Forums > Stand Up Paddle   Board Talk & Reviews

Kalama Performance

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Created by 1fox > 9 months ago, 25 Sep 2021
margeaux
QLD, 59 posts
4 Sep 2022 9:30AM
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I totally agree and feel the same way!!
I just tried a set of quobbas and blown away with speed and drive they produce with in McKee set up




nShoreSlider
42 posts
9 Sep 2022 11:07PM
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Yup. This board is a keeper. I've had it out on several tiny 1' days and caught everything and had a blast with it. Now we're starting up hurricane season in New England and the past two mornings I've had it out on waist-head high waves. It's confident, fast, can noseride under lip for days, and did I mention fast? Stoked. Nice work Dave.

On the small days I finned it with a HoStevie quad set (hostevie.com/surf-fins.html) and on the bigger waves I used a FCS2 Harley quad set (www.surffcs.com/products/fcs-ii-harley-quad-fins).

Here are some pics of mine:








margeaux
QLD, 59 posts
10 Sep 2022 5:43PM
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I've been surfing a longboard for the last year and the kalama boards have got me frothing again!!!
Trying to lose 5kg and hopefully get a 9/28 currently on 9'2 /30 I personally like the narrow boards, loving my 10/28 it's quickly becoming my all time favourite board!
Theres definitely some special sauce in these kalama boards!!!

daih
NSW, 1 posts
12 Oct 2022 9:36AM
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Any idea how these go compared the the Sunova Revolution?

Rossall
WA, 711 posts
12 Oct 2022 3:42PM
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Well for one thing the Kalama's have a US centre box so you can ride a large ctr fin for getting on the nose. Plus FCS 2 for the rest of the box's are a very welcome edition

pohaku
NSW, 851 posts
12 Oct 2022 10:33PM
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Select to expand quote
daih said..
Any idea how these go compared the the Sunova Revolution?


Yes!
so iv used the 10' x 26.5 revolution for two years. Iv competed and won many events in NSW & QLD on this board. I now have the 10' x 28 kalama it's 1.7kg lighter for a board with more volume and width. In the surf the Kalama seems to paddle way nicer and also surfs incredible. I'm yet to have good footage on my kalama but here's a link to one vid that a buddy took on his walk. For other clips there's more from the Sunova on there too.
www.instagram.com/reel/CjANEuzMYNN/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=my 9' kalama I used the other day. 2 hours with hair dry on a 3ft A frame at home. I probably had the most fun sup surf iv ever had.

I tvink the main difference is the volume is distributed perfectly and you can't see this in detail till you stand or hold one. The durability for weight is incredible. The finish on the boards is amazing. DK has done a great job. The Sunova was the best board I had ever used till I got the Kalama's.

pohaku
NSW, 851 posts
17 Oct 2022 9:06PM
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Here's a clip on the 10'er

www.instagram.com/reel/CjxJ_8MpOxm/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

nShoreSlider
42 posts
18 Oct 2022 1:38AM
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had an absolute blast with head high rights all to myself this weekend... this board is 100

www.instagram.com/p/Cjyha3tBaHt/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link



margeaux
QLD, 59 posts
18 Oct 2022 6:31PM
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Totally agree with you, I've taken my 10 and 9'2 in 3-4 foot and have had a blast!!! Not sure if it's the fin set up but the board is super smooth on the wave I haven't experienced the same feeling on anything else, even though it is less in litres than other boards I've owned it paddles amazing, pulled in nose and construction make swing weight super light for size.
super stoked!!!!
great job Dave Kalama!!!

SCsurfer
6 posts
23 Nov 2022 12:44AM
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Just wondering which Quobbas to run on a 9'0 28" Kalama?

Margeaux are those Lg in front and Med in back?

How does this board nose ride with Quobbas or quads in general?

Appreciate the feedback in advance!

I'm looking at getting this board. Was going to go for a Sunova Revolution but the posts here on Seabreeze pointed me towards the Kalama!

jrc22ski
58 posts
23 Nov 2022 10:04PM
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Select to expand quote
SCsurfer said..
Just wondering which Quobbas to run on a 9'0 28" Kalama?

