I popped into SHQ here in Melbourne yesterday and I noticed that they now sell Coreban and had heaps of stock.
I'd never seen any Coreban stuff in real life before but as soon as I walked through the door and saw their new wood model I thought..Wow!.. It looked fantastic so I ran back to the car and got my camera.
For those who've never seen Coreban boards before I took some pics.. Their wood board looks like you could store it in the living room rather than the garage.
Clear rail tape is a nice touch on a beautiful board like this.
I then checked out their 9' x 29 1/2" Fusion board (demo board).. It looked great.
The deck grip looked nice a grippy.
The 10' x 29 1/2" Icon looked nice.
I liked the subtle flyers on the 9'6" x 29 1/2" Performer.
Their paddles also looked great.. I loved the look of the kevlar model.
Their paddles have a nice slim T grip handle like the Kialoa's but with a little more ergo shape.
Paddles come with blade covers.
Boards come with bags.
Even their brochure comes with a DVD.. I just watched the DVD and it's great.. Check it out.. Make sure you watch all the extras on it.
So.. If you want to ride like Ivan Van Vuuren buying one of his boards won't do it because he's a freak.. 
.. but it might help.. 
It looks like Naish,Starboard, PSH and C4 have another serious competitor.
DJ
yes DJ you are right the board look immaculate up close, I still cannot get over how striking they are at first glance. The Kevlar paddles knock you over as well. Everything about the Coreban range reeks quality.
I will post a couple of photos as well.
They look great 
I seriously think my next board will be a Coreban (because I want to surf like Ivan )
The Coreban wood boards are awesome - here is the pic of the Icon Scully won recently (for those that haven't seen it).
Brad
How does the timber veneer hold up when it gets damaged on these boards? I used to have a waveski that was timber laminated and the timber absorbed moisture through various glass fractures leaving mouldy spots.
Wow the woody looks great ive waited awhile for the 11'6" woody I ordered rocks up in Perth Monday so I hope it's not too heavy but what the he'll most woodys carry a bit more weight. It's a shame I'll have to use it can't justify only looking at it. Be nice to try the 9' one too that will go on the wish list. Bugga
The Coreban ALPHA ocean/race series are due into the country around July/August. These are 12'6 or 14' in white or carbon. The Pure series is the same design/sizes as the Pro and Core but boards will have white rails and a bamboo finish on the deck. Once again these are a couple of months away. As soon as I get photos I will post asap.
I took some photos of the new LSD and Simon Anderson boards down at Cronulla earlier today. I will post them up later tonight. Just awesome...
I was lucky enough to buy the board in the pic that scully won .
It is a little bit heavier than i would like as all sups are a pain in the .... to carry.
I am reluctant to put it in the water looks to good to use if my wife would let me i would hang in the lounge room.Have just bought a Starboard 10`5 so will ride that for a few months first,
I was lucky enough to buy the board in the pic that scully won .
It is a little bit heavier than i would like as all sups are a pain in the .... to carry.
I am reluctant to put it in the water looks to good to use if my wife would let me i would hang in the lounge room.Have just bought a Starboard 10`5 so will ride that for a few months first,
I loved the look of the woody too but I could hardly pick it up off the rack
The rest of rthe boards and paddles look terific
Dave
rode the icon last weekend, super stable ,loose , best i've riden can't wait to get mine check out the promo vid for it
check one out on sunny coast at sunshine coast kitesurfing at cotton tree
This is what Ivan had to say to me about their wood boards.
DJ
Re the Coreban Limited Edition- Classic Wood Veneer Boards-Weight.
As far as the weight goes, which has been a question with most wood veneer
boards to date, we have worked together with our engineers to actually come
up with a whole new and revised structure; maintaining the same classy,
elegant look as our version 1, but lowering the weight considerably compared
to version 1 and previous wood boards that were on the market.
