I’m in the process of writing some short reviews of the all the different boards I rode over the Mambo 08 weekend. Reading these you might also get a bit of a feel for the different sessions we snagged and how much fun we had in the waves around Merimbula.
Stay tuned as I post more to this thread over the next few days including Stuey’s Penetrator 507, Scotty Mac’s home made 9’4” quad fish and a few of the smaller PSH high performance boards.
Here’s the first one:
Pambula Beach
28 Nov 08
Board: Oxbow 11’ Cruiser
Conditions: Strong cross shore wind. Fast, steep, chest high waves.
I thought I would take my own (comfortable) board out for the first session of the weekend. I took the Oxbow 9’6” down onto the sand as well, with the plan to swap over at some stage. Never got around to that because the waves were quite sucky on the shallow sandbank and I didn’t want to snap a borrowed board.
My 11 footer felt nice in the conditions and I was glad for the extra stability in the heavy chop. The good glide and paddling ability of the Oxbow 11’ made those frantic races to the take off zone during lulls easier than they might have been on other boards.
The extra length made it a bit difficult to make critical drops and work it down the line to make sections.
I got up near the nose a couple of times, nearly made some big floaters, got a few nice bottom turns in and pulled off a decent cutback or two.
Overall: Not the best board for the conditions but had fun anyway.
Highs:
- Good paddling ability
- Good noserider
- Can still turn it in critical waves
Lows:
- Hard to make steep drops
- Gets caught in the wind easily
Merimbula Beach, Bar Beach, Merimbula Point
29 Nov 08
Board: Penetrator 507
Conditions: Very light offshore wind. Fat, knee high waves.
I woke for the mega early, checked the surf and was a bit despondent of what to do as there were next-to-no waves. I walked back to cabin where AA suggested I take the Predator for a spin. Woo hoo - why didn’t I think of that.
I carry it across the road and down the beach, feeling like a full on iron-man - machine on shoulder, paddle casually swaying in other hand. DJ stops me half way and takes about 100 photos.
I get to the water, jump on this beast of a board and ... oh no ... my Guy Leech aspirations are quickly extinguished ... I fall, fall again, get up for a sec then fall again. I can’t do this - I am a kook.
If you’ve ever read Stuey’s description of the design concept of this board - you will know it is OK for it to roll sideways to an extent - you just have to trust it to stop rolling before it flips over - because it wont - that's how he has designed it. Having that trust is the tricky bit. It’s very tempting to roll to a point, think it will never stop rolling, then jump off - before it has a chance to correct itself. Once I found that trust, I was sweet. Relax, move with it, don’t jump off - scaredy cat.
Now I’m up and paddling through some tiny waves near the shore. It slices through them with its razor sharp bow - easy.
I get out the back in the flat water, stroke, stroke, stroke - glide, glide, glide - nice. This is one beautiful machine - both to look at and to drive. The smoothness and power it generates is awesome.
I paddle up and down the beach, then over to a sheltered cove where DJ, Helke and Boylos all took it for a short spin. None of them seemed to have as much trouble as me getting up and running!
I get back on and the four of us paddle out towards the end of the point together - beautiful scenery and easy paddling on a 16 footer.
I leave the others, paddle towards the middle of the bay and run with the little swell back to the beach. You can almost paddle as fast as runners when they are that small and your board is that long. That was fun.
I try catching a few waves as it has picked up a little since I started out. That was not fun. Very hard to keep your balance, re-position the board and negotiate sections. I reckon you’d have to have a lot of practice to be able to ride a broken wave more than a foot high.
Overall: It was an absolute pleasure to paddle such an awesome machine.
Highs:
- Incredible glide
- Awesome speed to paddle power ratio
- Tracks really well (don’t need to swap hands very often)
- Unreal to look at
Lows:
- A bit scary to stand on (first time)
- Hard to do big bottom turn/re-entry combos on waves
great review casso but i thought these big boards were designed for downwind runs and not catching breaking waves so probably the 2nd low point was expected.
Did it have a rudder? Got pics? How much$?
Its a beautiful thing! 
These boards are hand made in Australia and start at around $2500 depending on length and materials.
This is the 16' racing model with carbon rails which starts at around $3000.
Most days when I take this beauty out to do some distance I end up playing round in waves - it catches the smallest ripple!
We scored the Bower one day at 4' and managed to surf it down the line - no problem! 
