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Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:42 am
by steve shearer
good to see you back here Oddap

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:50 am
by OddaP
Thanks Steve. Always kept an eye on the forums. This thread piqued my interest to return.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 10:41 am
by Davros
OddaP wrote:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:34 am
I'm a convert. An acolyte. A zealot. Best made board ever. By a country mile but great construction means nothing if it doesn't go. A CV2, and certainly not a groveller. I rode an entity in quality 3 to 4 foot lefts as well and a superb board. Struggled in poorer surf though.
Hi mate. Glad you said that. I rode my Entity in less than pristine surf and thought "my god what is going on here". Thinking because the rails are so low perhaps. But in good waves it was like the best board I've ridden. Took 10 years off my age.

Haven't ridden the CV2 but already know it's going to be very fast. Anymore feedback appreciated. I'm like you, I'm peaking out on Gary's boards. Had a bit of an exchange on the Entity, he was having a bit of a laugh that 10 years ago it was considered a hybrid but now it's high performance in the eyes of the market.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 1:32 pm
by tootr
So which McNeil is considered the first one to get if you've never had one of his boards and want to give one a shot?

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 4:15 pm
by OddaP
Had the CV2 for 3 months. Have not ridden another board since.

It has a defined hip, if you wanted a point of comparison similar to what you see in some of the Channel Islands boards. I went the carbon fibre rails, stringerless PU blank with expoxy glass. In terms of feel it's not as corky as expoxy boards but has more life than a traditional PU.

it looks sleek and there is a lot going on. There is the channel running from just in front of the fin cluster to a few inches off the rail, the bottom from the edge out the rail is flat. Behind the fins lurk a concave with (I think a touch of vee between the rear 2 fins). Subtle but late tail rocker with similar in the nose. Paddles very well with the volume forward.

The channel provides eye popping lift and speed. A few high line runs on my backhand must surely be as fast as I've ever gone. You can feel it engage and accelerate. Forehand it's sure footed. Lovely looseness that you get out of a quad When you hit the lip and get some foam between the fins off the top. Drivey on the cutback and able to push hard off the bottom. It's capacity to hold the rail through backhand cutties and project at the last of the arc before hitting the foam with more speed than you went in is great. It's not a groveller. It wants to go fast and needs to go fast so you do have to work it a bit, no standing forward and trimming through a fat section like you can on other boards with nominally similar dims and supposed lineage.

Not a big fan of stuffing around too much with fins. Tried a few combos, best is double foiled G1000 in back with AM2 in the front.

Hardly a mark on it as well. No pressure dings and only a few cracks on the glass from knees.

A quality board.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 4:34 pm
by Davros
Nice. Dying to ride mine.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:18 pm
by batoes
OddaP wrote:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 4:15 pm
Had the CV2 for 3 months. Have not ridden another board since.

It has a defined hip, if you wanted a point of comparison similar to what you see in some of the Channel Islands boards. I went the carbon fibre rails, stringerless PU blank with expoxy glass. In terms of feel it's not as corky as expoxy boards but has more life than a traditional PU.

it looks sleek and there is a lot going on. There is the channel running from just in front of the fin cluster to a few inches off the rail, the bottom from the edge out the rail is flat. Behind the fins lurk a concave with (I think a touch of vee between the rear 2 fins). Subtle but late tail rocker with similar in the nose. Paddles very well with the volume forward.

The channel provides eye popping lift and speed. A few high line runs on my backhand must surely be as fast as I've ever gone. You can feel it engage and accelerate. Forehand it's sure footed. Lovely looseness that you get out of a quad When you hit the lip and get some foam between the fins off the top. Drivey on the cutback and able to push hard off the bottom. It's capacity to hold the rail through backhand cutties and project at the last of the arc before hitting the foam with more speed than you went in is great. It's not a groveller. It wants to go fast and needs to go fast so you do have to work it a bit, no standing forward and trimming through a fat section like you can on other boards with nominally similar dims and supposed lineage.

Not a big fan of stuffing around too much with fins. Tried a few combos, best is double foiled G1000 in back with AM2 in the front.

Hardly a mark on it as well. No pressure dings and only a few cracks on the glass from knees.

