Shadow vs. Fever

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
38,641
27,975
113
I have an OTR Fever 6’3 and like it.

I like the look and feel of the Pyzel Shadow. OTR 6’3 dims are good.

Anyone ride both?

Anyone ride a shadow?
 

trifish

Gerry Lopez status
Sep 23, 2009
1,338
3,791
113
Shred City
Never been on a Fever, but I like my Shadow & its been a keeper. Feels balanced under my feet & predictable. Catches waves easily. I find it to work in a wider range of conditions than I initially thought. Had it out in good & bad waves and its done well. No complaints. Solid board.
 

sdsrfr

Phil Edwards status
Jul 13, 2020
5,857
11,266
113
San Diego
Anyone know where i could find either of these OTR in San Diego.

line to Hansen’s has wrapped around the lot for months.
 

trifish

Gerry Lopez status
Sep 23, 2009
1,338
3,791
113
Shred City
I haven't seen many shadows, just random sizes here and there at times. The Pyzel shop in Oside might have some if you contact those guys. Their website isn't showing much, but not sure how often that's updated.

I've seen a couple at Hansen's a few weeks back but yeh you got to go during the week and avoid busy hours. I was able to just walk right in, but weekends look ridiculous when I drive by. Holidays will probably be the same. I've seen a couple of them at Surf Ride also but its been months since I've been there.
 

LifeOnMars

Michael Peterson status
Jan 14, 2020
3,164
2,106
113
I have an OTR Fever 6’3 and like it.

I like the look and feel of the Pyzel Shadow. OTR 6’3 dims are good.

Anyone ride both?

Anyone ride a shadow?
yes had 2 fevers and a shadow, both 6'0" x 19 1/8 x 2 7/16 @ 29.5L
both good boards but a bit different IMO
shadow more flat up front, better paddler, faster down the line/easier to get going up to speed
fever more curve overall, maybe a bit better for carves/going top to bottom/more control in punchier surf
 
Sep 18, 2020
12
38
13
I've had a few Shadows and liked them.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, it's a good paddler and fast down the line. The wide point is more forward than most HPSBs, and the foil is thicker than most upfront. To the extent that it's a more "forgiving" board, it comes from the stability and paddle power that comes along with this. Like most Pyzels, it has a pretty high ceiling in terms of wave size and power. My experience was that the placement of the widepoint also contributed to the board feeling a little stiff at times. Turns require more front foot commitment than other boards. For me, it was more at home projecting down the line than surfing top to bottom.

The hip in the tail adds sensitivity to the board. And to me, it could feel too sensitive at times. Yeah, I know, I've said the Shadow could be both stiff and too sensitive. Like the Ghost on which it's related, the Shadow wants you actively be shifting your weight front to back to front to back. The front to back transition just works better for me on my Ghosts which I continue to love. I'm not sure if this is from the rocker or smoother outline or just the fact that in bigger surf, I'm looking to make different types of turns.

When I went back to a more traditional HPSB outline with the widepoint rear of center, it was like I rediscovered how much pivot a board could have. For waves under 6' this was a freeing feeling. I haven't ridden a Fever, but I think this is inline with it's design.

This got me thinking about the widepoint relative to stance. The "recommended" length of a Shadow is your height or your height plus an inch. My boards were 1" over my height. I've been curious about how JJF sizes his Shadows relative to his other boards and in the past year he seems to be riding lengths 3-4" shorter than him with increased thickness. I've wondered and keep wondering if he's doing this to effectively move the widepoint of the board further back relative to his stance.

Anyway, I'm tempted to try another Shadow, but this time shorter. And I'm also pretty interested to see what the Pyzel High Line will be like. From the description shared in this forum, it sounds like the widepoint will be behind center on it. Just one element of the design but enough to pique my curiosity.
 

Pyzelsurfboards

OTF status
Jul 14, 2015
316
1,606
93
Visit site
I've had a few Shadows and liked them.

As mentioned earlier in the thread, it's a good paddler and fast down the line. The wide point is more forward than most HPSBs, and the foil is thicker than most upfront. To the extent that it's a more "forgiving" board, it comes from the stability and paddle power that comes along with this. Like most Pyzels, it has a pretty high ceiling in terms of wave size and power. My experience was that the placement of the widepoint also contributed to the board feeling a little stiff at times. Turns require more front foot commitment than other boards. For me, it was more at home projecting down the line than surfing top to bottom.

The hip in the tail adds sensitivity to the board. And to me, it could feel too sensitive at times. Yeah, I know, I've said the Shadow could be both stiff and too sensitive. Like the Ghost on which it's related, the Shadow wants you actively be shifting your weight front to back to front to back. The front to back transition just works better for me on my Ghosts which I continue to love. I'm not sure if this is from the rocker or smoother outline or just the fact that in bigger surf, I'm looking to make different types of turns.

When I went back to a more traditional HPSB outline with the widepoint rear of center, it was like I rediscovered how much pivot a board could have. For waves under 6' this was a freeing feeling. I haven't ridden a Fever, but I think this is inline with it's design.

This got me thinking about the widepoint relative to stance. The "recommended" length of a Shadow is your height or your height plus an inch. My boards were 1" over my height. I've been curious about how JJF sizes his Shadows relative to his other boards and in the past year he seems to be riding lengths 3-4" shorter than him with increased thickness. I've wondered and keep wondering if he's doing this to effectively move the widepoint of the board further back relative to his stance.

Anyway, I'm tempted to try another Shadow, but this time shorter. And I'm also pretty interested to see what the Pyzel High Line will be like. From the description shared in this forum, it sounds like the widepoint will be behind center on it. Just one element of the design but enough to pique my curiosity.
Hey Cagey--- your feed back is good info.
The Shadow not only has the widepoint a bit forward of center, it also has a wider nose in comparison to other shapers HPSB designs. What this does is straighten out the outline in the mid-section of the board so that it adds forward drive, but makes the board feel slightly stiffer for the length. As an extreme example JJF (6'1'') will go as short as 5'10'' on a Shadow, but add about 3/8' in width and close to 1'8'' in thickness ( we call these "Husky" Shadows, just so we don't get confused) . His everyday Shadow is 6'0'' x 18.88 x whatever thickness we hit on to get a specific volume (one dimension we are constantly dialing in). He never rides a Shadow over 6'0''- his next board "above" that would be a 6'0'' Ghost , but like I said before, he is an extreme example that does not always translate to mere mortals.
Maybe I need to change the recommended length down to an inch under your height for more advanced surfers.
For the Ghost I always say it rides a little longer and a little thinner than the same dims on a more "normal' board, so I guess the Shadow falls into the "rides a little longer" category itself.