Yes the Dart.. and not the Goggomobile..

Finally I got to check out the new Coreban Dart.. When I first set eyes on this new down-wind board it looked like a hot rod or racing speed boat.. Loved the paint.







Concidering this was not the full carbon it was surprisingly light and the new Coreban hand hole is amazing.. it wraps so far under each side I could hardly reach the sides.. and you could put your keys, wallet, and even your little black book in there and still have space some spare change.. Just kidding but it sure does feel good and helps heaps to carry the board.



I started with the deack pad.. Besides being nice and grippy it was flat through the front section where you often step when paddling for a runner.. Then it quickly went to a noticably deep concave through the main standing area.. then back to flat towards the tail.. then slightly domed just before the tail kicker pad.. So you should know where you are on the board by the feel through your feet and never need to look down to see where you are like some boards.









The shape is interesting.. I would not call it a displacement hull.. IMO it's a planing hull with a pronounced belly in the nose area.. Sorta like the Starboard with there cluby board shape but because the nose area is not as big it shouldn't go boof when pearling like the Starbies.. I think it will behave a bit more like the Glide but it will be interesting to see just what this board does when it does pearl.

Besides the belly in the nose area the rails are super soft.. soft all the way back two thirds back from the nose.. and at the last third the rails start to get a solf tucked edge turning into a full sharp edge in the last couple of feet.. It shouldn't catch when opposite rail surfing and you should be able to push the nose left or right with wide paddle strokes.. It should also handle being pushed around in back wash areas and confused water.











The tail is thick and boxy so you should be able to get back there without sinking it or water wrapping up and over the tail slowing you down.. Notice the huge ramped up kicker pad.. You shouldn't ever accidently step off the tail with that there.. Looking close you can see the odd area where the paint is a bit sloppy.. Shame but its probably something that only I would notice.





Flipping the board over shows that beautiful bottom shape.





Here's a great view showing that odd nose shape.. It will be interesting to see how it paddles into chop.. I don't think it will cut through like a Bark type displacement hull but shouldn't slap like a full planning hull like the Naish.





b







As you can see there's a fair bit of V through this board.. belly in the front.. Flat down the center (about 8") with sloping V off each side and the most V just befor the fin box.. I'm guessing this is to help you turn this long board on runners and maybe even lift the rails when really humming along.

The fin looks good.. Good amout of area.. More upright to also help with turning and stability.. and enough curve in the tip area to alowe you to drag through sand in the shallows without catching like the Glide fin..Here's the Croc shot.





The bag is awesome.. 3/4 coffin shape so you dont have to unzip all the way around that 14' of board and shiny silver on the bottom should help reflect sun rays and a removeble shoulder strap so you can take it off when on the roof of your car so no more flapping about.. There's a nice center handle to help when not using the shoulder strap.. and also handles on the tail and nose.. It's a nice snug fit so it shouldn't flap too much when driving fast with it on your car roof racks.

Good job Coreban... but where's the demo's.. .. Most people like to try before they buy.

DJ

Nice pics DJ.
"Not the Dart".

as always love your reviews dj, would love to hear how it goes if you take it for a spin, the cover looks good, hate trying to get my cover on my 17 footer so its a great idea

Jarryd

Given that the handle is so deep and wide and from the looks of your photos there is quite a bit of v where the handle is, do you think the handle would fill up with water when paddling? Not that I think it would make a huge difference but just an observation.

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surf4fun said...

Given that the handle is so deep and wide and from the looks of your photos there is quite a bit of v where the handle is, do you think the handle would fill up with water when paddling? Not that I think it would make a huge difference but just an observation.

Maybe.. But I've never noticed water sitting in my Naish hand hole but I'm sure it's there.. It would only be a cup full.

What will be interesting is if the water pools on the concave deck in the standing area.

DJ

Nice Photos, good to see the detail as the coreban catalogue is not of any real use, I've got a carbon dart on order, should be here by the weekend if all goes well, I wanted a pure or carbon/kevlar but they were just not available here (Jersey, Channel Islands, UK), there are only five coreban darts coming into the UK and two of those are coming to Jersey, all sold, great demand as we just cannot get them here, Never had a carbon board before and at the price I hope it will be durable enough to last a year or two at least

I'll send some pics and info when it arrives.

