FEEDBACK: 7'6 MOB FSP PRO !!!

Olivier has been surfing for 2 years now with his 8’9 Karmen FSP of 140L. Surfing mostly on a long soft wave spot, he was looking for a dynamic Board to surf in these kind of conditions. After asking for advice on the forum, he opted for a 7’6 Mob FSP PRO and shares with us today his feelings about this shape:

“Feedback after testing.

It’s now 3 weeks since I received my 7’6 Mob FSP PRO and I want to share with you my first feedback (for the record 1.90m, 77kg, 49 years old, goofy, 3 years of SUP (but 35 years of snow, windsurf, skim board, body board…). Previous Board Karmen FSP 8’9. I live on the Ile de Ré, surfing north canton, reef break, long and rather soft waves. – First of all the Board is beautiful. Super light, short, sexy design, you immediately want to ride it. – First launch at my home spot (Grignon)(0,8/1m): pleasant surprise, it’s much easier than I thought. The low volume (105l) and the small size are compensated by the wide and stable Tomo shape. When rowing, the Board is really short for a SUP and obviously glides less than a 9 footer. On the other hand, its wide nose shape makes up for small placement mistakes very quickly. Waiting when paddling is a bit trickier than with the Karmen and requires a bit more focus but nothing incredible. Small adjustments to make to the take-off. All in one, first good session with several waves surfed and good sensations. – After 3 sessions (0,5/1m): I start to understand how the Board works with the paddle in the line-up and the take-off. Once in the wave, the take-off is important (that’s what I was looking for). Offshore conditions are much more interesting to exploit than with a longer Board (no/low wind effect under the nose at take-off). In the wave, the small size is very nice but, at this stage, I haven’t found how to ”fusion my body” my Board yet. I like it more and more, I feel it has a big potential but I can’t express it yet in my surf (Bottom, roller, cut back…). I lack fluidity, I can’t get a good relaunch. I feel that the positioning of my feet is not the right one and especially that it requires more finesse than on my Karmen. – Surf trip in the Basque Country (0,5/1,20m): I’m going to spend 4 days at the end of May at a friend’s place in Saint Jean de Luz to try the board in another kind of wave. First session in Cenitz (left with rocks that is flush with the take-off). Nice session but still not the click I’m waiting for (PS: still as hallucinated to see 30 people on the peak to do the traffic jams in the water). Second session at Erromardie (left with a strong current outside). I’m having a hard time at the beginning because the current and the chop create a lot of instability. By positioning myself a little more inside, I find a more stable water and take some good waves. I’m getting better and better with the Board, but I still don’t feel like I’m fused with it. Third session in Erretegia (left beach break). And there, it’s magic! I change the placement of my supports: while keeping my front foot just behind the master bau (handle) I move my back foot backwards all the way and a little inside, on the edge of the rail. As a result I have the weight of the body tilted backwards but the ability to move forward in a microsecond. The Board then becomes incredibly maneuverable. I feel like I had a skateboard in the waves. The bottoms are hyper sharp and I can get back to the lip with a huge kick off the A… The Board is fast, nervous and hyper hyper maneuverable. I had a dream session where after each wave I want to scream with joy (which I did ;))

That’s it, I found the feeling I was looking for since the beginning and it’s sooo playful.

Since the weather conditions are not tip-top and I’m looking forward to the next good session to be able to find this adrenaline rush and this pleasure. In short, the MOB is KILLER!

PS: A big thank you to matt5neufSUP and Coolas for the advice!”

SUPer : Olivier and his GONG SUP 7’6 Mob FSP PRO.