by bluesurfer007 » Fri Jan 07, 2011 12:07 pm
I bought the 6'6" last month have only managed to surf it twice in small waves so I can't really judge its true performance, though I could kind of feel the potential.
Its light and responsive and at sub £350 its very good value. However, here are a couple of points to be aware of:
Floatation: It does NOT have the extra floatation I was led to expect. I wouldn't ride it any less than 1" smaller than your current thruster if that. That said, the wider nose profile gets you planing much earlier than a 'normal' thruster.
Finish: Not as perfect as you would probably expect from Resin8. There are a couple of noticeable 'repairs' (ie. the EPS foam has been grazed by the shaving tool and not cut and the extra resin filling these areas give the board some patches of blue/green colouration).
Deck: Given that I have only used the board twice, was pretty alarmed at the number of significant pressure dings I have manged to put in the deck!!!! My expectation was something much tougher than this. If it wasn't for the scoop, you would think the board was about a year or two old!!! Still in two minds whether to take this issue up with the suppliers (Magicseaweed) or Resin8 direct. However, the 'scoop' as mentioned, is pretty shallow but does definately help paddling & stability.
Hope that helps.