Also many wood veneer boards in the past tended to "chip" easier when bumped
due to a thick resin layer that was applied over the top deck of the wood.
Well here again we have reduced this thick top layer of resin and replaced
it with a layer of fiberglass, which reduces weight and chipping- plus to
maintain the boards longevity we have also added clear rail tape to keep the
board looking good.
It's amazing with these Limited Edition Classic wood boards how the wives
are often telling their husbands to buy one, my wife even lets us keep one
in our living room for display-- gotta love that!!
I also had the chance to chat to Ivan recently about the Coreban Classic Woodys and here is my summary of what I learnt (which reinforces what DJ said above):
The classic wooden boards are a limited edition collectors range which were slightly heavier and more fragile than the regular boards. Recent changes to the layup have resulted in a reduction in weight and minimised the fragility (see below). These boards are, however, intended to be classic and are not what would be considered high performance. They are aimed more at executives who want a top of the range sensational looking board and also want the wood feel regardless of the extra weight. These are not aimed at someone who wants a high performance contest board.
Interesting to note that even though Ivan has access to the high performance versions of the Coreban range, he still mostly rides the Woody version.
Most other 'wooden' boards on the market are what is known as 'visible wood' boards. Basically, these boards do not have any colour on the decks and the bamboo that forms part of the wood sandwich construction is visible through the outer glass layers (like the Coreban Pure series). The wood veneer boards have an additional wood veneer layer, which contributes to the extra weight.
The new layup aims to
- reduce the weight,
- decrease fragility (the "chipping" of the thick resin layer that was applied over the top deck of the wood)
- maintain the classy elegant look.
Changes in the new layup include reducing the thick top layer of resin and replacing it with a layer of fibreglass - this reduces the weight by about 2kg and helps prevent chipping. Coreban have also now, as a standard, added clear rail tape to maintain the boards longevity and keep the board looking good.
Love Ivan's quote in DJ's post -
"It's amazing with these Limited Edition Classic wood boards how the wives are often telling their husbands to buy one, my wife even lets us keep one in our living room for display-- gotta love that!!"
Here are a couple of pics Ivan sent me of him on the 11'6.
Note: please read the disclaimer on my profile
Hey folks first post so be gentle.
I had a ride of the 9' Coreban Fusion on Saturday down at Gunna, here is my little overview.
My profile: Coming from the 9'6" Naish as my point of comparison, 85-90kg rider trying to look good in the surf.
Personally on first viewing the Coreban shape didn't look to be that radical, thickish tail pretty chunky. The board looked good but nothing awesome. Yesterday got the Coreban 9' out in the surf probably about 4ft a bit messy at times but all round good fun size.
First few waves I had to get my bearing riding the new board how it took off, rode etc. but first surprise I was paddling around on a 9' board no sinking and plenty of stability which i thought was great. Well first proper wave took off, put the rail in and bloody hell the thing ripped around carrying a huge amount of speed straight into a big lip smack, compared to the Naish the Coreban carried a bit more speed and took a nice tight line, from this point on the session was all smiles. Few waves down the track had the board cutting back beautifully and was feeling like a pro, think the board was helping a bit.
So after a day on the Coreban I would have to say I am a convert, the board just carries a heap of speed, turns great AND carries my fat ass around. Also looking down at the nose on first glance was a bit tentative heading toward a serious bit of white water, doesn't look to kick up like the Naish or PSH boards i have ridden, but paddling over 4ft set wave just pops straight over the top no worries. The nose pops over anything and gives you heaps of confidence heading out through the white water and also on a steep drop.
All and all i found the Coreban 9' Fusion an really great ride, makes life easy while waiting out the back and then rips all the way home.
As mentioned SHQ has the board on demo (the one I rode) give it a go, plenty of float for a bigger guy without sacrificing performance.
hey Stuey, don't worry mate everyone has a first post and that was a good one !
Thanks for your time in writing up a review of the Coreban 9'0 Fusion.
