#1: I have no style in the surf but I own a 10' Sunova Style.
I had a few sessions on Westernport and I have now had a couple of sessions at the Prom.
(I had my 8'10" Speeed on the beach and then bought down the Style - my wife asked why I had two identical boards... On closer examination they are different of course, but I had to smile.)
I am writing this review because, as an owner of the Speeed, I wondered how different the Style could be.
I guess it is obvious. The Style is heavier, longer and flatter. But I was surprised how much heavier it felt in the water. It takes a lot more work to get it moving, and it is much harder to spin it to turn for the wave. The best bet is to dip the tail (raise the nose) and spin.
It is probably easier to catch smaller waves, but I can't say I felt like I caught many waves that I would not have caught on my Speeed.
I tried to get up on the nose, but I am shyte at it. I get closer to the nose on the Speeed. I need more practice.
Being a flatter board I had to be more careful about nose diving. The rocker in the Speeed makes it more forgiving.
And although the Style is over a foot longer (same width), I did not feel like it was a lot more stable - the inertia made it harder for me to manhandle it to deal with choppy conditions. Having said that, I gave my son and brother-in-law a go on both boards and they found the Style easier. (It was pretty cool SUPing with my son!)
So - I like the Style, but I personally prefer the Speeed.
(In am 90 kg, 6'3" and probably intermediate.)
Thanks for the review CSE.Im of the opinion the speed is a special board and once you ride it in good surf youve really been spoiled.We did demo the skate and naturally a completely different beast but pretty much hated it really,more my inability to come to terms with id say.I often wonder if i downsized to a smaller speed would i get the same buzz,not sure and expensive to gamble on.I have the 8.10 and my mate has the 9.2.I found the 9.2 a lot bigger to use in the surf than expected but still a damn fine ride if you had plenty of wave.Love to hear from anyone with 8.8 or 8.5 speed for a wrap up.I tip in at 85 kegs and around 180cm ,just a washed up ole longboarder really but loving the whole learning process of a new thang.
T
This is why the 8.10 speed is my fave .Ticks a lot of boxes for this ole fella.
For the Style, maybe you could play with the fins? Try it with a single fin with a thin chord for instance. I found out that a 2+1 setup could "lock" the board at the slow speeds of noseriders (never tried the Style, though), but a single fin forwards in the box makes it quite nimble.
That they are Flowmaster,just out front of home but very rare to see,just happened to be a great christmas pressy from Santa this year.How are you going with the speed?
I've owned the 10' Style / 8'10 Speeed (which I hope I don't regret selling) & the 8'5 Speeed & I clock in at 85kegs. The only board out of those 3 which I've held onto is the 8'5 Speeed because in the right conditions, it's the most fun I've had on a board.
Like CSE mentioned, I also found the Style didn't have an edge vs the 8'10 in terms of paddling speed (I personally think the paddling speed of the 8'5 is right up there) / turning for waves was tougher & I think after riding the Speeed, I missed the rocker on the nose + that X-factor of the Speeed.....although I'm certainly no longboarding expert.
The only reason I sold my 8'10 is because I bought a 10' Nalu LE (I was still keen for a longboard in my quiver) which like the 8'10, surfs great off the tail. My initial reason for ordering the 8'10 after owning the 8'5 for a few months was because I was hoping the 8'10 would be my stable board however in choppy conditions, it was still a bit of a challenge. I would give the Nalu a small edge over the 8'10 in terms of stability which I guess makes sense given the extra foot in length....although it is a fraction narrower.
Lucyloo, the 8'5 is definitely a bit more twitchy + harder work (unless the conditions are pretty clean) but there is a reward once on the wave. Bottom line, if you find the 8'10 stable in average conditions, then you probably could afford to go smaller however it's not worth loosing $$'s over because both are phenomenal boards. Hopefully someone in your area will turn up with 1 so that you can demo 
@LucyLoo
Great photos!! I have thought about trying an 8'5" Speeed but I have my 7'10" Minion and that's a ton of fun - but I just have to be willing to miss a couple of waves if it is choppy. I find the Minion much easier to turn - you don't have to focus on getting your weight back as much as you do on the Speeed.
