so much I might as well have both options :-) lol Just let me know if you want to bounce any ideas off me but sounds like you have a good handle on what you want. Special T and GEM are both very nice and natural and easy to ride. Both boards I would consider if I were looking from scratch again. Cheers.
Oh and ci mid I think also isn't really great for small waves from what I have heard but I haven't ridden one so not sure. Cheers. Devon Howard said it's really designed for point waves and more medium sized waves than small.
Morning mate! sorry late reply. thanks.for the response -Im actually not sure of my longboard volume.And hope to only purchase once..any tips? for smaller waves i thought more the merrier?TJ has a good video up with his longboard quiver explained. looks like he rides 9 6 special T . Im 100kg so thought safe bet for me . Also thought 9 ft mark for a more performance shape longboard.( Gem and the HI4 looks cool too) i like the look of the thunderbolt tech.
Hope youve been getting some good waves down there recently! i had a good surf last east coast swell on my sunday and a couple ok backhand waves so think i will stick with it and work on it.
Cheers Dave have a good one!
@@lukewadham1726 Crap just wrote a reply and lost it lol. I just got another Special T myself and have done an updated review. if you want an easy to ride all rounder single fin that's not all loggy I rekon the 9'6" be great for you at 100kg. I was also eying up the Hi4 at 9'3" as a one longboard quiver for me. Probably be more towards the fairly performance all rounder for you and they yeah the GEM if your comfortable with lower volume and want a drive off the tail single and side bits for better waves. Spoke to my mate again at the weekend he's been enjoying the his Don Nose rider in ATC i think that's also in your volume range and an all rounder. Guess it would be smart to get the one your getting for the smaller stuff first and go from there so you get an idea of volume etc. Ideally if you could borrow or demo something similar but I think you would be safe with the Special T. I had mine out in 1ft and a bit bigger recently and it feels good in most stuff, 9'0" isn't a super super early in glidey as a longer long board but the paddle to performance ratio is really good. Feels very natural and easy to ride. Probably the one I would be most confident to recommend out of the pack for smaller waves and an all rounder but I haven't ridden that actual size so could be a little different to what
@@lukewadham1726 Sorry just got cut off mid sentence but yeah special T 9'6" I think would be a good once to start you off. Exit surf down here have one at this stage but might be gone to the guy that I bought my 9'0" version off soon :-) lol He loves the board but wanted a bit more glide as he's wanting to get into the nose riding and easy wave catching in the smaller stuff more. He said the 9 was great and he would probably regret selling it but it's more racy and he likes the 9 when it's a little bigger. Cheers.
Hi, thank you for all the info about this board! With this board in 8 foot size, what size 2 plus 1 fins would you recommend? I'm 6'3" 200 pounds. Thank you
Hi Joe. I would probably have a look at the Skindog set that was made for this board. It's quite a lot of surface area.. I would say too big for me on the 7'ft bit for a heavier rider on the 8ft could be great. You could have a look at something like the Josh Hall 7.5" fin from captain fin with some medium sides or something too just depends how much fin you want. I dont like to over fin mids and longboards personally but I was surprised how much fin area this board was ok with and still remained responsive. Or a Kai salas 7" with some sides too that would work. I dont really like the FCS2 single fins as they dont tend to stay in too good but the fin types are good.
The flying diamonds versions be a great option too to start. Try the 7" with the sides and go up on the sides if you feel you can use a bit more.
exitsurf.co.nz/collections/winter-sale/products/flying-diamonds-kai-sallas-hp-clear?_pos=4&_sid=095b8beac&_ss=r&variant=39371503075383
exitsurf.co.nz/collections/winter-sale/products/flying-diamonds-kai-sallas-hp-sides-clear?_pos=3&_sid=02f14df3b&_ss=r
@@lawson45uk Thank you for the info
If you ever get a chance to buy a 7' Outlier just do it. You will love it.
I have the cream colored 7' outlier ands its incredible in small-medium / mushy waves. After my first session I started calling it the Cream Dream and ride it about 50% of the time. Almost like an ultimate groveler but also handles larger waves when they are rolling or off a point. Once it gets punchy or powerful it tends to slide out on the bottom turns just because of how flat the rocker is. 1-4 foot it catches everything and turns really well for how long it is.
Exactly...so basically perfect for Dave's local conditions most of the time. I think he would love it. My mate and I who have one both say...never leave home without it.
@@Ironlung330
45 ........ you're still a young lad!
;-) Cheers mate
Hi mate. Always love your reviews. Am I right in thinking you’re not as stoked on the board as you anticipated?
