PSH 9'11" XWAA

[old bosun]

I picked up a PSH 9'11" XWAA a few weeks ago and thought I'd post a few thoughts on the board.  First a disclaimer; I started SUP last September and the majority of my paddling has been in flatwater, just getting a grip on the whole paddling idea. I'm 58, 6'1" and around 215 lbs and have surfed long boards most of my life until an injury 3 years ago made it tough to prone paddle.

I demo'ed the board at Cowell's in Santa Cruz and it was everything I'd hoped it would be.  First thing I noticed was how stable it is.  It is 34 1/4" wide and very forgiving to paddle and handles bumpy conditions very well.  It doesn't feel corky to me probably due to then thinness of the nose and tail, it's just very comfortable to paddle.  The first few times out I had some difficulty getting the board to come around in a turn, but once I started stepping back a bit further it snaps around nicely, I can scoot forward a bit after the bottom turn and the board will accelerate when I give it a pump.  I've been riding it as a tri-fin, though I did try the quad set up for one session. It feels looser with the quads, but I couldn't get the same drive.  Probably just a matter of adjusting to it as I've never surfed a quad before. Today I surfed a chest high south swell at a local beach and had the best time ever.  I had to quit after 2 hours because I was done in, but I wanted to stay out longer.

On the negative side, this board doesn't take paddle strikes well. Although the paint doesn't seem to chip the glass seems to dent easily, one such minor strike even cracked the glass a bit.  I'm going to have to be real careful with my paddle.

If your a bigger guy like me and like a long board style of surfing this might be one to demo.  I bought it at Covewater SUP in Santa Cruz. Scott is a real gentleman and will treat you right.

[Gaucho]

Got one too from Scott at Covewater....great board for bigger guys (I'm 230) and very fun in the surf.  Super stable and a good paddler.  Set it up as a quad in the kelp in Capitola and it was loose and fun.  Also worked great with all 5 fins at Linda Mar...muy bueno for this design!

[finsider]

post up some pics of your boards!

[old bosun]

OK, here's some bad phone pix for ya,