im looking to buy a new board for around delaware and oceancity and im not sure i like the pod but ive been looking at the almerrick gravy but ive never had a chance to ride one. wasn't sure if any one had any feed back
2 entirely different types of boards designed for 2 entirely different types & styles of surfing. what are you looking to do w/ the board?
Personally, I really don't like Merrick boards. The quality and durability for the price in my experience was subpar. I will say, however, that the actual shapes are pretty solid. So I suppose if they were to sponsor me and give me free boards I would like them. But, being that I don't live in imagination land I have to buy my boards so I don't recommend.
im not the biggest fan of merrick either but i would take the shape of the board to a new shaper but im just getting and idea. and i would like a board i can do all the turns ,and airs with and really whip the tail out.
the pod is the sort of board you're looking for, then. that's the sort of thing it was designed for. the gravy is really just a thinned out biscuit. more of a high performance egg than something you'd grab when you're looking to throw the tail around & boost. that said, the pod isn't really a groveler. it prefers a wave w/ a bit of push. which, if you think about it, makes sense, b/c it's a board designed w/ aerial type surfing in mind & that sort of surfing requires lots of speed.
That's what i was thinking but I'm not sure. What brand or shaper to go withi was thinking hot butter possibly
yeah merricks and lost boards are expensive but you get the performance from the light glassing. personally i like the light glassing. yeah it pisses me off that my brand new merrick has a bunch of pressure dings but its a board. depending on where you live i think you should either buy the board if you really like it or get it custom shaped at cosmic bull the owner bill is a real cool down to earth guy and has a ton of knowledge. talk to him and im sure hell really help you out. but if you dont live around the monmouth county area then id ask around
oh and if i were to pick between the two board i would probably go 5'8 pod. the board is really thick. they show rob rippin on the gravy but its also rob and the waves he surfs we rarely see on the east coast unless there is snow on the ground and 5 mil neoprene coverin your body. just pray for a 'cane
I have a similar dilemma between the Gravy, Wizard Sleeve, and POD (But demoed the Fishcut). I was able to demo some boards OC, MD a couple weeks ago when Channel Island was in town. The waves were small and weak which made demoing a board difficult. First of all, I am 5'8" 170lbs and 39 years old and have been surfing for 20 years. Gravy 5'10": I had a hard time getting the nose down on this board. I would have preferred a 5'8" which would have worked better for me, because of the volume. After a while I was able to dial-in. The board was sluggish in the small surf, paddling felt good, just difficult to get into a small wave. The Wizard Sleeve 5'8" Tri-Fin: Handled well in the small surf, paddling was smooth and catching a wave was easy, maneuverability was smooth. I also like the fact you can switch up your fin options between quad and tri with 5 fin box set. Fishcut 5'8" Quad: For the conditions this board rocked. I had no problem getting into a wave and easly made through section that would normally close out on me. Very fast and loose, but the quad held when needed. In short... Gravy good for bigger surf, *Wizard Sleeve good all around board, Fishcut Quad worked great in small surf and I hear it works well in head high surf as well. If you want a high-performance board that is good for east coast and want get the tail out, then go with The Whip. The POD may have too much volume to get high performance out of it, but is a good board for the east coast waves. You may want to go with The Whip, The Wizard Sleeve, or The Dumpster. Save money by getting a local shaper to match the Channel Island boards. North End Surfboards (http://www.facebook.com/pages/NorthEnd-Surfboards/192834082399) Hague Surfboards (http://www.haguesurfboards.com/)
go local if you can...tell the shaper exactly what you said on here in regards to where you want to take your surfing & the sorts of boards you were looking at on the rack. in the end you'll get a board that may not look like a pod or a gravy, but it'll be uniquely crafted for the kind of surfing you want to do & for your local breaks. i've had a couple big brand boards i've like, but keeping it local is always better, IMO. if you don't know of any shapers in your area, post up where you live & folks will chime in w/ guys they like. if you're in the south jersey area, i nominate brian wynn. & if you're in the outer banks region, scott busby.
