Comparing to 125L 2022 Fanatic Skywing of the same length 5.8".... I weigh 100kg and I'm in fresh water on Lake Michigan. The Coda is much more stable than the Fanatic even though it is 7 L less volume. The board weighs 16 pounds or 7.25 Kg. The nose is wide so the volume is more evenly distributed and feels less corky. Sides are slightly beveled compared to the high boxy sides of the Fanatic. Fanatic was fine in good wind but unstable when the wind died and I had to slog home and wait for a gust in choppy conditions where I would be kneeling and a wave would sometimes just roll me over like I was on a beach ball. Not a problem with the Code. Very easy to kneel on and the waves won't roll you over. On foil, Fanatic feels a little more connected and there is less swing weight with its pointed nose. Fanatic planes faster. Code has a huge handle on the bottom which probably holds a few hands full of water. It's also where the air vent is. I'm thinking about putting some black tape over it while I foil because I'm sure it causes a some drag. Also thinking about putting on some foot straps to get the same pop up and connection as with the Fanatic. Code turns nicely for gybes and if you blow a gybe and touch down, it's stable enough to recover. However, if you go too far straight down a wave, the nose will plow under and then it's game over while the Fanatic had better recovery in the waves. If I lived on the Ocean with consistent wind, I would probably go with the Fanatic. But I live on a choppy, gusty dangerous lake so the Code is the answer for me. It's a beautiful looking board as well.
I tried the Code 68 liter and had a very similar experience to yours. It's remarkably stable slogging both on knees and standing for my 71 kg. I loved the concave deck and found it a real pleasure to turn...at 4' 10" it didn't have much swing weight plus it's super light. I did, however, feel like it was sometimes difficult to get going...felt a little stuck on the water. Maybe that's the trade off for the stability? I'm wondering if the chimes all around enhance the stability but reduce the planing surface for get up and go? Are there any board shaping experts who can chime in here? I live on the ocean and can tell you there are plenty of holes in the wind and it would be awesome to find a board that is this stable when waiting for a puff and also popped onto a plane easily. I'm really tempted to buy one because the price is so reasonable given the low weight and beautiful finish. The one thing holding me back is that they released this model in Sep or October last year and so the new version is just a few months away....
I have the 4'8 68L Cabrinha Code and really enjoying this board. Must agree that it takes a bit more to get up on foil than my previous board (80 L volume) but I put that down to being 93kg and the code being smaller and less volume and moving onto the ART 1099 at the same time. Once up, cant say a bad word about it.
How are you guys finding the construction quality of the Code ?
Have recently purchased an 88l code and if seems very soft to me - after 3 outings already have 2 dings and I'm careful with my gear.
