So, my first board was a 2013 9'2" Fanatic Allwave, great board, no complaints until today when I cracked it in half. It was from a drop off a head high wave that I landed, and wish I hadn't, or at least that's what I'm thinking cracked it.
In any case, I'm going to repair it, but it got me thinking of upgrading. Any thoughts on the difference between the 2013 9'2" and a 2015 8'11" AW? I can stand to go down in size because I just bought a 10' JL Black and Blue for small waves/nose riding.
The AW will be for waist high and bigger, etc.
Thoughts?
Oh and for stats - I'm 175 lbs. intermediate rider I'd say, comfortable in up to head high surf.
You would have no trouble going down to the 2015 8'11" AllWave, and you might consider going smaller. I am 165 lbs, and recently sold my 2015 8'11" AllWave because it felt a little big for me. I sometimes borrow my wife's 8'5" AllWave (which is the size that Jim K at Extreme Windsurfing correctly recommended for me), and find it plenty stable and fun to ride. If you don't want to go that small, check out the new 2016 AllWave 8'9". I have not ridden one yet, but I understand that it is patterned after the newer design of the 8'5", so it should be fun, and better than the 2015 8'11" at about the same volume (the new ones are wider and thinner).
At the risk of confusing the issue, if you are thinking about going a little smaller for more performance, maybe check out the Sunova Speeed in an 8'10''. I just came in from another wonderful 4 hour session on that board and it is magical. I can guarantee that it will way outperform your 9'2", and even the 8'11". For me, I like having a wider board for when it is windy or choppy so I have a 9' Tabou (more stable) and an 8'8" Starboard Air Born (super stable) for those conditions, but maybe your 10 footer would cover you for that.
If you are interested in going shorter I would have a look at the Fanatic Stubby. I just got the 8'6" 120lt version, and found it to be about as stable as the 2015 9'3" ProWave, but way easier to throw around, and more fun without being A massive challenge. I am way more comfortable on the stubby than an 8'11" ProWave. I can't compare to the AW, but I am 5'11" 187lb.
