Bought a 6'10 lewy for good / big waves at end on 2011. Paid over 800 bucks. Looked sweet in the shop. Surfed ok at first, but soon found it to be too stiff. Very difficult board to turn / dig a rail. Add to that the glassing was very light as the deck caved in pretty quickly. Sold for 250 last week. Probably surfed say 10 times. At 10 waves a session (average) that's $6 a wave!!!
Rip curl T Rex 6' 10"..
Learning to surf a couple of years ago local surf coach said hybrid would be good for me.. 'just happened to have a couple in the shop'..
I'd been riding a 6'6" 7Seas fish,, first time I rode the T Rex, I tore Medial Ligament in my knee, put me out of action for 3-4 months.
I was totally pithed,,, it's a horrible board, it won't turn, it won't do anything,, it's like a brick...
Since found my way on a great Jr board.. I've since tried the old T Rex once or twice thinking I may have been a bit hasty,, but cursed the maker , and coach..
Does Lewy still shape? I heard a rumour, and I haven't seen him in the water for about three years.
No he doesn't. I heard a rumour too. Sounded like a pretty sad story.
Hope he is ok.... But glad to get rid of that board.
foamies used in barreling surf always seem to be purchases that i regret. 
damn things only last a couple of rides! who builds those things?! 
Ci Fred rubble...board shape etc was on but grassing was a piece of sh1t..
It felt like 1oz glass and looked line a golf ball after 8 months. Glassed at the glasslab..
Even the surf shop I bought it from wouldn't trade it in! Managed to flog if for $250 with fins and felt a bit guilty about it...put me off ci and I will never buy another one again
Seems like contract glassing companies are only out for $. Apparently my golf ball glass job on the lewy was done by contract glassers down south.
Dave shaped me a board by hand about two years ago best board I have ever ridden a 6,9 it was ridden at gnarloo and was worth twice what I paid and I pAid top dollar too I sat down with him and talked bout how I surfed and where it would be ridden. He is a good bloke and excellent shaper he gave me what I think is a magic board. When I first got it he rang me to ask if I'd ridden it yet I was working at the time away from home. Nah haven't had the chance yet I said.... Really mate ... Um nah ... Oh we'll ring is when you do... Two weeks later it went to gnarloo never ridden before and performed like a dream board should ... I rang him and told him and he was stoked absolutely stoked.... Sorry bit sidetracked worst board ever was a 6,6 Shane Dorian pop out which I paid 850 for full corky rode ****, cheap finish, and a really overpriced piece of poo. I rode it a couple times and every time I rode it I hated it more and more.
I dont think I can fault boards by shape, its usually my sh!t surfing but I find the glass jobs are the biggest let down. I bought an Anacapa that was based of a CI shape. Expensive as hell back in the day. The thing dented just looking at it.
Took it on surf trips and for ever repairing it at night cutting into my drinking time with the boys.
Now it just sits in the shed at my parents place over east and use it as my summer holiday board
A JR 203 epoxy. $700 after discount. Dings on nose deck and bottom after one surf in two foot. Sold straight away. Must of been glassed with cling wrap
The most solid glass jobs I have ever had we're from delta designs in margret river. I have 3 of his boards that are over 10 years old that look better condition than some of my recent ones.
Anything made in SLX epoxy and distributed by global Surf Industries.
Never again
I have a Lewy board from 2007 and apart from the usual deck depressions it is in great condition...maybe the glass job quality has gone down hill since then?..the ci that I sold was swapped for a JR epoxy!! Yes it has dings on top, bottom and a cracked rail from trying to pigdog a 2ft monster! (Unsuccessfully)
The best board I have for toughness is actually a FireWire rapid fire construction. I'm bad for duck diving with my knee bit it has not a single depression. Immaculate. Shame I don't like the board tho!
I don't think a quality shape and glass job is possible any more...let me know if one found..
Jacks mini mal when getting back into it after back injury...paddled like crap and dinged if you looked at it too hard. Needless to say you get what you pay for in that case!
Select to expand quotePhil27 said..
I don't think a quality shape and glass job is possible any more...let me know if one found..
The ones I ride have both. But you get what you pay for, or vice versa in this case.
Select to expand quoteLegion said..Phil27 said..
I don't think a quality shape and glass job is possible any more...let me know if one found..
The ones I ride have both. But you get what you pay for, or vice versa in this case.
I generally agree, but getting what you pay for isn't guaranteed.
I've got two pop-outs that are astoundingly resilient. One has even been run over. No worries.
