Super Fish XL by 7S
Surfboard Reviews
Overall Rating
Pros
Converts from thruster to quad
Stable on drop
Good natural drive down line
Good for 200lbs+, "longboard" surfers
Controlled and smooth ride for waist to head high sets
Cons
Slow paddling start
Catching - difficult to lock into waves
Catch feel, closer to fish that longboard
Surfing for bigger guys doesn't come easy. Paddling is harder, getting up is harder, and it seems like every board under 9' is a short board. Well the Super Fish XL by 7S hopes to change that. The Super Fish XL is the redesigned version of the 7S Super Fish for bigger surfers. The Super Fish comes with 5 open fin slots to allow for thruster or quad configurations. The board also comes with a step deck to thin out the rails for improved performance. Overall the Super Fish doesn't provide significant improvement with paddling, but the ride is fun and comfortable. 200lb+ surfers who don't want to venture far from the comforts of their longboard will find a supportive board with the Super Fish XL.
The Board
Dimensions & Material
We tested the 6'8"H x 21"W x 2 1/4"T Epoxy model. The board comes with a step deck: the deck center is flat but the board rails thin out to about half the thickness, starting about 3" from the edges. This design was intended to keep a wide base while allowing thinner rails for improved turning.Bottom
The bottom is a shallow entry single concave with a flat tail.Tail
The Super Fish Xl comes with a small fish tail. The board has a faint winged design to pull the tail width in from the body to slightly improve performance.Nose
The rounded, full nose has a low to flat rocker to enhance the forgiveness of the board.Fins
We tested this board in 3 fin FCS and 4 fin FCS GL polycarbonate fin configurations. Overall the board seems best suited in a 4 fin configuration.
The Test
Paddling
The Super Fish won't paddle like your typical longboard. The board runs a little heavier and has a sluggish start. This makes last minute decisions very difficult. Also, the step deck seems to inhibit the paddling process as it allows water to flow over the rails and onto the deck. However once you get going, the board has enough inertia to skim over the water. If you surf in kelp-y conditions, this inertia is extremely helpful to minimize slow downs. With the epoxy construction you'll get a little added buoyancy, which will help with paddling. Overall, the Super Fish paddles closer to a true fish than a longboard.Catching
The Super Fish is a mixed bag when it comes to catching waves. Ideally the board works best in waist to head, high slow-moderate speed point breaks. Because of the slow paddling start, you'll have to get a good start to build enough speed to lock into the wave. Once locked in, the board does a decent job of remaining locked in until pop up. The Super Fish has plenty of stability on pop-up, which feels more like popping-up on a longboard than a fish. Once up, the board pauses for a second, again like a longboard before beginning the drop.The Super Fish has a different response catching waves depending on which fin set up you use. On a quad set up, the board has a slightly improved ability to lock into the wave. On the drop however, the quad feels stiff as you push that bottom turn. The thruster on the bottom turn has a looser feel needed for bigger set bottom turns. We recommend setting the quad in shoulder- or poor conditions and the thruster in bigger or cleaner sets.
Bigger or faster waves will eat up this board. The flat nose rocker doesn't make the Super Fish ideal for steep drops. In waist- or poorer conditions, the board has difficulty locking into the wave. The added buoyancy from the epoxy model we tested increased that difficultly. This is likely less of an issue in the fiberglass model, which we recommend for this board.
Editor:
Surfers:
Add the first review!Riding
If all you've ever ridden are longboards, you're in for a treat. The Super Fish XL rides like a fish but with all the control of a longboard. In waist to head high waves, the Super Fish easily cruises down the line with natural drive not found in smaller fish. As a quad set up, the board drives down the line with little to no effort. Turning on this board feels like turning on a very maneuverable longboard. The thinned out rails do help in making sharper cuts, which is useful to improve performance in quad mode.If you've ever looked for more speed in your board without sacrificing control, the Super Fish as a quad might be your answer. As a quad, the Super Fish drives down the line in a very controlled manner. From the start, the board comfortably builds speed linearly, as opposed to a shortboard drop jump-start. Unfortunately, the board's size doesn't make it ideal for floaters. So, the board is restricted from very fast sections. As a quad the Super Fish meets more resistance on turns than the thruster. But the Super Fish encourages low to moderate carving, which the quad or thruster config easily allow.
In out of spec conditions, the Super Fish is again a mixed bag. At the upper limit, overhead waves, the board simply runs too stiff to make these waves doable. You might be able to get away with slow, overhead rollers but not much else. At the lower limit, waist- waves, the Super Fish has enough buoyancy to stay afloat. As a quad set up, most of these waves are actually ride-able. So if the conditions drop, you'll at least be able to continue your session.
Conclusion
The Super Fish XL is a fun "big guy" fish board. Although it doesn't match the paddling and catching comforts of a longboard, it does provide an improved and fun ride. Luckily 7S boards are relatively inexpensive, which makes the Super Fish an easy option to try out. It's hard being a big buy out in the water, but know that you don't have to restrict yourself to longboards. The Super Fish XL might be the performance boost you've been craving.
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