New size for Destroyers in Aust. I now have some Destroyers in 9'8 x 31.75 at 160l.
Ess Boardstore has a Demo one on the NSW Central coast and I will have one at Merimbula this year for the Merimbula classic in November.
Rod

i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

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kllb said..
i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

kllb,
Does your board ever feel "corky" at 130l? I'm also 75 kg and people keep commenting that my 141l board is way too big for me. Also, can you write about ease of catching waves. I'm coming from an 8'6" SuperFrank and was looking at the Destroyer as my next board. My only concern is that the rocker line is much more curved than my SuperFrank. I imagine that the rocker contributes to better performance once on waves but, I wonder if it might be harder to catch small waves.

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SDOndas said..

kllb said..
i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

kllb,
Does your board ever feel "corky" at 130l? I'm also 75 kg and people keep commenting that my 141l board is way too big for me. Also, can you write about ease of catching waves. I'm coming from an 8'6" SuperFrank and was looking at the Destroyer as my next board. My only concern is that the rocker line is much more curved than my SuperFrank. I imagine that the rocker contributes to better performance once on waves but, I wonder if it might be harder to catch small waves.

It does not feel corky to me at 83kg. The rails are shaped differently than the SF, and so they mostly sit in the water. I was on a 8'6 Super Frank before I picked up my 8'5 Destroyer and pretty quickly sold the Frank. The Frank did feel a little corky but it was ridiculously stable for the size, caught waves easily, and was easy to whip around BUT I did not like it on larger waves (it's meant for small waves, but I was hoping it could handle bigger). I love the 8'5 Destroyer on all waves - it rips. It catches any size wave quite easily, but on smaller waves you might need to get some weight up front. The fun thing about the Destroyer is that I started throwing weight up front to catch waves more easily and realized you can actually get up there and hang out up there and have a blast. It's not a nose-rider, but I love that you can ride this board from the nose, middle, or tail and have a completely different experience. I just picked up a Kalama 9'2 and am loving it, but I think I'll keep the 8'5 Destroyer cause it's just too good to give up.

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nShoreSlider said..

SDOndas said..

kllb said..
i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

kllb,
Does your board ever feel "corky" at 130l? I'm also 75 kg and people keep commenting that my 141l board is way too big for me. Also, can you write about ease of catching waves. I'm coming from an 8'6" SuperFrank and was looking at the Destroyer as my next board. My only concern is that the rocker line is much more curved than my SuperFrank. I imagine that the rocker contributes to better performance once on waves but, I wonder if it might be harder to catch small waves.

It does not feel corky to me at 83kg. The rails are shaped differently than the SF, and so they mostly sit in the water. I was on a 8'6 Super Frank before I picked up my 8'5 Destroyer and pretty quickly sold the Frank. The Frank did feel a little corky but it was ridiculously stable for the size, caught waves easily, and was easy to whip around BUT I did not like it on larger waves (it's meant for small waves, but I was hoping it could handle bigger). I love the 8'5 Destroyer on all waves - it rips. It catches any size wave quite easily, but on smaller waves you might need to get some weight up front. The fun thing about the Destroyer is that I started throwing weight up front to catch waves more easily and realized you can actually get up there and hang out up there and have a blast. It's not a nose-rider, but I love that you can ride this board from the nose, middle, or tail and have a completely different experience. I just picked up a Kalama 9'2 and am loving it, but I think I'll keep the 8'5 Destroyer cause it's just too good to give up.

Thanks so much for the info! My apologies for jumping the rails on this thread but, why the switch to the Kalama?

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SDOndas said..

kllb said..
i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

kllb,
Does your board ever feel "corky" at 130l? I'm also 75 kg and people keep commenting that my 141l board is way too big for me. Also, can you write about ease of catching waves. I'm coming from an 8'6" SuperFrank and was looking at the Destroyer as my next board. My only concern is that the rocker line is much more curved than my SuperFrank. I imagine that the rocker contributes to better performance once on waves but, I wonder if it might be harder to catch small waves.

Destroyers are incredibly stable and in my opinion should be sized as small as possible. At 75kg you should be looking at 7'7. I am 105kg and my 8'5 feels very stable even in the most challenging conditions.

There are some of us ,that would love the destroyer in a lean format like the super frank !

I have the 7'7. It surfs great, but zero glide makes positioning and chasing peaks challenging. An 8'0 lean would be the ticket.

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BostonSUP said..
I have the 7'7. It surfs great, but zero glide makes positioning and chasing peaks challenging. An 8'0 lean would be the ticket.

