Standup Zone Forum
Stand Up Paddle => Gear Talk => Topic started by: surfsupla on June 18, 2019, 05:04:20 PM
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So i picked up an 83x29.5x4.5 phantom off erik. The board was glassed by pure glass out of costa mesa. I got the carbon rails and the extra fin boxes so i could run either a quad or 2+1 in it. Erik suggested my favorite tri fin as a base line so i threw in my favorite sidebites (gls) and a 6 wayne rich power fin. The board is about 120ish liters. For those not familiar it has step rails, a round nose and a pin tail.
When i picked it up from pure glass i was blown away. They killed the glass job and the colors. I threw a oam blurr pad on there and took it surfing. Been on it exclusively now since ive gotten it almost 2 months ago back in april. I was coming off an 810x30.5.4.5 killer sup (which i love) clocking in at 128L. So i was interested to see what the step rail and slightly smaller width would do in the stability department. For point of reference i am 40 years old, 59 and about 205 pounds. Have been sup surfing for 7ish years.
The board is super stable in the chop. Paddling over waves is a breeze. The board has just the right amount of rocker to help you not to dump the nose but also to keep the board gliding as much as it can. Dont get me wrong. It does not move like a blackfish but for a midlength board i can roam and race back to the outside with ease. The board tracks very well. The volume is right were i like it. The water laps my feet at times and the nose stays where it should, above water.
Getting into waves was a breeze once i figured out it was better to try not to power it onto a wave from far outside but rather sit inside a little more to catch it before it breaks. Surfing the phantom is literally amazing. Just trimming the board gives that feeling of racing down the wave. Because you are. The board is like a rocket. It turns much better than i can currently lay down the rail. And yet is still able to flow with style. I longboarded for a long time before i picked up a paddle and the phantom is the perfect midlength board i have been dreaming of. It handles itself at the points just as it should. But it really comes alive at the beach breaks. Currently waiting for some better waves to come in so i can test it some more and push myself to surf it the way it was intended. I had it out today. The ocean was really choppy and the sets were closing out. There were waves coming through, but i caught this one outside rogue wave with a shoulder and surfed through the surf pack for about 100ish yards and that just made my day. For those who know los angeles i was at sunset around dos banos. (Thats just what they call where the porta potties are lol).
I had been eyeing eriks boards ever since he came out with the barra. But when i saw the phantom i knew that was my board. Working with erik was great. He surprisingly (to me any way) encouraged me to go a little bigger than i had originally planned to be able to have more fun on the board. I have not changed the fins up except to put the collin mcphillip sidebites in because if it aint broke dont fix it. The board is super durable. I had them do the heavy glass schedule and it came in around 18-19 pounds. After surfing it for a few months it still looks new.
If there is one draw back to the board it would be that i get a lot of comments on it in the line up. Id rather not be noticed except while maybe on a wave. Lol. Long story short. I LOVE THIS BOARD.
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The board:
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More pics
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More pics
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Last pic
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very nice surfsupla 8)
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enjoy---looks gorgeous
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Beautiful lookin board. Great description of your experiences.
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killer
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awesome looking board. Rocker is flatter than i would have expected.
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Great board. Pure Glass are amazing. Great work.
Hope to see you out in the lineup. I havent hit Sunset in a while, I need to come say hi.
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Thanks all. Wheres your main break surfcowboy? Lmk if you are heading up this way.
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Man, I prone longboard at Topanga mostly. Mostly paddle open water when its flat but been focused on prone surfing for the past couple of years to get decent before I cant pop up anymore.
One thing the Zone taught me. You can SUP when youre old. ;D :D
But Im eyeing another longboard SUP when I finish this next board. Thatll get me going again Ill bet.
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Nice! Topanga is one of the few breaks i wont sup just out of respect. I still longboard every once in a while but i usually wish i had my sup when i do. Ive done plenty of miles when its flat between the two breaks. Lol. Sunset is just the necessary evil between blowing a whole day surfing and still getting work done.
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I can see Kirk's influence on the design.
Very cool looking board. Eric has been a great contributor to the sport. Would you mind sharing how much the board costs? Glad you found your stoke.
thanks.
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With all the extras it came in around $1900.
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Gorgeous board! If I wasn't investing my time into foiling, I would have seriously considered one.
I am on Erik's mailing list and saw he made some slight changes to the shape with what he is calling a Viking Deck:
"That what??? The Viking Deck! I've been playing around with volume over the last few years - Where do you feel it? Where can you get away with hiding it? I've found that volume center board and tail is less noticeable while surfing. The step deck is a good start but the next new new is the stepped nose. I've done some prototyping on reducing volume in the nose by creating a step down, almost an inch and glassing the nose lighter. This reduces the swing weight and volume from the nose of the board. Why do you want to reduce nose volume? Because it moves your paddling stance back about 3 inches which means you're closer to the tail. And in my extensive experience coaching intermediate SUP surfers, getting to the tail is the #1 issue in progressing into better turns. Well, the Viking Deck immediately moves you 3 inches back. The swing weight helps bring the board around, but being on your tail will magnify all your surfing. Shoot me an email for more info here. "
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Im so pressed for time right now between family and work that foiling wont work for me right now.
I saw the email. And though i was glad i got the og nose bc i sprayed it with monster and have pulled some cheater fives off on it. Lol. Though the viking deck does look interesting.
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With all the extras it came in around $1900.
That sure is a beauty! Is the deck totally flat? How far does the step deck drop down initially to the rail?
