Wavestorm 9'6" Stand Up Paddle Board (Costco)

Wavestorm 9'6" Stand Up Paddle Board Package

If you're a Costco member, you're in luck!! The stores carry this SUP package in-warehouse for $299, and the website offers a 2-pack of the same board for $599 with free shipping.

Each paddle board package includes everything you need to get out on the water (2 of everything in the 2-pack) - the 9'6" board, an adjustable aluminum and plastic paddle, a straight cable ankle leash, a plastic fin, a rubber gear lash system on the nose, a picture-rich basic assembly/user's guide, and a terry cloth board sock. Everything except the leash is color coordinated, even!

The board is constructed of a soft foam with 3 stringers for strength and stiffness, and a bonded slick plastic bottom for speed and maneuverability. The fin mounts into a standard surf/windsurf toughbox using a Phillips screw and fin plate, with a small amount of adjustment available. The leash mounts with a rope loop to the leash plug on the tail of the board.

Specs:

• Weight: 24lbs (26.4 with fin and leash)
• Dimensions: 9'6" L x 33" W x 5.25" T / 195 L
• Weight capacity: Up to 275lbs / 125kgs
• Top Deck IXL Textured Traction Pads
• Ingress Tail Area Traction Pad
• Strong EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) core with 3 x Marine-ply stringers
• Water Barrier Skin (WBS) with Patented GFT™ (Graphic Film Technology)
• High Density HDPE slick bottom skin
• Bolt thru fin box system with 9" Flat Water Fin
• High quality Polyurethane leash
• Centered carry handle
• Adjustable paddle included (2.8 lbs)
• Soft Protective board sock included

Assembly:

The shipping box this comes in is a total pain! It's huge and slippery as heck, so it's definitely a 2-person job getting it loaded and home! Inside the box, everything is shrink-wrapped in plastic with cardboard backing.

Assembly using the owner's manual is a 10 minute or so procedure....just peel back the tape on the fin box, remove the Phillips fin screw, slide the fin pins into the box and slide the fin back, line up the hole in the front of the fin with the hole in the fin plate, put the screw back into the fin hole, and tighten the screw. Flip the board over and slide the rope loop on the leash through the farthest rearward plug on the deck, then thread the rest of the leash through the open end of the loop and the board is ready to go! To adjust the paddle, pull the adjustment collar out, slide the handle to your desired height, marked in centimeters on the shaft, (most recommend stretching your arm straight overhead and setting the paddle handle so the wrist can just hook over the top of the handle knob as a starting point), then slide the collar back onto the neck so the pin in the collar snaps into the correct hole in the handle shaft and the collar clicks in fully. You are now ready to hit the water!!

Pretty!! Note the gear lash.

On The Water:

As a solid 200+ lbs, with my first experiences at SUPing having been on a 11' boards, I was more than a touch concerned about the Wavestorm's 9'6" length and stated 195 liter volume having the ability to float someone my size without being super tippy. The literature/box states a maximum payload of 300 lbs, with a suggested max rider weight of 275 lbs, but those numbers are often aimed at more advanced riders. It turns out I shouldn't have worried one bit! As only my 3rd time on a board, I was flabbergasted to go right from all-fours to standing and paddling this one just moments after hitting the water - nothing got wet except my feet!!

A pretty night for a paddle!

On the water, it moved nicely and rode the small wind ripples well, getting even better when paddled strongly using the core muscles. It's short length makes it a touch twitchy and it suffers a bit in the tracking department - those looking for better tracking will want to slide the fin all the way to the back of the toughbox, and use a paddle stroke very close to the board with a short J-stroke at the end.

The deck is soft and grippy and amazingly comfortable in bare feet. The extended grip section on the back even allows one to use this as a surf board if desired. The leash's ankle wrap is not the most padded, but it does the job and doesn't dig in or irritate at all. The paddle, as well, does the job, although it's a bit heavy and the blade is pretty flexy.

Really? This was just from putting the fin in.

The biggest gripe I have after my first foray is the craptastic "Water Barrier Skin". In just the time it took to put the fin and leash on, load it in the car, ride it, and load it back in the car, plenty of damage occurred to that "skin". The only good part of this is that the EPS construction will allow it to continue to float and perform regardless of the damage to the skin, and small digs can be resealed with any non-solvent glue, like Gorilla Glue Clear. One way to combat some of the damage that can occur during storage and shipping is to use the included board sock; however, that has its own set of pitfalls. The biggest is that it is a complete and total pain to actually put the sock on the board. Because it's a stretchy terry cloth material, it sticks to any Velcro in a 5 mile radius, including the leash ankle strap, and every single piece of grass, twig, or leaf will stick to the sock. Ugh!!! Once the sock is on, of course, finding the carry handle in the middle of the board becomes an exercise in touchy-feely hide-n-seek!

