are surftech boards any good??
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are surftech boards any good??
Hi all, does anyone own or have ridden a surftech (epoxy) longboard? what is your opinion on them compared to a glass board? cheers
I own a 9' Randy French HP Surftech. Compared to my handcrafted polyester/polyurethane boards, the Surftech is more bouyant for it's size, much lighter, stiffer, and responsive. It took me a few surfs to get used to the bouyancy when sinking a rail in a turn. But I've adjusted now. The whole feel of the board is really responsive- it feels like it's an 8 footer.
It's durability advantage is questionable. I've had mine for 3 months, and put a small dent in the deck behind the leash hole- probably from a wipeout. Its taken a moderate thrashing in dredging 6 foot DY and Kurrawa without snapping. However, I do know of the same model Surftech being axed by the same-sized waves and snapping. But then, a polyester board wouldn't have survived either. Push your thumbs into a Surtech and it definitely feels harder than a traditional glass job.
The shape, dimensions, and rail profiles are great for me. The quality is good- but not better than a handcrafted board. The pricing was pretty close to what I would've paid for a big-name polyester-glassed board.
The bottom line is- performance-wise, this is one of the best longboards I've had.
It's durability advantage is questionable. I've had mine for 3 months, and put a small dent in the deck behind the leash hole- probably from a wipeout. Its taken a moderate thrashing in dredging 6 foot DY and Kurrawa without snapping. However, I do know of the same model Surftech being axed by the same-sized waves and snapping. But then, a polyester board wouldn't have survived either. Push your thumbs into a Surtech and it definitely feels harder than a traditional glass job.
The shape, dimensions, and rail profiles are great for me. The quality is good- but not better than a handcrafted board. The pricing was pretty close to what I would've paid for a big-name polyester-glassed board.
The bottom line is- performance-wise, this is one of the best longboards I've had.
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Surfttech
I also have a surftech that I bought in the US - yes its lighter and more bouyant, turns better than most Ive ridden BUT I would agree some observations that the boards are not as tough as the makers say
Mine split open at the front after hitting sand in a wipeout breaking both layers of glass, the PVC foam between and exposing the core
Cost a hellava lot to get the thing fixed - remember that epoxy has to be used to repair epoxy and yu cant take polyester anywhere near the styrene core.....
still if it was a polyester board the damage would have been much greater ... but easier to repair
dicco
Mine split open at the front after hitting sand in a wipeout breaking both layers of glass, the PVC foam between and exposing the core
Cost a hellava lot to get the thing fixed - remember that epoxy has to be used to repair epoxy and yu cant take polyester anywhere near the styrene core.....
still if it was a polyester board the damage would have been much greater ... but easier to repair
dicco
- shaunmorrison
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
They'll never catch on
- el rancho
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
gone are the halcyon days of RealSurf when users named 'soulman' claimed a surftech 9 foot longboard is the best longboard they've owned.
Re: are surftech boards any good??
Yes, that's right, they are really for the more discerning surfershaunmorrison wrote:They'll never catch on
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say ”— Marshall McLuhan
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
All the bull crap about them being hard to repair is just that.
Put your big boy pants on
I mean, tastebuds? WGAF?
I mean, tastebuds? WGAF?
- steve shearer
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
shaun was right
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes
Re: are surftech boards any good??
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say ”— Marshall McLuhan
- steve shearer
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
why did Surftech die?
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
Steve looking for an argument.
Put your big boy pants on
I mean, tastebuds? WGAF?
I mean, tastebuds? WGAF?
- steve shearer
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Re: are surftech boards any good??
It's a genuine question, I'm researching the rise of "tech" boards and Surftech was huge in the Market from, say, 2004-2010?
Then they just disappeared.
It's kind of amazing how the traditional PU/PE board has been able to maintain such a dominant market share.
Then they just disappeared.
It's kind of amazing how the traditional PU/PE board has been able to maintain such a dominant market share.
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes
Re: are surftech boards any good??
I just said they may well be the biggest manufacturer of surfboards in the world and you ignore it. There's so many companies involved and I've got no idea who owns who.
I've got two NSPs (part of the Surftech empire I think) boards that are like the Surftech ones but I'm not going to cut them up to see how they are built (bomb proof I think). NSP sell a lot of boards.
Then there was another high performance tech I had last year, also under their label. You need to do a some research to find out what's happening with Surftech and where it fits into the amalgam of companies and labels.
I've got two NSPs (part of the Surftech empire I think) boards that are like the Surftech ones but I'm not going to cut them up to see how they are built (bomb proof I think). NSP sell a lot of boards.
Then there was another high performance tech I had last year, also under their label. You need to do a some research to find out what's happening with Surftech and where it fits into the amalgam of companies and labels.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say ”— Marshall McLuhan
Re: are surftech boards any good??
Current technology:
https://surftech-global.eu/technology/
Number 9 seems to indicate the old Tufflite technology is still in use; and items 1 to 8 are a new technology?
Are my two NSP mals made using the old Tuflite technology? They have that feel and weight to them and they are bomb proof.
The NSP brand has only a small number of designs available, otherwise I'd buy more of them.
https://surftech-global.eu/technology/
Number 9 seems to indicate the old Tufflite technology is still in use; and items 1 to 8 are a new technology?
Are my two NSP mals made using the old Tuflite technology? They have that feel and weight to them and they are bomb proof.
The NSP brand has only a small number of designs available, otherwise I'd buy more of them.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say ”— Marshall McLuhan
Re: are surftech boards any good??
There's also the epoxy boards coming into Oz via the Element brand in Byron Bay and sourced from China.
I have two of them and possibly a third as the board I picked up in Bali is remarkably similar in design and finish, including a quarter inch stringer.
By the way the epoxy board that just broke in Bali had no stringer.
I have two of them and possibly a third as the board I picked up in Bali is remarkably similar in design and finish, including a quarter inch stringer.
By the way the epoxy board that just broke in Bali had no stringer.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say ”— Marshall McLuhan
Re: are surftech boards any good??
And best of all is the epoxy and wood veneer boards coming out of Aloha. These are the most bomb proof boards I've ever owned by a long shot. And they are significantly cheaper than their glass boards.
“I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say ”— Marshall McLuhan
Re: are surftech boards any good??
Interesting. I was reading about the death of Salomon S Core. Lots of theories with one being shortage of materials, the other being trying to alter the core of a surfboard being kind of stupid but, ultimately it looks like that just couldn’t sell the things.
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