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| 2024 Juno and Nebula Race SUPs |
Earlier this year Maris from EO SUP got in touch about the possibility of testing his new designs over here in Sweden...
He wanted to test the board in a variety of conditions and asked if there were any races nearby he could go to and, as luck would have it the dates Maris was available coincided with the Sävelången SUP Race, only 50 minutes drive from my home. |
| https://eo-sup.com/ |
EO SUP
If you are new here then let's talk about EO SUP. They are a small, family business that creates custom SUP Race boards and paddles at their base in Jurmla, Latvia. That's near Riga if you’re looking on the map.
They have been a sponsor of SUP My Race for several years initially providing me with paddles - the SUP My Race Fortis paddle is still as fantastic as when I first picked it up over 2 years ago - and in May 2023 I visited them in Latvia to meet them properly and to try out their beautiful race SUPs.
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| EO SUP Race boards in Latvia. |
While I was there I picked up a Nebula 2022 Flat Water, it is the red and black in the image above, which you can read about here. The short version of that blog post - it is a very fast board and beautifully made.
2024 Nebula and Juno
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| 2024 EO SUP Race boards at Våstra Ingsjön in Sweden |
Since then Maris and Artis, the engineer in the team, have been busy refining the Nebula and working on a new model, the Juno which is designed for rougher water. And that’s exactly what they got for testing when they arrived in Stormy Summer Sweden! Two new Nebula boards (22” and 23”) and two new Juno boards in the same widths.
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| Nebula 2024 handle and drainage |
Arriving on the Friday night before the Såvelëngen SUP race we managed to get a few KMs in at my lake that evening before heading north to race on Saturday. The plan was then to test the boards in different locations on Monday and Tuesday before they headed back on Wednesday.
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| Nebula 2024 23" |
Nebula 2024
This is the board I was most interested in, while I love the red and black Nebula it was built for a slightly lighter paddler than me and I really wanted to try the newer version. This 23" board that Maris brought was finished in a gorgeous deep blue with a light geometric design over that and dots of colour within the shapes. It is a beautiful board to look at but if that is not your preference then remember, these are custom boards. Your board will be your design, within reason!
Changes to the Nebula include a re-think of the drainage, more volume than the version I am padding, a slight change to the tail and a change to the deck pad. The models that they brought with them had improved carry handles and optional drink bottle holders, nice touches.
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| Nebula 2024 22" |
I grabbed the 23” Nebula as soon as it was out of the board bag and was quickly on the familiar water of Västra Ingsjön, my training lake. As with every other June day this year it was windy and choppy, lake waves rarely get big but they are lively and usually from all directions, great for testing a new board!
My first impression was that the extra volume was great in annoying little waves and that secondary stability had been improved, which comes from a combination of volume, a drop in the deck height bringing my feet closer to the water and that tweak to the tail. It was too windy to get any real idea of speed but some short sprints showed the same eagerness as the red board to go fast.
The decrease in the height of the deck was a surprise, Maris hadn’t told me about that and I think he smiled when I asked if it was lower. He smiled again when my estimate was close to his actual figure too. Maybe all my time on the water is paying off!
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| Nebula 2024 deckpad, drainage and handle |
Only after 10 minutes of playing about did I notice that my feet were dry, with the red board there is usually some water around my feet. Again the extra volume in the updated design helps with this along with fractionally higher sides / lower deck which helps reduce splash getting into the dugout. The key to dry feet though is drainage, when water gets in it needs to get out quickly and the new centre drain with two additional drains to the rear are a significant improvement for the heavier paddler, especially for winter paddling! The new design also sheds water quickly from pivot turns, and if you fall in.
One area where my extra weight and height are noticed on the red Nebula is when I step back for a turn and this too has been improved on the new model. I will never be one of those paddlers who can point the nose of their board to the sky and wave at a camera without going for a swim but, on the new Nebula, I felt I could do a better impression of a proficient turner.
