Softboot board recommendations?

[slopestar]

So, does anyone want to venture out and suggest a softboot, all around (switch riding 35% of the time and shallow angles 21/9) very aggressive 200 pounder that likes a very lively and grippy board. I am not your typical softbooter. What would be the best construction?

[John H]

Coiler softy. Don't know what Bruce is actually calling it but it rides awesome.

[slopestar]

Coiler softy. Don't know what Bruce is actually calling it but it rides awesome.

Leaning more towards Donek...?

[Mike T]

So, does anyone want to venture out and suggest a softboot, all around (switch riding 35% of the time and shallow angles 21/9) very aggressive 200 pounder that likes a very lively and grippy board. I am not your typical softbooter. What would be the best construction?

In terms of grippy, the Coiler Softie and the Donek Saber are my two faves. I want to say the Coiler is a little livelier especially in the tail than the Saber, but I only did 3 or 4 runs on a Saber so the conditions might have fooled me. Both are tapered VSR shapes so might not be so great switch. If lively and switch is your goal, I'd look at something like a Donek Phoenix. My wife has had two of them, and loved them. Not as carvy as a Saber for sure (she has one of those now too) but more playful.

The Coiler softie boards are more playful than one might think, and IMHO are better carvers than a lot of true alpine decks I have been on.

[BXFR70]

I have owned a Donek Saber and Donek Razor both in 170, both were pretty fun boards, fairly lively, the Razor was more lively, but that was because there was no rubber, neither is a switch board.

if you ride switch that much, you will probably want something with little to no taper, and not a VSR, Donek Incline maybe, or the Phoenix, even a Burton Custom X or something like that may work. Maybe something in the Never Summer line? I would think you basically just want a high end freeride board with little to no taper and no VSR, switch 35% of the time is actually quite a bit IMO, or just have Donek or Coiler or Prior build you whatever you want.

With that said, for soft boots at least for me, the VSR makes a huge difference, I much prefer it, but thats because I never finish carves on anything, my turns are more race orientated. I have always liked and probably always will like riding faster..

I also have a Custom X 168, not a bad all around board, but trying to sell that one, as I do not really use it.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Timeless61

[kieran]

no reason not to have VSR, just make it symmetric along the running length. ie, X-Y-X, where Y is a value greater than X though not by much.

[BXFR70]

no reason not to have VSR, just make it symmetric along the running length. ie, X-Y-X, where Y is a value greater than X though not by much.

True, I was thinking of VSR as in go from small to bigger radius with more of a change. Basically, what I like about VSR.

[slopestar]

I have owned a Donek Saber and Donek Razor both in 170, both were pretty fun boards, fairly lively, the Razor was more lively, but that was because there was no rubber, neither is a switch board.

if you ride switch that much, you will probably want something with little to no taper, and not a VSR, Donek Incline maybe, or the Phoenix, even a Burton Custom X or something like that may work. Maybe something in the Never Summer line? I would think you basically just want a high end freeride board with little to no taper and no VSR, switch 35% of the time is actually quite a bit IMO, or just have Donek or Coiler or Prior build you whatever you want.

With that said, for soft boots at least for me, the VSR makes a huge difference, I much prefer it, but thats because I never finish carves on anything, my turns are more race orientated. I have always liked and probably always will like riding faster..

I also have a Custom X 168, not a bad all around board, but trying to sell that one, as I do not really use it.

Thanks Timeless.

I currently ride a 164 custom X and like it a lot. I had been riding a 10th anniversary custom 62 and it is superior in every way but a little skidd-erish?

The Custom X has a flat spot at each foot in the sidecut and although it makes a great arc, between carves if I get off it even a little, it swims and has scared me at speed a few times... I also ride a Burton Fusion 165/ Spent most of my time on it at SNES/June Carver Classic 2 weeks ago and really got to like it. Kind of my hard boot gateway board although ridden with flows at 33/18.

I am looking to replace the Custom X. I refuse to buy off the rack again. There are too many custom manufacturers available not to. Also, my 8.5 shoe and 210lb frame does not leave much to offer from the production board companies. I want the best blend of technology and don't have the cash to keep ordering board after board in order to get it right. I like the shape of the Kessler bx and ride series (much like the Donek inclines I saw at SNES)With de-cambered/blunted tip and tail. I heard that bamboo and carbon together are really poppy. I am guessing a lively and slightly dampened, glass/carbon board with a 9m radius would be good. Say a 165 /eff edge 130-136 waist 24.7. Otherwise, I will keep riding my 3 hole relics and wait for a genie in a bottle to grant me a magic carpet that slays groomers and crud, pow and moguls, at speed riding switch... Any advice or help here would be greatly appreciated.

