Riviera Race Board?

[zachhandler]

Has anyone tried one of the new 2016 riviera race boards? They are bargain priced. Just wondering if they are any good.

[FloridaWindSUP]

Yes, they're good.

Yesterday we had a big race here in SW Florida and Riviera pros Ryan Helm and Gabriel Beauchesne-Sevigny got 1st & 3rd in men's 14' on 14x23 and 14x23.75 carbon boards that are basically the same shape as the 2016 stock boards. Kim Barnes got 2nd in women's on a 12'6 Riviera. I got 7th on a 14x22 Riviera which is a custom shape but in the 2016 stock construction with the "distressed mint" paintjob. I've ridden several different Riviera RP models since last year, from the more piercing nose ones to the very blunt-nosed 14x22 I have now. The 2016 stock shape is a good blend of blunt & piercing nose to work well in flat water up to the very roughest upwind/downwind conditions and surf. The stock construction boards are decently lightweight at about 25 lbs, and they're very durable in terms of being scratch and ding resistant. I.e. you don't need to board bag them for every trip to the beach like you would with a custom carbon board.

Because the 2016 boards have loads of volume and are wider at the nose and tail than the 2015 boards, you can ride them narrower than you might otherwise have considered. Like, if you've been on a 27 wide, you'd probably like the 25 wide, etc. Or just ride the same width but enjoy the extra stability.

Since I like the boards so much I've become a "Riviera ambassasdor" and vis a vis that role I'll be happy to try to answer any questions about the boards. On Tuesday Ryan Helm is giving a clinic at our local shop and I'm going to pick his brain to try to learn even more about the boards and how to ride them right, etc.

http://www.rivierapaddlesurf.com/pages/ambassador-james-douglass