Need to Buy 2 Indestructible Boards: What do You Choose?

Sam_K

Legend (inyourownmind)
Dec 11, 2019
412
954
93
It would be helpful to know where you surf in Indo, what size/types of boards you're looking for, and what your general dimensions are especially thickness.

Right off the bat, I think XTR is a fine option but you'll find that most of the durability comes in the form of dent resistance and water intrusion resilience. Good but not that impactful for breakage which is what I'm assuming you're referring to.

Dark Arts, I really don't know. They definitely feel very strong / touch but I'm not sure what would happen if a solid Uluwatu lip landed on one. Also, Indo can have a lot of wind/chatter and Dark Arts has a unique feel that I think is a pretty big gamble for the price.

I'd echo the recommendation on Stretch if you want something super resilient. Of course, you have to dig his shapes but we all know they clearly work in Indo. Go CFT for your shortboard and legacy construction on a 2x4 or Lil Buddy as your step up.
Thanks Kool-Aid, and everyone else in the thread for input. I'm locked in 100% for a Stretch step up in Legacy construction. That's a done deal, kudos to everyone who recommended a Stretch.

I'll either get a Stretch CFT for the shorty, or a Dark Arts Ghost. I'll have a few beers and decide later tonight.

My next time back in America, maybe in December, I'll definitely look into getting a Black Dart (or 2). They look super cool.

I was going to send you a PM Kool-Aid but I'll say it here, thanks for the chat about the Sicario. Like you I ended up just getting a Carrera. I was going to get 3 1/8 thick but after hearing that yours is 3 1/4 I decided to get the same and I'm glad I did. That thickness feels sooooooo nice. Hopefully I'll catch the biggest wave of my life on this thing, come the swell season.
 

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jkb

Tom Curren status
Feb 22, 2005
10,041
8,978
113
Central California
Thanks Kool-Aid, and everyone else in the thread for input. I'm locked in 100% for a Stretch step up in Legacy construction. That's a done deal, kudos to everyone who recommended a Stretch.

I'll either get a Stretch CFT for the shorty, or a Dark Arts Ghost. I'll have a few beers and decide later tonight.

My next time back in America, maybe in December, I'll definitely look into getting a Black Dart (or 2). They look super cool.

I was going to send you a PM Kool-Aid but I'll say it here, thanks for the chat about the Sicario. Like you I ended up just getting a Carrera. I was going to get 3 1/8 thick but after hearing that yours is 3 1/4 I decided to get the same and I'm glad I did. That thickness feels sooooooo nice. Hopefully I'll catch the biggest wave of my life on this thing, come the swell season.
That's a purdy tint!

What don't people like about Coils kick tech? I haven't found anything wrong with it. I like mine.

 

kane

Michael Peterson status
Sep 30, 2003
3,032
198
63
.
Two layers of 6oz and 6 oz on the bottom. Board is a daily driver and 15 years old with one small dimple and tip of the swallow tail had a minor crack.
 
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PeterDj

Legend (inyourownmind)
Jul 11, 2018
467
340
63
I've got 2 stretch legacy boards I use for traveling. They are a little heavier than normal eps, so add a liter. They are super durable, but I still freak out over sharp rocks at low tide. I've hit a rock and broke through the bamboo veneer. Sometimes it's better to rent a Torq and learn where the shallow rocks are first.
 

Sam_K

Legend (inyourownmind)
Dec 11, 2019
412
954
93
I've got 2 stretch legacy boards I use for traveling. They are a little heavier than normal eps, so add a liter. They are super durable, but I still freak out over sharp rocks at low tide. I've hit a rock and broke through the bamboo veneer. Sometimes it's better to rent a Torq and learn where the shallow rocks are first.
I'll get the step up in Legacy but I thought I might get the shorty in CFT heavy.

And you make it sound as if every place you go, there is some dude on the beach renting Torq boards lol...

I blew out 4 fin boxes in 2020, one per quarter. I like to think I've learned all of the ways to blow a box, and now I won't have to be messing around with that anymore.
 

Mr Doof

Duke status
Jan 23, 2002
24,850
7,747
113
San Francisco, CA
Was your ding on the bottom? Mine was tagged by an SUP in full trim, I luckily escaped with my life but the board was hit on the rail where the cork wraps around and there was only a hairline fracture. A witness saw the impact and the board shot up in the air. Plus scarcely a dent on the deck and I rode it alot last winter. Was a slight delam but it was in the glass above the cork and there is a full layer below cork so didn't bother me. I nearly got what I paid when I sold it and have another on the way.

I would actually think this would be a good one for Indo durability and riding. I have this tech in small wave board which is kinda meh but in my bigger wave version I like it.

Both the Stretch cork and Hell wood were dinged on the bottom by elbow/forearm (Stretch) and knees (Hess).

Am not blaming either.

You pay your money, you take your chances, and in both cases, these boards have held up extremely well for a long time.
 
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trifish

Gerry Lopez status
Sep 23, 2009
1,337
3,790
113
Shred City
PU glassed 6/4 top and 4/4 bottom. You can get three of them for the price of two alt builds.
I like this idea. Hard to beat the feeling of PU on a step up. If it was me I would probably go PU on the step up just for the feeling alone/glassed heavier to help durability. Than go XTR on the hpsb to make it more lively. Not sure i'm crazy about alternative tech in bigger surf yet personally, but it works for some. JJF makes that DarkArts board look great in some pumping waves, but i'm not on that level.
 

freeride76

Michael Peterson status
Dec 31, 2009
3,336
4,141
113
Lennox Head.
I live in Indo, the land of surf. You can buy almost anything here except uber, ultra-high quality boards.
??????

