I just had a nice session at long reef with Sam and Aiden, and got to try some boards I haven't ridden yet.

The Conditions were: N/E wind approx = 5 knots, Small chop. Tide mid-low on it's way down. Waves about mid to Head high. Messy.

SANCTUM 9'6" Twinzer (Quad) Fish, Board felt more bouyant than I thought it would, also surprisingly easier to paddle than I thought it would be. The board was quite hard to catch waves on, but I expected this as it is only 9'6". And it was really hard to get out through the closeout section as acceleration and paddle speed are quite low, but once again I expected this on a small board. On the wave, the board was quite straight, felt like it had to stand all the way back as far as you can to get the rail to free up. Board felt nice for low angle cruisie turns, but didn't seem to hard carve very well. All up a nice cruising board for fat slow waves. Interesting concept, but think it needs some more developement. Construction was quite light, the board had some dings on it already, but the weight was good and I guess at the price point not bad value.

JIMMY LEWIS 10'8" Thruster, Board was very stable and easy to paddle. I usually ride the 10'6" Naish and this Jimmy felt more than 2" bigger in both paddling and surfing. Nice paddling speed, and great control from the paddling position of the board (i.e. easy to steer whilst paddling). On the wave, the board felt very easy to ride, and quite forgiving. Had a great open turn, long lines and smooth. I thought the board was a little bit straight for me, found it hard to get a tight powerful carve, it felt like you had to slide the tail to do tight cut back. I also found I had to stand all the way back to liven the board up. All up, nice looking board, very cruisie and smooth, easy enough for most beginners and performance enough for the intermediate rider. Construction was ok, weight of board was acceptable, but there was some paint chips on the rail, not sure how it would look after prolonged use. recommend using the clear tape on the rails for protection.

OXBOW 10' Thruster, Board was quite stable and fast for a 10'er. I was surprised at the boards paddling speed, it caught waves early and easily. Once on the wave the board was a bit heavy, and dull when standing forward, but off the tail the board really comes alive. The Board is very loose on the tail when standing all the way back. Found it quite easy to punch through the break paddling out considering it is only a 10'er, and easy to kick turn for it's size. All up this board paddles and feels like it's bigger than 10' until you get on the tail, then it is definately a 10'er. Construction seemed quite strong, weight is a bit of an issue with this board, quite heavy for only 10' long. Not sure about durability, this board didn't seem to have any dings or chips.

Good to get a session to try more board and broaden my knowlagde of SUP boards, thanks to SAM and Wind Surf 'n' Snow, and Jimmy from Sanctum for the use of the boards.

Regards,

JB

Thanks for the reviews...Where's the pics?...

Just wondering...How wide is the JL 10'8"?

DJ

Thanks for the pics Sam....It does look good.

What are the prices of those boards..Anyone know?

DJ

Thanks...I better start saving..

DJ