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Soulcraft, Chaos, Brigade....
Made some research but couldn't find what I'm looking for.
I'm currently riding a Soulcraft JS pro 4.8. I'm 6' and 205 I want to change board and try something else. What would you suggest? The Secret Weapon and the Pocket Rocket were 2 suggestions I had. I'm mostly a surf style rider who loves to slash and do some airs. I did ride a Inland sweet spot ultra but I was not able to keep enough speed with it. Thanks |
Check out the Shortbus "Speedster" and Black Revolt "Sword And "Hatchet" customs at www.agendasurf.com
http://agendasurf.com/shop/wakesurf/...rf-boards.html |
I would email Chaos, and talk to nick. He will take great care of you. I have the RInger since I am bigger. Its a true surf style. Everyone loves to ride my board and loves the quality. Plus Nick is top when it comes to customer satisfaction.
My other suggestion would be email and talk to Doomswell. I have one board from them that is more skim style. I like it, still a little small for me. Once again top customer service. I got to ride one of their older boards last weekend the Drone, I loved it. I got some weight to loose then im upgrading to a team pro. I am using the team pro as a reward to push me to loose weight. All in all, just reach out to nick or brock at doomswell. They are great guys, if you follow chaos on instagram, you might end up buying several boards, he has so many amazing looking boards on there. |
I already talked to Nick and Jeff at soulcraft.
I wanted some real life opinions since they will always talk for their products! There are so many good boards out there and I want to have different opinions before throwing 900$ on a board |
The soulcraft voodoo is
F-ing awesome. |
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I think if you follow on instgram you will see a lot of peoples opinions on boards. I am sure everyone will tell you to try them before you get it. If you want true surf style board I would go with Nick for sure. I got the board and loved it and asked him questions to do and he hooked me up. Got me everything I needed by adding a nose guard, since small people love my board they go to fast they hit the back of the boat, then he pointed me in right directions for better fins. Love it. You will not go wrong with chaos. I know Brigade just shipped boards to a dealer in my area, but so far no one I know uses them. I have a guy who uses soul craft and loves it as well. Everything I do I believe if they product is good and great customer service you got a winner! So that's why I have stuck with nick and chaos and doomswell. Anytime I text them or ask they are johnny on the spot with responses and tips. Hopefully soon my chaos pro will be on instagram with a cool color design, got 14 lbs to go!!! |
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Do you have a dealer anywhere near you that offers demos? Also, what's your budget? Is there anything your current board is lacking that lead you to want to try something new? That info might help some folks point you in the right direction. |
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My current board lacks air. I had more air with the IS sweet spot but couldn't recover since it was a bit short for my weight. |
Also--the Walker Project Bomb Pop is great as is Mike who makes them. The updated Jimmi8 model of yours is sick too.
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Right now Doomswell has a 4'6" Neo (Surf style) blemish bamboo board for $549 on their website. It's a touch small for your weight being rated for up to 190lbs but you might be able to get away with it with the right wave setup. Their next size up which isn't available would be a 4'8" that's rated for up to 250lbs so maybe the 190lbs limit on the 4'6" is conservative? Also, LipSnap offers a Sonic and Essence in 4'8" which are rated for up to 220lbs. Both would be a pretty great option in my book, you'd just need to investigate that Doomswell since it's a little small. Also, the IS Sweetspot at 4'8" is rated for up to 250lbs so it may not have been a weight issue. It could be just a little less quick down the line compared to others (which some folks might like but just so happens to not work for you at this time).
So there are two alternatives to the brands you mentioned in the title of the post. Hope that helps! |
The sweetspot was the ultra version in 4'6"
That makes me hesitate on a 4'6" neo... If it was a 4'8 I'd be more than happy |
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Jimmi8 is the updated model. |
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We were wrong. Doomswell has a 4'10" blem bamboo Neo for $449. That would definitely float you but the larger board might be a little more difficult to air (although it can definitely be done). The 4'6" for $549 isn't a blem.
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Ok, well, I was under the impression that the JS Pro is gone, replaced by the Jimmi8. I am saying the Jimmi8 is kick ass. Rides great. Faster than JS Pro, it's predecessor.
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I am saying it's an upgrade to what you have. You're not going to find a better board than you already have in the Doomswell lineup IMHO. Walker, Soulcraft, Chaos. They are the top tier IMHO. But opinions are like bungholes, everyone has one.
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I ride the Brigade 4' 10" Stealth hand down best board I have ever surf, can spin it with ease and snap big airs. The board is crazy fast!
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I have a doomswell NubSTEP and soulcraft Honu. In my opinion the soulcraft is a superior product.
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What do all think of lakewakes boards? I've read a little on the forum but seems like some threads have been deleted....
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Good value. Fast boards! Their Hooligan shape is a lot of fun. |
Seriously, you wont find anything better than Soulcraft, there are some other brands that are as good, but not better IMO. Everyone likes something different tho, so all about personal preference.
