Board Talk

[shawndoggy]

7 hours ago, isellacuras said:

 Having a surf and a skim in the quiver allows for two totally different surfing experiences. 

And a foil.  don't forget the foil!

[isellacuras]

4 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

And a foil.  don't forget the foil!

@Sparky450And a foil. Another game changer. 

[Sparky450]

25 minutes ago, isellacuras said:

@Sparky450And a foil. Another game changer. 

We infidelity need to meet up this summer. Then you can ride the 25LSV..

[2020LSV23]

My wife and I are placing an order with Soulcraft for custom boards. She is going with the Em2 and myself with the Voodoo. I am curious if anyone has any input on the sizing for my Voodoo. On Soulcraft website it says 4’6 up to 215 pounds and 4’8 up to 250. I am fairly lean and muscular at 220ish. Would going with the 4’6 be a bad idea?

[dcarl]

10 hours ago, 2020LSV23 said:

My wife and I are placing an order with Soulcraft for custom boards. She is going with the Em2 and myself with the Voodoo. I am curious if anyone has any input on the sizing for my Voodoo. On Soulcraft website it says 4’6 up to 215 pounds and 4’8 up to 250. I am fairly lean and muscular at 220ish. Would going with the 4’6 be a bad idea?

Can't say specific to Soulcraft but when I bought a P5 Matrix for my daughter she was on high end side of the weight recommendation and the rep said to go with the longer board, "it will be more stable".  For a board that expensive, I'd call Soulcraft directly and see what they say.

 

[2020LSV23]

16 minutes ago, dcarl said:

Can't say specific to Soulcraft but when I bought a P5 Matrix for my daughter she was on high end side of the weight recommendation and the rep said to go with the longer board, "it will be more stable".  For a board that expensive, I'd call Soulcraft directly and see what they say.

 

Thanks for your input. I have also asked Soulcraft but just wanted to hear more peoples opinions if they had any experience. The more information the better for my peace of mind haha

[malibuskier2003]

11 hours ago, 2020LSV23 said:

My wife and I are placing an order with Soulcraft for custom boards. She is going with the Em2 and myself with the Voodoo. I am curious if anyone has any input on the sizing for my Voodoo. On Soulcraft website it says 4’6 up to 215 pounds and 4’8 up to 250. I am fairly lean and muscular at 220ish. Would going with the 4’6 be a bad idea?

I'm 6'3" 210lbs.  I had Jeff make my Voodoo 1/2" thicker than normal and I love it.  Give him a call and tell him your information.  He'll guide you through a conversation about how you surf (and how you want to surf) and recommend something for you.  I actually went to the shop and took a "tour".  It was awesome.  I love my Voodoo and would do another board in a heart beat if my wife would let me!

Dave

[2020LSV23]

1 hour ago, malibuskier2003 said:

I'm 6'3" 210lbs.  I had Jeff make my Voodoo 1/2" thicker than normal and I love it.  Give him a call and tell him your information.  He'll guide you through a conversation about how you surf (and how you want to surf) and recommend something for you.  I actually went to the shop and took a "tour".  It was awesome.  I love my Voodoo and would do another board in a heart beat if my wife would let me!

Dave

Thanks for your input! Which length did you go with your voodoo? And does your board fit on your board racks?

[malibuskier2003]

I went with the 4'8" board.  I don't put it in the racks because I have the bungee racks as opposed to the clamping ones.  They're a P.I.T.A. so I only put it in the Bimini pockets.  

Dave

 

[2020LSV23]

1 hour ago, malibuskier2003 said:

I went with the 4'8" board.  I don't put it in the racks because I have the bungee racks as opposed to the clamping ones.  They're a P.I.T.A. so I only put it in the Bimini pockets.  

Dave

 

The 4’8 is good for 250 pounds. How come 1/2 inch was added to thickness for buoyancy?

[malibuskier2003]

17 hours ago, 2020LSV23 said:

The 4’8 is good for 250 pounds. How come 1/2 inch was added to thickness for buoyancy?

At the time I had it made, my son needed a surf style board to ride as well.  He's 6'4" and pushed 270lbs at the time.  He floats between 240lbs - 270lbs, so I had the extra 1/2" added.  Since I am not an upper echelon surfer, I was ok with the extra buoyancy it provides.  I will say that I love this board even though it's equipped to handle much more weight than I bring to the party.  The configuration of the board facilitates me getting way back in the wake.  A few of my 180lb buddies ride my board regularly to get stupid far back.  Even with the extra thickness, this board takes off like a rocket.  It still gets away from from time to time if I drift off while ridding.  After 3 years I'm still not good enough to push this board to its limits.  

Dave

*PS - I just looked back through my emails with Jeff.  It's a 1/4" not a 1/2".

[2020LSV23]

31 minutes ago, malibuskier2003 said:

At the time I had it made, my son needed a surf style board to ride as well.  He's 6'4" and pushed 270lbs at the time.  He floats between 240lbs - 270lbs, so I had the extra 1/2" added.  Since I am not an upper echelon surfer, I was ok with the extra buoyancy it provides.  I will say that I love this board even though it's equipped to handle much more weight than I bring to the party.  The configuration of the board facilitates me getting way back in the wake.  A few of my 180lb buddies ride my board regularly to get stupid far back.  Even with the extra thickness, this board takes off like a rocket.  It still gets away from from time to time if I drift off while ridding.  After 3 years I'm still not good enough to push this board to its limits.  

