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

Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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For Indo, I'd never go anything but solid Pu/Pe. Maybe 45deg 2x4/2x4.

There are so many really good ding repair guys out there that do excellent poly work. Exotic epoxy boards, not so much.
 
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kool-aid

Michael Peterson status
Aug 28, 2003
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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.
This is why I've never really gotten boards from Indo and always bring them with me.

Yeah, you can get pretty much any shape you want out there but a lot of the standard shortboards are clearly heavier and not as composed from a shaping perspective. They do seem to be getting better though and will probably continue to improve as top-tier shapers have started OKing Indo production.

The best way to ensure consistency is to go directly to the same shaper and go to their home base (e.g. stretch in SC, Pyzel in Hawaii, Christenson at SD/moonlight etc.)
 

LifeOnMars

Michael Peterson status
Jan 14, 2020
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And heavier glass is great but if the foam is soft underneath the glass can only do so much.
This seems to be the case, picked a few boards up over there and the foam seems to be quite soft. Heard it can be the humidity that gets into the blanks that causes this problem?
 
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Sam_K

Legend (inyourownmind)
Dec 11, 2019
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This seems to be the case, picked a few boards up over there and the foam seems to be quite soft. Heard it can be the humidity that gets into the blanks that causes this problem?
I have a theory on this... I think the key variable in determining strength is how close the blank size matches the board size.

I.e. if you make a 6'6'' step up from a 6'6'' blank or a 6'7'' PU blank, you will only be shaving off a minimum amount of the hard outer shell. You end up with a strong board.

My theory is that, one reason American boards are typically stronger is that the factories have access to a wide range of blank sizes. So I imagine that the Pyzel factory has 5'8 5'10' 6'0 6'2 etc... Blanks at their disposal. So when Pyzel makes a board in Hawaii he is always starting with a blank very close to the appropriate size.

Whereas in Indo, one of the things shapers love to brag about is only using imported materials. That's good, however, my contention is that when these Indo factories and shapers import blanks, they're probably not importing the whole range of sizes.

Instead, maybe they just import an entire fucking shipping container of 6'4 blanks (or whatever size, who knows) and then all of the boards get made from that size blank. So if you order a 6'4 board it's going to be really strong. And indeed, occasionally you will see Indo boards that are very strong, arguably just as good an American board.

But if you order a 5'8 and it gets made from the 6'4 blank, well then you're cutting so deep into the blank that you're well into the soft inside center and the board is weak.

This ack of diversity in blank sizes is my theory to as why Indo boards often turn out soft.
 

hackeysaky

Miki Dora status
Dec 19, 2002
4,442
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I'd go with either Coil with the Hawaii lam or Lib Tech if you can find a shape you like (some of the ...lost designs- particularly the Puddle Jumper, IMO- take well to the latter's construction.

No board worth riding is indestructible but those are the two toughest constructions with which I have personal knowledge.
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
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It's funny, I was actually thinking about that. Those gutter rails...

I've never owned a Stretch board in my life though. If I want to get a good wave shorty and a step up, what models would you go with?
If you love quads go buzzsaw and 2x4 step up but ya can go 5 box for thruster option but make sure to get FU#2 fin set with boards. If you like short and stubby many buzz models and other models depends on what you like on bottom concaves. My buzzsaw and 2x4 step are easy transition both go single nose to double out tail.
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
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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.
 
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LifeOnMars

Michael Peterson status
Jan 14, 2020
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funny that you mentioned pyzel, my oldest board that took the most damage and the deck still looking least mashed up, arctic must be legit, pretty sure it was made in Oside. got some chilli's over there this year and the foam is like a sponge, never caved a deck in so easily. fell onto the bottom of the board and also heavily dented. pretty sure they're using local blanks, was told CI was using core banks from Oz in their shortboards, got a step up from them with Indo foam and it's pretty soft too. Much cheaper than the US but the quality doesn't seem to be as good. I'm probably gonna order an XTR despite the bad reviews, had a few maybe 10 years ago and remember them being quite good feeling. Sick of fixing dings and having boards cave in after a few surfs, looking for something with more longevity and durability. Will make sure to specify the importance of the rails in bold and CAPS.
 
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ULUSURFER

Gerry Lopez status
Jan 2, 2007
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im going left field here and recommending murray bourton out of currumbin, hes spent years surfing indo himself and is a shaping legend.

All his boards are glassed with double diagonal glassing. I have an EPS with 6+4/6+4 diagonal and its 5 years old and looks new other than yellowing.

Boards with diagonal glassing are very very hard to snap
 
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Maz

Michael Peterson status
May 18, 2004
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im going left field here and recommending murray bourton out of currumbin, hes spent years surfing indo himself and is a shaping legend.

All his boards are glassed with double diagonal glassing. I have an EPS with 6+4/6+4 diagonal and its 5 years old and looks new other than yellowing.

Boards with diagonal glassing are very very hard to snap
Yes!

I mentioned diagonal glassing above, and had my Bourton Reef Swallow in mind. Sleek Indo step-up, glassed 4+4/4+4 diag. Still going strong after 4 1/2 years.
 

ULUSURFER

Gerry Lopez status
Jan 2, 2007
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Yes!

I mentioned diagonal glassing above, and had my Bourton Reef Swallow in mind. Sleek Indo step-up, glassed 4+4/4+4 diag. Still going strong after 4 1/2 years.
the other thing I love with muzz is that you get a no bullshit fast turnaround honest board.

he’s also a tinkerer who will sit for hours tweaking files with you on the computer to dial you in perfect. Also he will know any and all indo waves you will surf personally and his reef swallow is a culmination of that.

for those who don’t know muzz was the guy who taught JS and DHD to shape. They both started out as shop hands and floor sweepers at his shop. He also was a diagonal glassing pioneer while at BASE. And guys like fanning used his glassing schedules with great success