Hellrazor test drive

[kdropin]

Hey what fins you using
You riding as a thruster or quad

k2.1s thruster in pc

after riding a quad for so long i am really liking the thruster again.. like how they pivot

[Wandi]

I forgot to mention my last surf on the Hellrazor before I had to give it back
I surfed some punchy waves that we're running nice
I have to say that I came out of the water a little frustrated
After the previous surfs I was sold but I was still struggling a little on my backhand
It still did all he right things but I really love the feeling of drifting the tail around from a backhand top turn
I felt that razor perhaps had too much bite
I know I surf more off my back foot on my backhand and that's probably contributed as well
I wish I had more time to experiment with fins but my friend had just finished work and was frothing for a wave
Its still a sick board but for now the Mini Driver might get the nod

[Chris]

Hey Gnubee,
In my opinion the EF and the HZ would be a great pair. the hellrazor has the high end capacity of any surfboard and the EF is one of the most fun rides in smaller waves!! a good pairing!! Wine and cheese!

[Gnubee]

Cool.
I know that with the flatter waves here, there is no way I'll be giving up my ElF any time soon. It is just that when winter hits, the swell gets bigger, although not really steeper. I reckon it is down to either the HZ (6'7") or an Alt (6'6"). I like the 5 fin setup and stepped rail of the HZ for sure. Now I just need to figure out how to test drive one - or both.

[delmarsurfer]

Wandi, Great review on the Hellrazor. I was hoping you (or anyone else) could weigh in a bit more.

I am currently riding a 5'6 Hellfire, the volume feels good @ 24.5L and has plenty of float for me. Currently this is my only board but I am excited to see the Unibrow after Chris's comments.
Can you shed a little more light on the performance differences between your Hellfire (and what size it was) and what you experienced with the 5'11 Hellrazor. Was the Hellrazor as easy to get into waist high waves as the HF?
What are the differences one will notice with a flatter concave (HR) vs. a double concave (HF)?
Overall I like my Hellfire but sometimes consider going with something with slightly thinner rails and maybe a tad less volume but I want to make sure I am not struggling to catch waves.
My break is primarily thigh to head high. Last weekend I demo'd a 5'9 Hellrazor in some pretty weak waves and it caught waves about as well as my Hellfire but the 5'9 seemed too long for me.
If I went with a 5'7 Hellrazor the volume difference would be -1.8L from my HF. Certainly that is a difference I will notice and I am hoping that will be a good thing and like you said I can "push turns a lot easier" with a little less volume.

[Wandi]

One of the things i remember most about riding the 5'10 Hellfire and the 5'11 Hellrazor is the grovel ability
In smaller waves i had trouble getting the Hellfire up to speed whereas the Razor seemed a lot quicker off the mark and a lot snappier off the top
Performance wise the Razors tail/rail seemed to offer some good bite on sucky take offs and good hold in the barrel whereas the bigger rail on the Hellfire seemed a bit boxy
Yeah as you mentioned thinner tail means you can bury it easier (unless your Tom Carroll)
Mind you when the waves had some power the speed the Hellfire offered was awesome to say the least
The Razor i tried out had also less volume but with the wider surface area 19 1/4 i had no problem with paddling
The 5'7 shouldnt be a problem at all

[delmarsurfer]

Wandi, thanks for the quick reply.
I can relate to what you say about getting the Hellfire up to speed in smaller waves. Do you think the Razor getting up to speed quicker had to do with the flatter concave?
I am still trying to understand the performance effects of a double concave vs a flatter concave.
You're right that when the waves have some power the Hellfire gets up and goes...I am assuming you felt the same or more with the Razor?
I am most concerned about making sure I don't bite off too much with volume and the thickness of the Razor is 2-1/16 vs 2-3/8 of the Hellfire. Do you think 2-1/16 thick will be too little for someone of my weight?
I want to push my surfing yet still be able to catch waves when its waist high and generate speed.

[core personal training]

dont ride the hf too big....if a 5'11 razor works, then a 510 hf is too big..........unless your talking about longboards, more volume can just hold you back....you have to keep your boards light and nimble underfoot....

[delmarsurfer]

Hey Core, thanks for the input.
I don't think my 5'6 HF is necessarily too big as it's in my range on the Volume Calculator. However, I have been working down in volume as my surfing has progressed and I believe I am very close to the proper volume for my weight and what I want my surfing to progress to. Unfortunately, it seems like at some point you just have to thrown $700 on a new board to figure it out especially in the smaller sizes to see what it feels like.
My biggest concern is that going down another 1.8L may be too much and I will struggle on weaker waves...just not sure??? The 5'9 Razor I rode floated me killer and I got into plenty of smaller gutless waves but the board just felt too long.
Also, 2-1/16 thick seems mighty thin on paper but when I put the 5'7 Razor under my arm it feels good.
I like what you said..."light and nimble underfoot"....and don't know if I have truly felt that yet. My 5'6 HF has got me close but something is telling me to try slightly less volume...it's just an expensive way to find out.
Can you shed any light on double concave (HF) vs flatter concave (HR)?

[core personal training]

hey Del...yeah your hf is fine....i meant that wandi's is possibly too big and that may cause his trouble getting going.... i've lost a few kilos and now have issues getting my MB going.. (not light and nimble now so cant do quick lightfooted articulations to build speed for more deliberate turns)...

the razor feeling "long" is probably from riding your nice little hf... i feel this when jumping back to normal lengths too...and now i'm old and decrepit, am kooking a bit (or lot) while tuning back in to the rail length... but there should be a few inches between the hf and razor (which should be closer to your "normal" shorty)... it's going to depend on how "perfect" your hellfire sizing is...

to over-generalize, the concaves provide lift and get the water around/through a curve (your center line rocker) and the splitting into doubles among other things gets you rail to rail (twitchy)... you back it off as you ride waves that provide their own speed and power... there's other factors that dictate whats needed under there but thats for Nev... i'm outta my depth at that point... i just nod with my eyes glazed over and say "whatever you think is best sir"...