Cheers guys, I need some pro help regarding choosing a construction for a RNF96
The main question right now is Lightspeed or Black Dart?
Option A: I can choose a stock Lightspeed from Catalyst
Option B: Have a custom ordered with them in Black Dart construction.
(It will be around $100 more and 12 weeks of waiting (I have no issue with either) as long as the result is a board that will be more long lasting and will maintain its pop for many years.
I've never surfed a Lightspeed and from doing research in threads I am seeing more negative than positive feedback, on the other hand I surfed a couple of days ago a RNF Retro in Black Dart which is 4 years old and the board was still in great condition, no pressure dings, no repairs, really amazing and had some kind of weird flex while surfing that I kind of enjoy specially on smaller waves. The board came from Drew / Old City Custom Epoxies so I would expect if I custom order the RNF96 that it will also be done by him via Catalyst. Could anyone confirm this?
Anyway I do appreciate any info and secondary, if you have any other suggestion of construction that I should consider, please let me know too.
Pura Vida!
If you order a custom Black Dart it will almost certainly be a Drew/Old City build. You can definitely tell Catalyst that you specifically want a Drew build.
I am not sure if Lightspeed or Black Dart will be longer lasting. Both should be prevented from cooking in the sun/car.
Single most important piece of advice, after not letting the board cook, is
DO NOT ORDER A DARK COLORED BLACK DART. I know the dark ones look cool and the Double Dart looks cool and the Black Sheep Built looks cool. All carbon and McLaren F1 looking. Skip that. Focus on fighting the sun so you have a light, strong, good poppy as possible, for as long as possible, surfboard.
My personal opinion is that Carbon Wrap was a bit stiff for the average-sized surfer, and they wanted an in-house fancy EPS build, so Lightspeed was the next construction. I have a Baby Buggy in Carbon Wrap that feels stiffer than a Bean Bag in Lightspeed, and I'd expect the shorter/wider board to feel stiffer than the longer, narrower shape. Personally I like the Carbon Wrap better but I am at the monstrous fatass end of the spectrum, and so 150# rippers probably disagree.
I also
really, really like Drew's C4 build. I had one C3 (cork deck) I bought used, and I think it might have been left to cook a little bit, plus I did not jive with the shape, so I give C3 an incomplete. But if you see some Green Go sporting a cork-deck C3 (or any of the Stretch cork EPS builds) or a C4, you might see if they'd be down to let you snag a runner or two on it to decide for yourself - if the board feels too floppy, ask them if it cooked in a car or on the beach. Also keep an eye out for the Corevac build boards. That is another vacuum-bagged EPS build most commonly seen on the Cannibal surfboards out of Central Florida, and they're insanely light, stronger than poly, and have a nice flex to them as well.
I still think the Lightspeed is a good build, and for small stuff, it's better than poly. But if you have to leave this board in your car in the sun, I'd get a poly and deal with the dings, vs laying out a pile of money for a fancy EPS build.
