Ok…Right out of the gate I want to explain my theory, my bias and background…I like Composite surfboards, was one of the first to travel with a Tuflite 9’4" around the world. And for a performance board the lightweight characteristics were great. But for Noseriding I found them to be a bit “skittish” underfoot. I tried to get some heavy Tuflites built but was thwarted there, and so here I am working for Santa Cruz Surfboards with Doug Haut. We came up with a series that has a heavier EPS core in order to give that “classic glide” feel.
They are all single fins…9’, 9’6" and 10’ calling them the Platinum Series…the 10’ is 24" wide and just feels classic. What do you think? Does anyone care? I know the swaylocks world is primarily a Hand Made / Domestic world. But this project has given Doug Haut and I a chance to design/tinker and create something we both think is really fun.
I had an old Fusion ASD heavyweight composite longboard and it was one of the best boards I have ever got off the shelf. The selling point for me was the bomb proof skins and glide. I think NSP and South Point both offer heavier longboards than Surftech and they sell loads of them. To me the Tufites lose the light weight advantage after 7'6" and they feel like you put on the brakes when you stop paddling.
Most of my friends and I only make and buy composites because after a few boards with no major dings for years it is hard to go back to poly board that knee dents on your first session.
I agree that after years of riding composite boards…and not sweating the scratches and paint chips…its hard to hear my Poly boards “crack” and ‘fracture’…I cringe at my carelessness again…
Let me know if you want to try one…I have them in stock and demo’s are floating around at a few dealers…
all my recent boards end up heavy because i use thick 1/8"+ cedar/poplar/paulownia/ balsa wood skins and sometimes solid blue dow cores. Even a 1/16" sitka spruce or canadian maple skin will be heavier than 1/8" balsa.
i like the idea of keeping the core as light as possible and putting the extra weight in the skin because that’s where most of the protection is needed on a day to day basis.Flex is more dependant on a composite’s core thickness and foil than skin thickness anyway.
I wouldn’t under estimate lightweight highperformance longboards though.
they won’t glide or carry their momentum very far but if you’re riding them like an oversized 6’2" because you weigh 350lbs like alot of the blalahs here in Owyhee then they serve a purpose. Those guys swing theirs around like a potato chip
most of the older and much wider blue collar construction types I know absolutely rip on their lightweight surftech 9’-10’ longboards just like they were 20-30 years ago on their like 6’2" thrusters when they were 50-100 lbs lighter. Those surftech lightweights have a following.
I just spent a week at the Oxbow World LB event in the Maldives…and the high performance LB world is doing fine! Watching the crew from Hawaii was insane…great battle with the Aussie’s…
I still like the idea of a heavier “core”, if I tried to add weight thru materials/glass on the outside…it would blow up our rails too much.
Interesting post. I’m always amazed by how few shapers here play with their EPS core weights. I’m pretty spoiled having Atua Cores nearby, and their offering in blanks goes from something like 13kg/m3 to over 40. Most shapers seems to be obsessed with the lightweight cores, but like you I found that for my riding it just wasn’t what I was looking for.
I had just about settled on around 30 weight for my standard EPS/epoxy boards, and then around 17 for my sandwich boards. Skinned with thicker samba or balsa, I could really dial in the weight to come in equal to, or just a touch less than a ‘regular board’, and that’s where it got interesting - really strong with a more traditional but lively ride.
I contacted Nutty and coordinated a demo. I was able to trial the board back to back with a Surftech Yater TufLite I have which is a similar design. I used the same fin in both boards.
I mistakenly assumed the Santa Cruz boards are still made at the Cobra factory but they aren't. They used to be but at some point they switched to a different factory. The overall construction, material tech and cosmetics appear to be similar with a painted outer surface.
My experience with the board indicates that it is approximately 2 lbs heavier than the Yater TufLite. It also has a denser sound when tapped with a fingernail. This translates to a smoother feel over surface chop. The mild nose concave and flipped tail with 50/50 tailblock should noseride better but I'm not much good on the nose.
For those looking for a heavier longboard, it might be worthwhile to contact Nutty or a dealer for a demo. Riding as many boards as you can is a good way to find out what works for you!
There are a couple of videos on Youtube and a website for Santa Cruz surfboards for more details.
Glad you had a go on it and thanks for the “review”…
I have been switching between the 9’6" and 10’ Platinum all summer…and will use the 9’ when we get some more action at the point. For the bigger stuff…I like our 9’ Charger…its a full on high performance 2+1 set up…yes its on the light side but I run it with a large 9.5" single fin and get all the drive I need…
Glad you had a go on it and thanks for the “review”…
I have been switching between the 9’6" and 10’ Platinum all summer…and will use the 9’ when we get some more action at the point. For the bigger stuff…I like our 9’ Charger…its a full on high performance 2+1 set up…yes its on the light side but I run it with a large 9.5" single fin and get all the drive I need…
Glad you had a go on it and thanks for the “review”…
I have been switching between the 9’6" and 10’ Platinum all summer…and will use the 9’ when we get some more action at the point. For the bigger stuff…I like our 9’ Charger…its a full on high performance 2+1 set up…yes its on the light side but I run it with a large 9.5" single fin and get all the drive I need…
Nut… neat direction you and Doug are developing. My extensive R&D with sailboards attest to differences in ride of heavier an lighter cores. By mid 80’s I had a 9.8 lb. carbon/s glass EPS board (8’10x21x6") that planed up just when it would start to white cap (12 knots). It was great for pumping onto a plane and speed off the line, but I also found that my heavier PU boards would glide thru flat spots on ‘holey’ aka gusty days.
Not too unlike riding a heavier longboard thru flat sections or getting them hurtling along like a Caddy. I like the ultralite EPS LB’s for windswells, beachbreak, and short reef situations and love the heavier sticks for point break and flat faced waves. Rolel poley round bottoms don’t work with shit if they are super light?!
been trading text’s with Andreini …have been playing on the 7’10 Hull he made for me when the swell was in last week…really the perfect tool…good paddle range but can duck dive as well…
yes…Heavy can be good for composite longboards…i have had some really fun days with the wind being up…putting a chop on it…and having my Platinum glide right thru it…
In the 80’s Mark and I were doing what we called the “Owl 365” . These eggy hulls seemed to handle bigger waves when we put vee in them versus the flatter ones. They definitely called for committed ‘weight on’ turns as they lacked the hard edges of other designs. I think the original 365 design would probably suck in big facey stuff in Santa Cruz… what kind of bottom is in your new one?
Mark is doing much better…Drove down to SC just before Xmas for a lunch and talk etc…still going to be a while before he gets in the water or makes foam dust…but it will come. No Vee on my board at all…just flat and fast but the foiled rail and flow lets the board fly…had it in some pretty good overhead stuff so far and she runs good. Was down in Mex over the holiday so missed the swell up here…next time i will report and include pix of the board.
not really shaped that different…when I had other composite boards that were light …I made sure the rails were very thin to compensate for the “sitting on top of the water” effect caused by the light weight…but with the heavier cores…Doug shaped the rails the same as his one of a kind boards…so the rail feels like a traditional rail all the way around…the weight of the board makes it handle like a traditional board.
hope that helps…and for those that did not know…Haut had a stroke 3 weeks ago…result of a hunting mishap…is doing 100%! stroke issues cleared up already…they discovered a slight heart issue that a pacemaker has fixed and he is better than new…