I have been riding a 4' 8" Doomswell Neo all summer. I am 4' 10" and 200lbs. Excellent board and I have been able to progress a LOT but its a little heavy to pull off big airs. About 2 months ago, I rode 2) "The Emily" Soulcrafts and really like them...last week I rode a Secret Weapon and Da Honu in 4' 8" and loved them. Immediately pulling bigger airs and was able to pump a couple times and drive faster. I ordered a Jordi Pro in 4' 8" and pick it up tomorrow. Soulcraft is just well made, light and fast. Really glad I had my Neo but ready to move onto something that I can get even better on. Some boards are made more for airs, some more for spins, some more for carving....just depends on what you want. That is why they ask you so many questions, to see what you are wanting to do the most. The Jordie Pro actually has similar shape to my Neo, just a little slimmer and of course its lighter. Excited to pick up my new board tomorrow, going straight out on boat to go surfing after I pick it up!! |
I just picked a Soulcraft Voodo for me and a SuperAV for the wife.
They should arrive to me tomorrow..... |
Oh man so exciting! I was mere MILLIMETERS from a VooDoo before getting the Jimmi8. You’re going to love it!
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Here are some pics of my voodoo 4'8"https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ae110bf689.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...65d4aa1205.jpg
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Try a parker surfcraft
my PS 4.8 everybody raved about them as Southern Surf Fest 17 http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/h...ps7gndc78f.jpg |
It will be harder and harder for those small wakesurf manufacturers to come up in the game. Their boards are not much cheaper (if they are!) than bigger brands with some history....
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don't knock til you try it , the custom board shapers have forced the main stream composite board Co to start stepping up their games into lighter foam and better shapes etc , cuz they continue to get beat at demos all over the place
how do you think SC, chaos, doomswell and brigade got started |
I know!!!
It's just real hard to try them without buying one! |
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Soulcraft does demo boards a lot...they have dealers all over and that is how I tried several models. Picked up and rode my new Jordie Pro today for about 4hrs on my buddies malibu boat...loved it!
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Get some Blackstix F4s from Jeff—you will LOVE them vs the plain Jane white F4s!
SWEET BOARD! |
love the color, shocked you didn't get one to match the boat. What made you choose this one over the secret weapon. usually when I hear people talk soul craft they mention the secret weapon.
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Board does match the blue on my boat, just a lighter blue.... this board became available now vs waiting till xmas. That is why I decided to go with this one vs Secret Weapon.
I have ridden 4 Soulcraft models now and liked them all a lot. Any of them will help me progress and get better as I push myself. I may get another one in spring, if I do it will likely be the Secret Weapon since I did like it the best out of the 4. Still really happy with this Jordie tho |
It is true that wakeboard companies have responded to the market by producing 'better', in some cases complete copies of wakesurf/surf specific brands.
Basically every wakeboard company now has a 'surf division' . Of course, virtually all 'custom' manufactures produce copies of boards that those of us that have been in this game for decades developed. They don't do the R&D, material development or anything real manufactures do. They watch youtube and just pick up the same materials peddled by distributors. This sort of stuff is usually weeded out in the surf industry, but every person that does 1 DIY project seems to think they've created a brand. They build 1, maybe 5 boards and start peddling them for $700-800. That is all fine and good, except for the consumer and the market as a whole. Consumers get these poorly built boards and think this is what a custom board is, then they go back to buying pretty looking boards off the shelf from China. The other difference in the surf industry versus wakesurf, is small brands, DIY'ers, and alike, usually take their shapes to a professional glass houses. The glassing shop, will often fix bad shapes, usually provides the art work and in the end provides a professional glass job which in 90-99% of what people see. The glassing shop and their services have a huge part in building the new brand. I can teach a monkey to shape a piece of foam to resemble a surfboard, but that does not mean it is shaped as intended or correctly. However, I cannot teach a monkey to properly glass a board, and know how to combine materials for the desired affect. The flip side of that, is virtually anything is rideable, if you know how to ride. The fine differences or aspects that make a truly fine craft tuned to a specific rider or style are usually only noticeable to those advanced riders. People gravitate to what they know, how they've learned to ride and what is comfortable for them. Some boards you have to relearn and rethink, and in some cases you will be better for it. I said it 10 years ago, and I will say it again, the wakesurf industry is the poster child for the fake it till you make it movement. It is all about appearance and being bigger on social media than you really are. Nick |
(quote) I said it 10 years ago, and I will say it again, the wakesurf industry is the poster child for the fake it till you make it movement. It is all about appearance and being bigger on social media than you really are.