Andrew.A
Thanks Casso for the reviews. I'm kind of surprised that you had trouble being balanced on it (the penatrator) when you first tried it. I would have thought it to be ultra stable, but as you said you need to get the feel for it. Certainly looks beautifully constructed and could imagine gliding on ripples. How did you find carrying it, what sort of weight are we talking?
I'm pleased Casso didn't tell me how much it was ,before I took it for a paddle as I was nervous enough as it was when I was paddling .
A really smooth ride ,even though I was in the flat water must be a hoot in a downwinder
Thanks for opportunity 
Cheers
Boylos
I would be interested to hear from Stuey as to whether you could put a mast track in one of these and have it double as a light wind sailboard? - bit like the *board Serenity.
I know this is probably sacrilege but having the versatility helps with storage space issues and the convincing of the Minister for Finance, War and Peace!
Merimbula Beach
29 Nov 08
Board: Scotty Mac 9’4” Quad Fish
Conditions: Light cross-offshore wind. Fat, knee high waves.
I took my Oxbow 11 footer out because the waves looked very gutless and I planned on paddling about 1km down the beach where there was a bit more swell. Once I got there I was catching a few dribbly waves, focusing on my longboard style surfing, when up paddles Scotty Mac on his high performance 9’4” quad fish. He, he - wrong board for the conditions mate, I thought to myself.
He asked if I wanted a go, and not being one to refuse a try of a new board, I accepted. Mainly just planning on doing a bit of paddling to see how it felt.
It felt great. Quite stable for a little board and it looks fantastic when you are looking down on its plan shape - nice lines. A real credit to its shaper. It doesn’t glide as well as my 11 footer but that’s to be expected.
A little one footer came through and I thought I’d give it a try on a wave. I nearly stumbled as I swung around and consequently thought I’d miss the wave - but with a few hard strokes I somehow got on it. The minimal lift from the wave allowed the 9’4” to get enough momentum and drop down the tiny face of this wave.
Now this is when the Scotty Mac 9’4” really surprised me. I was able to fade the takeoff , lean into a decent bottom turn, hit a crumbly section, race down the line, do a nice floater as it closed out and then hop up onto a little foam climb in the white water. All on a wave similar to what I had just been riding on my 11 footer and only been able to trim and nose ride. I think I was wrong about this being the wrong board for the conditions.
The quad fins bite enough to generate drive when bottom turning and cutting back, yet I managed to release them in the foam to pull off a bit of a tail slide - that felt cool.
I can only imagine how well it’d rip in some decent stuff. I love it.
Overall: This board is a ripper - even in tiny waves.
Highs:
- Good stability for a short SUP
- Great plan shape
- Quality workmanship
- Gets onto waves well
- Very manoeuvrable yet has drive
Lows:
- Slow paddler on flat water
- Doesn’t track very well (need to swap hands often)
Pambula Beach
29 Nov 08
Board: Paddle Surf Hawaii 10’ All Rounder
Conditions: Medium cross-offshore wind. Fast, chest high waves.
I just had a quick go of this board as it was the smallest board left on the beach by the time I got there. I was too slow to get my act together and missed out on all the sub 10 footers.
I only got about three waves before a smaller board was freed up but they were all good fun. I don’t really call a 10’ board a performance SUP (for somebody less than 90kg) but the PSH 10’ is still able to do most of what the smaller SUPs can do.
It paddles well and is quite stable - nice and comfortable, especially if the wind/chop is up a bit. It drives nicely off the bottom and is small/light enough to snap it around in the pocket with a bit of a push.
The workmanship is great in this machine shaped/hand glassed version. It’s not the newest board and lots of different people have been riding it - but it is still in great condition.
The fullish nose allows you to walk up the front when you want to and even drape a couple of toes over. The thinned out tail allows you to run down the back and pivot the thing around in a pretty tight radius. I guess that’s why they call it an “All-Rounder” (or an “All-Arounder” if you are Hawaiian).
Overall: A great all rounder - perfect for a single board quiver.
Highs:
- Great versatility in a range of conditions
- Fantastic quality
- A good paddler with decent stability
Lows:
- A bit too big for a mid or light weight performance SUP surfer
This one is out of order, but I couldn't keep it to myself any longer:
Somewhere near Merimbula
30 Nov 08
Board: Oxbow 9’6” Pilot
Conditions: Medium cross-offshore wind. Fast, steep, head high waves.
An epic session. Quite crowded but some amazing waves.
They were drawing off the shallow bank on the take-off then walling up down the line - just asking to be whacked and caved for (sometimes) 200 meters.