And I paid $880 for the jr...$820 for the ci
$700 for the FireWire so getting what you paid for isn't always the case...
Well don't buy bloody pop outs!!!
Order a custom and choose your own glass job.
**** me you'd think it was rocket surgery
They're no more expensive and often less than what you pay off the shelf for a fap factor name.
Not yours, granted Legion, but there's plenty of other options out there all over this land.
^^^^^
The thing is its not always only pop outs that have quality issues. You can get a nice shape from a great local shaper,,,,however if he uses a contract glassing house there is a fair chance the glassing will be ****house. I seem to remember SDR saying he was doing all glassing in house these days so he can directly control the glassing quality. The problem with contract glassing is normally their name doesn't appear on the board, so it's the shaper that gets the bad rep, when really it's not their fault. I hear katana glasses all of his own boards? Me thinks this is an assurance of decent glassing as he has to do a solid job to retain his customer base.
Select to expand quoteCtngoodvibes said..
^^^^^
The thing is its not always only pop outs that have quality issues. You can get a nice shape from a great local shaper,,,,however if he uses a contract glassing house there is a fair chance the glassing will be ****house. I seem to remember SDR saying he was doing all glassing in house these days so he can directly control the glassing quality. The problem with contract glassing is normally their name doesn't appear on the board, so it's the shaper that gets the bad rep, when really it's not their fault. I hear katana glasses all of his own boards? Me thinks this is an assurance of decent glassing as he has to do a solid job to retain his customer base.
well said if you want full control on your product you have to do it all yourself including control over quality of resin glass and blanks not whats on special that month from various supplers
I ve noticed lately crew have been asking where there board will be shaped and glassed
Select to expand quoteCtngoodvibes said..
I hear katana glasses all of his own boards?
He's got a glassing bay, so maybe.
My comments were a generalisation but apply generally :).
Yeah, some of the popouts are bulletproof but (for me) the shapes don't do much.
Yeah, some shapes are great but comp glassed. People sometimes think they want that, because that's what the pros want.
Sometimes you pay disproportionately for the name alone.
Tell Del he needs to finish his new website Chrispy. It's only half done so can't check his latest models and dimension....
Select to expand quoteCtngoodvibes said...
Tell Del he needs to finish his new website Chrispy. It's only half done so can't check his latest models and dimension....
I'm sick of telling him to get it sorted. Email and harass him haha.
Webber mini fish.. Biggest piece of shart ever... Most times it's not the glass jobs that suck on pop outs but the machine taking too much of the crust off the deck.... Most hand shapers will work mainly on the underside, leaving the board dimple resistant.... I had an al merick flyer once that fell apart right away, the company replaced it with a few questions asked, then I swapped it for a webber mini fish... Which brings me back to my original point...
Firewire Michelle Bourez...Not saying its a bad board, went well in overhead sucky conditions. But wasn't as versatile as I thought it would be...waves really needed to be sucky, any flat & it would just bog down. Surprised me coz it had more volume & length than a hellfire I made a huge mistake in selling...
Was looking at that FireWire model the other day. Looked like good board for good waves. Anyone got any comments on the durability of firewires these days? I got one when they first came on the scene and had problems with it,,,but was wondering if they have fixed the initial production issues they had? There are some nice looking firewires in star surf.
I'd consider one of Dave's boards if I were buying a newy skud & go2 look good, he's been working with advanced construction techniques for a long time...I've had 2 Firewire FST's recently that were already about a year old when I got them. Took both of them out in double overhead conditions, hellfire - SW, airport rights, shipwrecks, ulus & the bourez around the SW. They don't absorb as much when your flying along with a slight bit of chop, but they're strong. I dinged the hellfire early morning low tide at ulu's the day after that single fin night contest when it was really small & shallow. I had one of those UV triggered epoxy repair tubes & it didn't dry out super quick like the PU. For those reasons, absorbtion & easy repair I've gone back to PU boards. I've got a dodgy knee & the soft tissue in my right (back) foot gets sore after a day of pushing hard off the top on long left hand peelers. So a bit of shock absorbtion is good for me...I wouldn't get the bourez unless you were planning a trip to indo or were a regular at gasbay/smiths/box or somewhere consistantly sucky. But then you could get something else that could handle sucky waves but be a lot more versatile as well IMO
^^ got a couple here if you want to try one mick some day when your up this way, have been also looking into new fabrics and processes to make both pu and epoxies lighter and stronger without sacrificing flex