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| EO SUP Juno 2024 and Fortis Paddle |
Juno 2024 Prototype
From the Nebula onto the Gold and Grey 23” wide Juno. The Nebula is a good-looking board but this one, WOW! The gold simply pops from the grey when wet and I spent a few minutes just admiring Maris and Ieva’s craftsmanship on my first go without really going anywhere. It has a stunning finish and is the best-looking SUP board I have ever seen.
When I started to think about paddling my first thought was that this was a tippy board, it felt like it was rolling from side to side much more than the Nebula but that secondary stability was great, better than the flat water-focused board I just stepped off. That feeling soon passed as we got going as the board maintained a steady course through the mini-bumps on the lake, both into the wind and with the wind pushing along.
The drainage is the same as the new Nebula, with one centre drain under the carry handle and two further back at the sides, the same high-quality deckpad and the optional water bottle mounts up front.
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| Juno 2024 deckpad, handle, drainage and optional bottle mounts |
Race Day
I had expected to race the Red Nebula 2022 but as we completed registration Ieva asked me if I would like to swap, she would take the red board and I’d use the new one. I did think about it before saying “Yes!”, on the one hand, a new board is always nice but racing on it when I had less than 2km of experience on it made this a difficult decision, would it be better than the red Nebula?
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| A pod of Nebulas from EO SUP |
My race went OK, I’ll write about it in my next training update.
The short version goes like this - too slow at the start but upright, unlike last year! Eighth at the first turn, seventh at the second turn, fifth at the third turn, dropped back to sixth after a swim when I was planning my overtake of the two in front of me but I quickly caught and passed my overtaker to cross the line in fifth place at the finish. Or first Master 50+, which I think I prefer. My inexperience with the new board showed as I didn’t really work out where to stand until near the end, ironically after my fall. Then I speeded up.
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| Ieva, me, Maris and the Nebula 2022 |
Maris’ race went much better, initially. he was the fastest starter and led a pack of Swedes and a Dane to the first turn, sadly this is where his race strategy had to change as his long-term back injury flared up. This didn’t slow him down much but made his turns more like mine and I slowly reeled him on over the next 5km only to over-think the important part of the race. He was third heading into the last km but unable to contest the sprint at the end finishing fourth.
Ieva had a brilliant race, winning by over 8 minutes despite having to do an extra turn at the end when she went to the wrong side of the finish buoy. She led from the start on the Red Nebula 2022 and extended her lead every time we passed each other on the course.
Foul weather testing
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| At the southern end of Lygnern with a pair of Juno boards |
Sunday was far too windy to safely paddle anywhere but by Monday the wind had shifted to a slightly more favourable direction, at least that was the forecast. With some excitement I suggested to my guests that we could do the Lygnern DW, 18km of wind-assisted fun on a lake near my home that I have wanted to do for 6 years. Maris was keen to get some real distance in rough conditions and Ieva offered to drive so we could take the two Juno boards, the Gold 23” and the Blue 22”.
From here things went downhill rather than downwind. A communication failure on my part saw my biggest fins left in the garage and, although it’s a good fin, a VMG XW isn’t really up to the job of keeping me upright on a 23” board in 60+ km/h wind and waves. Initially I was ‘on it’ and the Juno, despite being narrow-for-me was doing a great job in rough water, but then I went for a swim in and … Wow! It was cold! I had been told that Lygnern was a cold lake and I can confirm that to be the case, not too cold but a bit of a surprise after the much warmer water of my lake and the sea.
Maris was doing well on the 22” Juno but when I suggested we cut the trip short at the only safe point on the route he readily agreed, his back was starting to complain again after his race exertions.
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| Calm here, chaos around the corner |
What did we learn?
I think that was the roughest test the Juno has had so far and, despite my lack of ability on the day, we both agreed that the hull works very well in chaotic water. When we found a wave to catch the rocker at the tail allowed us to enjoy the push and free acceleration and the nose shape kept us going through waves with no bogging down, with a more suitable fin I’m pretty sure I would have had a better time and with a better back Maris would have happily gone to the end, I’m sure he was smiling with pleasure not pain! We will be back to tackle this DW properly. Of course, there were things to take away to think about as there should be when testing a new board. The only notable one was that the flow of water over the flat top of the hull when pushing through waves meant that water would cascade back into the dugout, and then straight out of the drains I am such a fan of. Maris left thinking of ways to encourage water to the sides that does not look ugly. Form and function.