The littlest Oxbow performed really well in these perfect conditions. Easy to draw a big bottom turn to set up an off-the-top carve. It’s got enough manoeuvrability to pump it down the line on a steep section even on my backhand (which is a bit harder when you have a paddle, I reckon).
Once you’re riding on a wave of this size (3-4 foot) it provides a stable platform which is conducive to working on your style (ie, you’re not struggling to just stay balanced on the thing). This allowed me to pull off a couple of backhand drop-knee bottom turns and even a soul-arch cutback - fun.
I got up onto the lip a couple of times trying to do a floater over a closing out section - I don’t remember making any of these though (maybe one). Good fun none-the-less.
Overall: An awesome session - the best I’ve ever had on a SUP. Very glad I had a high performance board to deal with the high performance waves.
Highs:
- Great performer in decent sized waves
- Good down-the-line speed
- Pulled in nose doesn’t get caught in critical positions on the wave
Lows:
- Hard to keep balanced while waiting out the back (especially in chop from a river running out)
- Hard to get near the nose (if that’s what you’re into)
Pambula Beach
29 Nov 08
Board: Paddle Surf Hawaii 9’2” All Rounder
Conditions: Medium cross-offshore wind. Fast, chest high waves.
This was Matt Lumley’s board and Tom Carroll’s before that. Matt had promised me a go at the pub, the night before, so now was my chance to take him up on the offer.
I only had a few waves on the 9’2” but could tell from these that it is a really great board. Very stable for such a shorty and very versatile - a great turner off the tail, quite good drive out of turns and enough volume in the nose to go for a bit of a walk.
This was a machine shaped, hand glassed board so I’m not sure how the production, moulded 9’2” AR differs. I’m sure it’s pretty close.
Overall: A great all rounder for a performance surfer.
Highs:
- Nice looking board, great lines
- Great for all different riding styles
- Short and light so you can throw it around easily
Lows:
- Maybe not enough flow through turns
- Hard to come by in Australia
Great reviews Casso.. I should have lent you my Naish 11'4" to do a review on it.
DJ
Good stuff Casso keep em rolling in
So if you had to pick one board for surfing which one would you pick ?
Pambula River Mouth
29 Nov 08
Board: Paddle Surf Hawaii 9’6” All Rounder
Conditions: Medium cross-offshore wind. Fast, chest high waves.
I’d been wanting to paddle down the beach to the river mouth all morning because it looked like there were some really good uncrowded waves coming through down there, with nobody on them. I though the PSH 9’6” All Rounder would be a good vehicle to get me there (about 1.5km). I was right. Quite a short board but it feels much bigger when you are paddling it. It’s got good stability, decent glide and it even tracks OK (don’t need to swap hands very often).
Once I approached the take off zone - I knew I was in for a good session. Out of the flat, glassy water rose this 3 foot peak which pitched and then peeled down the bank for 100 meters. It was picturesque with giant gum trees dotting the rocky shore in the distance, creating an awesome backdrop to this surfer’s paradise.
It was quite some time between sets with absolutely nothing in-between. I finally got one and it was worth the wait. Fast, very fast but the 9’6” PSH performed under the pressure. I didn’t really get a chance to demo its carving ability on these right handers but it was still fun to drive it down the line as fast as I could and do a big floater at the end. I caught a couple like this.
A big school of fish started jumping and splashing just beyond the take off zone. I reckon it was big fish chasing little fish - not big fish being chased by something bigger! I was over a kilometre away from the nearest human so that was a good conclusion to draw - in my books.
I went left on the next wave and it was a lot slower. Still a pitching lip on the take off (with the river running out and pulling the bottom out of the wave) but then filling up so you could get in some turns. The 9’6” was great. Long, carving arcs that you could really lean into and it held speed through them really well. The left keep shutting down, then filling up, then sectioning off again. You could ride them for ages, doing cutbacks, little reos, drop-knee turns and getting little nose rides. Super fun.
After only about half an hour the offshore picked up and the rip from the river intensified which made paddling onto them harder and harder. I finally succumbed and paddled back to the main beach - well worth it for the few I did get though.
Overall: Another great all rounder with good performance and versatility.
Highs:
- Great drive through turns
- Can camp on the nose pretty easily
- Good stability and paddling ability
- Good down the line speed
Lows:
- Not many in Australia yet
- Not the cheapest board around
Great reviews Casso. Next best thing to being there.
Can I ask your height and weight please?
Great reviews Casso - have you tried any local manufactures. I only see the Penetrator but everything else looks like it is PIS or Oxbow.
Would be good to get some local board Manufacturers reviews as I would rather support locally made