@Colas
I have not played with the fins at all. I am using the fins they gave me in the positions they put them... The center fin is pretty big and I will try putting it further forward without the thruster to see if I can notice the difference. I am not looking to make the Style easier to turn on the wave (I have the Speeed & Minion for those conditions), but I would like to make it easier to turn when the wave approaches.
@SUPbru
So I guess you prefer the Nalu over the Style. Can you get up on the nose? (In my case it is more to do with technique than the board.)
CSE I'm running a shapers 6.5 dolphin in my 9'6 style (pushed almost all the way to the front) and it completely changed the board. The stock fin is waaaay too big IMO. The style has become my most used board lately, love it.
Yeah I love my Nalu....it just seems to work & it feels more nimble vs any other 10' board I've surfed, which includes my 2 x Laird Surfers.
Despite running it as a quad, I can still trot up the nose....although I've yet to do a hang 'anything' which is more a reflection of my skill level (haha)
Select to expand quoteJoffaDan said..
CSE I'm running a shapers 6.5 dolphin in my 9'6 style (pushed almost all the way to the front) and it completely changed the board. The stock fin is waaaay too big IMO. The style has become my most used board lately, love it.
I totally agree joffa, I have the 10' style and I didn't like the big fin that it came with.
I'm running a 7.5 dolphin cut away which still holds in when on the nose.
I also surfed the 10 xl style and thought it suited me more with the little bit of extra width.
Thanks Supbru much appreciated.I luv the resistance the speed puts up when i lay into a turn.It really works for me and seems to be the key for the burst of xtra speed on release.Ive been down as small as 8.3 hokua and unfortunatly for me,too many years of cranking a longboard around has meant this type of board is just too twitchy for me.Its certainly a rider error and im sure 8.5 speed would handle very differently to Hokua.Ill keep my eyes open for one and try get a crack at it.Once again thanks all and its excellent to chat with others experience on the boards.I gotta thank STC for turning me onto the speed.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
@Colas
I have not played with the fins at all. I am using the fins they gave me in the positions they put them... The center fin is pretty big and I will try putting it further forward without the thruster to see if I can notice the difference. I am not looking to make the Style easier to turn on the wave (I have the Speeed & Minion for those conditions), but I would like to make it easier to turn when the wave approaches.
try to put a single fin (no side bites), with a thin chord, especially at the tip. Something like a "finger" fin or a greenough 4A (my favorite).
A "spitfire" fin eases also tunring while paddling, but I found them too twitchy in turns to be pleasant.
Thanks for all the fin suggestions. I will try out a different fin and see how it goes. (It sure is a big fin they have in the back.)
I also read somewhere (2 days after buying my Style) that the 2016 Style is different. Not sure what the improvements were.
Interesting title:
"8'10 Speeed versus 10' Style"
The concept is flawed IMO
They are 2 completely different boards.... different Genre's.
Entirely different styles of surfing.... each unique, each offering a different feel, stoke and reward.
Rather than compare against each other..... use them to compliment each other.
Speeed when you feel like ripping in a shortboard way
Style when you want to throwback to the awesome feel of a mal.
I have owned a lot of good boards in my journey.... each one was a step.
When I got my 8'10 Speeed, my needs were met.... all of my needs.
In a way that I will never outgrow.
I have to admit, that even my 50 year lust to ride longboard style on a regular basis, has ebbed.
The Speeed fits all my needs. It is a very special beast.
BUT.... I own a 10'6 Surf, because they have different specialties..... each to be learned and enjoyed.
When I have more time on it, I will give my thought.
Like STC said 2 entirely different boards. I am lucky enough to own both, 10' Style and8'10 speeed the later being very new to me. The Style you have to turn off the tail and makes long sweeping turns like an old mal (which is how i was told to surf it)
The speeed is just something else can be surfed off the tail, middle, front even lol and the chanels dig into a turn. This is exactly what Bert told me in Merimbula where I demo'd the 9'5 speed and said it was too like the Style and when I tried the 8'10 it was too small. My partner ended up buying one 2 months later as she demo'd and loved. I tried it again and i don't know what happened in 2 months but asfter one wave I told her she was getting the 8'8 which she did and I kept the 8'10.
I am really keen to get the Style to a point wave like Crescent Head but time has stopped me until probably after easter...........
Both are special boards in their own way but the Speeed is just that bit extra special.
