Hey guys, I’m in the middle of a trade, and a guy wants to give me a new XTR board for what I’m tryinig to sell.
In the archives I found all kind of bad comments on XPS and a lot speciic to XTR, but mostly old comments.
I see that they claim that the process has improved dramatically, and that there are no more issues, but of course they would not put their on business down.
However, I can’t help thinking that someone like al Merrick would think more than twice beore he puts out something faulty with his name on, right?
for this reason I want to believe that XTR is, worst case scenario, as durable as PU/PE.
am I wrong?
has anyboy out there had XTRs for a while and is happy as can be?
I’ve got a 6’4" XTR Brewer thruster that I’ve had about three years or so. I haven’t used it that much - mostly because bigger boards give me a little more paddle power when I’m scratching for waves in a lineup full of energetic teens. The board surfs great and seems much tougher than a PU/PE. It’s lively and responsive and looks like a traditional board. I’m hard on my boards, and even with limited use they get beat up quickly. The XTR seems suprisingly tough. No issues.
I have an 8’6" Plumeria XTR gun, I don’t like it, so I never ride it - thus it’s in real good condition too. Anybody want to buy an XTR gun cheap? Maybe you can figure out how durable it is, I never will. Hanging in the rafters isn’t a good test.
I had an 7’0’’ XTR Channel Islands boards for a little while. I got it for big days in the winter, but didn’t end up riding it much, so I eventually sold it. It was a super light board, and very tough. I didn’t love the way it felt though- it felt a little stiff to me. It was a very big board for me (normally I ride 6’2’'s) so that could have a lot to do with it. I’d definitely try another XTR board though.
I’d install a vent if it doesn’t have one already. My friend’s rides well but right now it’s in my garage waiting for me to fix a huge delam caused by outgassing.
XTRs have tiny holes drilled trhough the glass - every couple inches just in from the rails. You have to look close to see them.
I’ve read about this before. I’m not sure how long he’s been doing that but I don’t believe the older ones have it. I’ll double check the one in my garage with the delam bubble tonight.
I have a 6’1" Merrick Flyer that I love. I have had it for 2 years now, and I cannot complain. I use it pretty regularly. It is the orginal XTR epoxy.
After subjecting it to some reasonable abuse, I cannot report any noticable damage other than a slight pressure ding on the bottom.
It is definitely lighter than PE/PU, and stiffer and more ding resistant. I do, however, baby this thing when it is out of the water. I keep it in a cool place, always bagged in the special white bag, and i NEVER leave it in my car. This is where most of the delam issues arise, as this epoxy doesnt keep its bond in heat.
you should test the board first, but I think its a good board to have in your quiver because its really hard to ding.
I have one that’s maybe 3.5 years old. The lines of holes are only about 2" outboard from both sides of the stringer.
No dings, but some chipped off gloss coat here & there. And for some reason the board is heavier & feels dead, compared to when it was new. I don’t surf it anymore.
I just rode mine and it could be my favorite board out of many well-built favorite boards. As I was surfing it, it felt so good and lively…and I had totally forgot what was inside (I use different mat’ls). Then after 2 hours I remembered it was xps inside.
Ive done some touchy feely type flex tests of xps vs hiquality eps…it wasnt even close…xps is more boardy and springy…eps was dampened.
As already mentioned there are some shortcomings…they ride great but you have to baby them. Thats ok with me I baby all my boards. HTH
could you elaborate more on your comparison in performance between your XTR and hi quality EPS boards?
I have a Brewer XTR (5.0X glass which is 5oz bottom x 4x4x[3/4 length]4"S" deck. It was and is as light as my old PU/PE boards when new, and is very lively and responsive, w/ good drive. best board in several years. Riding it 3 - 4x week since March 07, and no denting on deck. I’m having trouble getting another, so I’m wondering about EPS, specifically the Proctor “Proxy”. Ever tried one of these, or have other info to compare EPS to XTRs?
a lineup buddy and his son bought two JS XTR chips last year and put them through the paces (i,e, surfed them very hard), they didn’t last the year and got “mushy” alot faster than a pure poly. He thinks it had something to do with all the holes they put in the board to let the XPS breathe but can’t confirm. This was after trying a couple of Surftech Byrne shorties and not likeing them and not being able to get a custom Arakawa blue Solomon he wanted.
He really loved the boards till the day it lost it’s spring. But again these are the kind of guys that just wack and slash the hell out of their boards on every good wave. Not alot of airs but I bet that would breakdown these boards even faster.
They went back to poly…
a couple of Chili’s with his eskimo foam…
Don’t know what it means cause i’m not in their league as far as surfing goes.
But they do weigh 20-40 pounds less than me.
One of the posters here is real familiar with the boards as he has the technology license from Javier to make them here in Hawaii…
Well I dont have enough experience with xps to make any definitive calls.
My prior comments had to do with
a real good board with xps inside, altho Ive got many good boards w/o it
the fact that raw xps is more boardy than similar eps, or pound for pound xps is stiffer than eps.
Ive never made an xps board with just fiberglass skin.
Im intrigued by the the stuff cuz its totally water proof, and I like the challenge of trying to make it ‘work’.
I just finished another one and have rode it a couple of times in small weak surf and so far its got me crazy to get it in some good surf…it feels really exciting and sensitive. Super loose too. But all this has mostly to do with design, the sensitivity due to a somewhat stiffer result than Im used to. Flexible boards dampen the ride smoother.
Oneula’s story seems to suggest that if you make them too light and flexible, they’ll deteriorate like many other lightweight core materials. So if you want more longevity, a slightly beefier glassing schedule would make sense.
Here is a pic that shows the holes on an XTR. Many of them have what appears to be a mini delamination around the hole like the one next to the tip of the logo. This board even had vent holes in the fin boxes. Just kidding.
I have made over a 100 boards with XPS Blue from Dow. The white XPS is from Corning that’s the one Javier calls XTR.
The boards are real lively. I have mine glassed light. 4 oz. bottom with 2 x 4 deck. I have lots of blanks left as well as a good inventory of billets.
The foam is real easy to shape. I have Pure Glass glass them because they don’t have the same problems as some other glass shops.
I never had to put vent holes in mine. Also note XPS is Hydro-Phobic. The biggest turn off is price. XPS is the most expensive blanks out there.
