After months of deliberating, I've finally decided to pull the trigger on either a 7'8 Minion or an 8'1 VBOX. It's going to be a privilege to own either board but has anyone out there compared them in terms of performance &/or durabilty? I understand the the Minion is also available in the swallow tail & the VBOX is typically a bit narrower? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated - cheers

I just ordered a 7'10 minion over the vbox because its made in aus

Thanks - seems like the Minion is the board of choice within this style of board in Oz & pricing is comparable in NZ so it probably makes sense to go with the general consensus.....especially if the boards are made in Oz.

Gulliver VBox are available as custom boards made on the Goldy or you can get the production models made in their factory O/S, I got the production model as it has more carbon and is a stronger construction I reckon

Thanks Towny - it's good to know that custom Guliver VBOX boards are also made locally in Oz although like you, I want the most robust construction possible.

These photos might provide some clues.

7'8" Minion v 7'6" Vbox

Great pics!!! It's good to see them side by side like this to see the thickness, rail, tail, rocker differences. Interesting the way the tails look as though you could almost put them together like two pieces of a puzzle.

Maybe get a custom that combines the best elements of both and call it the MiniBox. It's sure to be tight.

Cheers for that Wicksy - appreciate your input!

Another interesting thing - Minion fins further up from the tail and canted over more - might be just the angle of the photo, but if so, and with narrower tail, likely to go rail to rail quicker.

Very interesting to see. Some similarities and some differences.
The real question is what the difference is in performance.
I assume volume and stability will be not that different.
The main difference indeed is the tail width, tail design and fin placement.
Rocker line and rail thickness is hard to see but would be an interesting comparison.

It would be very interesting to hear what people have to day that used both back to back.
Anyone that lucky?

I just bought a 7'3 V-box. If I get the chance to swap with someone on a Minion I will put my 2ct in.

This design is awesome for my style and local break.

cheers

These 2 photos might give you a better idea of rocker line & rail thickness.
Board dimensions are:
Minion 7'8" x 28.25" x 4.25" @ 115 litres
VBox 7'6" x 27" x 4.3" @ 102 litres

Vbox has significantly thinner rails than the Minion and carries it's volume more through the centreline on the board

Great to see the side profile of both boards like that - good work Wicksy.

Are both of these boards yours & if so, which board gets to spend more time in the surf? Cheers

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RRK said..
Very interesting to see. Some similarities and some differences.
The real question is what the difference is in performance.
I assume volume and stability will be not that different.
The main difference indeed is the tail width, tail design and fin placement.
Rocker line and rail thickness is hard to see but would be an interesting comparison.

It would be very interesting to hear what people have to day that used both back to back.
Anyone that lucky?

I just bought a 7'3 V-box. If I get the chance to swap with someone on a Minion I will put my 2ct in.

This design is awesome for my style and local break.

cheers

Hi RRK

Wondering what your height & weight & skill level is. Do your find the 7'3" fairly comfortable to paddle, or does it only come out on glassy days?

At 77kg I struggled paddling the 96 litre 7'3", but was ok on the 102 litre 7'6". Still don't think I would be any good on it on a choppy day though!

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SUPing said..
Great to see the side profile of both boards like that - good work Wicksy.

Are both of these boards yours & if so, which board gets to spend more time in the surf? Cheers

Hi SUPing

No, these are both demo boards. I'm lucky enought to live only 10 minutes from both Deep & Gulliver. Only had them for one week-end & the surf was crap, so didn't get a chance to do a proper comparison. Looking forward to trying the Gulliver Gambler Evolution when it arrives in a couple of weeks. Looks like it has the same undercarriage as the VBox, but with a slightly wider, more stable nose.

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Wicksy said..

RRK said..
Very interesting to see. Some similarities and some differences.
The real question is what the difference is in performance.
I assume volume and stability will be not that different.
The main difference indeed is the tail width, tail design and fin placement.
Rocker line and rail thickness is hard to see but would be an interesting comparison.

It would be very interesting to hear what people have to day that used both back to back.
Anyone that lucky?

I just bought a 7'3 V-box. If I get the chance to swap with someone on a Minion I will put my 2ct in.

This design is awesome for my style and local break.

cheers

Hi RRK

Wondering what your height & weight & skill level is. Do your find the 7'3" fairly comfortable to paddle, or does it only come out on glassy days?

At 77kg I struggled paddling the 96 litre 7'3", but was ok on the 102 litre 7'6". Still don't think I would be any good on it on a choppy day though!

Hi Wicksy,

The latest version 7'3 V-box is 103 litres so I guess they increased it slightly. The shop owner was surprised by that as well . He got very positive feedback on the increase. Probably for the same reasons you mention. You may get away with the 7'3 now. Or feel very easy and at home on the size up.
weigh 75kg,1.75m tall, intermediate, and plan to use the board all the time. Used this particular one only once as I got it a few days ago.
I found it fairly easy to balance. My previous board was 115L, 8'1x 29 and a bit. Biggest difference is that I have to be more careful with the back to nose weight distribution. Wasn't an issue on the previous board. Just have to pay a bit more attention. The side to side balance is not much different I feel. Biggest difference is I felt was that my input was over the top on corrections. meaning, less weight and less width require smaller inputs. Overall I think the volume distribution of the board makes it very user friendly. Didn't swim more that usual on my first time out. I plan to just paddle it in an onshore breeze to get used to choppy waters. do that a few times and you will see it becomes second nature.

Off topic: Late take offs are awesome on these boards. a few paddle strokes, on the wave and up to top speed on a second
cheers
Rene

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Wicksy said..
These 2 photos might give you a better idea of rocker line & rail thickness.
Board dimensions are:
Minion 7'8" x 28.25" x 4.25" @ 115 litres
VBox 7'6" x 27" x 4.3" @ 102 litres

Vbox has significantly thinner rails than the Minion and carries it's volume more through the centreline on the board

SUPing said..
Great to see the side profile of both boards like that - good work Wicksy.

Are both of these boards yours & if so, which board gets to spend more time in the surf? Cheers

It can be an optical illusion but it seems the V-box has a bit more rocker.
the biggest differences are a wider tail but thinner rails on the v-box.
Would that mean the Minion surfs more off the tail and the v-box more on the rails?
I found that you can burry the rail very easy on the v-box. It is very pivot like over the tail.