Dave

*PS - I just looked back through my emails with Jeff.  It's a 1/4" not a 1/2".

Thanks for your insights on the voodoo very much appreciated 

[isellacuras]

I’m a big guy and ride a voodoo. I’m 6’5” 290 and Jeff also made mine a little thicker. I’m on a 5’0”. My size doesn’t really apply to you but I only mention it because after talking with Jeff, he made some recommendations and I went with his advice and I love what he made for me.  I’m considering a little smaller board now. Ultimately you want the smallest board you can easily ride.  There’s nothing worse than having a board that is to small. As a big guy that struggle is real. If you’re not a super experienced surfer and don’t know exactly what you want, I talk to Jeff and take his recommendation to heart and if still in  doubt,  size up just to make sure.  

[Fffrank]

I am going to take the opposite opinion here.  If you're an intermediate surfer (riding the entire top to bottom of waves, making bottom cuts, starting to do spins or airs?) then I think I'd go with the smaller 4'6" board.  I haven't ridden a soulcraft but I have ridden a lot of different boards and I'm always larger than what they are "rated" at but have no problem riding them.   I'm 6'1" and was 230 but recently got down to around 200.  I typically ride an ancient walzer custom that is 4'6" -- that worked even when I was heavier.  But I've ridden smaller LF, HL, Walkers (and P5s if you want to include skim boards) and last year spent a lot of time on a HL Exacta which is only rated up to 170lbs.  I even rode a Hyperlite Gromcast (rated at 110lbs) while goofing around one day.  

I've always found it's fun to ride a board that pushes you to improve.  Become more balanced and challenges your ability to "work" it.  That for me means smaller board.

If I were you I'd try to find a demo event or a meet-up where you can ride as many different boards as possible.  

And I've never heard of a person that didn't LOVE their soulcraft.  Eventually I'll own one.  

[formerathlete]

I just started surfing behind an actual surf boat last summer and by the end of the summer, felt like my Hyperlite Broadcast was holding me back. I don't have a huge budget, so I've been looking for the best bang for my buck and came across a closeout deal on a 2019 Doomswell Neo (4'6") for $445 on Wakemakers, so I pounced on it. I'm 5'11" 165-170 and Brock at Doomswell was great in pointing me in the direction of the Neo. I'm super excited to get on the board and see where it takes me this summer. 

If anyone is looking for a bargain Neo or other Doomswell board, Evo.com still has a few 2019's left for around $500. Pretty good deal.

Edited January 29, 2020 by formerathlete

[gregtay]

For the non custom route - Last year I picked up a Ronix Potbelly Rocket on the recommendation at the team at Bake's and I can't believe how much fun that board it.  Very fast and versatile. This isn't a "stand back there and just surf" type board, it is one that keeps you working and that lets you use all of the wave,  that is what makes it so fun (but yes.. of course you can stand back there and drink a beer if you want.)  The potbelly has a completely different feel from other boards and "something different" was a huge hit with everyone. This week (at the boat show) we picked up a Ronix Carbon Sproket (skim/surf hybrid) that we are excited to try out (one the rain stops... which might not be till June :-/)    Ronix is local to us so love trying out all their boards.

 

 

[gregtay]

26 minutes ago, formerathlete said:

I just started surfing behind an actual surf boat last summer and by the end of the summer, felt like my Hyperlite Broadcast was holding me back. I don't have a huge budget, so I've been looking for the best bang for my buck and came across a closeout deal on a 2019 Doomswell Neo (4'6") for $445 on Wakemakers, so I pounced on it. I'm 5'11" 165-170 and Brock at Doomswell was great in pointing me in the direction of the Neo. I'm super excited to get on the board and see where it takes me this summer. 

If anyone is looking for a bargain Neo or other Doomswell board, Evo.com still has a few 2019's left for around $500. Pretty good deal.

You were right... your Broadcast was certainly holding you back.  It's great for getting people up the first time but hard to call it surfing when you compare it to other boards. 

[Bird]

I am going on 3 years with my voodoo. I let anybody use it and it just fits in the rack. It is interesting to see their expressions and how far they can recover from compared to other boards. Thus year I will experiment with some different fins, any recommendations?

[isellacuras]

On 1/29/2020 at 7:10 PM, Bird said:

I am going on 3 years with my voodoo. I let anybody use it and it just fits in the rack. It is interesting to see their expressions and how far they can recover from compared to other boards. Thus year I will experiment with some different fins, any recommendations?

I run WCT’s as my go to and I removed the nubs. I also have a set of AM1’s and Machados that I will run on a smaller wave.  I like the looser feel of the WCT’s and they don’t seem to give up to much speed. The machados and AM1’s feel almost identical to me. They have more drive and they feel a little more locked in. 

[Cole2001]

Small Futures black stick or John John’s are my two favourites. Super fast yet still able to break loose. Tbh not a huge fan of the WCT, didn’t find them super responsive.