Author Topic: Has anyone surfed an Uli?  (Read 6274 times)

punasurf

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Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« on: July 27, 2016, 07:40:01 PM »
I've never ridden an inflatable, but thinking of one for travel.  Would love to hear some reviews.  Thanks

OUTSIDEWAVE

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2016, 07:56:38 PM »
I have  when  i was just starting out, I  demoed one   a  what was it a "  fat ass quad" i think is what its was called 9 something.  plenty floaty ( i am 230 on good day)  and was ok but I was just beginning so I didn't  catch too many waves but I do remember that it had a tremendous amount of yaw  paddle on one side you turned that way and quickly  so was having some trouble catching waves,  but as i said I was a very beginner  and did not know about tipping the board to make it paddle straighter,  There is an old video of a big Hawaiian guy nick named"steamroller"  surfing one to  the song "toes in the water" and he is ripping it up.  This was probably 4 and 1/2  years ago.  though. from what i remember  though the board seemed to be pretty good quality in construction.
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supsurf-tw

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2016, 08:42:40 PM »
Good boards. I haven't ridden however I know people that really like em. The new ones have hard, sharp plastic for the tail rails. Capobeachboy on here is the rep
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TallDude

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2016, 09:32:47 PM »
I have a few times. Both the 10' Steamroller which was mine for a number of years and a 9'2 prototype. The prototype had a thruster setup and wiki rails that is similar to the Gerry Lopez LTD. CapoBeachBoy was nice enough to let me demo it during a pretty good winter swell. First of all, they are fun boards. I takes a little getting used to an inflatable if you've only used hard boards. There is a mild bounce you get from the deck. You don't notice it after about 30 minutes. You only feel it standing in the line up. When you take off on a wave it briefly feels like the board is staying stuck to the wave, but once your speed picks up it get real loose. The wiki rails allow you to carve as hard as you want. Even with the thicker tail it turns great. They paddle nice too. You will have fun surfing this board, and not having to worry about any damage to the board inflated or not. BTW, I'm 240 lbs.
« Last Edit: July 27, 2016, 09:37:29 PM by TallDude »
It's not overhead to me!
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surfcowboy

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2016, 10:49:36 PM »
I love surfing the 10' Lopez. It's like TD says, you get a little bounce but it's not bad and they surf pretty well. I've had a cheap inflatable and also a 6' thick 12'6" distance inflatable and the surf Uli's are a whole other thing.

burchas

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #5 on: July 28, 2016, 12:41:17 AM »
I bought the Totem 7'6 for that reason among others. Although it is a little too advanced for my level
I'm now able to catch every eave on it. Still struggling with controlling it on the wave but that too will come.

All in all, a good quality board! Very stable, very fast very durable. Good for peeps even at 200lbr according
To the company (I guess it's depends on the rider's level).

I can make 180 on it with one stroke from regular stance. Makes it very easy to setup for every wave.

Just make sure to pump it up to 22-23 psi. I could not catch one wave when it was pumped to the manufacture specs.
in progress...

Weasels wake

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #6 on: July 28, 2016, 10:10:20 AM »
Punasurf, put "Uli Steamroller" into the search box on YouTube, those vids will answer all your questions.
It takes a quiver to do that.

PDLSFR

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #7 on: July 28, 2016, 03:04:32 PM »
My Starboard Astro inflatable surfs excellent in small to waist high waves !!
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punasurf

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #8 on: July 29, 2016, 09:34:28 PM »
Thanks for the input guys.  If I pick one up all give a full report.

greatdane

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2016, 09:59:36 AM »
Hey Puna, I've had some really fun outings on my Fat Ass Quad, both in the pacific northwest and Oahu.  In small, mushy waves to about chest high, I think you will be impressed by this inflatable.  Here is a vid from Waikiki showing my very mediocre surfing skills on the Uli...

Cheers!

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PDLSFR

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #10 on: August 02, 2016, 10:13:38 AM »
Thanks for the input guys.  If I pick one up all give a full report.

I will be tossing my practically new Startboard Astro tiki on the classifieds ....something for thought.
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EsqDavidK

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #11 on: August 02, 2016, 10:47:45 AM »
Yes.  Yes, yes and yes. 

Currently we have 2 Steamrollers - one with and one without the Wiki rail.  Used to own a Mini Quad that I traded for an ultra light 10' Lopez that subsequently died from too many leaking abrasions and ultimately a blown out seam. 

Steamroller - Had it 6 years and still performs great.  It can cruise and it can surf.  Its not great at either but it is fun, seems indestructible and travels well.

Mini Quad - I had a lot of trouble getting much out of the Mini Quad.  Getting it out through choppy consistent Michigan and west Florida wind generated waves was a chore and I was unable to do much with it once I caught a wave.  It was not very fun cruising either.  But, my kids did like it and were able to surf it.  Like the Steamroller it seemed indestructible.  I wish it had been a FAQ instead of the Mini Quad. I suspect I would have enjoyed it more.

Lopez - Loved this board,  It surfed very well and cruised well.  The pointed nose, narrower width, etc., made it superior to the Steamroller.  I wish I had obtained the regular/double skinned Lopez instead of the lighter but less robust single skinned version.  I'd take another Lopez any day.  If you can already stand up paddle and do not need a super beginner friendly board then I would strongly recommend a 10 foot Lopez.   

Steamroller with Wiki Rail - Its not a Lopez but it does seem a bit better than the older Steamroller.  Might be a bit faster and surf a bit better.  To me its a subtle difference.  In fact, I can not tell which board I am on without looking.    I have had a lot of fun playing with it in Michigan and Cocoa Beach, Florida.   

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2016, 11:21:07 AM »
I have a 9' Lopez Ltd. in the classifieds.  I can't comment on how it surfs, as I never got to try it.  I bought it last summer for a trip to the coast but injuries cancelled it.  I've had it on flatwater to get a feel for it and I was surprised how well it handled; construction seems excellent.

capobeachboy

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #13 on: August 07, 2016, 11:31:34 PM »
Been riding the ULI GL 9 since the early prototypes and this board just blows me away with how well it surfs.  It was my daily driver for a couple years with the stock stick-on urethane fins and I still love riding it.
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Billekrub

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Re: Has anyone surfed an Uli?
« Reply #14 on: August 08, 2016, 02:12:34 AM »
Quite amazing how rigid it gets when pumped!  You can surf it.  Have caught small waves with the Steamroller and the Lopez with wikirails.  Very durable looking, holds air for weeks before needing top up.

 


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