RESIN8 HYBRID BY SAM EGAN [06.10.2009] Category: Surfboard

RESIN8

STANDOUTS
    •  Fast and responsive
    •  Innovative technology works well for small waves
    •  A great Hybrid that will fit in all quivers

SPEED
Sam Egan has designed the board with a little more width than your standard short performance board as well as lowering the rocker. This gives the board extra float to give you more 'get up and go' at lower speeds. Combine that with the exclusive Resin8 material and you've a very quick hybrid for those smaller days.

RESPONSE
The response is up there with your normal shorty. It's just slightly wider and has less rocker as described above, which you'll notice ever so slightly when driving off the bottom of a 3ft - 4ft+ wave, but overall this board is perfect for those that want a fast and responsive board for those smaller summer wave days.
  
BOTTOM LINE
The Resin8 hybrid has become a staple in my surfing diet. It's a great board for those smaller or slightly fatter days when you need that extra width and pop but don't want a larger fish. The Resin8 material suits this style of board well, generating a lot of speed in the smaller stuff while maintaining lower overall volume and a high response.

Image: The Sam Egan Swallow is a nice little hybrid for those smaller days.


mesurf Review:
On initial inspection I thought the board might be a bit big and over-volumed (5'11" x 19' 1/8" x  2' 3/16") but was assured by the crew it would be fine. To give you something to compare it to, my standard shortboard is a 6'1, and I also ride a wide twinnie that is 5'10 in the smaller stuff. So if you ride boards in this size range then the 5'11 is your best pick.

The board was taken to South Narra for it's first run in super clean 3ft hollow rights and lefts. Paddling out I was surprised that the board didn't offer as much float as I was hoping for. Most expoxy boards I've surfed usually float more than a normal PU board, but I didn't feel this was the case with the Resin8. When paddling into a wave, it didn't offer anything extra either in regards to speed even though the board has less rocker than my normal board and has a little more width up through the nose. After looking into this, I figured it's because the board is thinner than a normal hybrid and this has advantages when it comes to response and using the rails in your turns. My point is this: the board wasn't 'harder' to paddle than a normal board, it was the same, but I was just expecting a little extra float. It's a trade off between response and paddle power I guess. Once you're up, it's a different story...

Once I was to my feet, I was able to generate speed very quickly, even the first pump gives you a great racing start as you can see from the images below. Due to it's wider nose and the different flex it has over a standard PU board, you're able to really drive the board hard for extra speed. As I said above, I've ridden a number of epoxies over the years and found most are stiff and have no life. The Resin8 however isn't like the others and actually has a lot of life and gave a great 'pop' sensation in and out of turns. Kind of like that feeling you get from a new stiffer snowboard when driving through powder or launching off a kicker. This extra 'pop' creates speed by flexing in and out of the face of the wave, and within a few pumps you're hammering down the line lining up your section. After this first session at Narra I was pretty stoked on the board, but as the conditions were great it's only fair that I try the board in a few other conditions.

Image: Works great in those fatter waves where you need a litte extra float and drive power. As you can see from the bottom image, the board is up and racing down the line long before the other guy even works out what he's doing.


Over the next few months (I rode the Resin8 board half the time) I surfed it in a number of varied conditions ranging from 2ft onshore closeout slop, nice 3ft offshore barrels to a slightly fatter 2-3ft wave. Overall the board worked a treat in almost anything. There was the occasional surf where we just didn't click and I was ready to drive over the bastard, but most surfs we were mates. Having thinner rails and less volume allows the board to hold its line well in the 4ft range and is easily thrown around as you would a short board. I did start to notice it was coming to it's limits though around the 4ft mark, but with a slightly larger fins (I was riding small G3's) I think the little guy could have handled another foot...just.

Where the board really comes into its own is when its clean 2-4ft and has a bit of fatness to it. Other guys in the lineup were struggling to get going down the line on their normal short boards, where as once the Resin8 (Hybrid model) is up you can pull speed in one pump. The flex pattern of the Resin8 material works hand in hand with this board shape, suiting those smaller days. You can drive off the bottom almost as hard as a performance board allowing you to pull tight into the pocket without losing traction like you would on a standard twinnie or thicker board.

Overall I love this board and have a great surf almost every time I take it out. I've been lucky enough to ride different shaped boards and materials, and what stood out with this Resin8 board was its flex. The Resin8 boards offer a great epoxy board product and one that I think works perfectly in hybrid small wave boards.

I'd recommend one of these boards for anyone's quiver, it's one of those boards that when the conditions aren't perfect and you need that little in-between-er that will have you frothing all session.


SHAPER:  SAM EGAN
MATERIAL: Resin8 (epoxy sandwich construction)
TYPE: Hybrid
FOR: Smaller and fatter waves
SUITS: Surfers of all levels. Intermediate and above will get a better response from the features.
RRP: $950

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