Like many of us, I'm on a constant search to find that one board that I can go to in most conditions. The quiver killer.
I live in Darwin at the top of Oz. Our conditions vary - everything from flat spells to cyclone induced mega-swells. Mostly pretty ordinary, with occasional memorable sessions that leave you scratching your head wondering what the hell just happened? My local break is a funny little spot. There's a creek mouth and lots of sandy shoals leading out to deep water. A point, and a small reef up the beach. It's open ocean.While the prevailing conditions are mostly weak, small but fun little peelers, we do get days (like today) where the swell that hits Indonesia, warps, refracts and wraps into where we are - and it is really good. Clean, waist high. Boardies and rippable rights, walls spinning off into a hollow shorey , and if you get a good one, it's a full throttle speed run. For context, my current quiver is a 9'4 Sunova Creek (TR3) - which is my cyclone-swell shredda. (TR3 is bullet proof and amazing btw). Love it. Super fast and rips.
My other board is a 14' Sunova Search (XXXtec). Love it also- amazing in small waves and flat days - paddle forever.
Anyway, I digress! So, it is with these prevailing conditions that had me scratching my head wondering about my next board. After the usual research, (and beers), I ended up ordering a 10'2 Starboard Wedge, Starlite construction. Where to begin? I'm genuinely speechless at how good this board is. To begin with, it surfs heaps shorter than 10'2. At 32" wide , it's incredibly stable, however has slightly stepped rails so is in no way boxy, fat or corky. It sits beautifully 'in' the water.
The Wedge has a fairly flat entry concave but from about a third way from the nose the rocker has a maad, aggressive (is there such a thing for concaves?) double-V concave through to the tail. It's really extreme and no doubt is the secret behind the Wedge's looseness - combined with a rounded pin tail - these things are sooo sick. Rail to rail transitions in turns is so easy, fast and loose. Starboard sell it as a board to develop your skills on and I can see why. If you're looking for a board to learn how to throw around, then folks, look no further. The Wedge catches anything, low rocker (except for its Aladdins boot nose), heaps of glide. The thing I've noticed with it is the confidence it gives you when going into turns. I'm finding I'm reading waves differently now - setting them up and looking for the lip. Drawing lines off the bottom turn today was another blast - full speed and driving off the bottom - so sick. Fair dinkum - I haven't had a surf like today in so long - the waves were pumping and I had the right board - yeeeew!!!!

I should also mention, Starboard invest in mangroves - so every board sold, gets some more mangrove seedlings in the ground. Starboard take ocean health and the environment seriously and are doing their bit. Not a piece of plastic in the packaging- all cardboard. Even the the two side fins are made from recycled fishing nets or something. (the fins aren't great and I swapped em straight out -but hey, fkn, good on 'em for havin' a crack).

By the way, I'm 94kgs, turned 46 this year, intermediate - could easily go shorter , but again, the conditions I mostly deal with aren't great, so I need something that's gonna perform most of the time. So, if you're looking for a board that performs really well in just about anything, definitely check out the Wedge.

Nice looking sled Mango.... A pretty handy addition for your conditions up there too.
Still dunno if I could dodge the crocs and stingers though!!

Dude you got me shaking ..I am after a board ,just to p iss around on ..and this week i reckon i have decided on a 10 footer ..
the shape looks great ..I'm gonna look more into this board ..FUN is the name of the game ...decking looks nice and grippy .
also good thing about the white bottom ,you can leave it in the sun for days ..

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Emeboy said..
Nice looking sled Mango.... A pretty handy addition for your conditions up there too.
Still dunno if I could dodge the crocs and stingers though!!

Cheers Emeboy. Yeah man, it's so sick. I've swapped out the centre fin from the pics - was running a 7" True Ames Wayne Rich Power fin - which I think is my favourite fin template. Got a Glide 5" in now - which is also amazing. (BTW - Glide are a sick Ozoid fin co from Vicco. Wayne Lynch and Greg Brown heavily involved - really high quality fins - Hoppo would know 'em. Need to do a thread on them soon too eh).

crocs! Ha! Funny you mention it, apparently there was a 3 metrey hang in' about on the weekend. I was in the water on my own for about 2 hours and didn't see it. It probably saw me though. Another good reason for stability in your board!

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Tardy said..
Dude you got me shaking ..I am after a board ,just to p iss around on ..and this week i reckon i have decided on a 10 footer ..
the shape looks great ..I'm gonna look more into this board ..FUN is the name of the game ...decking looks nice and grippy .
also good thing about the white bottom ,you can leave it in the sun for days ..

