Board: Airush 2016 Compact – 5’7 x 18.75 x 2 21L
Conditions: 1m-2.5m swell, 13-22knts, down the line quality wave
Rider: Advanced, strapless
Kites: 2016 Airush Wave 7m and 9m
Supplier: Airborne Kitesurfing (WA)

Comments:
Super light, loose, fast, early planing, stable feel, forgiving underfoot, fins bust out on command, predictable slides, cranks upwind, planes through tight turns-regulates tight turns to maintain flow, rides high on water ready to turn or pop into air, no chance of tripping a rail, seems just as happy and controlled planing sideways or backwards, ridden strapless, must have, order placed!

This board was pure fun. We had a demo board for a week and conditions ranged from small spilling waves to down the line head to double overhead waves over shallow reef. The board was loose yet controlled in all conditions and was really efficient upwind. We also had a couple of slightly bigger Converses (which are also great paddle surfboards) but unless waves were down the line steam trains, we tended to reach for the Compact because it was guaranteed to bring lively fun whatever the conditions.

Verdict: Perfect choice for those wanting a high performance, all conditions board and a big grin after every session.

What construction did you get? Interesting they've got a PU core on the red model, so limited water intake which is a pain on EPS boards. I like that idea.

Good looking shape. Not so much the colours though.

We tested the red version (flex carbon). We've ordered the top model (Active). Apparently with the higher carbon content this is the lightest and strongest of the options. The closed cell foam in the red could have its advantages, performance was excellent too.