Rider: 90kgs Weight, Level intermediate to advanced.
Style: Surf,
Weather: 15 - 25knots
Build Quality: 9/10
Satisfaction: 9/10

I bought this board off the internet without a demo or even trying something similar in shape. I was concerned about burying the nose and also the volume of the board being too big for me as I had no real clue how to choose the right size. I was also worries that the kite construction would weigh a ton and also if it would hold up.


The Vader is 500gms less than my old board at around 3.5kgs and feels really solid. The volume of the board I think may be a tiny bit much for me (90kgs) as it bounces along the chop a bit, but my previous board (an Axis new wave) had almost no volume and was super flexible so I think I'm just getting used to this board. It's hard to bury the nose although I'm yet to try it on any steep waves but the smaller size of the board makes it really responsive and easy to throw around.

The board turns on a dime and holds the power all the way through the turn, I haven't been able to make the fins skid out yet, you feel really locked in when turning. On a wave you can do tight turns and the board kind of springs back up if you get too bogged down.

I think the fin set up is key with this board as when I tried it with a Thruster I found it twitchy at high speeds and sometimes you would gain to much speed to quick. I do run the Machado Signature fins so that may have something to do with it.

I've been using the board as a Quad and I think I will continue to; I am however using two center fins as I don't have a proper Quad setup. Having the fins set up as a Quad settles the board down and makes you feel more in control.

I did start out using wax with this board but soon got sick of having to rub more on every time so I got some deck grip. The board is also easy to pop off a wave and even flat waver, I did however notice a few pressure dings after two - three sessions out on the deck but they're not that deep and I guess that happens to most boards (right?).

This board has ticked all the boxes for me and I'm very happy with it.

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