I didn't even see this until I hit the water.

Just from loading it in the car!

Pros:

• COST!! How can you beat less than $300???
• Light weight
• It will continue to float no matter what you do to it
• The deck is soft and easy on the feet
• The slick bottom skin is surprisingly speedy
• Few boards at this price point have all accessories and lash straps included (Who am I kidding - there ARE no other boards at this price point!!)
• Everything just works - no muss, no fuss
• Super flotation for larger people
•  Its smaller size makes it easier to transport and store
• Great beginner, family, or loaner board

Cons:

• The "Water Barrier Skin" SUCKS, SUCKS, SUCKS
• Tracking could be better
• The paddle is a bit heavy and flexy
• The board sock SUCKS

Overall Impressions:

If you're looking to get into the SUP market and don't want to spend a lot of money only to find out you hate it; if you're on a budget; if you're looking for a family/loaner board; really, if you are in the market for a low-cost board for any reason, this is a GREAT buy. It really just works, and works well. The positives FAR outweigh the few negatives on this one. I really couldn't be more pleased with this purchase! Many, many thumbs up!!!!👍👍👍👍

2018 Midwest Test Fest - Intros and Overview

2018 Midwest Test Fest

Test Central

Meet The Test Team:

KS:  52 year old heavyweight female with a love of speed, junky snow, and tough conditions.  Previous PSIA L2 certified instructor and twice-a-week gold/platinum league/NASTAR racer.  Technically proficient in most conditions, skis with finesse backed by speed and prefers to dance with the mountain.  Current daily drivers – Volkl RTM 84 177 (UVO version), Hart Lady Twin 176, Volkl Kiku 178 (full rocker version), and Volkl Shiro 184.

CS:  56 year old heavyweight male with more balls than technique.  Generally fearless and skis with speed and power; likes to use the whole ski, powering up the tail to rocket out of the turn and prefers to blast through the cruddy stuff.  Current daily drivers – Volkl Grizzly 177, Volkl Mantra 177 (tip rocker version), Volkl Gotama 176 (camber and rocker versions), and Volkl Katana 184.


NW:  70+ year old midweight female with solid intermediate to advanced skills, but skis cautiously in cruddy conditions and on steeper terrain.  Current skis – Volkl P60 World Cup SL Jr 150, Volkl RTM84 166 (full rocker version), Volkl Aura 163 (full camber version), and Volkl Shiro Jr 163.




JE:  70+ lightweight female most comfortable making very short turns on easy terrain with short skis.  Current skis – Volkl P60 World Cup SL Jr 150 and Dynastar Intense 10 153.

TR:   Diminutive 30-something ex-racer female who grew up on skis and now carves high speed short turns with power and grace all over the mountain. Current skis - Atomic Metron.

Test Conditions:

Day 1 - Teens to low 20s but cloudy and windy, perfect groomers becoming a bit chunky at the top.
Day 2 - Low 30s warming to mid 40s with beautiful sunshine and howling winds, crusty groomers changing to thick and creamy slush.
Day3 -  Consistently in the 30s and partly cloudy, crunchy groomers turning to deep sugar over hardpack.

Test Notes:

Testing is Seriously Hard Work!

2019 is going to be a stellar year to try some skis from the lesser-known brands! I spent much of my time on these indie-type skis and was beyond impressed by most of them. If you're curious, or happen on a demo day, don't hesitate to jump on a pair!

Volkl has hit it out of the park with the new M5 Mantra, and the Deacon series, and I can guarantee you the Secret won't live up to its name for long!

No, Really, It Is! Homework During Lunch.

Salomon was a total surprise for me this year, as I typically don't like their feel. They're still not really my cup of tea, but they will make lots of people very happy with their models for 2019.

There were 2 skis that really stood out for the stronger women on the test team, and the fact that we all loved them, even with our vastly different skiing styles and speeds, speaks to their quality and versatility.

Play Time on Superbowl

Those 2 skis are the incredibly capable carver, the Atomic Cloud 12 and the the fully redesigned replacement for the venerable Volkl Aura, the Secret.

In addition, the strongest skiers of our group enthused about all the Icelantic skis we got on, although 2 of the women felt that the binding mount point was too far back for them.

