Imagine Surfer/Bodyglove Wave Review

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Okay, I've had some time to play with my new Bodyglove Wave, which is the same beast as the Imagine Surfer, so it's time for a review.

This is a very wide board. It's almost disconcertingly wide. I'm used to my NSP 11' which is about 5" narrower, and the NSP can also be considered a fairly wide board. because it's also about 10' long (9'9" to be exact), it's got a lot of surface area. I laid it out on my lawn and let my three gorillas got at it.



Because it's hollow it definitely has that slightly sunk-in feeling when you stand on it. This isn't really an issue when the board is on the water. The huge deck pad is great for moving around in. This is a great platform for kids to just play on.

The weight (45 lbs) is an issue. It's heavy on my head, and the recessed handle is exactly centered so its edges dig right into my cranium. The handles on the edges help relieve the pressure. It can be carried with one hand, of course, but it's a little heavy for that. I'm not a wimp, but my arm got pretty tired pretty quickly.

Yesterday I took the board out onto the Croton River. This is the overflow from the Croton Reservoir, which is where New York City gets drinking water. Paddling the board is a lot of fun. I guess because of its width and shorter length it doesn't seem to like the longer strokes I'd use on my NSP. I found 4-6 short strokes on one side best for paddling forwards, especially in a current. It doesn't like the lean motion that I would do with the NSP that would counter the push with the paddle; best to keep this baby flat while you paddle.

The Croton river has a point with some light rapids. I jury-rigged my camera on the front straps then ran the board. It didn't work so well because the board took up most of the frame, but here it is:



I like this board a lot. It's really easy to paddle. The plastic body means I don't have to be insanely cautious with it on the rocks. On the Hudson, this is a big deal. It also does a pivot turn really easily. I don't know if this is the shorter length or the extreme width, but I was able to do them without a problem or a fall. Considering the water was about 49ºF (and I was in a farmer john) wetsuit, this was a big deal.

I'm working on getting certified as an SUP instructor later this spring, and this will be a perfect teaching board. (It comes with a paddle too, but that needs a separate review.) I'm also going to rely on this board to help me improve my minuscule surfing skills. This is a beginner board, of course, but the plastic construction means it has a lot of advantages, especially absorbing all the abuse a beginner might give it.

[Cardiff Sweeper]

Don't put the board on your head. It's terrible for your spine!

[soulpaddler]

For the type uf stand up that you are doing, I think that board is great.  I had an Imagine Surfer that I eventually sold because it was just too cumbersome for the type that I was doing.  They are really heavy!!!!  Compared to others that I have ridden, it was a tanker.

[Reid SUP'd]

Cool little clips Ian, I'm going to repost on my blog if thats cool!

[Strand Leper]

The Imagine Surfer definitely cannot be ridden in hollow waves.

Except Backdoor Pipe...

Other than that...

Here's some shots Adam sent me over the winter... thought they might liven up this thread.

I will have some shots of my new Imagine rip sticks up shortly.  I decided to go Carbon Kevlar instead of rotomolded plastic... and 25.5 wide rather than 34.

Getting one in 8'3" and another in a step up 8'8."

At my height and weight, once I go narrower than 26, I need more thickness or more length.  Experimenting with more length now.

To each his own.

[Reid SUP'd]

Hah..I saw a dew of those pics as well,  pretty cool,  must be hard to a finesse a board like that in those waves

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Now I feel even better about getting this board. I'm sure I'll be surfing like that in no time! :-)

Great pics!

I'll get some more structural pictures about the board up later, as soon as I upload them to the site. (I have to say, the inability of us to simply upload or paste pictures from a file on our computers is a very annoying feature of this forum.)

Is it standard procedure to use short, quick strokes on a short and wide board?

[bean]

Hey, shouldn't he be standing on the foot outlines

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

That's right! That dude's clearly doing it wrong! Get off that wave, mister!

[Shacked1962]

I would like to review my Imagine Ducky Model.  It is also made by Body Glove but they call it their Rubber Ducky Pro model.  They have a picture of Derrick Quacknamara going straight on it in at backdoor pipe.  All of the coolest surfers will want one.  

[Strand Leper]

Nice "first post" Shacked.  Clever, ironic, slightly mocking but not cruel... all in all, well done.

My niece has the Imagine Rubber Ducky Pro model.  She is two, and plays with it in the tub.  It totally kicks the crap out of the Chinese made Walmart and Babies R Us rubber duckies.  It turns way tighter, withstands chewing, stomping and twisting.  The other rubber duckies fall apart after just one or two baths.  Long live Imagine construction technology!

I think the foot outlines are to ensure proper placement for a Quazimodo photogtaph a la Mickey Munoz...

The board pictured in the shot is the BodyGlove / Imagine Quazimodo model... He should have been riding the Body Glove / Imagine Backdoor Model.  The Backdoor model has the foot outlines in the right place.  That is probably why you noticed that he wasn't quite trimmed properly.

tim

[RainWaves]

I'll get some more structural pictures about the board up later, as soon as I upload them to the site. (I have to say, the inability of us to simply upload or paste pictures from a file on our computers is a very annoying feature of this forum.)

 ?...?  Just use/click the "Additional Options" under the message area, and you should be able to attach pictures or whatever files to your post.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I knew that! Of course I knew that!

(Feeling dumb now)