After spending several weeks and demoing a number of boards I finally ended up with the Angulo 9ft. I originally set out to purchase a 2nd board down sizing from an 11ft board to something lighter, more maneouverable but still relatively stable. With a great deal of assistance from Adam and Anita at The Paddle Shack, Davistown I am more than happy with the purchase.
I managed to demo the board in a variety of conditions from 1-2ft shore breaks to shoulder height point breaks and to say the least was more than impressed with the stability of such a short board. Saying that the board is 31 3/4" wide which after demoing other manufactures 9ft boards was like stepping back on a larger board. I had no issues with the balance in quite sloppy conditions and spending almost 3 hrs on the board in one session.
Once again a big thanks to The Paddle Shack for all the assistance needed to find the board to suit my needs.
I am sure the board is stable with 31 3/4" but how does it surf?
How does it handle late drop ins, is it suitable for small and bigger waves etc?
I would really like to know more!
I also wonder how it compares to the Starboard wide point 8"10'
The Angulo has 10 litres less because it is thinner.
Hi Camarillo,
It's difficult for this to seem as an unbiased comment as I am involved with Angulo Designs in Aus.
I will say though that I also have a SUP store in NSW and out of our 20 demo boards including Starboard, naish, coreban, Suplove, C4, McTavish the 9'0 Surfa is my choice in nearly any conditions.
I am 102kg and 172cm tall. I have used this board in 1/2 foot grovel to 6+ foot beachies and point breaks and have been stoked with it's performance. It floats me no worries is super stable and surfs unreal. It is so loose, loves a tail slide but can still hold a good rail through a solid cutback.
I have it set up as a quad and use wax with a C4 tail pad. I will say It can require little adjustments in weight shifting at times to maintain control and drive in steeper faster waves. I put this down to the width of the board. I am currently trying a set of futures controllers in it and this so far has seemed to improve it's drive ( not that it was lacking) and reduce the weight adjustments.
I have no trouble picking up waves it paddles in quite well as you can get your weight forward with the extra width in the nose but will note that it can seem a little screwy on first paddling it but can be easily over come by standing forward of the handle.
I hope this has helped with queeries and also hope that sharkb8 or any other 9'0 sufra riders can reinforce or add to my comments.
At the end of all this I'll say this board really works well for me and my style of surfing this may differ for you so i urge you to try one if possble, i'm sure you will be impressed saying that if you'd like to demo one please feel free to message me and I'll try to line it up for you.
Cheers
To say the least I would have to concur with Bam Bam I cannot get enough of this board. I have surfed it in 1ft short dumpers in 2ft of water to 4-6ft point breaks with no issues at all with the standard quad setup. I have been fortunate enough to have had the last month off work and have been out almost everyday barring a couple. Even in small surf I haven't dragged my bigger board out. Like any board or surf board I have pushed the limits with late drop ins and have been more than impressed with its capabilities. This board is as loose as a short board or you can push through all the way to the beach with 10ft plus boards.
I am lighter at about 85kgs and 178cm tall.
I'm not looking forward to work on Monday..................
Yes it is a mast track but I haven't sailed it. The board is quite light so I would assume it would blow around considerably.
The fins are the standard fins supplied with the board. I believe Bam Bam is trialling some after market fins which he believes has increased the boards performance again. The standard fins are quite flexible and I can't wait to give a set of performance fins a run.
Guys I have demoed this board a couple of times and I love it! I have said in the past 'its like surfing a tic tac'' its so small and responsive. Really you only have to think about turning and it does it - yet really stable. Ed Angulo knows what he's doing when it comes to shaping boards; whether they are surfing SUPs, down wind SUPs or sailboards. Sweet board!
If anyone in the Sydney Northern beaches area would like to try this board I have just dropped a demo board off at SUP Gear Australia at Terry Hills. Call Steve and try it for yourself.