anybody tried bluecoil surfboards? Especially the devolution line. I am interested in how the quad fish perform. http://www.bluecoilsurf.com
Aren’t these the same guys that own Colbalt and get the bulk of their boards built in Slovakia at the old Boardworks factory?
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2006/March/19/sport/stories/01sport.htm
Yes.
Reading more on the site it looks like that devolution line didn’t actually release until today…guess nobody has even seen them yet.
Surfcrs, I know a bit about the Cobalts, but haven’t seen a devolution2. Looks like a pretty standard eps/epoxy layup to me. The old devolution was a sandwich skin composite, just without the gelcoat put on the Cobalts. Also check this bit (from their site):
NEWSWIRE 
We have moved our manufacturing from Europe to Asia and are introducing new boards within the Devolution line and a coming New Bluecoil Epoxy boards, our European production needs to be cleared for warehouse space!
I had a demo model of the Cobalt 9’10" 2+1 round pin a couple years ago, with instructions to surf it & tell people about it. It worked really well for a pop-out. They weigh more like what a hand-made eps/epoxy weighs with good 2.5# foam, something like a Patagonia or a Harbour epoxy - more than a Surftech but less than a pu/pe.
Bob Miller has been making composite-skinned boards as long as Bert & some of the other guys you hear about in here. Not surprisingly, he’s also a believer in making composites wider & thinner than their pu/pe counterparts of the same length. Adds back in the flex you lose to the construction, and the width brings buoyancy back that you lost to thinness. His personal boards are a crack up - corecell skins on eps, usually around 9’6, round pin, 24.5" wide…and 2" thick. But he is willing to go pretty far outside the ‘tried & true’ dimensions of most boards.
You asked about quads…I’ve surfed the Cobalt 7’4" and the 6’10 “Uber” quads. Haven’t seen the 6’6". Unless you’re 300 lbs, get the 6’10. The 7’4" is one of those boards that feels like it has training wheels. Its almost too easy to surf (and paddle) - after a few sessions, you’d probably be bored with it. You can’t duckdive it, so if you’re going for that much volume, at least get a noserider so you can walk around a little, yeah? But the 6’10 is a great board for feeling the pocket and taking some late drops, especially if you’re used to a log. And small enough that you can get the feel for the wave, not just the board, and you can chuck it around a bit. Still paddles easy, even for a bigger guy.
HTH
Thanks Benny1. I actually saw the 7’4" uber quad on craigslist…it’s how i found bluecoils site. I know it’s not a custom board but damn that looks like a good price on the new devolution line. I have a Mandala quad fish and KG twinzer fish that I like but I want to try an epoxy quad fish next time. Blue coil has a 6.0 and 6.2 quad fish. Maybe I could go a little bigger but I am not sure…performance vs paddle, but my shoulders would love a bigger board some days. Maybe I am better off with a 6.0 fish and adding a log to the collection. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Surfcrs -
I had the opportunity to speak on the phone directly with Lance Eppard today. Bob Miller has been working on a new lineup of Bluecoil shapes that will be outsourced in Asia. The Bluecoil brand replaces the Cobalt brand which was made in Slovakia. He said the boards will be priced at an affordable level and sold direct to the consumer in an effort to eliminate middleman mark ups.
It sounds like domestic customs will be available through Bluecoil in various levels of material tech and those will be priced higher depending on what you want. Lance said Bob Miller and Dennis Ryder are doing the customs.
More on his blog…
http://trimspeed.blogspot.com/
FWIW they are clearing out their old stock of Cobalt compsands at prices that seem hard to beat.
http://ventura.craigslist.org/spo/383854860.html (Ventura)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/spo/383624256.html (Santa Cruz)
Thanks John. I talked to Bob Miller about what was in stock. Sounds like 6’2" bluecoil fish will be about two weeks. Think I will wait for those to arrive and then check them out. Still a bit of a drive from Pacifica. Didn’t think about the customs, I didn’t realize they were doing those as well. Might be nice to one with some color on it. In the meantime maybe somebody from swaylocks will buy one and give some bluecoil feedback. The regular ones look like their priced at $395.
Hey guys just a bit of clarification. Dennis Ryder will custom shape anything but is not a part of the Blue Coil thing specifically. Dennis and I work together here in Ventura on his boards and Triton Surfboards from Morro Bay. Dennis also glasses lots of others boards here at the factory at the same location as my Bluecoil/Cobalt warehouse. Sorry for any confusion.
Also, I should have the first bunch of the new “Devos” around 8/9 so in about a week.
Hi Revlance -
Sorry about that… my mistake. Thanks again for taking the time to go over the history and details of the company.
How was the bluecoil fish ?? How did it surf? any feedback?
Haven’t tried one of these yet. Anybody else? I can’t find any feedback relating to the new bluecoil lineup of boards. Somebody out there in Swaylock land must have tried one by now.
Chris, send me a PM if you want to. A buddy of mine has both the 7’1 & 7’10 quads as demos from Bob. He surfs Pacifica all the time, I can send you his contact info and he’ll probably have one for you to try out.
If you want to just find him yourself, look for the guy with the buzz cut blond hair in the giant black pop-top Sportsmobile van. Weekdays before work, his name’s Ben also. Tell him Benny sent you. 
My lady has picked me up a 6’6 bluecoil devo quad fish. It’s on its way to me on the I5 now. Planning to get it in the water tommorrow. Will let you know how it goes. Going to be interesting as I’ve never surfed EPS/Epxoy. Looking forward to a surf ! 
How was that 6’6" quad? I’m jonseing to get one but am looking for some feedback first.
Got One! Picked up a 6’2" bluecoil quad last night. Can’t wait to try it out. Waxed it and put the fins in today, it’s waiting on my rack of three 4-finned fish…next to the KG and Mandala. I’ll give feedback on it in a few weeks. I wan’t to take it out a few different times to get a feel for it.
OK, i took the 6’2" bluecoil out a few times. This board has alot of float. I had a really fun 3-5ft day at OBSF and I was definately glad I had this board…to paddle against the current and stay in position. I’ve already slapped it around a bit…no dings/damage yet. It has a sort of stepdeck design, very thick away from the rails. It is pretty much what I was looking for, something with a little more float some days without getting a longboard or funboard.
However, if the surf is breaking fast and is not really big, i prefer the 5’9" Mandala Quad. It just gets in faster and has more drive. It is a heavier board (the bluecoil is epoxy) with less float, so it won’t paddle like the Bluecoil. I wish this board had the lokbox fins like the Mandala, so I could tweek the position a little. That would be on my “wishlist” but not what I would expect for the price…417 dollars w/ tax.
I am 5’9" at 165-170lbs, if I didn’t have my other quads I would have tried the 6’ bluecoil…it would probably be more versatile.
Overall it seems like a pretty good board for the price. I will take it out some days instead of the 5’11 KG twinzer. I like that board as well but I might have to sell it for “rack space” now that I have this one…I’ll wait a bit longer to decide that. I think this makes a great floatier board, but I would stick something else for an overall performance board…I guess you just have to give something up for that extra float.
No offense to you guys, B1 and JM, but discount popout adverthread on the Gen Disc forum…?
belongs in Industry IMO
I have the Bluecoil Devolution 9’4" longboard. It’s a fickle board, but once it catches water, it is fast and sleek. It pearls very easy on take-off. The sweet spot is further back than on other boards. Overall, I like it, despite its quirks.
i had a 6'10" blue coil/devo quadfish eps
it was awesome, wish i kept it...
i liked it as well as the used frosty henson
quad fish shaped my by dane perlee at arrow
that i bought off him.