Yep, make everyone think you are bigger and better than you really are. Drive a Mercedes and live in a big home...makes people think you are "rich", yet when it comes down to it, they just have a lot of debt and actually own nothing. The guy that lives in a trailer and drives a beat up car WITHOUT the loans, actually has more money. Went a little off topic here, I just find it funny when people see the guy driving the Mercedes and wishes they were "that rich"....if only they knew all it takes is 4 months without income and "that guy" will be living on the street. Obviously this is not always the case, but my guess is that this holds true for 75% of people. |
^^? You OK man? 🤣
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Maybe I smoked the wrong cigarette and forgot the point of the thread. Happens to the best of us, lol
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I would agree with Nick on this one. I built 5 boards, well I guess 4, bc one , my first one, I did the fin boxes backwords, so we only use it to screw around on HA. DIY is fun to work on and to say you did it and to have pride in really something. HOWEVER, not one of my board comes close to the feel and the ride, and the look of my CHAOS, or my spare board for friends my doomswell. I like doing stuff to have as a stress relief from daily life. Especially winter it keeps my focused on spring for surfing. However not one of my designs would be probably ridden by people who are really good. My friends who surf but just to do little carves and ride long periods they like my boards. It also helped me appreciate when I look at boards, I can usually say o this was hand made or not and gives me more respect for the guys who do produce great boards.
After you shape one from hand from the beginning to end you will appreciate and understand why they are over 700$. It takes a lot of time and patient. That's great you love the board man, keep up the work!! I am hoping this isn't our last good weekend to surf. Getting cool up here :banghead: |
So I went last weekend and rode the Voodoo.
It's a 4'6" compared to my previous 4'8" JS pro. It was recommended that way from Jeff since the tail and nose of the Voodoo are larger. I'm riding both boards with Black Stix 2.0 The voodoo is less aggressive than the JS, has a lot of push (maybe more than the JS). Love the fact that it's a 4'6, easier to manoeuver. I'll need to get more practice on it since it's less aggressive I have some difficulty getting good speed. The fact is it has more pop than the JS for sure. In the end, I know I'll appreciate riding this board. |
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Pictures, nothing special about this board. I wanted it quick before the end of my season.
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Soulcraft, Chaos, Brigade....
You could have Just come along with us yesterday and done lots of research...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...e9f8b4d7c7.jpg
Lakewakes Hooligan, SC Honu, SC Jimmi8, Chaos Sixer. A gourmet buffet! |
Wow that are great choices!
I'll need to try the Voodoo with 4 fins. |
I found that the quads don’t hurt speed and really add hold when landing a boost and riding out the landing down the wave face. I have come to prefer.
Do yourself a favor and order a quad fin setup from Chaos with the large or medium flare fins. They’re so much better than plain Futures white plastics. REALLY wakes the board up. |
I actually totally dig the plain jane white boards—just all business.
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I cant tell much difference on my SC when I add or remove the 2 back nubster fins, a little more agile without them. Last few times I have been out I have ridden back to back, with them and without
and besides tracking a little straighter, does not seem like much of a difference to me, think so far I prefer without. Course I have not upgraded mine yet, but will over the winter. Went out yesterday afternoon and water was a little warmer than the air, it was nice. Hoping we have another month of riding here tho it has been 40 at night. |
The nubster rears are hella useful when you’re landing airs and skidding back down the wave face with the tail. I also think your pumps are more “true” and thus more speed is the result. Easier to direct that energy up the wave face IMHO.
When cruising, there isn’t much difference. There really isn’t much negative about adding them. |
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(hope you don't mind we made a meme with your picture ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lw7jmSz_-IE?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> |
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Yes, all are different. The Jordi Pro I got is a bit wider and more stable and I really like it. The Secret Weapon and Da Honu slash around more. Kindof hard to explain the differences since I am not a professional, but Secret Weapon
is very manuverable, the second you shift weight, its moving....it also was a bit lighter and easier to throw around and air IMO, it was a 4' 7". Jordi Pro is 4' 8" and is more stable, a little faster with more surface area. Little more forgiving if you make a mistake, but still easy to air and good for 360's since wider and more stable feeling. Glad I got the Jordi as my first SC board because it is more forgiving, the next one will be something like the Secret Weapon, just a super fun board to play around on. Hope that helps somehow coming from intermediate rider who still has a lot to learn. Carving, pumping and 6-12" air's are stuff I have down, hopefully this summer I can start nailing 360's, some shuv's, switch reverses and other tricks. This will only be my 2nd summer of surfing, so I have lots to learn. |
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Secret weapon is legit love mine
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I’ve got a Soulcraft Emily and love it.
Really good on airs and 180. Great slashing too |
I just bought a kanuck boardco Conner Burns pro model. Wanted a surf style board that was a little easier to break loose and have some fun on. The guys at kanuck have been nothing but awesome to deal with, making the design experience awesome and best of all they’re truly Canadian. Over the last year or two western Canada’s pro riders in wakesurfing have literally switched over from soul craft and they’re slowly expanding to pro riders down south.
https://imgur.com/gallery/jCV5V |
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Since your in Canada give Kanuk boards a call. They make great boards. https://kanukboardco.com/collections/wakesurf-boards |
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