Select to expand quote
I'm running a 7.5 dolphin cut away which still holds in when on the nose.
Are you running the 7.5 dolphin as a single fin, or with side bites?
Hi cantSUPenough
Definitely try it as a single fin without the side bites.
I have a 10'6" Nalu, which I know is a different board but still a longboard shape and I experienced the same problem of trying to turn it around for a wave. When I took the side fins out and moved the fin forward it was considerably easier to manouvre.
The only issue with this is: I have found on larger waves I can't crank those big bottom turns without sliding a bit, the turn needs to be more controlled.
The10' Style might have a more refined rail and tail shape that may help prevent this as the Nalu is fairly chunky.
I tend to change boards as the surf picks up so its not really an issue but I am thinking of some smaller side bite fins but not sure what.
CSE.... I agree..... LARGE center fin..... no sidebites
F'ing High... I had the 10'6 Alana, with single centerbox... no side bite option
I ran it with a 10.'5", large base, fiberglass fin and it was great in big surf.... very solid and turned much better with the big fin. Never slipped.
I only did the "comparison" because some time ago I posted a question to learn what the difference was. Now that I have ridden both for a little while (the Speeed much more than the Style) I thought others might be interested if they owned either board.
But I will try the Style without the side-fins to see what difference it makes.
@ShireSUP
Personally I find the Speeed very stiff to turn from the middle (or from anywhere other than the back) - maybe it is just my poor technique. I have flirted with the idea of trying a Flow or some other "traditional" shaped board (but smaller than my 8'8" X32 Hokua - I would love to know what size Flow would have similar stability to the 8'10" Speeed. Anyone tried both boards?)
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
I only did the "comparison" because some time ago I posted a question to learn what the difference was. Now that I have ridden both for a little while (the Speeed much more than the Style) I thought others might be interested if they owned either board.
Thanks cantSUPenogh
I appreciate the review of the differences, it was a good comparison.Select to expand quotesupthecreek said..
CSE.... I agree..... LARGE center fin..... no sidebites
F'ing High... I had the 10'6 Alana, with single centerbox... no side bite option
I ran it with a 10.'5", large base, fiberglass fin and it was great in big surf.... very solid and turned much better with the big fin. Never slipped.
Thanks supthecreek
I will give a larger glass fin a try. I realise from reading Colas and Kami's post I should experiment with some different fins in my SUP's
The stock standard fins supplied with most large manufacturer SUPs are pretty poor considering the money we pay for new SUP's.
I shouldnt talk too harsh or they may stop supplying those as well 
Select to expand quotecolas said..
try to put a single fin (no side bites), with a thin chord, especially at the tip. Something like a "finger" fin or a greenough 4A (my favorite).
A "spitfire" fin eases also tunring while paddling, but I found them too twitchy in turns to be pleasant.
Hi Colas
What size Greenough 4A would you recommend running as a single fin in a 10 x 29 Style? I'm 78kg
cheers
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
@ShireSUP
Personally I find the Speeed very stiff to turn from the middle (or from anywhere other than the back) - maybe it is just my poor technique. I have flirted with the idea of trying a Flow or some other "traditional" shaped board (but smaller than my 8'8" X32 Hokua - I would love to know what size Flow would have similar stability to the 8'10" Speeed. Anyone tried both boards?)
To be honest, it's probably not your technique, but rather mine and my 100+ kts, I can tend to turn things pretty lazy from anywhere 
Last surf I shoulda taken the Style but took the Speeed cause it was new and hence was up the front to get on waves.
I'm gonna be more conscious of that next time 
Select to expand quoteWicksy said..
I'm running a 7.5 dolphin cut away which still holds in when on the nose.
Are you running the 7.5 dolphin as a single fin, or with side bites?
Hi Wicksy,yes still have the side bites.
While I like to get on the nose I really like a board to be turner friendly,if i was just nose riding I would have the big centre fin and no sides.
So much depends on the size and type of wave I'm riding.
Hope that helps
I've always liked wide nose, parallel rail boards so the speed catches my eye.
the 8'10" is about 29" wide, too narrow for me.
the 9'5" is my preferred Width at 31.5" but too long.
the 9'2" is my preferred volume at 148 litres.
as they do custom shapes I'm looking at one that is 9' X 31 1/4" x 149 Lt.
hope it all works out?
