Hey Charissa and Todd,
Love this new board.
First outing was on a nice small combo swell. Thought you might be interested in reading some of my impressions, in no particular order.
Board arrived easily. The whole shipping thing when well. The packing looked real secure.
Man, the board seemed wide and thick, and short, as expected but different than what I was used to.
I ended up putting the fin about 1/2 inch aft of exact midline. I figured that I needed to make sure the fin would be in the water when the rail was rolled up on edge for turning and holding in the water. At 45 degrees angle between board and imaginary wave line the fin still had good projection down and still very close to exact middle.
Craftsmanship of this board is really pro. The pin stripes were a good idea.
In the water the float was much more than expected. The paddling glide was very smooth. Wonder how those thick rails are going to work?
First wave, snappy take off, tried to turn too soon and fell forward. ha ha.
Second wave, wait a split second… and follow the board down, then bottom turn, then blast off! Speed, climb up the wall, great hold, going faster, outrunning the curl, man that big fat rail can hold…, drive out back over the top, paddle back out.
STOKED!
Next wave same idea, wait a split second for board to get going, same bottom turn and acceleration, drive up to the lip, float on the lip, drive the board around and land on bottom. Nice fat board very stable and easy to do this. Maybe a little more work swinging the nose around than a thruster, but did not feel limited by the single fin on this move. I think the fin position is really good based on this, certainly the fin is forward enough not to impede.
My instinct to “pump” for speed didnt really do anything, no more thruster.
I can really see why we can go shorter in this board design. I used much more of the rail line to stick it in the fast part of the wave. The functional rail was actually longer than my thrusters. Overall I was using more of the enitre rail, vs thruster that for me is much more using the aft part of the rail.
Todd, you were right about the length. I probably could have gone down to 6’6, but…the 6’8 did not at all seem too long, and my ability to trim fore and aft was easy. I also have a naturally wide stance. Would not want it any longer. Glad we chose 6’8. Width is correct too. Would not want any wider. Probably could have gone 1/2 inch narrower, but not really necessary. On my second day out it was a more pure NW swell, much more power, and I still had enough control rail to rail. The width was not an impediment. Also, with the rounded pin tail my back foot could really feel going from rail to rail.
I like the single fin groove for sure.
I have never had a board made by someone I didnt know.
I have to say the whole process with you two has been much better than I would have thought it could be over the phone and via email. The whole consult with Todd really went well, and I think that he really understood what I was trying to get out of this new board. Will be recommending you to friends for sure.
Hope you all have a great day.
Cheers and Aloha,
Rob
6’8″ x 21 1/2″ x 3″ roundtail Bullet single fin
