What's your favorite wake surf board???

[beej77r]

That's a sick looking board!! what did that run you? If you don't mind me asking...

[trayson]

That's a sick looking board!! what did that run you? If you don't mind me asking...

http://www.doomswell.com/wakesurfboards/nubstep

Well, the board retails for $675. adding color is about another $20. Not sure how much of a premium would come for the graphics... I originally was going to hold off on the graphics and the wife did a ninja move and called Brock and had them added; then she proceeded to buy me the whole board for our anniversary present. She's a keeper!!

[beej77r]

uh yeah... she is a keeper!!! My wife would never do that...

that is a bit cheaper than SoulCraft... any opinions on either... one?

[trayson]

uh yeah... she is a keeper!!! My wife would never do that...

that is a bit cheaper than SoulCraft... any opinions on either... one?

Well, I have ridden a Soul Craft Da Honu. It's a GREAT board. however, I've also ridden a Doomswell Drone 4'4" squashtail and it literally blew my mind. It was meant for me. I loved the speed and the way it carved and slashed; plus I was able to slide the ass or the board out at the top of the wave. it was a blast. that feeling of being in control and out of control at the same time. After talking to one of the Doomswell sponsored riders, I decided to take a chance on the Nubstep, as it's supposedly even better.

You really can't go wrong with either one, but I connected with the Doomswell, and Brock was great to work with and I'm happy to support him.

[wolfeman131]

that is a bit cheaper than SoulCraft... any opinions on either... one?

The wake9 Polar Bear event is this week. If you're unfamiliar with the event, it in one where riders demo different boats & boards and then provide feedback.

http://wake9.com/polar-bear-2014/

If you're not ready to pull the trigger right away, wait until the results are posted for a broader set of opinions.

I form my opinions by facts and results. These pics are from surf-style divisions the 2014 World Wakesurf Championship.

Champion on a Soulcraft:



Champion & Runner Up on a Soulcraft:



Runner Up on a Soulcraft:



Second Runner Up on a Soulcraft:

[wolfeman131]

Probably the largest showing of any manufacturer

[trayson]

Wolfman, You know I've said time and time again that the soulcraft boards that I have ridden are great. I loved the Da Honu.

But Showing all the podium shots means that 1) they are a great board. and 2) it means that they have deep sponsorship pockets. I would imagine that those riders could have gotten on the podium riding any top end board.

Kinda like Gopro vs. Contour. Gopro saturated the market and dominated the sponsorships. Were they a better camera than Contour? in some ways, yes, but in other ways absolutely not. I used both and have first hand experience. But who ultimately dominated the marketplace? Gopro.

I guess that all I'm saying is that you seem to be pushing soulcraft pretty hard. Is it safe to assume that you guys are sponsored by them and get free product? Is it safe to assume you have a bias? Have you personally ridden any of the other high end boards? I'd love to hear your first hand experience. of the high end boards, I've ridden Soulcraft, Doomswell, and Brigade. So those are the only ones I can speak to.

Please, don't take this wrong, I'm not trying to discredit ANYTHING you're saying. They're probably the top boutique wakesurf company. they have awesome market penetration and that can't happen without a quality product. I guess I was just looking for a "we're sponsored by Soulcraft and have an admitted bias" type disclaimer.

[trayson]

So, the above aside, my Doomswell Nubstep was dropped off at my office by fedex today! And I got off work early to pick my son at PDX. we went straight home to a boat that was hitched up and ready to go.

We launched and the river was smooth enough to jump behind the boat right from the launch. In fact, it was so smooth that I busted out the Slalom ski!!!! And it stayed smooth. We were the only wake boat out there. Had the Columbia River to ourselves.

This is what I had the whole night!


Again, it was so smooth that I couldn't resist pulling out the wakeboard. Took a couple runs and was just having a blast. With just the center bag filled, the XLV had a better wakeboard wake than my Supra Sunsport ever did.

Finally, after getting my smooth water ya-ya's, I pulled out my never touched Doomswell. I had the XLV setup with 600 center and probably 900 or so in the rear locker (my 1100 keeps twisting and didn't seem to fill all the way). That said, my wave wasn't legendary by any stretch. However, despite a mediocre wave, the Nubstep did not disappoint. It was crazy fast and I had to put very little effort into staying in the pocket. I was able to ride effortlessly on a wave that I would have been working my butt off with my Ronix Caption or my Ronix One Skimmer. I rode the nubstep with only the two outer thruster fins (the same setup as the Drone I rode previously). I'd have to ride the Drone and the Nubstep side by side to really know which one I liked better. But I was super stoked and I don't regret my purchase at all (okay, not MY purchase, because my wife pulled another sneaky ninja and got the custom graphics added and PAID for the whole board as a present for our 3rd anniversary!!!).

