Hi Craig,
Hi Klaas (we met in Guincho long ago, and in Chile 2017 in Matanzas)
Hi Victor, Adam, if you're reading,
Hi other readers,
Ok, so here is the first point : I'm struggling to find the right volume/performance waveboard for my style/weight. I'm moving between 95 and 105kg, depending on season's vegetables. 88/90kg is a goal, but goals sometimes stay goals for long.
I think it's fair to say I'm a quiet good wavesailor (not pro), technical and way more surf orientated but i'm also quiet heavy and gear/conditions sensitive.
I think i'm a more orientated front foot rider. I also ride centered or backfoot on some occasions, but I really hate when I feel limited or when the board slows down when I go full front foot. I love the drive of the quad in the surf, but only when it doesn't rhymes with a draggy feeling in straight line. I like lightning get up and go, to be fast and efficient on the spot, and worked a lot to be able to sail smaller sails in the 4,0 - 4,7 range (sailing the same sails as my lighter friends, only possible when I feel connected with a sail/board). Didn't manage that on lighter days yet (haven't find the board yet, or just not possible?).
Most of the time, I'm sailing south of France wavespots (from side to onshore with a preponderance of sideonshore). I've spent some times in Portugal also, and Chile.
As I think it could be meaningful, here is what I've been riding :
. RRD hardcore 81L. 2007 > (was lighter) loved the rails grip and speed in turns, was not so efficient in light-medium onshore sailing.
. Mistral twinzer 84 2009 > (was lighter) lovely board, would have love to try it as a quad as it was lacking a lil bit of grip/support sometimes (but I guess this is very close to the Goya quad 2014/15)
. JP quad 92 2012 > good board, not so nervous but loved it
. tabou Quadster 91L. > good surfboard, not enough nervous and well balanced for me making me not efficient in light/medium wind.
. Goya quad 2012-13 in 84l. and 104l. > both were cool easy boards, feeling a lil bit heavy in my memory, not so nervous, but not sluggish at all. Good to progress. 84 was small for me. I was floating on the 104 but was a lil bit big for strong wind control / turns.
. Goya quad 2014-15 94l. and 104l. > the 94 was a blast, just a little bit thick in feeling (because of compactness?), so i needed grippier fins. Got the "connected feeling" with this 94. The 104 wasn't my cup of tea, being a thick float and ride board (needed more wind than the 94 to get planing and keep it...). 94 was my go to board, good volume, just a lil bit too small to float and ride.
. 99 KS 95l. 2017 > same as the previously cited 104L., even stickier, float and ride only...
. Goya quad Marcilio custom boards (onshore orientated) 90l. 2015 (58,5cm) and 95 2017 (59,5cm) > totally in love with the 90 (not sure of the exact volume), which is quiet flat and thin, very well balanced, nervous with a lot of glide. This one is not so "easy and restful" - you have to be engaged - but so precise and fast in straight line + turns. You can come fast and push hard, it grips and accelerates, and turns short as you want coming out with speed. Only "wrong" side is it's not so tolerant, particularly when tired or the wind is light in the surf it sometimes lacks support on the rail (maybe due to my weight + thin rails). The board is 58,5cm wide with a somehow large swallow tail (larger than the 95), a very pointy nose and a little bit longer shape than usually nowadays. The on point thing is this feeling of becoming one with the board, wich permits so sail at my highest own level. I can sail it with smaller sails in medium wind, which helps to get this feeling, but in the end the volume is quiet low for irregular or light wind.
I haven't find the same feeling with the 95, with is a close shape, but thicker under foot, thicker in the rails, thicker/larger on the nose, and less width in the tail... it's not bad but I can't feel the same fusional feeling meaning I can't plane as early, I'm not as fast and precise in the surf, haven't got as much control...
SO, I'm looking to the fanatic range and here it is :
I'm looking for a fast planing, precise, and well balanced board with a lot of glide.
I like to feel it limitless in the surf, but with the necessary support underfoot.
I don't really know if I'm into the newer shorter shapes , but I know all my experiences with thick/compact boards were not successful - so i would say i like to feel it thin underfoot, sitting low on the water.
I'd love and hope it's possible to get a one board for all, but also think it's hard for big boys to both float on light days and be controlled + radical on strong days with the same machine.
Knowing all that and talking about a one board choice firstly, what's would you have to say about the Grip 92L., 102L., and the Mamba 94L., 104L.? And if a 2 boards quiver?
My on paper feelings/questions are :
Grip 92l. looks like what I could love - but its "almost one board for all" ability depends on its real buyoancy... I won't float and ride on it for sure, but how will it goes in irregular or light wind... killing it with ease or struggling to get going & go upwind... is it a big or small 92 liters?
Grip 102l. looks good for medium to light wind for me, but only if it feels thin and nervous (get up and go) underfoot. May be an "almost one board for all" if feeling very thin/low on the water (keeping the fast planing/glide feeling, doesn't make sense if not). Questions are : is it limited in turns or fluid as the smaller ones? Is it a "scaled up" grip that suffers in some way the radicalization of qualities and defects (older ones were I think, as I heard the 101 was sticky float and ride, and the 99 was wave riding more limited than smaller, all proportions kept)?
Mamba 94l. volume and width look good, but general shape looks very compact and thick for my style... hard to go for this without trying I guess. Afraid to feel a little bit limited in the surf (due to my front foot orientated style).
Mamba 104l. looks good exclusively for light wind performance sailing but still wondering if I would like the feeling underfoot.. cause the mensurations let think about a thick and short shape. Same question about the "scaled up" thing than the grip.
Last point, do you have/know any raw video of someone riding the G102/M104?
It always says a lot... and I haven't found much (Mads Bjorna on the 104 but it's so much side off...).
Sorry for the whole book, but I feel like I could get some on point advices here, so I made it complete.
I remind for other readers that it's all about personal feelings - and due to that, please fanatics guys, keep as honest as possible in your feedback (not marketing).
Cheers, merry Christmas and Happy NY,
M.