I just wanted to give a quick review of Lib Techs new board technology. If you dont know much about them, i would take a look at their site. http://www.lib-tech.com/surfing/ First, I normally ride XTR epoxy boards. (if anyone on here has one to sell PM me ). I was reading about durable boards and Lib came up as the most durable board on the market. I was lucky enough to pick up a used one on Ebay. At first glance it looks like a strech with the hand channels and feel. The board looks cool with the fiber matrix and carbon rails. From the touch, it seems very very durable think TL2 but not as plastic like. I gave it a little thumbs pressure on the rails and nothing, not a single pressure ding. And i really tried to ding it. Also, the board comes with Libs adjustable fins. Which supposely allow you to adjust the fin for different types of surfing. Second, the ride. I took it out on a fast point break with fast, square takeoff. The board has decent float similar to a epoxy. The rails have a rubberized metal which is suppose to smooth out the ride and you can really feel them working. I'm not sure how to feel yet on that type of ride. Think more of gliding rather than "feeling" the wave. Absolutely takes some getting used to. I then had another session on a chest-head high beach break. The board was working GREAT but the fins made it too loose. After catching a few, I determined the fins had way too much rake which is making the board squirrely. The included fins are just AWEFUL!! Next session, I changed to a more drivey stiffer fin and WOW. The board RIPS. I noticed with this type of board you need to power it not allow the board to do the work. Once I realized this the board truely came to life. Very poppy and light yet allowed you to lay in to some power turns. What I like most is the durability. This would be a awesome travel board. By no means is this a pro model you would compete with but its good board tech. I was pleasantly surprised. They have teamed up with LOST so I would like to try one of there shapes in this tech. Hope this helps anyone looking to buy a new board.
thanks fudapest; i was eye-ballin 'em in the shop and wondering about 'em.... back when dinosaurs ruled the earth travel boards often died or were mortally wounded. a moment of silence for deceased.
I'm kind of surprised to hear a positive review. The ones I've seen and felt in person looked and felt like trash. Maybe they have stepped it up recently? Glad you found that it works for you though.
more rake makes turns more drawn out and drivey. Upright fins make turns tighter/more pivoty. Just saying it was probably something else about the fins that was making things "squirrely" (too much flex, too small, position in the box...or a combo of all).
wrong-o, Fool. Check the FCS performance charts. I've ridden the FCS al merricks and can corroborate that.
More rake = more drive, less pivot. Think about it, if you are trying to rotate the fin in the water, something that is straight up and down will spin easier than something which rakes back which would offer more resistance to spinning. Look at Slater's K2.1 fins which are more upright for pivot (beach breaks) vs K3s which have more rake for longer turns (reefs). What model of Libtech is the OP talking about? The Bowl, Vert, Ramp, Ringer, Air Reola? Bowl looks like a good all around shape. Their fins do look janky but they are standard FCS style plus with some more room for back and forth adjustment so you can throw in whatever you like.
Yes yes, I stand corrected. After 15 years of surfing, fins still blow my mind. So without derailing the thread, at what point does a raked fin profile provide more maneuverability than a pilot fin? I'm curious to know what board the op tested as well???
I assume you mean Lib snowboards(?) Lib's marketing hype is repelling. The only thing that would attract me to their snowboards is the fact Travis Rice, Mark Landvik, etc give them the nod. Until someone of that caliber exclusively rides and endorses their surfboards, I personally wouldn't invest anything to try them.
I could say anything rides well for a profit. So could every high caliber athlete in the industry. This might be the only reason outside a prodeal I got to scoop up a lib tech. After talking to a local rider, watching their social media for surf names and realizing there's only few "Names" riding them I decided it was worth the loss of it sucks. And about that fin question I asked, wb, whaddaya think?
No dude, I mean surfboards. Lots of them. I guess they're good, I don't personally know. They look super modern, but I tend to be a traditionalist.
Yes. They make surfboards. I was originally reviewing a 5.8 bowl. I was curious about the durability so i picked one up but like i mentioned i am pleasantly surprised. I do like epoxy better but i really like it for a travel slash summer board. Thanks for the update about the rake on the fins. I actually thought it was opposite.
