Andrew sent me up one of the Hull Paddlers 10-2 x 33 to test out for a couple of weeks here is my review.

First reaction when I saw it was wow it's a BIG thick board....it's has a really interesting Hull shape with a pointed Vee nose. The rails despite the board's thickness are really pulled over and performance shaped, this is achieved with a large chine under the board from the bottom edge of the board to the edge of the rail. The top of the rail is almost a stepped. This is a Hull Paddler not Hull Ripper. The board is designed as a paddling board that still surfs and that's where the interesting Hull shape comes into play.

I took the board out at Cabarita in head high mushy surf with a rebound swell pushing back off the headland just to makes things interesting. Paddling out through the break was the big surprise the pointed Vee nose would pierce through the waves and not buck up it like most big boards , straight away I was able to take on chest high white wash so the paddle out was a piece of cake. The board's stability is amazing and so it should be at 33 wide. A wave came through just as I got out the back, with only minimal pressure on the tail the board kicked turned on a dime.

Surf wise at first the board felt like a hand full as I pushed through the section, it was very easy to over cook your cutback as it only took minimal pressure to get the board over onto the chine. After a few waves I worked out that this board can be surfed without running to the tail. Some of the waves I caught where almost 200m long which is where I noticed how fast it paddled even against the relentless sweep on the paddle back out it was really fast. After the 2 hour session I really had this board dialled in and had a ball on it, I wasn't chucking buckets or getting it vertical but I made some really late take off's and long flowing sections,the board was just fun to surf and very forgiving.

Blane built this board with the new paddler in mind who needed stability and a board for long paddles but can still surf. If you compare this board to the Naish 11-6 or the Starboard 10-4 Whopper, it has the paddling speed of the Naish and better stability and performance of the Whopper IMO and its real big advantage is that nose, anyone that tried to punch out through the surf on the Big Naish or Starboard will know what I mean. It's very hard to compare this board to just one other as there is just nothing like it.

The board feels strong not sure of the actual construction but it's tuff. Price wise with a paddle for $1,299 its 2 boards rolled into one and for someone new getting into the sport or an all round family board, I think you just can't go past it.

This is some shots I took of my mate Brett Williams on the board at Cabarita , check out the nose piercing the wave in the first shot.

Rob

Great pictures Rob.. Love that 3rd pic..

DJ

im just wondering if anyone knows why this board is so cheap, not saying its a bad thing its great making the sport accessible for more people, great review, might look at buying or trying one have only heard good reviews

Jarryd

is it a standard PSH boardworks style construction? Ie. full diviyncell wrap.
Quad & Thurster options?

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Jradedmondo said...

im just wondering if anyone knows why this board is so cheap, not saying its a bad thing its great making the sport accessible for more people, great review, might look at buying or trying one have only heard good reviews

Jarryd

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Krakka said...

is it a standard PSH boardworks style construction? Ie. full diviyncell wrap.
Quad & Thurster options?

Guys the construction of these boards is standard epoxy construction - Epoxy on EPS foam, a cheaper, slightly heavier construction that remains tough. The boards come with grip, thruster fin set and Gore Valve.

This is the first board from Paddle Surf Hawaii where the focus is more on paddling performance and ease of catching and riding waves, than tearing them up. They are also designed for those who don't necessarily want to buy into high end construction or sacrifice performance just because of the price.



Here is a mini review from Jason Furtner who works for us and another distributor running both demo days and events. He rode the 9'7 x 32".

"The hybrid was fun. Paddles very nice and is stable for a 9'7 board. Catches waves very, very easy with heaps of speed on tap. These boards are quick paddlers and will help anyone to paddle into a wave with ease. Slight flipped nose saves you in late drops. In the waves these boards are for cruising not slashing. That's reserver for the Hull Rippers.

For anyone looking for a first board that is not twice their size, that paddles like an 11' board and wants to get into waves. These will be a hands down winner.
Overall excellent $1299 package, as 1st board that does everything well.

For any experienced riders testing these boards in waves, it is a very different experience as they are aimed squarely at beginner or recreational riders getting into waves."

