Its that time of year again, when its nice to have a little bit more board than usual to navigate all that water moving around in the lineup. A board with more length and volume will help you hunt down and paddle into the biggest waves of the session, which is why we are all out there isn't it?

 

What do the guys at Vouch say about this board?

 

''Our new Single Fin/2 + 1 setup for good waves. If you’re heading to Indo or any sort of heavier break setup, and wanting something that’s going to handle some more juice and steeper walls, then look no further. Serious Lopez influence packed into this design. Down rails running from the beaked nose into a little more edge through the middle into the tail. And a slight concave within the entry, just to help the board lift in the nose at that crucial moment when about to drop in. Also helps when in the tube and wanting to ride a little more forward aka MP or Buttons, gain speed when surfing closer to the nose in the tube. All this running through to a light single to double concave through the fins and a light vee out the tail, this board will not let you down when called upon.''

 

I had the chance to test this board in great conditions a few weeks ago, luckily we had a few weeks of good over head + surf, and I was able to ride it at 3 different types of waves which really helped get a feel for it.

 

Again, I'm 5'7 high and weigh around 65-68kgs.

 

The board is 6'6 x 19 1/2 x 2 3/4 and is set up using the Alkali Fins Kidman/Parmenter Widow maker Fin set.

 

1st surf was at a fattish left hand reef break, slightly onshore 2-4ft. I basically just took it out to get my feet in the wax before surfing something a little more powerful. It felt long in the conditions but I was surprised at its ability to turn.

 

2nd surf was at another left hand reef break - Offshore 4-5ft with the odd bigger bomb, pumping waves, think poor mans Uluwatu with a nice wedge running through the peak and a long wall with multiple sections to hit or glide on.

The board really came into its own in these types of waves. I could sit deep on the peak, a little further out than most and roll in with ease on the sets, while others on smaller boards were getting hung up, thanks to all that thickness. I also found I could chase down the shifting wider peaks much faster than most, thanks to all that paddle power under the chest.

Having the side bites in definitely helps with manoeuvrability compared to the last single fin I had which only allowed me to high line and glide with minimal turning ability. With this board, I feel like I can attack the wave a lot more like a thruster but it still has that nice single fin feel to it.

Out on the open wall, you can really sink the rail in thanks to that classic down rail. Cutbacks, cut downs and wraps were no problem.

 

3rd surf, you guessed it, another left hand reef break. Offshore, 4-6ft with some bigger sets. This particular wave is ledgy, has a few boils down the line and jacks pretty hard on the take off. Definitely not as clean or perfect as the last surf I used the board in. I thought it might not be agile enough in these conditions but I found if i waited for the bigger ones I could sit just outside the ledge and roll in over it. It held well on steep take offs and I only managed to pearl once. Plenty of speed down the line and the paddle power was needed as the waves shifted which was great.

 

One thing I haven't tested this board in yet is proper Tubes, which its definitely designed for. Hopefully I can get it into some solid beach or reef break waves with barrels and keep you all updated. Winter has only just begun!