| DEEP Oceanboards 8'4" MkII // Review 04 April 2012 By: Andrew Cassidy Location: Northern Beaches Five months is a very long time to be out of the water. I used to have issues if I couldn't get into the ol' briny for a week, let alone close to half a fricken year. Injuries suck. Shoulder surgery sucks even more. Drowning your sorrows in a brand new piece of EPS foam encapsulated in epoxy resin, carbon fibre and Innegra glass - doesn't suck, not one little bit. My new DEEP 8'4" Carbon Innegra has made the last five months of physical and mental torture, worth it ... well almost worth it.  One word: Perfect The board is 8'4" x 28" x 3.75" A few tweaks in the measurements of my last DEEP 8'4" from the recovery bed saw the birth of the Casso Model Mark II. Simon from DEEP ran the numbers through his magical design software and spat out a 3D model of the MkII. It looked unreal on the LCD, let's do it, shape that puppy up. I wanted it as soon as the surgeon said I could swing a paddle (gently) so I could get into rehab on something challenging. I think 97 litres for an 85kg bloke who hasn't been on a board for a long time should be challenging enough.  The board arrived just as the doc said I could do a bit of flatwater work. It looked even better than the 3D imagery predicted. I gripped it up that night because I knew I had to give it a run the next morning. If this thing will float me enough to catch a wave it is going to rip - you can just tell by looking at it. It was still quite dark at 5:50 that morning in a little cove at the end of Pittwater. The glassy surface was my friend for the maiden voyage. I jumped on and stroked a few strokes. My feet were very damp but the distribution of the 97 litres over the planshape and foil proved adequate for my chunky frame. Success. I paddled the new little beauty 40 kilometres over the next 3 weeks, occasionally having near misses with moored boats and random wharves due to me not being able to keep my eyes off the piece of spectacular engineering beneath my feet. My balance was almost back and my cartilages had pretty much stitched themselves back to the bone. I was ready for some ocean action. I chose a quiet morning down the beach with a very small swell running for my first attempt and SUP surfing since the op. A light offshore wind compensated for the little bit of bump on the rip bowl. I paddle out and struggled with the said bump but managed to stay upright long enough to make it out the back. I confirmed the theory that it is MUCH easier to balance in still water than it is on the ocean - even in very good conditions. I did a few laps of the beach to get a feel for things. Things felt good. I reckon I could go a little wave. A nice one with a good wall came my way. I weakly paddled for it and slid down the face. Ohhh, what a feeling - I've really missed that. Seeing a perfect wall lined up in front of you - there's nothing quite like it. Forehand bottom turns put next to no strain on my specific injuries so a series of these ensued with very gentle top turns to bring me back down the face. The DEEP felt so nice - fast, smooth and effortless. Its 6.0kg weight makes it super responsive, especially in tiny waves like this. A few more weeks have passed now and my strength, range of motion and ability has increased. I have a new found appreciation for being able to get out in the surf - regardless of the size or even quality. Surfing is such an amazing thing and should never be taken for granted. I love it. And I love my new DEEP 8'4" MkII. I have had some good boards in the past but this is the epitome of them all. I can stop looking, designing and dreaming. This is the board for me - and I know this without even being 100% back in action. I've now done the odd roundhouse cut back, a forehand floater or two and a couple of backhand re-entries. The little DEEP makes these manoeuvres a breeze, even for a semi-invalid. The high performance rails carve beautifully through turns and the precise dispersion of foam provides fantastic glide through fat sections and squirts of speed just when you need it. The thinned out and narrow tail allows for sharp pivots in the pocket and the rocker is just right for high performance surfing. The fact that this board is low in the rail and consequently sits low in the water, makes those pesky side-slaps of chop on the rail a thing of the past. This, along with a slightly wider nose, makes the 97L DEEP 8'4" surprisingly stable which is great for fast-tracking my rehabilitation. I'm nearly back and I've got an awesome weapon under my feet - so stoked it's ridiculous! Highs: - Super fast - So light and easy to throw around - Super strong construction (well tested with my paddle) - Very stable for its volume - Paddles well for its length - Handle is in exactly the right spot when gripped and finned Lows: - Got nuthin' (that's why this is the one). Here are a few more shots of the new treasure:       | |