Margeaux are those Lg in front and Med in back?

How does this board nose ride with Quobbas or quads in general?

Appreciate the feedback in advance!

I'm looking at getting this board. Was going to go for a Sunova Revolution but the posts here on Seabreeze pointed me towards the Kalama!


I am curious about this too.

I currently ride the 9' x 28" with large quads (AM1) at 175 #'s






margeaux
QLD, 59 posts
24 Nov 2022 9:27PM
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They sure are large in the front and medium in the back, they seem to work well for me also the Harley ingelby quads work well

SCsurfer
6 posts
27 Nov 2022 3:14AM
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margeaux said..
They sure are large in the front and medium in the back, they seem to work well for me also the Harley ingelby quads work well

Sweet! Thanks for the reply!

I'll start with the Quobbas and go from there.



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jrc22ski said..
I am curious about this too.

I currently ride the 9' x 28" with large quads (AM1) at 175 #'s


I'm also 175# and 6'0. Do you find the 28" to be plenty stable for you?

My current go to surf shape is an 8'0 x 30" 113L Simmons shape from Infinity. I'm assuming 5L will be mostly negligible as I feel very comfortable at that volume.

pohaku
NSW, 851 posts
27 Nov 2022 10:00PM
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Just won the Merimbula classic on the 10fter!





margeaux
QLD, 59 posts
28 Nov 2022 8:43PM
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Definitely find the 28 wide stable at 95kg

justaddwater
NSW, 716 posts
29 Nov 2022 9:48AM
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pohaku said..
Just won the Merimbula classic on the 10fter!






Congratulations Dylan ,good for you/ your dealership ,and the Kalama brand,the boards certainly look the goods ,and I am looking forward to seeing them first hand!From what I have picked up / read about Dave Kalama,he appears to be about aloha and humility,and always acknowledges his fellow competitors,in the true spirit of surfing and being at your best competitively,and I am sure this will be lived up to in OZ,again congrats,and I totally understand your excitement ,cheers .

nShoreSlider
42 posts
29 Nov 2022 8:45AM
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Congrats Dylan! Saw your updates on Insta. So stoked for you. What a killer board. Thought I also saw an Insta-story about it getting bashed up pretty good... repairable?

pohaku
NSW, 851 posts
30 Nov 2022 8:33AM
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nShoreSlider said..
Congrats Dylan! Saw your updates on Insta. So stoked for you. What a killer board. Thought I also saw an Insta-story about it getting bashed up pretty good... repairable?

Yeah opening wave of the heat. Both took off at the same time and I don't back down and I went right he went left and learnt he does t back down. His fin went through the nose of my board with 90kg of bottom turn behind him. Both went over the falls tangled up. This was the result for me. I was almost going to go in but I said nah **** it I want to win this thing.




jrc22ski
58 posts
1 Dec 2022 10:04PM
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SCsurfer said..

margeaux said..
They sure are large in the front and medium in the back, they seem to work well for me also the Harley ingelby quads work well


Sweet! Thanks for the reply!

I'll start with the Quobbas and go from there.




jrc22ski said..
I am curious about this too.

I currently ride the 9' x 28" with large quads (AM1) at 175 #'s



I'm also 175# and 6'0. Do you find the 28" to be plenty stable for you?

My current go to surf shape is an 8'0 x 30" 113L Simmons shape from Infinity. I'm assuming 5L will be mostly negligible as I feel very comfortable at that volume.


I can only compare to my 8'2" x 27 5/8"/102L Speeed. It is more stable than that.

I do not like wide SUP's. For you the volume difference will be negligible. You will feel the difference in width though.

Surlygringo
95 posts
2 Dec 2022 4:54AM
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SCsurfer,
I am 185#s, 6'2" and I found the 9'x28" Kalama to be pretty stable. I am guessing that is due to the single concave bottom running through the standing area. When in surf stance it may be helpful to think more about weighting your front foot as compared to paddling a Simmons shape. Also, the board tracks great. You could literally just paddle it on one side the whole time.