Hope this helps

AA

Great pics Piros. Andrew, will you be having any demo days for these? cheers

Nice backhand bottom turn on the big girl, Bretty.

The board looks like fun - can't wait to have a play on one.

I just bought one on Saturday for $1299 c/w free legrope! from Erina Sail and Ski, great helpful guys, very happy with their service.
Went out at Toowoon Bay and got used to it fairly quickly even with the swell rebounds and slight chop, havent caught a wave yet, bit of a noob atm, this is my second go on a SUP I'm enjoying this new found hobby cant wait to get back on the water...
Cheers

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Adoy said...

I just bought one on Saturday for $1299 c/w free legrope! from Erina Sail and Ski, great helpful guys, very happy with their service.
Went out at Toowoon Bay and got used to it fairly quickly even with the swell rebounds and slight chop, havent caught a wave yet, bit of a noob atm, this is my second go on a SUP I'm enjoying this new found hobby cant wait to get back on the water...
Cheers

Welcome and congrats.. .. Are they all Blue?

DJ

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DavidJohn said...

Adoy said...

I just bought one on Saturday for $1299 c/w free legrope! from Erina Sail and Ski, great helpful guys, very happy with their service.
Went out at Toowoon Bay and got used to it fairly quickly even with the swell rebounds and slight chop, havent caught a wave yet, bit of a noob atm, this is my second go on a SUP I'm enjoying this new found hobby cant wait to get back on the water...
Cheers

Welcome and congrats.. .. Are they all Blue?

DJ

Thanks DJ,

Mine is all white and came with white carbon paddle, ESS only just got that one board in.

Adam

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DavidJohn said...


Welcome and congrats.. .. Are they all Blue?
DJ

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Bigmc said...


Great pics Piros. Andrew, will you be having any demo days for these?

Hey DJ, they come in 4 colours.



Bigmc, all the main PSH dealers around Australia requested demo boards.
There are 3 in Sydney including the 9'7 x 32".

The other 9'7 x 32" will be sent around to the dealers to try.

So check out your local PSH dealer.



Red looks fast

I like the yellow..

DJ

So we have 9'7", 10'2" and 10'10" Hull Paddlers. There was talk about a 12'6" model. Is that going to be in the Hull Ripper series? What other sizes are we going to get?

If I am going for a bigger board than my 9' then I want something that I can do longer cruises on, visit offshore reefs and do the odd downwinder.

So do we think it is true that the Hull boards paddle like a board a foot longer (obviously of similar category surf/allround)? Sounds like people do.

Does the heavier, cheaper construction negate some of the advantages of having a shorter board? 10'2x33 would probably weigh about the same as an 11'2x30".

Are the Hull Paddlers heavy? I have found PSH boards to be a bit on the pudgey side in the past.

Here is a pretty cool vid of the boards. For a supposed paddler and part time surf SUP seems to me it surfs real well.

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Gorgo said...



If I am going for a bigger board than my 9' then I want something that I can do longer cruises on, visit offshore reefs and do the odd downwinder.

get the 12 gun which is a fantastic board. In the new boardworks construction it is a good weight for it's size.

I demoed one from Balmoral @ Manly late this afternoon on Narrabeen Lake. Compared with a Mana 10' it paddles amazingly good. My only concern is the weight of the board. I think I prefer the Mana instead for this reason. Haven't tried either in the surf because I'm a first timer! Anyone know the comparative board weights?

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Dazza65 said...

Here is a pretty cool vid of the boards. For a supposed paddler and part time surf SUP seems to me it surfs real well.

The boards in the vid are not the hull paddlers. They are hull rippers narrower light and designed to surf but paddle really well.

At 1299 with paddle you are not going to get a super light weight performance board. You get a great board for paddling that can be used a bit in the surf.

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dcc55 said...

I demoed one from Balmoral @ Manly late this afternoon on Narrabeen Lake. Compared with a Mana 10' it paddles amazingly good. My only concern is the weight of the board. I think I prefer the Mana instead for this reason. Haven't tried either in the surf because I'm a first timer! Anyone know the comparative board weights?

