Sunova Surfboards - Shortboards Review - Clone by Paul Bocquet

Sunova Clone Board Review:

So finally, after a week of surf with this board, here is what I can say:

Surfer’s profile: 

  • Paul Bocquet
  • 24 years old
  • 1.75m
  • 65kg

 

Board tested:

  • Model: Clone
  • Ref number: SC511/1 #4065
  • With FCS PC-3 fins

 

Waves:

  • Scarborough from half a foot to 3ft, on shore and off shore (fast, short beach break, very hollow), Ders 3ft off shore (reef/sand break right/left soft with hollow sections).

 

Board:

  • Buoyancy: amazing. Better than PU boards, but still at the same time not too much flotation like the surftech which usually when it is not perfect glassy conditions tends to float too much.

 

  • Paddling: very comfortable and fast. I didn’t feel that I was making any effort to paddle, just smooth.
  • At the take off: very easy to enter in the wave thanks to the rocker, and straight when I was standing up the board was going so fast and responsive to any of my movements. I was feeling that I was never late with this board.

 

  • Speed: incredibly fast board. No need to make any effort, just leave the board goes. And when I started to get used to it and start to activate it to take speed, the board was responding straight away. I felt my surfing faster when leaving the board doing the job, as much as when I was taking speed using the all wall. VERY GOOD ROCKER FOR SMALL WAVES.
  • Responsiveness: incredibly responsive board, just goes exactly where I wanted it to go when I wanted.
  • Transition rail to rail: I felt a little difference in here with PU boards, maybe caused by the flexibility of the board. I felt strange first because the transition was so fast from a rail to the other, but when I was used to it, it was very comfortable and strong when the rail was engaged in the water on cut backs or bottom turns.
  • Top to bottom: the board was extremely fast at the end of the bottom turn when preparing to go hurt the lip. I think here again the pressure exerted in the bottom turn on the board made the board blowing when relaxing.

 

  • Control: first it was a bit hard to control this rocket under my feet. But after a few waves, I realized in any situation that the board in so easy to put where you want that it’s easy to land anything. Even on unexpected turns or airs the boards has this ability to make it!!
  • Return (not sure if you call the same in English): at the end of each turn the board looks to go faster and faster. I was even surprised at the start after a few turns, and was falling so fast the board was to go in the next turn.

 

  • Airs: I am not really good at this and the flex was helping me a lot, as much as the weight of the board. Just easy to make air if you can control it, but the first part was so easy and smooth.
  • Carves: different than my other boards. I was not happy at the start and it took me time to find how to make it work. I think it is because of the transition rail to rail so fast, not as smooth as with a Pu board. But when this step is controlled the board feel strong on the rail, and very good return in round house cut backs thanks to the flex.

 

  • Top turns/re-entries: I was felling the board soooo strong. I made more fast, high turns with half of the board out that in a week than the last few month. Just a bomb.
  • Tubes: in the small tubes I get the fact that the board is fast was excellent, but I was sliding from the tail on a few waves when taking off a bit late. Maybe because the PC-3 are a bit too small for me, because the rail on the 3rd part of the board is very sharp so should hand in the wall very easy.

 

Overall comment:

 

I think it is one of the 3 best boards I surfed in my life, and with a few changes made specifically for me, I am sure it can be my magic board from far.
I felt the board very good, strong, and fast under my feet from the start. With this, the confidence was increasing and made a few shitty sessions really fun. I was able to catch any 10inches waves go fast and a make few good turns or an air.
The board is easy to paddle, fast on the wave, light, strong, and make me surf better. Hard to believe but true.
When I first heard about your boards from Jason’s friend, rusty, a very good surfer from Perth, I thought it was another one who was trying to say that this technology was the future. But now I really believe that it is the future, and even more: these boards make you surf better.

 

Paul Bocquet