Rene

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surf4fun said...

Given that the handle is so deep and wide and from the looks of your photos there is quite a bit of v where the handle is, do you think the handle would fill up with water when paddling? Not that I think it would make a huge difference but just an observation.

The handle isn't that deep, but it is wide and will fill with water, but it's neither here nor there to be of any concern.

It's a ridiculously comfortable handle allowing you to easily lift the board parallel to the ground.

All Coreban models now come fitted with this style of handle.

Where would we be without the "croc shot" ha ha

Thanks DJ! I am guessing the shots are at SHQ? What's the RRP?

Yes.. SHQ.. I think the board comes in three versions.. The Pure.. The carbon/Kevlar.. and the full carbon.. This is the carbon/Kevlar and it was pretty light.. I think it was about $2,400 but you better check with the guys at SHQ.. It's not a bad price considering the high quality board bag that comes with it.. I understand that we can't expect demo boards of all models of all brands these day because there are so many.. and these are expensive boards.. So I hope someone buys this one soon .. and lets us know how it goes.. and maybe even let us have a little go of it..

DJ

I have just picked up the 12'6 Vision in the same construction. Light, feels fast and very stable. Almost got to try to fall off this one. I have not had it out in tough conditions as yet though. All in all very happy with it.
The new bag is pretty special as well, almost as heavy as the board itself and padding everywhere.

Had a quick paddle on the 14' Dart tonight at our Lake Kawana trials, a beautiful black board. It is such a well finished board and I think would be very fast on a good downwinder, hope to trial it next week.

A few clips of the DART from the weekend

Great vid.. A vid showing it up your way on a down-winder would be good.

DJ

Just need some wind and we'll get some footage

First Outing, St.Brelades Bay, Jersey, Channel Islands

Well, a couple of Darts arrived at the dealer today, full carbon, beautiful, saw it, loved it, got it.

Took it out for a quick paddle, very stable, easy to paddle, smooth and fast, faster than I thought. catches the smallest of swells, I am really looking forward to giving it a proper try out.

I just wanted to say thanks to Stuart and Tim (you know who you are) for helping me onto this path.

this is the nicest looking board I have seen. wish we had a dealer here in Sweden.

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TomW059 said...

this is the nicest looking board I have seen. wish we had a dealer here in Sweden.

Maybe it wouldn't cost a huge amount to get one shipped from the UK. PM me and I'll give you details of the UK Coreban guy.

I have no connection to him, I'm just a customer.

What a quality piece of kit! Love the look of these in black and a 12'6" is definitely on my list of boards to add to the quiver and step up from the 10' Fanatic Fly.
My question to everyone on here with more experience is how well do you think that delicious looking black paint is going to last under the heat of a west ozzy summer???

Anyone have any thoughts on this?


Cheers

Not a practical colour but it does look awesome in black..

DJ

Got to say, it's not painted black like I thought when I placed the order, it's actually all lacquered carbon Fibre, lncredible piece of work and so light.





The guy on the left is Stuart, Jersey dealer, He supplied me the board and I think he has one left in stock, none left in the UK, all gone as soon as they arrived.

Think even I could have fun on that board...the design just says speed and user friendly to me.

Would really annoy me though - paying all that cash and having sloppy paintwork.....doesn't show much attention to detail from the workers who put these together...and quality control.

My local shop has one of these on display. They carry a lot of boards/ brands. Almost all of them, including Kings, can be demo'd. Except the MHLs. And the Corban Dart? Not only can it NOT be demo'd...it has a big sign on it, "DO NOT TOUCH" ! LOL

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Weeble said...

My local shop has one of these on display. They carry a lot of boards/ brands. Almost all of them, including Kings, can be demo'd. Except the MHLs. And the Corban Dart? Not only can it NOT be demo'd...it has a big sign on it, "DO NOT TOUCH" ! LOL

Yeah but Josh is real good about demo-ing boards though.

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Weeble said...

My local shop has one of these on display. They carry a lot of boards/ brands. Almost all of them, including Kings, can be demo'd. Except the MHLs. And the Corban Dart? Not only can it NOT be demo'd...it has a big sign on it, "DO NOT TOUCH" ! LOL

Ha.. They might as well have a sign that says 'DO NOT EVEN LOOK' ..

DJ