Cheers buddy.. Yeah it's a bit early to say for sure as we have had really lame waves for a bit and i'm a bit down on my own ability too lately. Finding all but Longboards a little harder going but I was expecting a bit more paddle power and a bit easier to duck dive. I think if there was a 7"0" 50Litre Mo I might have gone for that model it's just so hard to know with mids they can be really tricky to get right for you personally. I think it's like going back to the old Surftech Tuflite days if you want that tech there might not be a model that's got the perfect dims rocker and volume combination. I think boards are getting so expensive, especially mid lengths and i'm so fussy and particular it's hard for me to be completely stoked sometimes. It's interesting actually.. When I got the Sunday I was worried it was too much volume and I was surprised how well it paddled and still duck dived but I couldn't get on with how it handled from fin set ups so i'm actually looking forward to the one I just shaped more and not being full of myself but I feel like I have sold many of the boards I have made myself that have actually gone better than than many of the ones you can buy.. Few of my mates that are not so fussy are loving boards I made for them and i'm still fluffing around spending a fortune trying to find "the one" in "the tech" so I dont have to think about it anyone lmao but should probably just land on the "Really great dont mess with it" board and leave it at that... I think some times you can get 90% there and run around in circles chasing the 10% and not really getting anywhere ;-) Maybe just get the OCD hypnotized out of me LMAO :-) Cheers.
@@lawson45uk hi mate. I completely understand. I just bought exactly this board a week ago. And I like it a lot. The only thing is that maybe I expected a bit more was drive. I was wondering if this had to do with the fins. I only had an 6 inch single and normal sides. Does the size of the single fin influence the drive of the board as well and if so in which way? I know from my twin fin that bigger generally gives more drive but I don’t know about single fins with sides.
I do immensely like the way it takes off so smoothly. Any advice would be great. Thnx heaps
@@SunriseSessions Hey buddy. That's great if the board is everything you expected but lacking a bit of drive I think that should be very fixable with fins for sure. The tail is fairly pulled in and quite refined on the OVA. Fin surface area, fin base, fin rake, fin position it all adds up big time. Personally I don't really buy any single fins that I can't at least find the surface area and base measurement on or be able to go into a shop and physically compare to my other fins.
From my little experience so far the OVA seems to be fine with a good amount of fin without it spoiling the turning and it carries good speed through turns. Obviously your own weight and the feel you like etc comes into it too but I am running a Kai Sallas 6.5" Single Fin with FCS Performer Large rear quads as side bites at the moment. That to me is a lot of overall fin area and the same as I would use on my 9ft blender but it seems to be working pretty well. Ben skinner uses even bigger. His own set is 7" Centre and medium thrusters as side bites. I personally think that might be a bit and world tour level longboarders would be used to pushing hard on bigger fins so probably makes sense for ben. His older futures set was great in my longboard
and its probably a similar template. I would stay away from single fins running the FCS2 clip in system I dont find them reliable myself would sooner set and forget with a screw plate. Had too many FCS2 singles drop out and wobble around.
Ok so enough blah blah blah from me lol I would recommend:
Make sure your fin is at least 6" deep close to 5" or more base. Ideally if you know the surface area you would probably want 21 square inches and up but maybe not over 25-26.
And for sides see if you can borrow a medium or large rear quad pair in a performer from someone and go from there.
Side bites make a big difference.. Most guys on performance longboards with deep concaves seem to like fiarly large sides and a 6.5-7 Single fin in a Dolphin or fairly all round kind of shape with a bit of rake. Something like the Kai Sallas.
For fin position on single and sides I usually assume the shaper put the front fin / side bite fin boxes where he wanted them so I put the front fins or side bites in and make sure the front of the single fin is about 25-50mm back from the back of the frint fins / side bites. On this board that's actually pretty close to the center of the board or a little forward.
Give that lot a crack and see how you go. Let me know if that's the same kind of set up you want to get and I can help you choose fins if you like.
Links below to Skinner talking the board and fins and a link to FCS fin specs. FCS, Captain Fin and Flying Diamonds all make some good singles. I have always found the FCS Kai Sallas 6.5 good for single and sides. Just get it in the screw plate version if you can. Flying Diamonds Kai Sallas HP is the same in Flying diamonds. You can get that in 6.5,7,7.5" but I would probably try 6.5 first.
Hope that helps. Cheers.
czcams.com/video/4poavDYa_HI/video.html
www.surffcs.com.au/pages/fcs-fin-data
@@SunriseSessions Sorry meant to say I think the Skindog set might be a bit big but didn't finish the sentence. That would be the max I would put in but think a little less probably fine for most.
@@SunriseSessions and fin about the centre of the "BOX" or a bit forward not board lol sorry typos.
I appreciate your reviews aren’t “great board for any skill level in any conditions”.
Cheers Mark good to hear. I try my best to be detailed without waffling on too much which I know I do sometimes :-) lol Thanks for watching.
People watch your videos because they want to hear your thoughts on boards or board concepts. I think your ‘waffling’ is more helpful to people than you realize. ( for me at least).
We all waffle in our heads, so it’s actually quite helpful hearing unedited thoughts.
@@Mark-hj7hi thanks mate. Appreciate that 🙏 I have always tried to keep it just me un sponsored un edited unbias so it's nice to know people stick around for that not Inspite of 😂
22 minute review with no footage.
Yeah sorry Steve that’s just what my content is I’m afraid. Just me taking about my feelings on the technicals of the boards and how I found they ride to try and help others make the right choice for them. I do it for free and not sponsored so I don’t make footage and music and nice edits. Hopefully you found something worth while for your time and sorry if you didn’t but thanks for watching and commenting.
Thanks for the video.