That's what puts me off small boards...you lose all the benefits of glide, early entry and the paddle power allowing you to move from spot to spot at a break. I have an 8ft 8 sup and whilst it is great on a wave it doesn't get picked much. So much depends where you surf too..not everyone is lucky to have waves with punch.

I have asked the questions many times before about Jimmy doing a lean in the destroyer sup model ,but have been consistently told ,we in OZ are at the mercy of the American market !Same as starboard,way over volume in the shorter models IMO.However both brands do a low volume narrow longboard.?

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justaddwater said..
we in OZ are at the mercy of the American market !

It seems to me - from the other side of the world - that OZ has world-class SUP brands that also make custom boards for a reasonable price!
Why not contact Sunova, SMiK, Deep,... (and I guess many others)?

You are very lucky to be in one of the best countries of the world, shapers-wise. Most countries do not even have a single decent SUP brand or shaper...

Colas I have done exactly that!my new Smik custom is on the way

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SDOndas said..

nShoreSlider said..

SDOndas said..

kllb said..
i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

kllb,
Does your board ever feel "corky" at 130l? I'm also 75 kg and people keep commenting that my 141l board is way too big for me. Also, can you write about ease of catching waves. I'm coming from an 8'6" SuperFrank and was looking at the Destroyer as my next board. My only concern is that the rocker line is much more curved than my SuperFrank. I imagine that the rocker contributes to better performance once on waves but, I wonder if it might be harder to catch small waves.

It does not feel corky to me at 83kg. The rails are shaped differently than the SF, and so they mostly sit in the water. I was on a 8'6 Super Frank before I picked up my 8'5 Destroyer and pretty quickly sold the Frank. The Frank did feel a little corky but it was ridiculously stable for the size, caught waves easily, and was easy to whip around BUT I did not like it on larger waves (it's meant for small waves, but I was hoping it could handle bigger). I love the 8'5 Destroyer on all waves - it rips. It catches any size wave quite easily, but on smaller waves you might need to get some weight up front. The fun thing about the Destroyer is that I started throwing weight up front to catch waves more easily and realized you can actually get up there and hang out up there and have a blast. It's not a nose-rider, but I love that you can ride this board from the nose, middle, or tail and have a completely different experience. I just picked up a Kalama 9'2 and am loving it, but I think I'll keep the 8'5 Destroyer cause it's just too good to give up.

Thanks so much for the info! My apologies for jumping the rails on this thread but, why the switch to the Kalama?

It's not a switch, just an addition to the quiver. I appreciate having the additional length (9'2 vs 8'5) for fore/aft stability and glide and the Kalama is a more capable noserider. Their volumes are basically identical but they are different boards with different surfing styles. With that said, I can see myself reaching for the Kalama more often than the Destroyer.

Select to expand quote

nShoreSlider said..

SDOndas said..

nShoreSlider said..

SDOndas said..

kllb said..
i have the destroyer 8ft 5 and this is my go to board in all waves. performs brilliantly. i am 75 kg and had this board in 2ft to 8ft.
Light weight and performs well.

kllb,
Does your board ever feel "corky" at 130l? I'm also 75 kg and people keep commenting that my 141l board is way too big for me. Also, can you write about ease of catching waves. I'm coming from an 8'6" SuperFrank and was looking at the Destroyer as my next board. My only concern is that the rocker line is much more curved than my SuperFrank. I imagine that the rocker contributes to better performance once on waves but, I wonder if it might be harder to catch small waves.

It does not feel corky to me at 83kg. The rails are shaped differently than the SF, and so they mostly sit in the water. I was on a 8'6 Super Frank before I picked up my 8'5 Destroyer and pretty quickly sold the Frank. The Frank did feel a little corky but it was ridiculously stable for the size, caught waves easily, and was easy to whip around BUT I did not like it on larger waves (it's meant for small waves, but I was hoping it could handle bigger). I love the 8'5 Destroyer on all waves - it rips. It catches any size wave quite easily, but on smaller waves you might need to get some weight up front. The fun thing about the Destroyer is that I started throwing weight up front to catch waves more easily and realized you can actually get up there and hang out up there and have a blast. It's not a nose-rider, but I love that you can ride this board from the nose, middle, or tail and have a completely different experience. I just picked up a Kalama 9'2 and am loving it, but I think I'll keep the 8'5 Destroyer cause it's just too good to give up.

Thanks so much for the info! My apologies for jumping the rails on this thread but, why the switch to the Kalama?

