In a recent “have Board will Surf” post, I described my new Chilli Surfboard, but did not have time to ride it.   In this post I’ll describe how the first sessions went and my impression of the board to take my surfing to the next level.   To complement the board, I purchased a set of medium sized FCS II Performer Performance Core Carbon Surfboard Fins. Here are my first impressions of the board and setup.

Custom Chilli Surfboard Specs :

  1. Base Model: Nevada design
  2. Custom design name: “Surf and Circuits1”
  3. Length: 6’2″
  4. Width: 19″
  5. Thickness: 2 9/12″
  6. Volume: 31m3
  7. Fins: Medium FCS II Performer Core Carbon

Surfer Specs: (that’s me :)) 

  1. Heights:   6’4″
  2. Weight:    182 lbs
  3. Active Years Surfing:  12 years total,  starting in High School, stopped, restarted 10 years ago.
  4. Surf Level:   Intermediate+

After three surf sessions in different conditions,  my first impression is that this board is fast down the line, easy to get into waves, and will have the power to handle strong cutbacks (when I get the technique right).    For me, this board feels to me like learning to drive in a BMW M3.  I know and feel the power and performance under the hood,   but I haven’t exercised all of it.  There were some great waves and improvements for me riding this new board,  but I have some work to do to take advantage of all the board offers.  Let me explain more below.

Day #1: 3-4′ surf at Uppers Trestles: High Tide

The added volume in the board was great to allow me to catch many waves and once I caught the wave, the board was fast down the line. I did not have a lot of rides where I could go into any major cutbacks or off the lips.  It was mostly down the line but I could feel the power on the back hand.

Day #2: 3-4′ surf at Salt Creek: Medium Tide

Lots of waves and great and fast down the line. However, my front side off-the-lip turns need more work.  I expect I need to engage the rail more than my last board which had more rocker (but less speed).   In addition, the curve of the board down the rail from the mid-section to the tail is less than my last boards.   I was able to get around sections with the added speed,   but with the added speed,   I need to put more weight into the rail to quickly turn in cutbacks and off-the-lips.    I have some learning to do here, but I feel the power and performance in the board.

Day #3:  3-4′ surf at Salt Creek:  Low-Medium Tide with a peaky swell.

Once again, I was able to get into lots of waves, with some fun waves down the line.   And my turns are also getting better.    I’ve found that for quick turns,  bringing my front foot back also helps.     I’m really liking the fit of this board and can’t wait to get out again.

In summary, the board performed as expected and appears to be a good board to propel me to the next level.   It was faster down the line, and easier to get into the waves, and able to handle major turns.   I’m looking forward to pushing the board to its performance limits…..

Please add you comments below. 🙂