Adding to an already stellar line of SUP boards, Surftech has released their 2011 catalog and it’s choc full of sweet rides.  We had a chance to surf a few of the new boards at the BOP in California and were impressed.  Of course, there isn’t much surf here in the Okanagan so the line-up of Bark and Lahui Kai race boards will put some zip into your stroke (and stoke) and we expect the ‘race’ category to grow quickly.  Did you know that the 12’6 Bark Competitor went through a weight-loss program?….. Yup…. almost 10lbs making it one of the most sought after race boards on the market now.

WHAT’S GOOD FOR FLATWATER (LAKES, RIVERS, ETC)

Bark’s – The 12’6 Competitor (seen below) and it’s big brother, the 14′ Bark Dominator are possibly one of the top production race/tour boards on the market and have proved themselves on the international scene over and over.  Both are built using Surftech’s unrivaled Tuflite technology- the ultimate in performance and durability. We’ve lake-tested the 12’6 in tons of different conditions and it has been by far the fastest and most stable board in our quiver.  The 14′ Dominator might be the ideal speed racer for long distance lake-running and it’s about 1 1/2 inches narrower than the 12’6 which should translate into more glide and speed.  As Canada’s racing scene continues to grow, the 12’6 will be an instant hit and then as more people add a 2nd race board to their line-up, the Dominator will be nice addition.  Check out www.joebark.com to see his oceanic legacy.

The Surftech Bark 12'6's displacement hull makes it an ideal board for lake downwinders

On lake downwinders, the Bark 12’6 is the ideal board due to the short wave intervals.  Keep that in mind if you live near Penticton on Skaha Lake or Kelowna on Okanagan lake – This just might be THE board for your area.

‘Laird’ Bob Pearson Arrows - Great in the surf for just about anyone, the Laird Pearson Arrows are also great all-round flatwater cruising boards.  They are shaped to perform in the surf but the 11′ and 12’1 boards will cruise nicely along the shorelines and who wouldn’t want to cruise along with Laird Hamilton!  The 10’6 has a surprising amount of volume that supports the weight of a 190-200lb. person much better than we had expected. We surfed both the 11′ and 12’1 at the Dogpatch and they performed as expected.

The new 'Laird' by shaper Bob Pearson

Robert August ‘What I Paddle’ – Despite the obvious name, the 11’6 performs well in flatwater, especially for paddlers over 200lbs – it says the board has 198liters of volume but it feels like more.  It’s wide and stable and owes it’s graphic touch to the traditional longboard style (clean and simple) so that makes it even more appealing.

Randy French Softops - Looking for one of the most stable boards on the market?  Here they are – The Surftech Randy French Softops.  Ideal for all conditions and best suited for anyone who is looking for stability or wants to paddle tandem.  They are a staple board for rental fleets and this year, Surftech has added a 9’6″ and 12′ to the mix – A great selection for all paddlers.

Lahui Kai 12’6- Fast, sta­ble, and light on the shoul­ders and now available in a women-friendly colour – Deep Pinkurple. It’s narrower than the Bark series so for the lakes, it will be a land rocket. This is the Bat­tle of the Pad­dle win­ning board from 2009! A great board for rac­ing or just cruis­ing on a long pad­dle, it even per­forms well in the wind. See it here.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Looking for a great board to go adventuring? – Try the 14′ Bark Expedition
• Woodies – Check out the Bamboo Series and the Takayama 11’6 Wood
• Fan of Jamie Mitchell? (You should be) - Check out his 9’8″
  
• New GREENER Tuflite Technology (see below) – The world thanks you
  

An inside look at.... well, the inside of Surftech boards. Nice to see a more 'Green' construction now.

Click here & see the catalog

MORE LINKS:

• Surftech SUP Site
• 2010 Surftech Kalamalka Classic Results

2 Comments

1.   Dion NZ   |  Wednesday, 20 October 2010 at 7:43 pm

   Are you saying that the Bark Surtech Competitor is down 10lbs to 22Ibs from 32Ibs? I hope so, that would be perfect. Are the boards the same color?

   
2.   admin   |  Thursday, 21 October 2010 at 8:28 am

   That’s what they are saying. Same Color indeed.