"Tippy" Sunova Speeed 8'11"

Hi Sup'ers. I've been riding my Sunova Speeed for about 5 sessions now and I still find it very tippy. I'm not a great Sup rider but I had no trouble at all on my 9'5" x 31 Sup. [Except that it had a tendency to nose-dive without warning. No problem with the Speeed in that department.] My question is: Do I just need to give it more time or would maybe replacing the centre fin help stabilize the board. BTW conditions today were glassy so I can't blame churning surf. The Speeed is fantastic once it gets going on a wave...smooth, fast and easily turned off the tail. Any advice on my problem appreciated. Cheers.

Keep at it mate - it's a new feeling partly because it's quite a narrow board + the shape has a few idiosyncrasies e.g. domed deck / blunt nose etc. A few tips:

- I've experimented with different fin combos & I personally don't think a larger centre provides more stability...it's likely to have more of an impact on the way the board tracks + obviously the way it turns on a wave e.g. the smaller the centre, the looser it is
- try & stagger your stance & keep your feet quite close together (sounds counter intuitive but it really helps with stability)
- keep at it (it's very easy to think that it's never going to click but if you put the time in, you'll be rewarded)

Good luck

I'm a Speeed 8'10 owner too, came from an 8'10 x 31" to the Speeed's 8'10 x 29".

Initially I fell in a lot, not whilst paddling in a straight line or moving, but either slowing down to standstill or stationary or from stationary to moving forward.. so transitions really.
So I need to learn the board and got together a plan.

I realised early on it's a particular board that you need to spend some time and put some effort in to get to know it. I did just that and my "routine" and training became this:
1) Learning tail sinks and where the balance point is, I spent time tail spinning in calm waters and would routinely spin clockwise and anticlockwise 30 times. I learned to place my feet exactly at the point where the tail would sink almost to my knee and the front foot near the Liftsup Handle. Then just spin on the tail.
2) Sharp turns and more tail spins, these were designed for transition phases going from centered stance to surf stance quickly. Nailing those front foot in the centre of the board, rear foot placed near the side bites, sink tail, do 180 degree spin then lean hard on the front foot to bring the tail back up and paddle off and change stance.
3) Paddling in center stance and jump/flip into surf stance and back again.

Ok, so I fell in a lot at first but over the short phase of about a month I'd learned where the balance points are, how the tail reacts to sinking quickly and slowly, feet positioning in normal stance and surf stance.. Once I'd mastered this I took it out in waves and flew.

It is a thin board widthways yes, but not overly so. It just takes a little time understanding it's plan shape and how it floats.

Waves come naturally once you've mastered the basics of the board IMO, I learned so much from Guys on here and STC's Videos. I suggest you seek out YouTube for STC's vids on the Speeed because they are so informative.

And I wouldn't change the centre fin, the 105's are a good size for the board in anything flat through head/head and a half.

I have since changed my fins though, gone down a size to 94's from FCS PCC's because I know the board well enough and I'm into sliding the tail out now.

HTH's, enjoy the Speeed because its a fabulous board.

I agree with Rockmagnet...

I have an 8'10 Speeed and find it can seem tippier than it actually is. (I was 90kg, now I'm 85 - and I guess practice and a few lost kgs have both helped me get used to it.)
That initial "uh-oh" then recovery is probably the secondary stability thing that people talk about - it feels like you're about to get tipped off, but if you wait another nano-second, it's okay again. So, don't listen to your brain, is the important thing.

But I also have a bigger board for when conditions would make life hard work on the Speeed. So that's the other important thing - when in doubt, buy another board for the quiver.

I'm 55. I reckon I'll want more volume in a few years. I think age is a BIG factor even for fit, skilled surfers and the years should be factored in to board choice right along with weight, experience and your usual conditions on the water.

I also moved from an 8'11" X 31 down to the 8'10" X 29" Speeed, and found it tippy at first. I am now comfortable on it unless it is really windy and choppy, in which case I still will sometimes grab my wider board. In addition to all of the good advice above, I also found it useful to intentionally rock the board side to side with soft legs, rather than trying to keep it still and level. This seems to help educate the brain in terms of what it takes to tip the board and what it takes to right it; and also it helps to loosen the legs up so that you are working with the tippiness instead of fighting it. I would agree with not going to a larger center fin, in part because it will negatively affect the great performance of the Speeed, but I also have another theory. The idea behind a big center fin is to slow the tippiness, but that comes with two larger problems; it also slows your ability to right the board, and it makes the board much more vulnerable and reactive to underwater currents and turmoil. A larger fin might make sense if the water was absolutely calm and tranquil, but in the surf zone you are better off with something that reacts quickly to your input and that does not get shoved around as much by the underwater activity.
At 65 I would have to agree with the statement that older age does not equate to better balance, but I do spend a lot of time on a Bosu ball trying to tune the balance system. I really like turning the ball upside down (more challenging), and using a short paddle to work on paddling technique; pretty much guaranteed to get the balance system quivering.

I too are over 60 with a new 8'10" Speeed coming down from 31". As a once whitewater kayaker where the only thing that keeps your head above water is your skill with the paddle I know that a SUP paddle is not just a blunt instrument for propulsion. Waving the paddle around in the air to regain balance is far less effective than having the paddle actively engaged with the water. To remain stationary you can do a figure of eight type of 'stir the pot' stroke to provide youself with very strong 'outrigger'.
Adding to that a concept that has helped me is at the point of feeling you are loosing balance quickly drop by bending the knees as if sitting your bum down on a chair rather than allowing your torso to bend forwards with straight legs.
Watch the hot shots on tiny boards in tough conditions and you'll see the paddle is rarely not in or skimming the water.

I can't tell you all the prep work I did after I ordered the 8'10 Speeed... I had never ridden anything under 30"... and that was a 10'6.

I borrowed every tiny board I could find.
Then I went out in 20+ MPH sideshore winds to get myself ready for a challenge.
I paddled my 10'6 from the nose.... just to work the muscles.

It still took a while for me to adjust to 29".... but it happened