Unibrow critique

[Piha Local]

Probably not much difference btw the two, all things considered. The Unibrow"s volume tapers from under your chest quite quickly fore and aft, making the board more instantly reactive and sensitive to subtle movements. The Hellfire carries it's volume further back towards the tail making it a little easier to catch waves. To me the Hellfire, in the 6/4 and with less actual volume than the 6/4 Uni, still "seems" to have more volume and be more stable because the volume is carried out to the rails with a flatter deck and less tapered rails; the Unibrow's deck being more domed. I also think the Unibrow has a little more tail lift which should equate to easier, more natural vertical surfing.

[buzzy]

thanks piha. The reason i ask all of this is because im currently riding a dom 6.4 and i believe its time to push it further. i want my surfing to progress a tad more, becoming more vertical and snappy. the dom is a great board but after using it so often, and getting to know it more, ive reached the point where i literally "feel" its limitations. the race is on between the HF and UB. i still want my next one to grovel a bit, but in the end, im looking for the next step. was also thinking alternator, but im currently sold on quads so....

hope this makes sense -.-

p.s. how much does volume relative to length and width affect performance? looking at the 6.1UB and the 6.2HF. The hellfire has less volume but more width. the UB thinner, shorter but more volume. which one should i expect to go vertical easier? which one will take me further? the UB looks like it likes quality waves more than anything else....

I wouldn't overthink it. Both boards will work. Your prior experience of boards will no doubt nudge you in the direction of one board or another. I chose a Unibrow because I like organic shapes and was looking for a seamless step up from a Dom for small/medium waves, to sit between the Dom and Q5 (like an Alt). I do have a Futura which is wider and thinner than my Unibrow. It's later into waves, faster horizontally when in the wave, but surfs less vertically.

Its too early for me to give meaningful feedback on the UB though.

[buzzy]

Ride report #2.

Bondi this morning - nice 2-3 foot waves (chest to a touch over head high). Me surfing average to below average.

The board? Well, I'm still sorting it. It's definitely loose and easy to get on rail. What isn't yet clear is drive - most waves have been of the carving top turn into cutback into wave dies out and flick off variety. My overall impression to date is that this is simply a small wave shortboard.

It has less straight line speed than the Futura would have on a similar wave, but is looser. It's also much more of a back foot board than the Futura. It actually surfs to me like a round tail Alt might - closer to the Alt than the Dom - which is partly why I say its a small wave shortboard. By "small" I mean small to medium.

Further surf tomorrow morning. Hopefully a more helpful report to follow.

[buzzy]

I should have said "simply a good small wave shortboard".

[luismx]

I should have said "simply a good small wave shortboard".

like a spitfire? :P

[buzzy]

I'd say the Spit is a good small wave hybrid - the Unibrow just seems to surf like a shortboard.

[prjwebb]

Yeah I reckon it's designed as an everyday shortboard for SoCal.

[fred.more]

It would be nice if the shaper could write a little more about the board.
It may sort out questions like: Should this be ridden same length as a dominator? Is it a Dominator for more advanced surfers or a Dom for better waves?

[Chris]

great feedback everyone. Thanks for sharing it all.

Yeah fred the Unibrow is certainly a "higher" performance board than the dominator. Remember that volume is a major player when it comes to determining size. Take for example, the 508 Dom and the 510 Unibrow. They are both very close in volume so if you prefer one of these boards, then you would prefer the other.

Volume along with the rocker profile, board images and standard dimensions should really help you nail down how one board varies when compared to another.

Hope this helps further.

[Sarge]

So if you love your Dom in tiny waves, but you get the irrits with the nose width sometimes, then sell the Dom and go the same volume Uni and surf the same tiny waves with higher performance?
If you want a step-up for the Dom, the get the Uni in the same size or maybe 1 inch longer?
Would this be about right