It's not a switch, just an addition to the quiver. I appreciate having the additional length (9'2 vs 8'5) for fore/aft stability and glide and the Kalama is a more capable noserider. Their volumes are basically identical but they are different boards with different surfing styles. With that said, I can see myself reaching for the Kalama more often than the Destroyer.

How does the Kalama compare to your Starby Element in terms of stability?

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Slab said..

How does the Kalama compare to your Starby Element in terms of stability?

Surprisingly pretty identical with maybe a slight nod to the Element, which makes sense since it's longer and has a little more volume.

But let's get back to talking about the magnificent board that is the Destroyer. ;)

Has anyone tried to run it as a twin?

Yes I have been know in small surf to ride my 8" Destroyer with a set of MR large twin fins.
If you can get hold of one I run a 2.5' stabiliser in the middle.
Make the board very loose .
Not a fan when the surf get bigger however.
I know a guy who runs his 10" Destroyer with 2 big Twin fins up front and 2 really small 1.5' fins in the back.
He surfs this set up and rips in 1 to 7" surf...But this guy could also rip on a piece of plywood..
Worth a try definitely
I will have demo destroyers at Merimbula for the Classic in November.
Rod

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Jimmy Lewis Boards said..
Yes I have been know in small surf to ride my 8" Destroyer with a set of MR large twin fins.
If you can get hold of one I run a 2.5' stabiliser in the middle.
Make the board very loose .
Not a fan when the surf get bigger however.
I know a guy who runs his 10" Destroyer with 2 big Twin fins up front and 2 really small 1.5' fins in the back.
He surfs this set up and rips in 1 to 7" surf...But this guy could also rip on a piece of plywood..
Worth a try definitely
I will have demo destroyers at Merimbula for the Classic in November.
Rod

Interesting, I need to try that!

Made from a small 8cm fin (3.1") a 2.5" stabilizer, on the picture it doesn't look like it but I have to try it and otherwise, I'll adjust it.
I still have 2 twin fins or keels or how you want to call them, so I'll check my next session if it works (for me).

It will probably be a big difference with the quobba's that I run but I always have to try some new setups. curious how slidy the tail is.

Estingo ,go for it ,we are all different! I like to experiment as well ,but always end up back with designers set up ,or slight variations there of.Particularly Jimmy's boards!I. IMO,trying to get twin fin performance from forward thruster,set ups does not work,they just do not drive as intended,and tend to skate all over the wave face .However I have not tried it on boards smaller than 8.5,I hope you get the feeling you are after ,let us know how it goes

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justaddwater said..
IMO,trying to get twin fin performance from forward thruster,set ups does not work,they just do not drive as intended,and tend to skate all over the wave face

I beg to differ. They definitively work, just not for bigger waves (i.e. waves where you begin to be careful).

Even Noel Salas has seen the light and use a twin+trailer set on thruster boards in small waves. Well, small for him, they look medium sized for me :-)



Twins without a trailer on thruster boards however seldom work well. However, I have used FCS keels very swept back and it was fun:
www.surffcs.eu/products/fcs-ii-retro-keel-twin-fins

I will have a couple of Destroyer demos with me at Scott's Head in June for the paddle games.

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justaddwater said..
Estingo ,go for it ,we are all different! I like to experiment as well ,but always end up back with designers set up ,or slight variations there of.Particularly Jimmy's boards!I. IMO,trying to get twin fin performance from forward thruster,set ups does not work,they just do not drive as intended,and tend to skate all over the wave face .However I have not tried it on boards smaller than 8.5,I hope you get the feeling you are after ,let us know how it goes

I agree with you re the twin fins...whilst they might go, none of them feel right to me anyway. True twin fins have the fin placement different to a standard thruster/ quad set up and often the tail is shaped accordingly. I've tried it on a few boards but quickly thought nope.

Wanted to update with my experience trying my Destroyer 8'5 with twin keel fins and a little stub in the center. It's pretty darn fun. It's about as nimble as this board gets, unless you removed the fins altogether.It can still hold a line and fly down the face of a wave, but if you want to make quick snappy turns and surf top to bottom it's the way to go. I've only taken it out on relatively mellow ankle to chest high waves - anything bigger than that and I swap them out for my Gerry Lopez thruster set.

The twin fins are4.72" tall and6.3" long and the stub is 1.75" tall and 4" long. I bought them on Amazon cause I didn't want to drop a ton of money into an experimental setup.


video of a little top turn whip: photos.app.goo.gl/UJcXRh4cNKhgiS527

twin fins: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B75LP93L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
nub center fin: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NCIHOMO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1