How good is this little puppy going to go?

8'2" x 28.5" x 4"



I pick it up on the weekend!

Looking forward to seeing a review on this one Casso. Looks good.

WOW - Enjoy Casso.

Oh yeah, it goes OK.

Well actually a bit better than OK ... it goes friggen insane! So much speed, really loose, super stable - it's got everything. I love it.

A full review to come soon - when I get a chance to go right.

hilly said...

Hi Casso

Running it as a quad or thruster?

I ran Jerry Lopez SUP thrusters today - they are pretty big but that was fine because it was six foot on the sets.

I've just swapped them out for Futures V2 quads, ready for my next surf.

Some more pics of Black Beauty and her custom grip job:

Very nice.. Bring it to the Mambo.

DJ

SUPfool said...

Hey Casso is this you riding the Fibre Flex on Swellnet, how does it go?

Yep, that was me out at my local. The ones that didn't close out were fun. That was my second surf on the Fiber Flex and my first time going right.

How does it go? Really, really good. You can feel the carbon rails loading up on the bottom turn and then ... "ping" ... it flings you out of the turn with so much speed. It is the fastest SUP I have ever ridden. I love it.

SUPfool said...
Where's the review Casso.........is it that good that you haven't had time to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)?

Something like that - I'm in the middle of a little test pilot excursion up the coast with Black Beauty right now. A visual and text based analysis is being developed as we speak. Stay tuned.

Here is the review:

Eight-two. Ahhhh. That's a scary number for a bloke who weighs 84 kg - but what the hell, you only live once. I've been riding an 8'6" for about six months have been saying all along that there is no way that I'll ever go shorter than that or, in fact, that I'll even need a new board at all for a quite some time. Then I saw a picture of the prototype Stand Sure Fiber Flex by Simon Anderson and Hayden Cox (inventor of the Fiber Flex technology) - ooooh, I liked the look of that. I got to chatting to the Walk on Water guys and one thing led to another and before I knew it I was on the phone to Simon Anderson himself, discussing the design of my new, custom, black railed beauty.

One word: Ping

The board is 8'2" x 28.5" x 3.9"

It was only a bit over a week after my discussion with Simon that the board was trucked down from the Dolphin factory on the Gold Coast (Simon and Hayden were up there that week setting things up for a new glassing partnership with Dolphin). It arrived at the SUP Shop in Mona Vale the night before the shop's grand opening. Perfect.

I didn't get a chance to ride it that day and only just managed to squeeze in a very late night grip application session before heading off on a boat trip to an isolated river mouth at 5am the next morning.

I threw the 8'2" over the side of the boat and attached the legrope to the aft bollard while I suited up. The little fella looked so tiny floating there next to the boat - how was I ever going to paddle that thing? What had I done? I had counteracted the reduced length with a wider nose but it wasn't looking hopeful. I finished getting ready, pulled the board up to the transom and jumped on while the rest of the crew watched in anticipation. Ahhhh. Ohhhh. Yessss! I could stand on it! I was so happy. I paddled to the take-off zone, 500 metres away, my feet were underwater but it was surprisingly stable and I didn't fall in once.

The overhead left handers were pumping that day. The board performed unreal. So fast in the sucky sections and it maintained that speed beautifully through the fat sections. You could really feel the carbon rails loading up energy through the bottom turns and in the drivey, on rail cutbacks - then PING, the energy would be released as you completed the turn and straightened the rail. It was like getting whipped out of a tow surfing turn - just so much speed coming out of a turn. That was something I had never experienced surfing a standard stringerless EPS SUP.

I was running large Jerry Lopez Futures thrusters that day. They worked a treat on the overhead, backhand, freight trains. I didn't spin out once and could turn the little black beauty on a dime when I wanted to or draw out a big backhand cutty when needed. The rounded pin is good for this versatility - stomp on the tail to pivot quickly or stay a little forward and use the rail to drive through a turn.

Four hours later I returned to the boat. My legs were starting to cramp up with the constant balancing - my face was starting to cramp up with the constant smiling. A very good day - a very good board.

Highs:
- Super fast
- Easy to throw around
- Super strong construction
- Gloss coat makes it look classy
- Very stable for its length
- Paddles well for its length

Lows:
- Handle slightly in wrong spot when gripped and finned
- Black rails show cosmetic shatters
- Relatively expensive

do you mean spring/flex in the board by the term ping or fast by the word ping?

is the idea of the carbon rails the reasoning behind the ping?

boxman said...

do you mean spring/flex in the board by the term ping or fast by the word ping?

is the idea of the carbon rails the reasoning behind the ping?

Hey boxman the key to the flex pattern of the FiberFlex boards is the parabolic carbon fiber frame that is constructed within the laminate. The carbon fiber frame is designed to maximise speed and drive whilst maintaining a flex pattern that flows with the wave. The structural design of the frame minimises twisting of the board, which results in a very lively and responsive flex pattern. You will feel the board responding to your surfing much quicker, which results in more speed and drive when you need it.

Also below is a video of Hayden Cox explaining the concept of the parabolic carbon fiber frame (FiberFlex). I know its from a short board perspective but the characteristics are exactly the same on a sup if not heightened due to the size of the board.

"fiber flex"= fiber marketing. What a load of old cobblers.

I'm no engineer but here is how I see it (and how it feels):

The carbon parabolic rails are stiffer than standard rails. You can still flex the board under load (in the middle of a drivey turn or hitting the lip) but the carbon has a quicker 'memory' due to the stiffness so it springs back into shape quicker. This quick spring back into shape acts a bit like a sling shot for that fraction of a second when you come out of the turn.

The extra stiffness also helps when you are going straight, especially when it is bumpy. The board remains rigid when it is planing instead of flexing unnecessarily (wobbling) and interrupting the water flow passing underneath.

I'm just talking out of my arse, so who knows, but that's how it all works in my head.

I also have no affiliation with Fiber Flex at all - I just like my new board.

Here are some more photos:

Looks a bit small:


Underwater:


Cutback around the paddle:


About to hit the lip:


Trimmin':

i was of the opinion lots of people in the 90's had carbon fibre stringers on there short boards because people were having them made to thin and it increased strength and also as a result of the "Slater effect".

at 4' thick its hard to get my head around the concept.And as stated, i guess trying it is the only way to go. if it really does work, its the holly grail to improving everyone's surfing......here's hoping