Author Topic: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review  (Read 6939 times)

lopezwill

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Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« on: April 20, 2015, 06:39:50 PM »


  BOARD:
  10' Bill Foote Triton, Flight Hawaii.  There are some better pictures of the board on standupzone if you search B. Foote Triton.  This is the smaller version of Ponobill's 10'4" Triton.  The Triton is 32" wide with a volume of 152.
  It has the two plus one as well as quad fin options.  I matched it with a 7 inch center fin and 4.5 inch side fins.  Center fin all the way up.
It was sent from Hawaii to San Francisco for me to pick up.  The total cost was $1500.00.  I dealt with "Keff" from Flight Hawaii who was really easy to deal with and super informative!  I don't know B. Foote, I'm just writing this board review.

RIDER:
   I'm 6'4", 225, 59 years old, lifelong surfer with 5 years of sup surfing experience.  I also ride a 8'10" by 33" L41 Simsup and a 12 foot PSH gun.  I just sold a Fanatic Prowave 9'6" to partially fund the new Foote.  Firstly, this board rips!  I'm a picky sup surfer and have been through many sup boards.  This is one of (and for my style of surfing and where I surf in central Calif) the best board I have sup surfed.
 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
  Taking it out of the packing at Delta Cargo at SFO was scary as I have heard so many horror stories of damaged boards in flight.  Not to worry this board arrive perfect.  The fit and finish on this board was excellent but I was more concerned about the surfing performance of the Triton.  It seemed light and VERY REFINED.  Not a flashy board but I initially loved the thinner nose, rails, and tail.  I don't shape boards and have ridden many in my lifetime.  I looked at this board as If to say,"If I was to shape a sup board for myself…it would look just like this."  This was also the reason I wanted to purchase this Triton from the pictures I had seen of the board on stanupzone.

DAY ONE:
  The waves were 2 to 3 feet with a very gusty 25 knot side wind.  I usually would not surf in these conditions but one of the finer things in life is trying out a new board you bought on the same day it arrives!  I was concerned that the 152 volume might not be enough in windy conditions.  This might sound like a joke but when I stepped on the board for the first time it felt like a comfortable boot.  It went over the foam nicely and seemed very stable.  Once outside I was relieved I could stand on it easily in the choppy water.  It got into waves fine, paddled straight, was very stable.  To be honest the waves were crappy with very little shape the two times I attempted nose riding I slipped right off due to no traction pad up there.  I finished the session relieved that it was stable and super comfortable in the crappy surf conditions.

DAY 2:
  2 to 3 foot with 15 plus mph off shore winds.  Had a fun time in this surf catching any wave I tried for.  This was a Friday of "Spring break" and really crowded for this place.  I really wanted to ride near the nose but without the nose pad just rode from the tail and middle.  The board was plenty fast and really fun although the waves were very short.  I did catch one left that set up nicely and the board seemed really fast as I went passed two sections.  I cut out of the wave thinking,"Wow! This board is fast and I just made a section I didn't think possible.  The board didn't spin out in the hollow part of the wave.  I was stoked!"
  I had never surfed this place before and was really looking forward to surfing my home break.

Day 3:
  My home break.  Sand beach break.  Shifty outside waves from four to ten foot faces.  Wind was side onshore about ten mph.  I usually wouldn't sup surf this as the wind waves could be relentless and paddling out would usually be too hard.  There was nobody out surfing on a Saturday.  I figured this would be a good attempt with the Triton in less than perfect conditions at my home break.  I finally did make it outside from a ten minute or so beating on the inside.  This was a rough day!  I caught several waves and the board performed well.  It got into waves early.  Felt very positive doing a bottom turn on a ten foot face closed out wave.  I would just race the wave for a while and shoot out the back.  I thought to myself, "I'm really stable on this board, it's catching waves fine and it surfs real positive in such a windy choppy and difficult surf conditions.  I can't wait to try this board out in better conditions."