Tardos!!! Cheers man! Yeah, these things are classic eh. I can't believe how loose it is - could definitely go the 9'2 but I reckon I'd lose some of the glide which we need up here for most of the waves we get most of the time.
I'm also really keen to explore 'new' board shapes that are less cookie cutter - boards that push design and also boards that look back to earlier shapes and change the approach to riding waves - not just try to smash the lip , but draw new and different lines. I was reading an article with Derek Hynd in the latest Surfing World - total f**king legend! He's been riding finless boards for the past 16 years or so, and he goes "modern board design does my head in as much now as it did in 1995." And he rips! So, I've taken some inspiration from him and want to start exploring new, different designs. The Wedge is my first attempt. Custom alaia SUP next.


Derek Hynd


MangoDingo




Inspo from La Grange shapes

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Tardy said..
Dude you got me shaking ..I am after a board ,just to p iss around on ..and this week i reckon i have decided on a 10 footer ..
the shape looks great ..I'm gonna look more into this board ..FUN is the name of the game ...decking looks nice and grippy .
also good thing about the white bottom ,you can leave it in the sun for days ..

Check out the review video of the 8/7. Cons: takes more than the usual effort to take off on the wave, side fins too soft

Finally!!!
A pic of the Dingoman! Cheers my friend.... nice to see you

Stoked you are constantly on the hunt for new, better boards... keeping it fresh, keeps us stoked.
Enjoy your Wedge and stay away from the croc's!

Nice shape board mate! I think almost all of us go through a similar journey. Start on a big board, get progressively smaller until we almost can't stand on it, then back up to something that's easy to stand and surf on - and end up having more fun.

The great thing is, many of these bigger boards rip now. As you say about this one.

Glide fins are sweet, although you don't see them sold in many places. Anglesea surf shop sells em, but they are mostly online or sold through surfboard shapers ... Maurice Cole, Wayne Lynch, Shyama, Corey Graham, Browny, Dicko etc...

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billekrub said..
Check out the review video of the 8/7. Cons: takes more than the usual effort to take off on the wave, side fins too soft

Hey billiekrub , yeah I seen that video. to be honest, I wouldn't read too much into it. I think it's was a pretty fresh offshore they were in. I've found the Wedge paddles in super easy, mind you I'm on the 10'2 , so it does have more glide tools than the shorter sticks. Yep - get rid of the side fins. I run the stock Sunova fins coz they have the right amount of stiffness and flex which I like coz I find they help me get good drive and power in my local conditions. Running a smaller centre and it's a genuine ripper - fast and loose.

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supthecreek said..
Finally!!!
A pic of the Dingoman! Cheers my friend.... nice to see you

Stoked you are constantly on the hunt for new, better boards... keeping it fresh, keeps us stoked.
Enjoy your Wedge and stay away from the croc's!

Creeky!!! Ha - no worries man - good to see you too buddy!
Yep, always chasing the dragon eh and keeping it fresh. I'm definitely keen to start exploring new shapes and designs - I find surfing different shapes also really helps to read and understand waves in new ways also. So I like that it pushes my surfing in different dimensions to how I might ordinarily approach a wave. And in doing that I find it also adds a major element of personal growth - the way I engage with the ocean also changes. I'm working hard at being a good, peaceful, respectful and happy human and SUP has again been a major factor in forging personal growth. cheers Creeky - you take care, keep shredding and stay rad man!!!

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Hoppo3228 said..
Nice shape board mate! I think almost all of us go through a similar journey. Start on a big board, get progressively smaller until we almost can't stand on it, then back up to something that's easy to stand and surf on - and end up having more fun.

The great thing is, many of these bigger boards rip now. As you say about this one.

Glide fins are sweet, although you don't see them sold in many places. Anglesea surf shop sells em, but they are mostly online or sold through surfboard shapers ... Maurice Cole, Wayne Lynch, Shyama, Corey Graham, Browny, Dicko etc...

Hoppo! Good to hear from you man!
Hope all's well for you down there and you're gettin' plenty!
cheers man - as you've probably picked up, it's a rad shape and definitely left me grinning like a mad man. Especially after last weekend - some of the goodness that's been dropping on Indo lately managed to make its way round the corner and into the north coast - so stoked eh.

Yeah, Glide fins are really, really good. The quality is incredible and with those legends behind em, I don't reckon you can go wrong. I order em online and there's no worries. Big ups for the Glide crew! West coast Vicco core-lords.
yeeeaaargghhh!!!!

More inspo from La Grange

Hi Dingo ?? Wanting to know is it stable to paddle and wave catching ability. Just thinking if it has a lot of rocker it may be a dog to catch waves. I have ordered the 10'2" but not sure if I've done the right thing.