Hey DCC, I can compare these two for you-
9'7 Hybrid 12.5 kg with grip $1199 board only. $1299 with paddle.
9'5 Mana 10.5 kg with grip $1499 board only

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DavidJohn said...

I like the yellow..

DJ

Funny about that! White looks pretty slick actually!

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AA said...

dcc55 said...

I demoed one from Balmoral @ Manly late this afternoon on Narrabeen Lake. Compared with a Mana 10' it paddles amazingly good. My only concern is the weight of the board. I think I prefer the Mana instead for this reason. Haven't tried either in the surf because I'm a first timer! Anyone know the comparative board weights?

Hey DCC, I can compare these two for you-
9'7 Hybrid 12.5 kg with grip $1199 board only. $1299 with paddle.
9'5 Mana 10.5 kg with grip $1499 board only

Ive got the white PSH 10'2 x 33 and it feels fairly light, I havent got any scales to check and weigh it, does anyone know the weight?

It glides/ paddles well on the flat water, you can put more weight onto the front with out the nose diving under as it cuts/ spreads the water with the vee bottom at the nose end.

Other thing I noticed is that it dents easily so you have to treat gently

Cheers,
Adam

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DavidJohn said...

I like the yellow..

DJ

Sharks like yummy yellow

Hey Adoy, the 10'2 x 33 is approx 13kg

Thank you all.
I plan to demo both the 9'7 Hybrid (12.5 kg) and the 9'5 Mana (10.5 kg) this weekend.
Also saw a guy at Collaroy on Wednesday on a PSH 9'11" Wide Ripper which looked impressive and seemed to paddle and surf very well. Based on the price I assume this is a more advanced board! But it looks wide and stable enough for an advanced first time! Maybe I'll try and demo one of these too.
Dave

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dcc55 said...

Thank you all.
I plan to demo both the 9'7 Hybrid (12.5 kg) and the 9'5 Mana (10.5 kg) this weekend.
Also saw a guy at Collaroy on Wednesday on a PSH 9'11" Wide Ripper which looked impressive and seemed to paddle and surf very well. Based on the price I assume this is a more advanced board! But it looks wide and stable enough for an advanced first time! Maybe I'll try and demo one of these too.
Dave

If your talking about the 9'11" extra wide ripper,im 100kg i demoed one and it will be my next board when i can save the cash, paddled great and great on waves compared to my 10' mana.

Took the 10'2" Hull paddler for a demo yesterday in 1 -1.5 ft little peelers. First wave I took off on was a straighthander so I thought lets see how hard I can crank it and pullout. Much too my suprise it turned on a dime hit the lip at 90 degrees and I completed an off the lip re-entry. WHAT THE F---! I haven't done that for twenty years. What followed was the best session of little wave surfing i've had on a SUP and the best surf I've had in twenty years. The board is heavy (13 odd kg) and wide but man does it perform. It paddles like my twelve footer and is as stable as the Queen Mary. I've ordered the Red one because it goes faster. If you aren't going to challenge Kai Lenny, want to pump the board down the line, paddle a kilometre with out breathing hard in very good time, crank a bottom turn, hit the lip when its opportune, go through whitewater with ease and basically enjoy yourself to the max, then this board is it. I can't see how the Hull Rippers are going to be that much better. But I suppose the budding superstars of the sport will be able to tell me. I surfed for 2 and half hours caught about 40 to 50 small and short length waves and am not in the least bit sore. What a buzz. Thanks to the guys at SHQ for letting me demo my dream machine.

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Leroy13 said...

Took the 10'2" Hull paddler for a demo yesterday in 1 -1.5 ft little peelers. First wave I took off on was a straighthander so I thought lets see how hard I can crank it and pullout. Much too my suprise it turned on a dime hit the lip at 90 degrees and I completed an off the lip re-entry. WHAT THE F---! I haven't done that for twenty years. What followed was the best session of little wave surfing i've had on a SUP and the best surf I've had in twenty years. The board is heavy (13 odd kg) and wide but man does it perform. It paddles like my twelve footer and is as stable as the Queen Mary. I've ordered the Red one because it goes faster. If you aren't going to challenge Kai Lenny, want to pump the board down the line, paddle a kilometre with out breathing hard in very good time, crank a bottom turn, hit the lip when its opportune, go through whitewater with ease and basically enjoy yourself to the max, then this board is it. I can't see how the Hull Rippers are going to be that much better. But I suppose the budding superstars of the sport will be able to tell me. I surfed for 2 and half hours caught about 40 to 50 small and short length waves and am not in the least bit sore. What a buzz. Thanks to the guys at SHQ for letting me demo my dream machine.

