It's horses for courses guys!
And it sounds to me like people are still getting the Hull Rippers and Paddlers confused because the HP is the most stable board I've ever ridden. The photo of the guy is excellent but to be quite frank he wasn't looking for the lip he was just trimming at the base of the wave.
I'm sure the board can do a lot more than that. I know that I'm actually way past where I could be on the Hull Paddler and probably need to move on to a Ripper, but it is still an excellent board and like all boards is dependent on the individual's ability. Its versatility gives you the confidence to quickly move onto a higher performance board if you want. I only bought it 4 months ago ( and I'll keep it!!
), but it has its limitations. It can however hit the lip with ease, cruise through slow sections and fly through really quick sections. I must admit I don't like it on my backhand and I think it is very hard to really crank a cutback because of its width. I speak from the experience of surfing the 10'2" in waves up to solid 6 ft and 6 inch crapola - Maybe about a 100 surfs? It handled all of them and was always max FUN
with no stability issues. If AKFLY wants to win a comp then this is not the board for him. If he wants a board that he can paddle easily, catch waves no one else can and is only limited in handling by his own abilty, especially at his weight (I'm 6'1" an 98 kg) then this is it. Once I've had my back op (Laminectomy) and recuperated on the 10'2". I'll think about something smaller and more manouverable. I just wish that they made them in a lighter material
. I hope this helps.
Cheers Leroy