The "token" male tester fell head-over-heels for the Volkl V-Werks Mantra, the Icelantic Natural 101 and Pioneer 96, and the Blizzard Brahma and Bonafide.

Just like last year, we did have one rep show up with badly tuned skis (different manufacturer, though). This was unfortunate because I was anxious to get everyone on these skis since I loved them so much last year.

I have a total of 95 ski score cards to sort, tabulate, and put into words, so stay tuned for full reviews in the carving, all mountain, and fat ski categories!

Center Point XR175 Recurve Crossbow and 16" Aluminum 2219 Bolts

Center Point XR175 Recurve Crossbow:

This is my first crossbow purchase, and only the 3rd time I've shot a crossbow, although I've spent years shooting and hunting with standard bows (both recurve and compound).  I chose this one especially due to its simplicity, price point (on sale for $99, retails at $199), weight, and the fact that pretty much everything needed to get started was included in the box (and it wasn't camo!).

Even though it was a Christmas present, I made sure to do the assembly work immediately on getting it home (Thanksgiving weekend), just to make sure nothing was missing and there were no issues with it right out of the box. It took me about a 1/2 hour to assemble it with the included instructions. The directions weren't awful, but they weren't really great either. If you're not somewhat mechanically inclined, you might want to get someone else to walk you through the assembly process. In particular, the directions for sighting in and adjustment of the included 3-dot sight are really lame, especially for someone who has never adjusted a scope before.

The XR175 includes a rope cocker and stringer cable, a quick release 6-bolt quiver, metal sights and a small 3-dot scope, and 4-16" aluminum bolts and target points. It also supposedly includes rail lube, although that appeared to be missing from my box (no real worries though, as it's cheap enough to buy).

I've only shot it twice so far but I'm pretty impressed with its shot consistency, and have found the weight easily handled even with my pansy arms.The ergonomics are exceptional for smaller shooters, especially for such an inexpensive product. The trigger pull only has a small bit of play before "hitting the wall", where it releases cleanly. It also seems to be fairly quiet for a crossbow. I'm finding that it might take me a while to get used to the fact that the trigger safety is automatically engaged when the bow is cocked - I keep getting "click" when I fire because I forget to disengage the safety first. Doh!

Center Point 2219 16" Aluminum Crossbow Bolts

Four unbranded bolts, marked only with 2219 are included with the XR175 crossbow, and Center Point sells additional (identical) branded 16" aluminum bolts in a 6-pack for $29.99. I thought it prudent to purchase the extra 6 since I'm not really experienced with a crossbow and I wasn't sure how many I would lose while I learned to shoot it.

I actually haven't lost any of them yet, but it turns out that purchasing extras was still a very good idea. I'm completely and totally disappointed in these bolts and certainly cannot recommend purchasing them, even though it's very difficult to find any other 16" bolts locally (carbons are easily found on E-bay for a reasonable purchase price). My first time shooting them, 1 lost fletching, 2 lost nocks, 1 lost the insert and target point, and 1 had the insert jammed up into the shaft itself. Then, another nock disappeared on my second practice session. Thinking that maybe the ones included with the bow were "seconds", I looked them all over and realized that the issues were evenly spread between the branded and non-branded versions. Yikes.

In contrast, the 15 20" aluminum ones I bought for $3.99 for a 3-pack, and the Allen Sweetness Muddy Girl carbons (also 20'" also a 3-pack, for around $20-25), have held up perfectly and seem to have much closer and more accurate groupings (Center Point aluminum and Allen carbons in the picture below- notice all 3 of the purple Allens are in a straight vertical line while the Center Points are spaced in a much larger group).

Center Point does actually sell 20" carbon bolts, but reviews for these on their website seem to show that their quality control likely isn't much better than the aluminum ones.

Specs:

SKU	AXR175B
Arrow Velocity	Up to 245 fps
FPE	45
Product Weight	5.75 lbs
Length	34.5 in
System	Recurve, Single Limb
Draw Weight	175 lbs
Limbs	Engineered, Compression Molded Fiberglass Composite
Riser	Black
Stock Style	Ambidextrous
Stock Material	Composite/Aluminum
Material	Composite
Included Optics	Illuminated 1x40 3-Dot Scope

Pros:
Price point
Weight
Simplicity
Ease of use
Comfort
Accuracy up to 40 yds
Ability to replace string in the field
Included accessories

Cons:
Manual for scope stinks
Quality of included bolts is awful
Difficulty in finding other 16" bolts
Cocking takes some muscle
Rated for deer hunting to 40 yrds, but likely not really enough velocity for hunting beyond 30 yrds or so

For a new crossbow shooter, or someone wanting close-up hunting with supreme simplicity, I highly recommend this low-cost package, although everyone, and hunters in particular, should upgrade the seriously crappy aluminum bolts immediately, with at least mid-level carbon ones. I have noticed that the 20" bolts tend to hit a little lower than the 16s, so this bow may not have the guts to put those 20"ers out to 40 yards with enough velocity for hunting. I will check this out once summer hits and update my review as that info becomes available.