Summer is a bummer for snowboarders...

Help give me the knowledge to make an educated decision on my first custom deck.

Edited April 3, 2012 by slopestar
#

[BXFR70]

Thanks Timeless.

I currently ride a 164 custom X and like it a lot. I had been riding a 10th anniversary custom 62 and it is superior in every way but a little skidd-erish?

The Custom X has a flat spot at each foot in the sidecut and although it makes a great arc, between carves if I get off it even a little, it swims and has scared me at speed a few times... I also ride a Burton Fusion 165/ Spent most of my time on it at SNES/June Carver Classic 2 weeks ago and really got to like it. Kind of my hard boot gateway board although ridden with flows at 33/18.

I am looking to replace the Custom X. I refuse to buy off the rack again. There are too many custom manufacturers available not to. Also, my 8.5 shoe and 210lb frame does not leave much to offer from the production board companies. I want the best blend of technology and don't have the cash to keep ordering board after board in order to get it right. I like the shape of the Kessler bx and ride series (much like the Donek inclines I saw at SNES)With de-cambered/blunted tip and tail. I heard that bamboo and carbon together are really poppy. I am guessing a lively and slightly dampened, glass/carbon board with a 9m radius would be good. Say a 165 /eff edge 130-136 waist 24.7. Otherwise, I will keep riding my 3 hole relics and wait for a genie in a bottle to grant me a magic carpet that slays groomers and crud, pow and moguls, at speed riding switch... Any advice or help here would be greatly appreciated.

Summer is a bummer for snowboarders...

Help give me the knowledge to make an educated decision on my first custom deck.

I currently have a Prior BX, I like it a lot, metal construction, but very damp and dead, the Saber and Razor were much more lively, both, more so the Razor, I was able to pop off the tail and transition in the air from edge to edge.

I can say, that around here anyway, I will never have a non-metal board again. maybe something with more pop, but still most likely metal.

Maybe a builder can answer this, but I am not sure why carbon is assumed to be more damp, as far as material goes, aramid is most damp, and will never come apart, fiberglass is what it is, more damp than carbon, but newer glass weaves or lays can mimick carbon or aramid in certain ways. Carbon is mainly used for weight and stiffness. I used to work for a company that manufactured custom jetski parts and one off composite parts. We mainly did projects for the military when I left using aramid and carbon, wavelength guide shields and jib cranes among other things. we also repaired boats of all kinds including higher end performance boats such as Outer Limits and Skater.

Carbon in the bigger manufacturers, is to create more pop (the carbon strips)... so maybe a carbon board with not as much rubber would be good for you. Damp and lively, or a metal board for the edgehold, with a different construction for more pop (turbo or super) as some manufacturers call it. pretty much what you described...

in the metal construction I have been told carbon is used more so than glass to try to add some pop and stiffness after all of the rubber and metal.

from what I have read and talked to people about lately, metal is basically for edgehold and stability and resists twisting torsionally. the rubber is what creates the damp feeling. I can attest to this first hand, my metal Prior is only slightly more damp than my Saber, but edgehold is much better, its also a little softer, so that probably helps a bit. I rode the Saber with a Donek plate also, but the plate did not really do anything for me with edgehold, it smoothed things out, the plate on my metal board would deaden it completely, I am sure.

Donek or Coiler will be your best bets for custom and ease of ordering and customizing. Prior will customize anything, but will be a lot more expensive and harder to deal with.

also, with talking to Bruce at Coiler, he can make any shape you want on his new soft boot board. Sean at Donek can also.

if anything I have said here is wrong, anyone can correct me, just providing some information.

Edited April 3, 2012 by Timeless61

[slopestar]

Thank you!

[Dave ESPI]

I rode the Coiler VSR softboot carver. I liked its feel, but unfortunately the conditions I rode it in for trials was soft lumpy packed powder, so I can't say for sure if it would be a good fit for you. If you want something retail off the rack, Id suggest http://k2snowboarding.com/snowboards/protohype if U are in a lot of freshie or this : http://k2snowboarding.com/snowboards/lifelike-wide Which I have Demoed on the East coast and really liked.

Personaly I still love my 2009 K2 Podium for my GO-TO board for softboot ripping, but they are hard to find now. If you come across one, snatch it up!

HTH.