So I received my new board on the Saturday and took it to Ocean Grove on the Sunday. Conditions were 3-5 ft on the sets, bit glassy and bumpy. I was a bit wonky after a week of emmotional turmoil and needed to surf very badly. And at first that is exactly what I did, surfed badly. This board allowed me to get through just about any wash and I managed to get it over the top of some largish beach break thumpers. As my experience grows this board should be a dream to get out on in anything I'm likely to tackle. I definitely need larger fins at the side in bigger waves as I had to wait till the bottom of the drop before I could get any good purchase to turn the board. The fin set up seemed a little stiffer than the Demo I rode so I'll just keep mucking around with it. I surfed for three and a half hours and could have stayed out for more, but commitments prevented me from staying longer. I think the Hull Paddler has unlimited potential and is only limited by my lack of water/surf time this year. I plan on changing that! Don't take life too seriously and have fun everyone.

I bought the psh 10'6" extra wide gun ripper on Saturday. After 2 paddles on Narrabeen Lake I want to get out in the ocean. Maybe next weekend! Very good board but should be for the price. Enjoy!

good stuff Leo, stay standing
see ya soon

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Leroy13 said...

Leroy13 said...

Took the 10'2" Hull paddler for a demo yesterday in 1 -1.5 ft little peelers. First wave I took off on was a straighthander so I thought lets see how hard I can crank it and pullout. Much too my suprise it turned on a dime hit the lip at 90 degrees and I completed an off the lip re-entry. WHAT THE F---! I haven't done that for twenty years. What followed was the best session of little wave surfing i've had on a SUP and the best surf I've had in twenty years. The board is heavy (13 odd kg) and wide but man does it perform. It paddles like my twelve footer and is as stable as the Queen Mary. I've ordered the Red one because it goes faster. If you aren't going to challenge Kai Lenny, want to pump the board down the line, paddle a kilometre with out breathing hard in very good time, crank a bottom turn, hit the lip when its opportune, go through whitewater with ease and basically enjoy yourself to the max, then this board is it. I can't see how the Hull Rippers are going to be that much better. But I suppose the budding superstars of the sport will be able to tell me. I surfed for 2 and half hours caught about 40 to 50 small and short length waves and am not in the least bit sore. What a buzz. Thanks to the guys at SHQ for letting me demo my dream machine.

So I received my new board on the Saturday and took it to Ocean Grove on the Sunday. Conditions were 3-5 ft on the sets, bit glassy and bumpy. I was a bit wonky after a week of emmotional turmoil and needed to surf very badly. And at first that is exactly what I did, surfed badly. This board allowed me to get through just about any wash and I managed to get it over the top of some largish beach break thumpers. As my experience grows this board should be a dream to get out on in anything I'm likely to tackle. I definitely need larger fins at the side in bigger waves as I had to wait till the bottom of the drop before I could get any good purchase to turn the board. The fin set up seemed a little stiffer than the Demo I rode so I'll just keep mucking around with it. I surfed for three and a half hours and could have stayed out for more, but commitments prevented me from staying longer. I think the Hull Paddler has unlimited potential and is only limited by my lack of water/surf time this year. I plan on changing that! Don't take life too seriously and have fun everyone.

Taa Matt. Talk to you soon my head's a bit of a mess. Let's organise a paddle or SUP/surf on the weekend maybe?

The 9'7 x 32 and the 10'10 x 33 3/4 boards just landed.
Thought we would line them up and get some pics.

Interesting to see them side by side!

mmm I like the look of the 9'7. Reckon these would be Ok for someone weighing in at 93kg? Measurements sound right

AA where will these be available for a demo on the Gold Coast?