Decided I have has enough solo sessions, so I jumped into a crowded peak for Hurricane Humberto waves
I was the only SUP surfer, but there were 3 Foils working the crowd as well
Had a great time, got on well.... maybe because I'm 77 
Hi Rick, another inspirational video showing us the way in riding SUP's in larger surf.
Looks like the new "Slim" Ghost would have been idea in those waves. I paddled into a few bombs last week myself last week and for the first time found the upper size limit of my much loved Casey Revo 10x30.
So I am very happy to see released alongside the new Ghost the SUNOVA Shorty.
I can see a 9'2x30 @ 130 lt in my future, the shape and dimensions look perfect to me.
Cheers mate, keep the stoke coming...
Steve.
Select to expand quotedrivethebus said..
Hi Rick, another inspirational video showing us the way in riding SUP's in larger surf.
Looks like the new "Slim" Ghost would have been idea in those waves. I paddled into a few bombs last week myself last week and for the first time found the upper size limit of my much loved Casey Revo 10x30.
So I am very happy to see released alongside the new Ghost the SUNOVA Shorty.
I can see a 9'2x30 @ 130 lt in my future, the shape and dimensions look perfect to me.
Cheers mate, keep the stoke coming...
Steve.
Good on you DTB... and thanks for the kind words.
I was hanging on to a runaway Ghost on most of those waves.
ha ha... I was over the comfort level on the Ghost.The flat tail with sharp rails are perfect in low power waves, but had way too much release for some of those drops.
I was wishing I had the Ghost Up for all these Hurricane Humberto days, it would have made all the difference!
Today I took out my big 9'4 Creek for a Cape Cod session..... 
You got some beauties Rick ,
I've been having a school holiday crowd too ,but best take your time and pick them off
nice Job 
Funky sort of wave Rick, plenty of backwash and different power zones, let alone ya millions of mates, but it looks like the 8'10" handled it with ease. Interested that you chose large quobba thruster set (I think), I probs would've gone quads. Having said that I'd not have tackled that crowd-kudos.
So what's the ghost like with quads?
Select to expand quotebackbeach said..
Funky sort of wave Rick, plenty of backwash and different power zones, let alone ya millions of mates, but it looks like the 8'10" handled it with ease. Interested that you chose large quobba thruster set (I think), I probs would've gone quads. Having said that I'd not have tackled that crowd-kudos.
So what's the ghost like with quads?
Oddly enough, I have never tried quads on the Ghost. I have use mostly a 3.6" center fin with large Quobba sides. or I love it as a Twin in small waves.
Select to expand quotebackbeach said..
So what's the ghost like with quads?
Given that Rick likes twins and big sizes + small center (like me), I'd bet he would find a quad setup too stiff and tracking for his taste.
Also, my personal opinion is that SUPs being much harder to turn than a prone shortboard to begin with, they do not need a fin setup that stiffen them. Prone shortboards being more lively benefit from quads to "tame" them in gnarly conditions.
I only used quads on SUPs when either:
- they did not had a central box, and I did not bother adding one. In this case I used tiny rear 50/50 rear quads.
- I spun out on very wide and flat tailed boards in powerful waves
Glad to see you scored Rick! We also got great waves in NJ.
I have to say my Sunova SP25 with the Quabba thruster (smaller trailer) is absolutely magic. The SP25 is an incredible board and it feels like I'm riding my prone shortboard... I have people telling me I look like I'm on a shortboard.
I only use thrusters on my SUPs. I love that pivot feel when surfing backside and doing bottom turns, top to bottom surfing.
I know I sound like a broken record, but the Quabba fins blow my mind every time I use them... There is nothing like them. Im always surprised more people don't use them.
I really like the feeling of quads Colas insofar as the extra speed and glide they offer. I surf punchy beach breaks a fair bit and love the feel of engagement of fin/rail on that initial bottom turn off the drop and then whooshka acceleration. Defs not going for 12 o clock reos so much so the pivot of the thruster isn't as necessary but I do miss it on cutbacks. I find quads more stable for paddling in choppy conditions which has helped me a lot since I've dropped board size
I probably surf my prone midlength more than sup surf and it's a 7ft Harley Ingelby Mid6 which he swears by as a quad and having tried both I'd have to agree, albeit its got channels out the tail.
TBH its all horses for courses and a lot of fun is had experimenting. I should add a caveat that I surfed a Hipster twin for years and loved that stabilizer and twinny feel, so am stoked it works on the ghost. I'll be the quad crash test dummy on my ghost when the Thai slow boat finally gets here Rick!
Select to expand quotebackbeach said..
I'll be the quad crash test dummy on my ghost when the Thai slow boat finally gets here Rick!
ha ha.... I have to do the same!
I love quads on my SUPs - NVS Kestrel quads are super fast and loose on my 9'1" Ghost. They go vertical too so no complaints there. They're a bit squirrelly in powerful surf so I'm going to try a nubster to tighten it up for select days.
I am loving the custom quad set I am running on my 8'10" Ghost. I like to do a lot of fin experimentation and tested the Ghost with many thruster and quad options. My favorite thruster option was upright 4.35" fronts and a 3.75" center, but I was not getting as much drive as I wanted. Most of the stock quad sets I tried had great drive, but stiffened the board up too much. What I am loving is using NVS 4.35" Peregrine fronts which are a very vertical fin with very little rake, paired with NVS Album Fascination rears that also have very little rake. (NVS is great about letting you mix and match sets.) The rears came as 3.95" with a 10.75" area. I hand-sanded them to drop the height by about an eighth of an inch, and more importantly, I took about three sixteenths off the trailing edge to shorten the chord from top to bottom. I did this in stages, and it was fascinating to feel how much the board loosened up each time I shortened the chord of the trailers. I am careful to sand the foil to blend it into the shorter chord. Sanding the trailing edge of the trailers not only makes them smaller, but it also shortens the overall length of the fin cluster, which I find to be key. The board now feels like it has the drive and hold of a quad with at least as much looseness as a thruster set with a small trailer because the length of the fin cluster is shorter than where the center box is located. I have used this setup in up to 8' surf and felt the board had plenty of control, much more than with a thruster setup, because a wide-tailed board on a big steep wall gets very little grip from a center fin which may not even engage the water high up on a steep wall. With quads, I know I will always have two fins gripping the wall, no matter how big and steep the wall or how wide the tail.
Having said all that, who knows what my curiosity will have me riding a few months from now.