SCsurfer
6 posts
2 Dec 2022 11:10AM
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Nice! Thanks for the replies y'all. I plan on ordering the 9 x 28.like tomorrow! I've got some quobbas coming as well. Looking forward to getting my longboard game back. I gave up prone longboarding years ago due to neck issues so I'm excited to get some proper tip time in.

jrc22ski
58 posts
4 Dec 2022 6:19PM
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Select to expand quote
SCsurfer said..
Nice! Thanks for the replies y'all. I plan on ordering the 9 x 28.like tomorrow! I've got some quobbas coming as well. Looking forward to getting my longboard game back. I gave up prone longboarding years ago due to neck issues so I'm excited to get some proper tip time in.



Congrats on the new board!

Please let me know where you get Quobba fin's in the US!?

colas
5079 posts
4 Dec 2022 9:19PM
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jrc22ski said..
Please let me know where you get Quobba fin's in the US!?


You must order them from their site. They ship worldwide, free of port, you just have to pay for the custom fees.

SCsurfer
6 posts
4 Dec 2022 11:41PM
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Yes as Colas said, I ordered them online. Dark glass Lg fronts/Md rears. They discontinued the red/yellow colors. With the exchange rate they came to $142. Pretty reasonable I think. I wish they produced them in the fcs 2 version but no big deal. I ordered the fcs2 compatibility kit.

a.co/d/8MJMFOt

I will post some reviews of how it all surfs when I get some water time in.

SCsurfer
6 posts
5 Dec 2022 1:13AM
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Colas,

I see you are a brand ambassador for Gong. I really wanted the GONG SUP NFA FSP PRO and like the looks of the Mob. I tried to chase down an avenue to have boards shipped but it was cost prohibitive. Any plans to ever bring sales to the US that you are aware of?

colas
5079 posts
5 Dec 2022 1:31PM
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SCsurfer said..
Any plans to ever bring sales to the US that you are aware of?


What I gathered is that Patrice always wanted to have local distributors in US and OZ, but deals never got through because they never found people wanted to commit to selling the numbers needed to keep the prices low by economies of scale. I think the only distributors they had were in the UK, sporadically.

Also, they are not actively seeking distributors at times when they already have trouble producing enough for the European market, which I guess is the case now. Plus I guess it is hard committing to deals with an external distributor in uncertain times, such as now with what is happening in China, energy and transport prices (as you saw), etc...

And - a wild guess here - it might be hard to find a way for an US distributor to feel at ease with a business model where the catalog may change often and all year long. Managing stock may be a challenge.

On the other hand, it seems like there are now a lot of very good boards available in the US: Kalama, but also Infinity, Starboard, Jimmy Lewis, etc...

In a nutshell: There is a will, but since it never worked out in all these years, I would not hold my breath.

Rossall
WA, 711 posts
7 Dec 2022 11:25AM
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Picking up my new 9/2 Kalama next Monday so can't bloody wait to get my hands on it

Bighugg
490 posts
7 Dec 2022 4:36PM
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Select to expand quote
jrc22ski said..

SCsurfer said..
Nice! Thanks for the replies y'all. I plan on ordering the 9 x 28.like tomorrow! I've got some quobbas coming as well. Looking forward to getting my longboard game back. I gave up prone longboarding years ago due to neck issues so I'm excited to get some proper tip time in.




Congrats on the new board!

Please let me know where you get Quobba fin's in the US!?


There was a guy in San Diego who had a stash of Quobba in 2019,
You could contact Taryn to see if he is still available ??

nShoreSlider
42 posts
7 Dec 2022 10:33PM
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I wish Quobba made smalls. And I wish they made quads (medium + smalls). I bought the medium thruster set just so I could use the two sides on my Kalama 9'2 and then I'll run my smalls from my HoStevie quad set in the rear. I bought the Harley Ingleby fcs2 quad set but found them too large for my taste (they're labeled XL) as they felt stiff and the board wasn't as loose as I'd like it to be in surf under head high.

DavidJohn
VIC, 17469 posts
8 Dec 2022 11:15AM
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Forums > Stand Up Paddle   Board Talk & Reviews


"Kalama Performance" started by 1fox