Tuesday - Sunshine!
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| A crowded beach in SW Sweden |
Tuesday was the best weather of their trip but still with a lively breeze, a few steps down from the strong winds of the previous days and a chance to take Team EO SUP to the seaside. One of the nicest beaches for paddling in the area can be found at Smarholmen and that is where we parked the vans for our last paddle of their visit.
With a gentle slightly on-shore swell, some sunshine and a bigger fin I again took the Juno 23” out on the water with Maris on the 22” and Ieva with the 23” Nebula 2024, I’m not sure what others on the beach thought about these SUPs but I can say with confidence that there was not a better set of boards on the water anywhere that morning.
Sadly Maris’ back had still not recovered but this gave me more time to take photos! A short paddle to a beautiful, but tiny, beach where we could stretch out in the sun and talk about SUPs.
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| Juno 2024 23" |
Some Tech Specs
All the EO SUP boards are custom-made for the paddler but, as a guide, EO publish some technical information based on ‘standard’ board sizes, this gives us an idea of the volume and weight of each board.
When you order an EO SUP board you will not be getting a 'standard' board, the board will be made for you, and your height and weight are just some of the factors in design and construction. When talking to Artis recently about the boards made for Julija he emphasised that her 20" board has a shape completely adjusted to her, it is not the same as a board that would be made for me which, is good because I am over 30kg heavier than her and a lot taller!
The Nebula comparison technical details are:
Nebula 2024 | Jūlija Special | 20” | 21” | 22” | 23” | 24” |
Volume (l) | 201 | 256 | 268 | 281 | 294 | 307 |
Rider Weight (kg) | 62 | 74 - 84 | 79 - 88 | 83 - 93 | 86 - 97 | 97 - 105 |
And the Juno comparison specifications are:
Juno 2024 | Jūlija Special | 20" | 21" | 22" | 23" | 24" |
Volume (l) | 226 | 289 | 304 | 318 | 333 | 347 |
Rider Weight (kg) | 64 | 80 - 90 | 84 - 94 | 89 - 99 | 92 - 103 | 96 - 108 |
No, the biggest boards are not going to be called “Chris”, I need to win some races before I get that honour.
Construction
Seeing a video from a mainstream brand about construction is interesting but talking to the artist who makes custom boards is fascinating! A level of SUP geekiness that I really appreciate. And it is artistry at this level.
Sat on a beach on Tuesday Maris patiently took me through the process of making one of his boards, how many layers of carbon are used in different areas, I was surprised at how strong the nose and tail sections are on these boards! How he and Artis work together to create the shapes and then transfer that to the CNC machine to cut the blanks - it can take 18 hours to make one. 18 hours starting by grading both sides of the blank to make sure they are perfectly flat. Then the cut can really begin. After checking that the cut was perfect Maris then starts to apply the layers of carbon, making sure each board is perfect from start to finish.
One of the challenges the team face with the smaller board sizes is where best to add weight to make the 10kg limit for competition, a rule I still think is ridiculous and penalises lighter paddlers. Remember that these are not hollow boards but they are made with the best materials available and could, if it was race legal, be under 9kg as a finished board. With fin.
Then Ieva takes over, it can take 2 days to paint one of the more complex designs on her boards. No quick spray job here.
And at the end of this process is an incredibly well-finished, tough, fast SUP race board. It is hard to make a comparison with mass-produced SUP boards, there are lots of great race SUPs around and I have several in my garage, but a board from EO SUP is like investing in a Ferrari instead of buying something less flamboyant or passionate - and Ferrari have just won their second consecutive Le Mans 24, the ultimate test of a sports car. Cars have to be well made, reliable and fast to win, just like an EO SUP race board.
You can find out more about EO SUP on their website, https://eo-sup.com/. The team are in the process of adding details on the Juno range to the 'Board' section as I type. You will notice there is little information on the price of each board, this is purely because each board is unique and the cost will depend, partly, on your imagination.