Rider: 80kg,intermediate
Style:90/10 flatwater - surf
Build Quality:9.5/10
Satisfaction: 9/10
Disclosure: shop - alliancegear.com.au
hey guys i picked up this new SUP from Force and thought i would share it, Force have been making mid to low end kiteboards and surfboards over the years and now are entering a higher market level with good quality products and these new SUP's!
Now i am not a pro by any stretch and enjoy a quiet paddle mainly on flat water while waiting for the wind to pick up and dabble a little in the waves. I decided to go out on a limb and buy a Force SUP as their products have served me well, gotten better year by year and is an aussie owned company.
These boards come in 9',10',11' and 12' lengths and are complete with a full carbon paddle, i have never owned a full CF paddle and after using this i will never go back!
After seeing the pre release pics of this board the woodgrain is what made the sale, in the flesh it is amazing! All of my friends who dropped by to take a look were blown away with how good it looked in person. The finish on the board is very good with a deep polish that brings out the natural colours of the light and dark coloured wood. It's almost a shame to put the pads on and cover this bad boy up! The rails are a fake woodgrain (painted i guess) and some of the hardcore wood lovers may not like this but i think it works well and fits with the whole timber thing.
The board is a thruster set up with FCS side fins and the rear is a fin box with the slider and screw. I have not ridden this board in the surf yet but it feel loose and easy to turn in the flat stuff, i'll probably add a section to this review after riding it in the waves. Being a lazy paddler i prefer a slightly bigger board, i usually ride an 11ft board. The Force board has an amazing glide to it, i would call the shape an allrounder and im glad i went for the 10' size as it paddles so well in flat water. Another good feature is the handle is in the centre of the board and is well balanced when carrying it. There is no dipping of the tail or nose like i have seen in some other brands while carrying, also it makes for easy changing of hands when your arm gets tired!
The paddle is probably tipped a little more towards the flat water distance paddler, being nice and wide gives a very powerful stroke. The paddle comes with the handle loose so you can cut it to length. If your handy with a hacksaw, file and some araldite its an easy 5 minute job to put together to the right length for yourself. I accidentally dropped the handle and kicked it across the cement floor (aaahhhh!) and scratched it up pretty bad. I used some left over araldite to smooth over the scratched and after it was all set (next day) hit it with some light wet and adry with water and you can hardly notice now.
So all in all im pretty happy with my purchase, now im waiting for the 9' board to be in stock as my partner has decided she needs one as well! the 9' board should be excellent in the waves :)
Looks good !! Regarding the wood grain on the rails, it is possibly done with Woodgrain printed onto 'tissue'.
Regarding performance, etc, I'm a believer that at least 7/10 boards will preform quite well, when conditions suit the board and rider.... This especially rings true with big SUP boards. Just get out there on almost any board !! I agree, rocker, volume, rail shapes, templates, are all very important. But not many SUP Board Manufacturers are getting these basics wrong !
Different boards obviously perform better is different situations, hence the vast array of boards available through Starboard, and Naish.
Take a good 10'6 from a good shaper... it will paddle on flat water well, you could fun race it, it will surf well in 1-3 feet or so. Good all round fun....
One thing I will say about the Force is the fins..... does if have small side biters and a very big 10" single fin? If you could be bothered messing around with fins for surfing, try a smaller 7" to 8" fin in the back, and full size side fins. If on the flat water, don't bother.
If you live close to an Ocean or Bay, and a River, I think you could SUP 365 days per year, quite easily. In fact, there is a challenge folks.... 365 consecutive days on an SUP board. Or even a New Years Resolution.... which are made for breaking aren't they !! LOL : )