I am on Erik's mailing list and saw he made some slight changes to the shape with what he is calling a Viking Deck:
"That what??? The Viking Deck! I've been playing around with volume over the last few years - Where do you feel it? Where can you get away with hiding it? I've found that volume center board and tail is less noticeable while surfing. The step deck is a good start but the next new new is the stepped nose. I've done some prototyping on reducing volume in the nose by creating a step down, almost an inch and glassing the nose lighter. This reduces the swing weight and volume from the nose of the board. Why do you want to reduce nose volume? Because it moves your paddling stance back about 3 inches which means you're closer to the tail. And in my extensive experience coaching intermediate SUP surfers, getting to the tail is the #1 issue in progressing into better turns. Well, the Viking Deck immediately moves you 3 inches back. The swing weight helps bring the board around, but being on your tail will magnify all your surfing. Shoot me an email for more info here. "
I don't see anything on his site for how to get on his mailing list. How did you do that? (I wonder if Erik knows that all links on his homepage to internal pages are gone? That means there's no way to navigate his site past the front page.)
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Id guess it steps down about 1/2 ish for the rails. I think the deck is fairly flat. Its not a plank by any means, nor is it severely domed.
I hopped on the email list from his progression project a few years back. Just email him or shoot him a message on social media. Hes great on responding. If you want to shoot me your email ill forward the newsletter.
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Id guess it steps down about 1/2 ish for the rails. I think the deck is fairly flat. Its not a plank by any means, nor is it severely domed.
I hopped on the email list from his progression project a few years back. Just email him or shoot him a message on social media. Hes great on responding. If you want to shoot me your email ill forward the newsletter.
I went to his Progression Project site and signed up. Thanks! I want to know more about that "viking" thing.
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Seems like an interesting idea.
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The text is cut off. What's the difference between the regular Phantom deck and the Viking deck?
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The text is cut off. What's the difference between the regular Phantom deck and the Viking deck?
I think the text in that picture is the same text I copy and pasted in my reply earlier in this thread...
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Yes its the same test. The nose drops an inch and is glassed lighter reducing the swing weight and pushing the center of gravity back 3 on the board.
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I really feel like Eric puts more effort into understanding what a good surf SUP should be than anyone else out there. Some day when I stop sinking all my money on foils I need to buy a phantom.
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Yes its the same test. The nose drops an inch and is glassed lighter reducing the swing weight and pushing the center of gravity back 3 on the board.
This is a really intresting concept that feels like in theory would be awesome for a shortboard shape. But the phantom seems to me more mini-mal shape...and in viewing Erics Phantom videos he does seem to trim it occasionally. It would be interesting seeing how the deck in the picture would work if you had to move your feet around the board or even onto the thinner done when you were in trim or taking off.
Still...as a 215lb guy.... hiding volume is of HUGE interest to me.
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Yes its the same test. The nose drops an inch and is glassed lighter reducing the swing weight and pushing the center of gravity back 3 on the board.
What does it mean that the "nose drops an inch"?
4.5" inches thick with normal rails feels corky and like I'm standing high above the water when I paddle. Do you get that "corky" feeling when paddling or do you think the step rails drops the board lower into the water?
Yes its the same test. The nose drops an inch and is glassed lighter reducing the swing weight and pushing the center of gravity back 3 on the board.
This is a really intresting concept that feels like in theory would be awesome for a shortboard shape. But the phantom seems to me more mini-mal shape...and in viewing Erics Phantom videos he does seem to trim it occasionally. It would be interesting seeing how the deck in the picture would work if you had to move your feet around the board or even onto the thinner done when you were in trim or taking off.
Still...as a 215lb guy.... hiding volume is of HUGE interest to me.
Erik has been doing step rails with his shortboard shape (the Barra) for a couple years now. You used to be able to see the Barra on his site but for some strange reason all nav links to inner pages have been removed.
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By the way, Fisher Grant was ripping on a little 7-4"ish Phantom at big ugly and windy Sunset last January in the APP. I was amazed that the full nose worked there but apparently he liked it so much that he left that board on the north shore for the next time he returns.
It would be really interesting to combine the Phantom with the crazy bottom Tyler Callaway is doing on his All Water sups. Oh gawd, you know the glassers and sanders would have to charge a major premium to deal with the step rails, big gnarly channels and wings though. :-\
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Njs, i am curious how it would affect the boars as well. They have been making step deck longboard surfboards for years. So i imagine it shouldnt have many negatives.
Mw, the nose transitions and is thinner on the deck by an inch. If you zoom in in the pic you can see where the board ramps down and loses thickness. I dont think (but im not quite sure) the step rails specifically let it sit below or above the water. Its just a reduction of foam which means it has less total volume (which it self would make it less corky) but the bigger pro of the step rails is it turns easier and transitions better. I have had boards that sat up way too high in the water. The phantom is definitely not one of them. The board is not corky at all. Thats also the beauty of custom boards is that what is bliss for one person might drive another crazy so the shaper will change and adjust accordingly.
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Hey surfsupla, very nice looking board. I noticed that you have the Colin McPhilips thruster set installed. I have been thinking about ordering a set of those; any feedback?
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I like them. They were a little smaller than my go to gl fins. I have not tried the center fin yet but i will soon. I have been using a 6 wayne rich center fin. I like them because they flex and are not rigid like a lot of sup fins.
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That Board and design look great.
But that weight, 18-19lbs, seems kinda heavy. Was that with Pad and Fins? Did they say how much weight you could save going Carbon or lighter glassing?
Thanks