Conditions:
I’ve had this 10’6” Infinity since January 2007 and have
surfed it in conditions ranging from 2 foot slop to about head-and-a-half
(8 -10 ft). The wave quality has ranged from complete mush to hollow (not
firing) beach break. This is the model that has the slightly pulled in
nose and less concave than the noderider model.
Equipment performance:
Paddling:
Twelve footers will obviously paddle very well, but I have to say, the
few times that I’ve paddled any distance with other people that
were on bigger boards, I kept up easily and at times paddled even faster.
This is very subjective of course, because I’m actually throwing
paddling ability and strength into the equation. Being that I’m
out nearly every day and paddling 3-5 miles, sometimes more, I’m
in pretty decent shape. Nevertheless, this board glides very well, tracks
at seven (on a scale from one to ten) and is very easy to catch waves
on. There have been many times when I kick turn into a wave and take
1 or 2 strokes and I’m in, without it being a late takeoff. Again,
that’s a subjective statement because my paddling is fairly strong
so it may not be the same for another person. The board is very stable
laterally and unless your in conditions like 1’ wind chop, it’s
like standing on a cruise ship.
Surfing:
The Infinity has about ¾” more thickness than an equivalent
length C4, and it’s definitely a lot heavier. However, with the
right finess, application of power, and position on the board, it will
definitely perform. Check out the pictures in the gallery section here: towards
the bottom of the page I throw a pretty heavy bottom turn and come off
the top like I would
on a much smaller board. This single fin model has plenty of V in the
tail, but to utilize it you really have to ride the tail hard. This board
is definitely not high performance like my 10’ C4 Waterman, but
is a very good all around board that has become the mainstay in my quiver.
I’m using a standard swept fin, but am about to experiment with
some other fins. Matt DeLine of Cardiff has been using the Wingnut fin,
and says it made a huge difference in the way his Ron House board surfed,
so I think I’m going to start there.
Quality:
The board is EPS with epoxy and is still in great shape after 9 months
of me beating the heck out of it. There is some slight yellowing on
the deck (it’s unpainted), but the bottom is still white (it
is painted). The decking that Steve used is the thin smooth type. It
seemed a bit slippery when I first started using it, but after getting
used to it I actually like its feel. Compared to my C4 deck, it is
more comfortable on my feet, but then I’m still getting used
to the C4 deck. The overall quality of this board is high and well
worth the price.
Summary:
The Infinity is a high quality, all around board for your quiver. The
board surfs well, is stable, and paddles well. It’s well worth
the 5+ week wait for a custom shape from Steve, and as soon as you
walk in the door of the shop and ask Steve about the boards, he’ll
offer to take you back to the shaping room and shape it right there!
Great customer service with years of shaping experience. |