Day 4:
  The day before I was able to put full traction pad up to the nose when a friend of mine gave me some traction pad he had.  That's the muti colored traction stuff in the photo.  The waves were 2 to 4 feet a little overhead and with good shape.  There was no wind and the waves had better than average shape.  Surfers were complaining it was too mushy as the tide was getting high.  The Triton just ripped in these waves!  The board got in faster and easier than my 12 PSH.  The Triton is able to make turns from standing on the middle of the board and up front.  The glide is phenomenal.  Many times I caught waves from the outside and looked back to see that the wave had not broken yet as I would move the board rail to rail.  The board is super fast.  Making sections was no problem.  I've surfed this break for over 25 years and this board surfed them better than any board I have ever had. 
  When I would move back on the tail it felt like a 9 foot board and turned really well.  Very positive and lively.  When I would step forward it would pick up speed and I was still able to turn it easily.  It would just glide across the wave face and not loose speed.  Several times it came off the top and floated down very positively without loosing speed.  Paddling out was a dream.  It goes over 3 foot foam better than any sup I have tried.  It paddles fast and is very comfortable and stable to stand on.  It does so many things well that I honestly find it remarkable!  It seems strong too.  I hit it hard with the butt of my paddle getting stuck inside and was anticipating a big ding but all I got was a small dent with no structural damage.

SUMMARY:
  Sorry this was so long…but I'm stoked with this board.  I think the board would really work for just about anybody.  The thinned out nose, tail and rails make it surf really well.  The rails are very sharp near the tail and the tail is pulled in.  Another secret to this shape is the rocker.  It turns from almost anywhere on the board.  Honestly this board is a very refined and engineered shape.  This is just a fantastic sup board for a bigger person who enjoys surfing.
 


Subber

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Re: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2015, 07:28:08 PM »
Nice review!

Board looks great, refined with thinned out tail and nose.

I liked this part, " I've surfed this break for over 25 years and this board surfed them better than any board I have ever had."
And that you can steer from most anywhere on the board.

Sounds like you made an excellent purchase.
 ;D

About how much does it weigh?

Is the picture with the waves, Day 1, 2, 3, or 4?
« Last Edit: April 20, 2015, 07:31:46 PM by Subber »
Jimmy Lewis Black & Blue Noserider 10'1"x31"x4.25," 164 liters, 24 lbs, 1 box
Pearson Laird Surftech Longboard 10'6"x23"x29.75"x18"x4.375," 154 liters, 24 lbs, 3 boxes
Takayama Ali'i II Surftech 11'x21.375”x28.5”x17.25”x 4.25,” 162 liters, 26 lbs, 3 boxes

PonoBill

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Re: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2015, 07:32:36 PM »
I love mine. It's going back to Hood River with me. Bill needs a mainland distributor, these boards could be strong in the market. I've never had a board I liked better.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

southwesterly

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Re: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« Reply #3 on: April 20, 2015, 08:48:38 PM »
Nice review. I wish there were more of them on the Zone.
Sounds like a great board. Maybe someday there will be one to demo in Santa Cruz.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2015, 08:50:20 PM by southwesterly »

surfafrica

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Re: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2015, 09:17:51 AM »
Thanks for the review!  I've been keen to hear more about Foote's boards.  I'm hoping I'll get a chance to demo one of the 8-9 footers at some point. 

"If I was to shape a sup board for myself…it would look just like this."

I agree. The shape just seems "right".
50 years old, 5'7", 150 lbs, intermediate
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SpaceCoastPaul

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Re: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2015, 09:58:30 AM »
Great review. Thanks for posting.
8'8" x 31" Stu Sharpe WaveHog
10' x 32" Foote

stoneaxe

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Re: Bill Foote 10' Triton Review
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2015, 10:13:08 AM »
Nicely done....I know what you mean. I'm loving my 10-4. I still haven't had many sessions on it though and I'm still getting it wired. What surprises me is that it does a lot of things so well that are usually counter to each other. Stable enough but easy to go rail to rail, turns short, glides long. Great boards.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2015, 10:17:12 AM by stoneaxe »
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

 


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