Hello Steemians & skimboarders around the globe!
In my last post, I wrote about my attempt to build a carbon skimboard from scratch. If you haven't read it yet, check it out here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@fubyo/skimboarding-adventures-1-building-my-own-carbon-foamy
I promised you a write up about how the skimboard performs and this is what this post is all about :)
First of all, I needed some nice traction pads before hitting the beaches ;) . I ordered a green Eden traction tail and an arch bar from http://www.4surfers.nl/en/ and put them on as soon as they arrived. I think they look nice!
During the following days, I have been looking out for favourable conditions to go test the new board. But, no skimmable waves were in the horizon, so I thought, what the heck, I would just go to the beach anyway and have fun with practicing my drops.
Next day, I headed out to Artemida, a small town with a sandy beach near Athens, Greece. To my delight, I found out that the board was working pretty well!
I was definitely stoked and have been hoping to get the chance to compare my DIY board with my ACE under more favourable conditions in the days to come. But, as always is the case in the mediterranean sea, swells do not appear that offen and you have to do some serious hunting to get the good ones. To my help, https://www.windy.com/ has proved itself to be an excellent guide in my search for better skimming conditions!
To make a long story short, I noticed some nice swells coming from the west towards Cyprus and got there as soon as I could to spend a week sightseeing and skimming. When I finally got there, the swell has passed by and the seas around Cyprus were pretty calm. However, I had some fun time sand skimming and trying to ride small waves.
To my surprise, another nice swell (better than the one I missed) was coming in from the west, while I would have still been on the island. However, to my bad luck, I got really sick with fever and diarrhea and missed that one too! Damn! By the time I was healthy again, the seas where calm and I had to get back to Athens.
Despite the fact that I missed my chance to ride any serious waves or did not manage to properly compare the DIY with my ACE board, I did gain a little bit of insight on the way the carbon board behaves. First of all, it feels a lot lighter than the ACE and this makes a ton of a difference when you run with it or when you try to shove it. However, drops get more tricky, if the wind is strong. I cannot really say which board has more float, or which board turns better. With my skill level and considering the conditions I tested them in, both boards (having the same shape) seem to behave pretty much the same. Perhaps the ACE turns a little bit better, having sharper edges at the bottom.
I hope, I will find the time and conditions to do more skimming soon. I will make sure to keep you posted!
Keep on skimming!