18 months in, I think I have a good sense for this board, having also tried some bigger versions and probably had 200++ sessions
tldr: great shape, super durable, great value, hope to get a few more years out of it, don’t love the foil tracks
34L 4’6x19
Things that are great:
The shape is good, I think it paddles easily, releases well and I generally have a good deal of comfort on the board. I wouldn’t be tempted to replace it.
After a lot of pumping, it does not seem to have sagged or gone soft, though I haven’t tested it too thoroughly.
I love the elbow rests/hand channels, so much so that I now seem to wear holes in all my wetsuit elbows from leaning on them so much while waiting for waves.
Durability is really solid. I have to move gear around a fair amount, into car, house, plane, and so far the board is looking relatively great. I had one shin/rail connection that required a big repair, but otherwise surprisingly little compromising road rash from day to day abuse. As a comparison, my Gong was a complete mess after one year. That said the outer shell is still just carbon+epoxy (afaik?) and this cannot withstand direct impact, the same as any board.
Waterproof core seems to be true. I dropped a foil onto the board and the foil speared through the deck about an inch deep (
) and I had to leave it exposed for a few sessions. Seems not to have taken on water and sucking on the ding it was dry (it feels like there is a complete bond between the carbon and the foam, so literally no air comes out, let alone water. Pretty stoked.
Things that I don’t love:
I don’t like the long foil tracks with the centre slot. Because they are quite long, with certain masts (eg Unifoil, AFS, NL), you have the awkward ability to shift the bolts into the slot, and the first time I rode an appletree I mistakenly did exactly that, only on the water did I realise the mistake. There is no easier way to destroy a foil board than have only the front bolts engaged… On Axis the masts are too long for this to be an issue, and NoLimitz too short (I just had it all the way forward all the time), but now on AFS it presents a risk.
The other gripe of these slots is that it limits how far forward the AFS mast can go in the tracks, as slammed forward has the bolts in the slot.
Safe? Not? Big fail if you get it wrong
I now have painted some lines to make sure I don’t miss it below a shim or while adjusting on the water.
Some random pics of damage I have inflicted that did not compromise it.