Website:  Crossbow
16" Bolts
20" Carbon Bolts

Shaggy's Copper Country Skis (Tubby, Ahmeek, Bootjack)

This set of reviews is a conglomerate of reviews I've written on their skis over a number of years - I'm now 52, so that means these go back (currently) 5 years.

Test Day #1 (originally published 2013)

The Tester: 47 year old heavyweight, ex-instructor and ex-2x a week league and gold/platinum NASTAR racer turned free skier with a love of high speeds and cruddy snow conditions.

The Conditions: Shaggy Day - 24-28 degrees, firm groomers and softening crud with plenty of death cookies.

The Boutique Skis: Shaggy's Copper Country Skis are hand made by a family in a small building in Boyne City, Michigan. They feature full wood cores hand picked and matched for desired flex characteristics, and standard sidewall laminate construction. Their graphics are odd but interesting.

• Shaggy's Copper Country Skis "Tubby"

Specs: Size 178 (142-117-142, 21.5 m TR, tip and tail rocker, flat under foot). Also available in 168 and 188 with differing dimensions and turn radii for each size.​

Impressions: The Tubby is one of SCC's "all mountain" offerings and on paper, it seemed like the perfect fit for my current taste in skis. On the hill, though, I was totally unimpressed. They felt heavy and sluggish and completely reluctant to make any size or shape of turn. They locked on edge and shot me across the hill on 2 occasions. Hubby tried them as well and found them equally unimpressive. In their defense.....while I was waiting to get on my next pair of demos, I ran my hand along the base of both skis and they both felt like they had concave bases right under the binding. This would likely be a product of uneven curing and is not an uncommon occurrence in hand made skis. I mentioned it to John (the builder) who said he would check them when he got back to the shop (I really wish I'd had my true bar in my pocket because he looked really skeptical). I'm hoping to try another pair (that's hopefully not railed) next weekend and will update my review if I get that chance.​

​

​

• Shaggy's Copper Country Skis "Purder 2"

Specs: Size 184 (110-146-121-133-100, 25m TR, tip and tail rocker, full camber under foot). Also available in 174 and 194, with differing dimensions and turn radii for each size.​

Impressions: The Purder 2 is a redesign of their original dedicated powder ski, the Purder. The new design ditches the original's true pintail making it a capable performer on the groomers. While it feels very heavy, I had no problem making long, medium, and even short turns on this speed-loving beast. Make no mistake - this ski needs to be driven hard and fast to really come alive, but skied aggressively it devours the cut up crud and frozen chop that makes other skis shimmy, chatter, and break loose. Skied slowly, you'll feel every bit of this ski's considerable weight, but it remains obedient and compliant regardless. Still, this is an awesome ski for a hard charging skier that may encounter deep powder and serious crud in equal amounts. This monster doesn't disappoint.​

​

Test Day #2 (originally published 2016)

A few years ago, I had a chance to demo a couple of Shaggy's hand made skis, and I came out pretty unimpressed by their biggest seller, the Tubby - previous review. Fortunately, I got another chance at them this year and am singing an entirely different tune - there was definitely something wrong with the pair I demoed the first time!

The Tester: 50 year old heavyweight with a love of speed and cruddy snow. Ex-PSIA level II instructor and NATAR/league racer.

Conditions: 38-43 degrees with bright sunshine. frozen groomed granular changing to granular, corn, and slush throughout the day, over a scratchy, firm base.

The runs: A scratchy, narrow blue, then several runs on our blacks, quickly developing boot-top slush bumps and deep, sugary crud.

The Tubby: 178 cm, 145-118-139 (dimensions vary based on length), full twin tip, rockered tip and tail, flat underfoot, mounted on the line (very close to centered).

These guys have really stepped up their game since last time I demoed their stuff. Fit and finish is now very close to factory production quality. I know it shouldn't matter, but I LOVE the graphics on this ski!!