The board was plenty stable. Like the other real surf style boards I've ridden, they are the most stable when they're carving. However, even when I was just chillin on the Nubstep, there was no squirleiness. I felt instantly comfortable on it and I can guarantee that it's my go-to board--period.

As an added bonus, it fits in my padded hyperlite wakeboard bag, so it's going to be babied and protected!

[wolfeman131]

Trayson,

I have purchased my Soulcraft boards, so I don't know that a "disclaimer" is necessary. I've offered up my opinion many times to folks, based on personal experience (I've sold more boards than you've ridden), on different board brands and I don't recall that I've ever directed anyone to buy a Soulcraft. Frankly, I don't appreciate your insinuation that my response to the OP provides me with some sort of personal benefit.

Besides, my direction to the OP was to read the reviews after the wake9 event, not to purchase a Soulcraft. You keep talking about/pushing and purchased a board model you've never ridden based on it being "supposedly better." As I stated in my post, I like facts.

So, a few other facts for you: Soulcraft does not have deep sponsorship pockets. There are very few deep sponsorship pockets in the competitive wakesurf world. The point of the podium shots is that, while those riders very well may have gotten there on any board, they chose Soulcraft.

Back to the OP - in the end, it doesn't really matter what people think of a board or board company as your riding style is unique. If you have a chance to demo boards then do that before dropping a few hundred bucks. If that isn't possible, check out the reviews from the wake9 Polar Bear and Southern Surfest.

[trayson]

Trayson,

I have purchased my Soulcraft boards, so I don't know that a "disclaimer" is necessary. I've offered up my opinion many times to folks, based on personal experience (I've sold more boards than you've ridden), on different board brands and I don't recall that I've ever directed anyone to buy a Soulcraft. Frankly, I don't appreciate your insinuation that my response to the OP provides me with some sort of personal benefit.

Besides, my direction to the OP was to read the reviews after the wake9 event, not to purchase a Soulcraft. You keep talking about/pushing and purchased a board model you've never ridden based on it being "supposedly better." As I stated in my post, I like facts.

So, a few other facts for you: Soulcraft does not have deep sponsorship pockets. There are very few deep sponsorship pockets in the competitive wakesurf world. The point of the podium shots is that, while those riders very well may have gotten there on any board, they chose Soulcraft.

Back to the OP - in the end, it doesn't really matter what people think of a board or board company as your riding style is unique. If you have a chance to demo boards then do that before dropping a few hundred bucks. If that isn't possible, check out the reviews from the wake9 Polar Bear and Southern Surfest.

Ya know, based on your explanation, I better understand. Accept my apologies. I jumped to come conclusions and I'm sure that others did too. So now that you've responded to my friendly calling you out, everyone is better informed and your stuff now comes across even more credible then before.

As far as the decision tree that led me to ultimately choose my board:

I rode Mike's custom soulcraft. immediately after it I rode Steven's Doomswell Drone. Everyone on the boat saw me come alive on the Drone. I pretty much said that the Drone needed to be my next board.

I later had some lengthy conversations with Micah Harper who has personally ridden all the various Doomswell boards. based on his review I decided that I would take a chance on the Nubstep vs the Drone. Like you said, if you don't have a chance to ride a board, then do your best to get reviews. Micah is a better rider than I'll ever be, and said that the Nubstep was faster and spun quicker and was overall a better board. It was a tough call. In the end, I'm very happy.

Also, I had to pinch pennies to get this board. We sold my Ronix Koal and I did without my primary board for a while so I could justify ordering a Doomswell. A soulcraft would have been more money, so financially there was another reason why I went the way I did.


Anyway, I'm all about communication and I really, genuinely love to know where other people are coming from. So I hope that we're cool and please know that while I provoked you a little, that I really do respect what you say and in the end I'm glad we have a cool community here on Moomba forums where we can have this kind of info get out there.

If you're ever in my neck of the woods, you've got an open invite to ride with me and share any of my toys!

-T