Go to Drifter or Single Fin.

Shop fulls of what you seek.

 

Mr J

Michael Peterson status
Aug 18, 2003
2,250
1,454
113
Regional Vic, Australia
..my RTT in that tech has formed deepish footwells quite quickly. It's not gotten worse, but I did hear him claim in a video something along the lines of "big yeti feet not putting any dents in it" .... which is simply not true in my case...and I have small oriental woman sized feet.
no wonder. The equation for pressure is force divided by area. Your female oriental foot size could be approaching twice the pressure as someone the same weight as you with yeti feet.

Marketing designed to mislead though - it really should give some fine print which says yeti size feet in combination with normal bodyweight required for this tech.
 

Sam_K

Legend (inyourownmind)
Dec 11, 2019
412
954
93
??????

Go to Drifter or Single Fin.

Shop fulls of what you seek.

Sure, fair enough. I didn't find anything OTR that was really what I wanted though. They haven't really restocked much since Covid started.

I also emailed them about 2 months ago about getting a custom Gary McNeill. They said they were placing a order at some point and they'd let me know but I never heard back from them.
 
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kool-aid

Michael Peterson status
Aug 28, 2003
3,026
2,614
113
San Francisco
Thanks Kool-Aid, and everyone else in the thread for input. I'm locked in 100% for a Stretch step up in Legacy construction. That's a done deal, kudos to everyone who recommended a Stretch.

I'll either get a Stretch CFT for the shorty, or a Dark Arts Ghost. I'll have a few beers and decide later tonight.

My next time back in America, maybe in December, I'll definitely look into getting a Black Dart (or 2). They look super cool.

I was going to send you a PM Kool-Aid but I'll say it here, thanks for the chat about the Sicario. Like you I ended up just getting a Carrera. I was going to get 3 1/8 thick but after hearing that yours is 3 1/4 I decided to get the same and I'm glad I did. That thickness feels sooooooo nice. Hopefully I'll catch the biggest wave of my life on this thing, come the swell season.
Wow that looks epic. Hope it treats you right on outside corner.

Steer clear of CFT heavy, they do that on guns only. CFT standard is really fine. I’d recommend a square one or sword for indo unless you’re looking for a step down. You could probably also go with a 2x4 in everyday dims but I lugged two square ones around Indo for a season and they did me super well.

I’ll be honest though... they were not as good as the quiver of pyzels I brought the year after. But if it’s durability you’re after, Stretch is definitely the way to go.

In fact, I saw one of those boards out at the beach multiple times after I sold it and later on the used rack at a local surf shop and it was still in good condition.
 
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Reactions: MathDebater
May 15, 2017
79
9
8
No
You have no idea
Far beyond all this
Spacestick boards
But finding one on a rack is next to impossible obviously
Heres the high fi lowdown
 

Sam_K

Legend (inyourownmind)
Dec 11, 2019
412
954
93
PU glassed 6/4 top and 4/4 bottom. You can get three of them for the price of two alt builds.

But I love my Stretch CFT and XTR 8.C.
This is my experience, could be totally subjective and just me.. But in terms of durability, it seems like PU can be hit or miss.

The most durable board I've ever had was shaped by a local Bali guy. After 1 year it was basically unscathed. Got another board from him and it's still quite strong, but not as strong.

Have one Bali Christenson Carrera that's a goddamn tank, you could pound nails with it. And another that has pressure dents after riding it just three times.

And heavier glass is great but if the foam is soft underneath the glass can only do so much.

If there was a way to know that I could buy a PU board that's 100% guaranteed to be tough as nails, like a few of the boards I've had, that would be great.

But more often than not it seems like PU isn't as strong as I'd like.
 
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Sam_K

Legend (inyourownmind)
Dec 11, 2019
412
954
93
Wow that looks epic. Hope it treats you right on outside corner.

Steer clear of CFT heavy, they do that on guns only. CFT standard is really fine. I’d recommend a square one or sword for indo unless you’re looking for a step down. You could probably also go with a 2x4 in everyday dims but I lugged two square ones around Indo for a season and they did me super well.

I’ll be honest though... they were not as good as the quiver of pyzels I brought the year after. But if it’s durability you’re after, Stretch is definitely the way to go.

In fact, I saw one of those boards out at the beach multiple times after I sold it and later on the used rack at a local surf shop and it was still in good condition.
Thanks again Kool-Aid, I'll get regular CFT instead of heavy.

Yeah the primary concern for the travel boards is durability, so even if they're not perfect I'm sure they'll be good enough. I ain't JJF either..

While I'm in Bali I can always enjoy my rapidly expanding quiver. Just ordered my first ever Pyzel. A 6'8'' Tank with 666 glass and epoxy resin, I'm interested to see how the Bali construction is.

I'll check out the Square 1 and the Sword.

Cheers
 
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kool-aid

Michael Peterson status
Aug 28, 2003
3,026
2,614
113
San Francisco
Thanks again Kool-Aid, I'll get regular CFT instead of heavy.

Yeah the primary concern for the travel boards is durability, so even if they're not perfect I'm sure they'll be good enough. I ain't JJF either..

While I'm in Bali I can always enjoy my rapidly expanding quiver. Just ordered my first ever Pyzel. A 6'8'' Tank with 666 glass and epoxy resin, I'm interested to see how the Bali construction is.

I'll check out the Square 1 and the Sword.

Cheers
That tank should definitely be a tank.