Awesome New Wakesurf Board Co.

[cab13367]

This weekend, I went wakesurfing with Bruce Crawford, the owner of a new wakesurf board company, React (reactsurf.com). Ryan (aka Newty) also went with us. I had won one of Bruce's boards, the Egg, at the recent Skier's Choice NW jamboree, and had asked Bruce if I could maybe trade it in on one of his more performance oriented models. He suggested that I demo a few of his models to be sure that I pick the right board. So he brought along 4 demo models - the Egg, the Drive, the Swivel, and the Classic - and came along to provide some insight on the boards and give us some pointers.

I rode all the boards as well as my CWB Ride and I have to say, the Ride rides like a tank compared to Bruce's boards. Bruce's boards are so much lighter and faster than the mass produced boards, it's unreal. Even my son's little 4'-4" Hyperlite Coex feels like it's made out of lead compared to the React boards. The react boards are thicker, lighter, and more bouyant so staying on the wave is no problem and the designs make them super responsive. They are made more like surfboards than wakeboards so they work better for wakesurfing.

Bruce had to leave after a couple of hours so we dropped him off at the ramp and he let us keep the boards for the rest of the day. I rode them all again and finally decided on the Drive. This is a board that I will never outgrow, and my wife and son love it as well.

Bruce and his son Zach hand shape all their boards in their shop in Ridgefield, WA, about 15 minutes north of Portland. Also, Zach is an artist and he hand paints all the colors and designs so that no two boards look alike. And Bruce and Zach are more than willing to accommodate any custom designs that you can think of. Let's say that you like the Drive but wish it had a little more flotation or width, and you would like the colors to match your boat. No problem, they will do it for you.

If you are in the market for a hand crafted, super light and fast wakesurf board, you should highly consider React boards. Looks like the local Moomba dealer, Active Water Sports, will start carrying some of their boards soon.

Below are some pics from yesterday.

Al


This my new Drive:



Me on the demo Drive:


My wife getting some slack on the Drive. This was her first day wakesurfing.

[cab13367]

This is my son on the Classic - a 5'-10" board that is great for beginners, heavier people, and smaller wakes.


This is Bruce on the Swivel.


This is Newty on the Swivel trying to surf heelside since he rides goofy.


Chillin' after a hard day surfin'.

[Sled491]

Great looking boards, looks like a great time. This speaks to just awsum costomer service, I mean the guy met you at the lake brought several boards and when he had to leave early he leaves them all for the day. Sounds great.

[cab13367]

And what's more amazing, I was looking to trade a board that he had donated to the jamboree that I won for a different model. I wasn't even buying a board from him! But I may have to buy that classic at some point - that is a great all around board and it even fits in the LSV rear storage locker! I'm tellin ya, anyone can free ride on that thing and you won't need much of a wave either. So big yet still so fast.

[Sled491]

Cabb, I would love if you could PM this guys info, maybe we can approach him for a donation for the Chicago Jamboree next summer.

[cab13367]

Sled,

[email protected]. It should be on their website (reactsurf.com).

Al

[Sled491]

Cabb, Excellent, really appriciate the ultra quick response.

[tazz3069]

Great Pics. I rode a Island Surfer this past weekend. Big difference between from my CWB Ride board. I may look into getting a new board for the family. My son is already trying 360 on the ride. He can free ride for days now. I need to catch up.

[Roachman]

How did you like the swivel compared to the Drive you got? Also have you ridden an inland surfer and if so how did that compare? (I ride a buddies Red Woody but am looking to get me a board)

[cab13367]

Roach,

The Drive seemed a little faster and a little more stable than the Swivel, I think because it's a little more squared off at the tail, rather than coming to a point. It's still super responsive when you want to make slashing turns though, I think due to the tri-round tail design.

I'd recommend calling Bruce and havng him explain the riding characteristics of the different boards. If you tell him your ability, your weight, your riding style, etc., he should be able to recommend the best board for you.

Bruce is a super nice guy and is absolutely passionate about the sport and shaping boards so he'd be more than happy to talk to you.

BTW, on his website, it shows the Drive as being 1-1/8" thick but mine is 1-3/8" thick. Bruce tells me that the 1-1/8" on the website is a typo and that all the Drives are 1-3/8" thick unless someone requests something different.

I've never ridden an inland surfer.

Al