A quality board.
That's exactly my experience. If i could refine mine, i'd trim down the width, including nose and tail and would go for the five fin option. I've been caught with the nose a few times and when i did ride it as a twin, i felt a trailer would have been good. Wished it worked in less than stellar waves like my entity did.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:14 pm
by OddaP
Davros wrote:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 10:41 am
OddaP wrote:
Sun Jul 02, 2017 9:34 am
I'm a convert. An acolyte. A zealot. Best made board ever. By a country mile but great construction means nothing if it doesn't go. A CV2, and certainly not a groveller. I rode an entity in quality 3 to 4 foot lefts as well and a superb board. Struggled in poorer surf though.
Hi mate. Glad you said that. I rode my Entity in less than pristine surf and thought "my god what is going on here". Thinking because the rails are so low perhaps. But in good waves it was like the best board I've ridden. Took 10 years off my age.

Haven't ridden the CV2 but already know it's going to be very fast. Anymore feedback appreciated. I'm like you, I'm peaking out on Gary's boards. Had a bit of an exchange on the Entity, he was having a bit of a laugh that 10 years ago it was considered a hybrid but now it's high performance in the eyes of the market.
The Entity is a great board. I rode a Formula Energy when he was shaping for them and I think it's a slightly different construction. Of the 3 times I surfed it there was just the 1 session in quality waves when it lit up. But light up it did. Amazing ability to drive off the bottom, hit the lip, come straight back down and do the same again. But in less than stellar conditions it was hard to get anything out of it.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:16 pm
by godsavetheking
Ay oop, OddaP. Long time no see

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:38 pm
by OddaP
Ay up me duck.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:23 pm
by Davros
So had a go out on CV2 in waste high peelers. First impressions that it's a fast, but not too fast, stable board that loves a cuttie. Most pleasing aspect was the back hand. Didn't have to ride too laterally like other fishes I've had. That is to say I really like the rocker and rail combo.

Boards I'm mentally comparing against and have owned at some point are, Psillakis Quad Fish, NPJ Quartet, DVS Mad Wasp, Mick Mackie Quad.

IMHO so different to an Entity it's hard to compare. Only to say I don't think I'd surf a CV2 in above shoulder high where as an Entity up to 1 and 1/2 times over head.

Just initial impressions.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:34 pm
by Drailed
Its not really a fish in my opinion.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:43 pm
by Davros
I found it pretty fishy mate. But we are all different

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:44 pm
by Drailed
cos your a kook mate.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:45 pm
by Davros
No doubt. Guess I'm just used to riding high end performance boards :lol: Not.

"The CV2 by Gary McNeill is your fun all round fish hybrid! This model has a normal rocker being designed for multiple fins. The bottom is a cv2 channel which ends at the front fins then feeds into a double concave through the fins. Great as a thruster or quad or even a keel twin on smaller days. The CV2 is an extremely versatile board designed for smaller surf but you'll be surprised at how well this board handles on bigger days."

Fking fish. Ok!!

Now get an Entity, surf it in 4-6ft and come back to me sonny. You'll be blowing geezer jizz all over this thread when you do. But DO NOT get it too small, he takes stacks out of the rails and bottom. I won't tell you again, get one you'll love it. 595 off Boardcave.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:03 pm
by Drailed
Been thinking about one in like 6'8 x 20.5 as a step up... you only ride as a quad or thruster as well?

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 7:21 pm
by Davros
Just Quad. Personal take. I like it for good waves 3/4-5ft. When it's 4-6 ft and so I'm on a narrower 6'10 with a bit more on the rail for control. I found it a bit fishy in the bigger stuff and with the low responsive rail a bit of a handful. But as you said I'm a bit of a look, well I am when it gets above 6ft and some.

Re: Gary McNeill

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2017 7:48 am
by OddaP
Davros wrote:
Tue Jul 04, 2017 4:23 pm
So had a go out on CV2 in waste high peelers. First impressions that it's a fast, but not too fast, stable board that loves a cuttie. Most pleasing aspect was the back hand. Didn't have to ride too laterally like other fishes I've had. That is to say I really like the rocker and rail combo.

Boards I'm mentally comparing against and have owned at some point are, Psillakis Quad Fish, NPJ Quartet, DVS Mad Wasp, Mick Mackie Quad.

IMHO so different to an Entity it's hard to compare. Only to say I don't think I'd surf a CV2 in above shoulder high where as an Entity up to 1 and 1/2 times over head.

Just initial impressions.
What size did you get?