FEEDBACK: KARMEN FSP PRO 8'4 !!!

With his feedback on the KARMEN FSP PRO 8’4, Loïc proves to us that evolution can go quickly, especially when you’re having fun. We love the communicative enthusiasm that comes out of his feedback.

“I recently acquired a Karmen FSP PRO in 8’4 120l. At the time of purchase, end of 2020, I was 90 kg. Today I’m at 86 kg and 1.76m. I had a hard time deciding between the 8’4 and the 8’9, before going for the 8’4. Here is my feedback:

So the first few sessions were weird. As you can imagine, going from an inflatable to a rigid one, and losing 40 liters, just 3 months after starting SUP…. But I remained confident in the advices from the forum, the product description, etc. That said, session on flat, no waves, nothing. Bluffing, it’s moving fast, very fast, and it’s “stable”.

The problem with my spot is that when we have waves, it’s often crappy conditions, which generally corresponds to the few days after a big depression. For me it was “normal” conditions, there were waves. It was a bit difficult at start but I took waves and I experienced my first sensations on a rigid board, and I unfortunately fell in love…

The sessions followed one after another, the falls too, and then after 2-3 sessions in the waves, you realize that the board is very stable, and in all circumstances. I also had the chance to have “good sessions” without wind, good swell orientation etc. The observation are consistent, I’m amazed by the capabilities of the board, in more or less big waves. Teh sessions were ranging from 0.5 to 2m with 35-40 km/h of wind, gust to 30-40 knots, with or without choppy water…

At this point I hadn’t really seen the limits yet. How far I could go (technique), and how I could take the board on in nasty conditions. Well it happened this weekend. The conditions were very challenging: choppy water (up to 0.5m), 35km/h of wind, bad swell orientation, multipics, currents in all directions. Anyway, I get to the spot, and I think to myself “it’s dead”, I’m not going in the water, it’s too dangerous.

I go to the second spot, 10km away, I meet an old man, with whom I was able to do a few sessions, we chat etc. etc. We talk, and he says let’s just go in the water? I watch him in “uh no”-mode. He tells me to trust him… There were only two of us. I was very skeptical as you can imagine, with the experience I have in SUP, and he takes me in the worst conditions. The first 1/2 hour was spent on my knees, just horrible. What reassured me was seeing that I wasn’t alone haha. And then I said to myself “f***”, you’re in the water, you’ve got it, indulge yourself. Well, the bottom line is that I stayed on my feet (staying very relaxed) the rest of the session ! So yes it was physical, but with a little concentration it could handle it eeeeaaaasy.

The bottom line in all of this is that the board starts with almost nothing, you put your foot behind it and it becomes a rodeo. It moves in all directions on demand, it holds the line if needed, and damn I love it!! It becomes almost instinctive to do SUP, yet, I consider myself a beginner. I can’t wait to go into bigger and cleaner conditions, in short I want to go next level. Obviously an 8’9 in the last session would have been more suitable than the 8’4, but you have to see normal conditions. This is the right compromise: rowing speed / surf / stability, on “clean” sessions it’s a treat. I wouldn’t go down in volume right away on challenging conditions, I think from my experience that it would be too soon. But when I recontextualize, I think it might. ”

SUPer: Loic and his GONG SUP 8’4 Karmen FSP PRO.