Welcome back to The People’s Board Review, a board test series in which unsponsored, relatable rippers test out the latest surfboard designs and offer their unfiltered take. For this review, we put three different Surftech collaborations – boards designed by world-class shapers, then constructed with unconventional materials and processes for enhanced performance and durability – in the hands of four surfers to test out in clean, shoulder-high conditions at a typical California beach break. The craft included the “Untitled” by Haydenshapes, an honest-to-god rip stick with a friendly amount of foam; the “Twin Fin”, a (you guessed it) two-finned craft by Channel Islands that functions as a great all-arounder; and the “Modern 2”, a down-the-line, more classic twin shape from Sharp Eye.

It was a close match up for first place with some of the testers preferring the “CI Twin”, but in the end the scorecards gave a slight edge to the “Untitled” by Haydenshapes with FutureFlex technology. Here’s what you need to know about it:

The Gist: It’s an honest-to-god rip stick with a friendly amount of foam. The “Untitled” features a slightly-fuller outline for easier paddling and speed generation, but it doesn’t clip its high-performance wings, either. You can whip this tri-fin through some tight arcs in good and sloppy waves alike. According to Tester #2, “It’s kind of that versatile board that goes super fast, is pretty maneuverable, would work well in kind of any surf. Definitely a good board for a surf trip.” Tester #2—6-feet tall, 150 lbs., prefers 25.5 L boards and rips by any standards—rode the “Untitled” as a stock 5’6” x 18.75” x 2.2” 24.79 L. For everyone else, stock dims range from 5’5” x 18.5” 2.15” 23.45 L on the featherweight side to 6’4” x 20.5” x 2.75” 38.64 L for NBA centers. The craft features FutureFlex construction, which employs a stringer-less, high-density EPS blank laminated with biaxial fiberglass, epoxy resin and a parabolic carbon fiber frame to provide a lively flex and drive.

Speed: 7.3/10 Our three smaller testers—ranging from 5’9”, 130 lbs. to 5’10”, 180 lbs.—typically ride sleek performance craft, and with that as a baseline they all gave the board excellent marks for its speed generation. Our largest tester—6’1” at 192 lbs., who prefers 40 L boards—gave it the lowest score of 6 for speed. “If you’re surfing hollow, East Coast-style, or good California ledgy waves…that might be the board for you,” said Tester #4, who rode the “Untitled” at 6’4” x 20.5” x 2.75” 38.64 L. “But if you’re not, if you’re surfing down-the-line or softer type of stuff, you might want something with a fuller nose.”

Photo Credit: Grant Ellis “Untitled” by Haydenshapes with FutureFlex technology.

Frontside Maneuverability: 8/10 “Did you see my air?” asked Tester #3—who is 5’10”, 180 lbs., normally rides 27.5 L boards—after his session on the 5’8” x 19.25” x 2.3” 27.59 L “Untitled”. Umm, sorry, we missed it, but we certainly believe you. Frontside maneuverability was the highest scoring criterion, averaging 8 points, with no one rating it lower than 7. With minimal effort, this thing turns on a dime, and apparently it’s also just itching to fly.

Backside Maneuverability: 7.3/10 While most surfers are going to rate a board better frontside than backside, the difference wasn’t significant for the testers, who still found that the “Untitled” worked plenty well when projecting up the face on their heel side and cracking the lip. “It feels like a shortboard; it doesn’t trick you,” said Tester #3.

Photo Credit: Grant Ellis “Untitled” by Haydenshapes with FutureFlex technology.

Paddling: 7.3/10 “It just paddled really well, so that in turn made me catch a lot of waves,” said Tester #1—5’9”, 130 lbs., prefers 26.2 L craft—after what seemed like 20 laps in as many minutes on a 5’7” x 19” x 2.25” 26.36 L. Most testers were impressed by the paddling and wave-catching ability of this stubby performance board, scoring it 7 or higher. Only the largest tester scored it lower, with a 6.

Click the model names below for more reviews of Surftech’s collaborations: “Twin Fin” by Channel Islands with Surftech’s Dual-Core Technology (a two-finned craft by Channel Islands that functions as a great all-arounder) “Modern 2” by Sharp Eye with Surftech’s Fusion Poly Technology (a down-the-line, more classic twin shape)

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