My first run down the blue was a bit unimpressive, not surprising given a ski of this width. It quietly slid across the scratchy stuff in the middle, not really skidding, but not really gripping, either. Once I hit the softer stuff on the sides, it was perfectly fine but still just "meh". Then we headed to the deeply crudded-up, sugary, slushy steeps.....instant LOVE!! Quick, poppy, and skiddy in the slush bumps, solid and powerful while making deep carves through the sugar and across the icy scratch in between. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the whole rest of the time I was on this ski, and apparently I wasn't the only one, as the 178 cm version disappeared immediately after I brought it back and didn't reappear until they were tearing down the tent. The length was absolutely perfect for me.





The Ahmeek: 180 cm, 139-105-124, rocker-camber-rocker twin tip, mounted on the line.

This one was hubby's favorite - so much so that he said he'd happily sell his beloved Gotamas (the older, full camber version) and replace them with the Ahmeek. While I liked the ski and thought it was solid, it didn't wow me like the Tubby. I thought it was eerily similar to the Coalition Snow S<O>S that I currently have for demo and have been riding frequently and neither have enough grin factor for me to want to give up my Kikus (the newer full rocker version). It held solidly on the hardpack base and wiggled easily through the bumps. It also powered through the slush and sugar, but I think I was completely spoiled by skiing the Tubby first. I would totally recommend this ski for a strong skier looking for one ski quiver for anything except true ice.






2017 Big Mountain/Powder Prototype: 184 cm, ?-115-?, early rise/tapered tip and tail, camber underfoot, mounted on the line.

Wow! This is a BIG ski. I don't mean waist or length, necessarily, either.....it just skis HUGE - three turns hauling a$$ as fast as I could go down a 325' black without a wiggle or complaint huge! The first couple of runs I felt just a bit off balance and was really struggling to go slower or make shorter radius turns, so I suggested to John that they may need to be mounted a bit farther back. He said that was his impression when he tried them, too, so I hopped back on them a little later after they moved the bindings back 2 clicks (about 1 cm). Bingo!! That was just the adjustment the skis needed to come alive for me, and I noticed the change simply getting off the lift. Not only were they happier about going slower and making smaller turns, they also started going up and over the crud instead of just plowing through it - a much better trait for a powder/big mountain ski. John seemed a bit hesitant to put me on them at first (I don't know if it was the length, or what), but then acted truly appreciative for my feedback and observations.

Overall, I was really impressed with their current offerings and recommend stronger/heavier skiers to give them a try if possible. These guys have seriously stepped up their game in the last 3 years! Yay for the little, local guys!!


Test Day #3 (originally published 2018)

You may remember that I got a chance to ski one of Shaggy's prototype skis about 2 years ago. They were a bit reluctant to let me try it as the only size they had was a 184, but since I typically ski a 177+, I wasn't worried about it at all. It was described as the ski in between the Ahmeek 105 (which I really haven't loved the 2 times I've tried it) and the Tubby 125 (). At the time, I told them the binding needed to be moved back at least 1 cm to make it more balanced, and they had said that was their general impression as well.

That protoype is now in production as the Bootjack 115, and they've fixed the binding mounting point. Long story short; I've always considered myself a Tubby girl.....until now.

I debated taking a ski this wide out in the conditions we were having, especially after skiing most of the day on my skinny race skis. I was already a bit tired and wasn't really looking forward to rolling over a 115 waisted ski while skiing on groomed ice with deep glumped up sugar on the top and edges of the runs and a dusting of fresh over top. Knowing the race heritage of the guys behind the Shaggy's brand, I should never had doubted the capability of this ski on scratchy crap.

Holy cow!! This ski is STRONG!! It hauled ass and blasted through the sugar with glee. It clung to the ice and scratch like a race ski. It even happily smeared along at a snail's pace in the sugary edges. At all speeds and whether fully edged or running flat, it happily hummed along....powerful yet undemanding, tenacious yet yielding, speedy yet not headstrong. The 180 was absolutely the right length for me, even though the guy that set up the demo for me looked and acted totally skeptical. I. Am. So. In. Love. I kept saying "just run more run and I'll take it back"; for 6 more runs! They have somehow figured out the perfect balance of light weight (no metal) and unflappable performance. The fact that they're gorgeous doesn't hurt one bit.

Like all of Shaggy's skis, they are also available with semi custom graphics (same ski with your choice of graphics from their list of available graphics), or fully custom (graphics of your own design, or their design from your vision), both for a minimal extra fee.

For a peek at them (although the picture doesn't do the see-through top sheet any amount of justice), and all the relevant stats, see the link below:
https://www.skishaggys.com/collections/2017-2018-skis/products/2018-bootjack-115

These get my unequivocal