Alley 8'1 vs. Fatal 7'7

migosas
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Inscription : sam. juil. 06, 2019 1:48 pm
Localisation : St Andrews, Scotland

Alley 8'1 vs. Fatal 7'7

Message par migosas » lun. juil. 08, 2019 12:20 pm

Good morning,

I just put an order for an ALLEY 8'1 to replace my redwood Carbon ProSource 8'6. I felt that I need a smaller board for those epic days of surfing. Being almost 90kg and 186 cm I am not the smallest SUP surfer, and therefore need something with enough volume to hold me. I found that 120L is probably good. However, looking at reviews I came across the FATAl 7'7, that has the same volume 120L, but is wider (31' instead of 29 1/4' of the ALLEY). This surely will help on buoyancy of the board, but probably at the expenses of surfing.
I haven't found many reviews on the Alley, and definitely there is no comparison between the 2 models. Does anyone have any personal experience with any of these boards that can share with me?

Thanks for any comments


Miguel

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coolas
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Inscription : lun. août 10, 2009 1:24 pm
Localisation : Ambassadeur Seignosse, 1m67, 97kg
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Re: Alley 8'1 vs. Fatal 7'7

Message par coolas » lun. juil. 08, 2019 4:35 pm

Hi Miguel.
I have the Alley 8'1" and the Fatal 7'3" 105l (but I had the 120l before), and I weight 100kg.

The Alley have more paddling speed, and a smoother ride (more "flow"), you can tighten or widen the curves at will, and handle power at ease.

The Fatal have more power in weak waves, more "pop" and accelerations, but you must commit fully in each turn and you can get overpowered over head high if you attempt tight turns.

I use my Fatal in small waves, and my Alley in bigger waves. So "for those epic days of surfing" the Alley is the better choice.
Dernière modification par coolas le lun. juil. 08, 2019 4:50 pm, modifié 2 fois.
2019: 7'3" Fatal 105L, Alley 7'8" 105L & 8'1" 120L, Zero 9'0" 115L
2022: Mob 7'6" cool 120L, Alleys custom 7'10" 112L & 8'1" 114L
2023: Karmen custom 7'11" 118L
Surf: 9'1" XTR proto glider

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coolas
Messages : 14929
Inscription : lun. août 10, 2009 1:24 pm
Localisation : Ambassadeur Seignosse, 1m67, 97kg
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Re: Alley 8'1 vs. Fatal 7'7

Message par coolas » lun. juil. 08, 2019 4:48 pm

The Alley is surprizingly stable for its shape, but you must paddle further aft than boards with a wider nose such as your current board, and take care to keep your front foot close to the center, take care that your front foot heel does not go close to the rail. These are the 2 key points to help you transitioning to the Alley.

The nice thing is that, as you paddle further aft, it is easier to handle steep late drops, and you are closer to the "action" position with the rear foot on the tail.
2019: 7'3" Fatal 105L, Alley 7'8" 105L & 8'1" 120L, Zero 9'0" 115L
2022: Mob 7'6" cool 120L, Alleys custom 7'10" 112L & 8'1" 114L
2023: Karmen custom 7'11" 118L
Surf: 9'1" XTR proto glider

migosas
Messages : 6
Inscription : sam. juil. 06, 2019 1:48 pm
Localisation : St Andrews, Scotland

Re: Alley 8'1 vs. Fatal 7'7

Message par migosas » lun. juil. 08, 2019 5:44 pm

Thanks for the explanation! After coming across the FATAL I got mixed feelings in regards to getting the ALLEY. But reading your comments I think I did the correct option.
At the moment my pro source is good to those more challenging days. For those calmer and bigger days (which I guess are not that often) I can take the ALLEY.

Looking forward to get the board... Any news on the shipment?

Again thanks for clarifying my doubts,

have fun

Miguel

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coolas
Messages : 14929
Inscription : lun. août 10, 2009 1:24 pm
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Re: Alley 8'1 vs. Fatal 7'7

Message par coolas » dim. juil. 14, 2019 10:48 am

migosas a écrit :For those calmer and bigger days (which I guess are not that often) I can take the ALLEY.
Note that once you get used to the Alley, you will love it also in imperfect conditions: its long and thin nose pierces the chop smoothly, making it a fast paddler in imperfect conditions, with a surprizingly early entry into the wave. Plus you may end up using only the Alley once you discover the performance of the Gong shapes, designed by a real shaper with real high level surfing and SUPing experience.

Its pulled-in nose is designed to not catch in radical turns, but I also discovered a nice side effect: it also risks less catching a rail when doing an emergency U-turn in front of an incoming waves than wider nosed boards, such as my Karmen and Fatal.
2019: 7'3" Fatal 105L, Alley 7'8" 105L & 8'1" 120L, Zero 9'0" 115L
2022: Mob 7'6" cool 120L, Alleys custom 7'10" 112L & 8'1" 114L
2023: Karmen custom 7'11" 118L
Surf: 9'1" XTR proto glider

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