Lib Tech x Lost Puddle Jumper

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
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Now that they've ironed out the shapes a bit, I think Lib Tech is one of the better value's out there.

Short Round and Sub Buggy look kinda fun. Tried my buddies PJ and it was okay.

The fin boxes are a deal breaker for me at this point.

 

Victimclothing

OTF status
Aug 3, 2008
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I have a 5'6 32.5 liter bottom feeder for 1-2ft desperate summertime dribble. The PJ surfs noticeably more responsive and a little more shortboard like. I can throw it around and get vertical more easily, it's a really fun board for sub par surf and if you sized it to your performance shortboard liters it will be performance oriented. My performance shortboard liters (Baby Buggy and Short round) is 27 liters and my PJ is 30.
I don't like the fin boxes, I use some large standard M7s and a small trailer. I need to try more fun combos.
 

SeaFoamGreen

Gerry Lopez status
Apr 10, 2009
1,250
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Very strong build, but they do ding....... check out the pink foam.



This was an extreme case surfing a quirky reef break hiding from a 15 @ 18 in BFE. There was a rock in the middle of section. I had been bottom turning around it, but on one of the bigger set waves I decided to point it and go in front of it. Lip started to crumble and ended up having to float it landing right on top of the rock and then supermaning off my board. Easy fix with dremel qcell and epoxy.

Just cant imagine paying 600-700 for a poly board. Remember paying 350 off the rack in the late 80's early 90's. And stoked to support local PNW board builders and a more sustainable tech.
 

fonker

Michael Peterson status
Apr 18, 2006
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I have 4 of Mervins snowboards in my family. Every one is a winner. The surfboards Lib is making now look very interesting. I have a friend you loves his, a regular shortboard. Hard not to like US made, reasonable priced, and bomb proof durable boards that apparently work well too.

Amazing they are the same prices roughly as a pu poly!
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,252
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Jacksonville Beach
SeaFoamGreen said:
Very strong build, but they do ding....... check out the pink foam.



This was an extreme case surfing a quirky reef break hiding from a 15 @ 18 in BFE. There was a rock in the middle of section. I had been bottom turning around it, but on one of the bigger set waves I decided to point it and go in front of it. Lip started to crumble and ended up having to float it landing right on top of the rock and then supermaning off my board. Easy fix with dremel qcell and epoxy.

Just cant imagine paying 600-700 for a poly board. Remember paying 350 off the rack in the late 80's early 90's. And stoked to support local PNW board builders and a more sustainable tech.
So fix these with EPS friendly stuff instead of polyester resin? I haven't even bothered looking/reading much.

Crammed a couple quick lunch sessions in on it, kind of surprised how well it hops into little peaklets. I sized it HPSB volume so it doesn't insist its way into flat mushballs with bumps, but get just a little curve/draw on it and it does a great job.
 

SeaFoamGreen

Gerry Lopez status
Apr 10, 2009
1,250
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NorOR
Sharkbiscuit said:
So fix these with EPS friendly stuff instead of polyester resin? I haven't even bothered looking/reading much
Yep. The resin they use is a variation of epoxy resin I believe. So yeah just like fixing an EPS board. Cracks and small dings don't really need to be fixed at all apparently.

On another note not sure I like the Shortroad as much as the PJ. Need a few more sessions on it and to ride it as a quad. But doesn't paddle into waves all that great considering the volume forward. Once its in though it hums pretty good when you weight on the front foot. More of a back footed surfer. Maybe that's it? Prob ride it again on Wed.
 

Waterlogged05

Michael Peterson status
May 14, 2005
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I got to ride one of these in decent waist high surf a few weeks back.
I was borrowing a friend's 5'5" ~30 liter Lib Tech Puddle Jumper
I weigh 135 about 5'8"

He was running a weird old fcs quad set with crazy cant angle.
A lot more Literage than more which is about 24.

The glide into waves was great, early setup cruising entry into these mushy rollers that reformed on inside. Flat Sections were not much of an issue
Board felt great on front foot gas pedal but had a few moments where it really bogged coming off the bottom, but I think being used to a HPSB, I was demanding too much.

Cutbacks felt great and you could really crank it when you got back on the tail. Has some really nice slashes and roundhouses.

I had some problems with trying to do vertical snaps frontside. But that wide ass tail combined with a quad setup made it hard. There were several points where I wished I had a nub or something in the middle.
I will say that backside it was a LOT better than I would have expected with the said tail/quad setup. Really surprised at how well it held. I was grovelling in waist high surf so I wasn't exactly cranking it but still impressed.

The Lib Tech construction was weird. It had moments where it really came alive but it never felt snappy like EPS/XTR and it felt just slightly lighter than a PU. If the fin boxes were normal I would be a lot more inclined to buy one.

 

Colin

Gerry Lopez status
Oct 11, 2005
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With fcs the fin cant angle is determined by the fin boxes rather than built into the fins themselves (unlike futures). So any set of fins will have the same amount of cant in an fcs setup.
 

Waterlogged05

Michael Peterson status
May 14, 2005
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damn, you're right. It seemed like a lot. Sure felt good on backside roundhouses, could really lean into it
 

hackeysaky

Miki Dora status
Dec 19, 2002
4,442
208
63
NJ
Dug up this old thread as I'm considering a higher-volume small-mush crusher (i.e.- Puddle Jumper)

With fcs the fin cant angle is determined by the fin boxes rather than built into the fins themselves (unlike futures). So any set of fins will have the same amount of cant in an fcs setup.
Some older FCS fin sets had additional cant built into the fins; the H2's come to mind.
 
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gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
3,866
3,377
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I have a lib puddle fish. A jump to 41 litres from 37 briefly.

In the head high to 2 foot oh stuff I'm stoked on it. Haven't ridden it in much bigger. It gets me in early. Perfect for backside barrels.
 

hackeysaky

Miki Dora status
Dec 19, 2002
4,442
208
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NJ
I've owned one Lib Tech, a 5'8" RNF. Liked the board, only sold it because I needed to up volumes (would likely pull the trigger if a 5'10" version popped up on Craigslist). I did dish the deck a bit where my knee lands during duck dives, but I typically cave in the decks of my boards (side-effect of aggressive duck-diving behavior from decades of surfing heavy beach breaks) and this was much less than what occurs on my standard construction boards so I chalk it up to a realistic "much more durable but not indestructible" assessment of Lib Techs.

I think Lib has made intermittent tweaks to the construction over the years. If you watch the Salas review of the Swordfish, Nate Yeomans makes mention of some recent construction changes that have allegedly improved the Lib Tech ride.