Phase5 Wake Skim Pro Carbon Model from ZAP

[Lonny]

Todd and I have been riding Phase5 boards ever since we were given some to try 4 years ago. Since then I have ridden many other skimboards but I have yet to find one that rides as well as the Phase5 in all conditions. I can use mine in flat water, chop, small-medium sized waves, and in massive wind ranges of 10 - 35 mph.

So naturally when we were at Surf Expo we had to go check out ZAP, who makes the Phase5 boards, and see what was new. Phase5 is a line developed from the technology of the ZAP skim line, but designed for Wake Skimming.

We ran into Bob Smetts who is the owner and shaper for ZAP, and he showed us many of the boards. I was instantly drawn to the Drew Pro Model, which is essentially like my Phase5 Prop but with a more aggressive rocker line, harder rails, and a carbon deck.

Phase5 Pro 54.5 x 20.5 Top

Phase5_1_Top.jpg (110.81 KiB) Viewed 15368 times

Phase5 Pro 54.5 x 20.5 Bottom

Phase5_1_Bottom.jpg (92.91 KiB) Viewed 15368 times

Phase5 Pro 54.5 x 20.5 Rocker Line

Phase5_1_Rocker.jpg (53.22 KiB) Viewed 15366 times

This is their top of the line model at this point, and I was very curious to find out how it would compare to my Prop. Bob, is keenly interested in learning how his boards work with kiting, and as an innovator wants to continue to develop his boards possibly specifically for kiting! Right on! He was gracious enough to allow us to take one of the Pro Models to test out, do some head to head comparisons, and report back what we liked and what we didn't.

There are 3 sizes available in the Pro Model but I wanted to pick the board with the closest dimension to my Prop so I could have a similarly sized board for comparative purposes. Todd and I picked the 54.5" x 20.5" model, which is very close in size and thickness to my Prop, which is also 54" x 20.5". The Pro model also has some pretty aggressive rocker for a skimboard with 2" of nose rocker, and a 1/2" of tail rocker.

Todd and I took it out last Friday in 12 - 20 Mph and we were both on identical 10 Switchblades. It was relatively flat on the inside with knee to the occasional waist high wave on the outside. I was on my Prop and he was on the new Pro. Initially, I noticed that Todd was accelerating faster than I was. There was no doubt that this board was faster than my board, and I believe due to the carbon construction it was stiffer and translating speed to the board more effectively than my Prop. I also noticed that he was getting some pretty high ollies, but I was not chalking that up to the board until I rode it myself, and Todd can hit a 4-6 foot ollie on a regular basis.

We decided to head upwind to where the best breaking waves were. It is takes about 15 minutes to make it upwind so it was a good test to see how the new Pro would perform. My board is no slouch at getting upwind, and in fact I would say the skim boards in general are upwind machines. However, Todd was able to go upwind a bit more effectively than I was.

When we reached the waves Todd rode for about a 1/2 hour and then I finally got to jump on the board. I will leave Todd to give his comments later....

I jumped on the Pro and I was eager to see what it could do. I got up some good speed and spied a small piece of chop to ramp off and launch this baby. I ollied up and before I knew it the board was 6 feet above my head - NO SHIT!
Wholly heck! On my next pop I eased it back a bit and it was so easy to get out of the air it was ridiculous. I was poping 2-3 feet in the air without really even trying!

In the waves I noticed the board to be a bit stiff and not as forgiving as my Prop, especially when going of the lip. Also the boards rail definitely made for more attention when riding it, and it was not as forgiving as my Prop. My prop has a softer more relaxed ride than the Pro model. The Pro model is a "balls to the wall" kind of ride, but an advanced skimmer will definitely appreciate its feel. Also, I have to say I was a bit envious of the deck it was much more comfortable than my board to ride and land. I rode it for about 30-45 minutes, and reluctantly gave it back to Todd for the ride back over the flats. I did not get to ride it in really flat water so I will give some more reports once we have spent more time on it in butter.

Overall, I would have to say there were many features of the Pro model I really liked. This board has the potential to be a huge popping machine, but it will take some time to get it dialed right. Its speed was definitely an upgrade from my Prop, but that is not a dis on my Prop. I find the Prop's speed to be very good, and in some ways it can be better for to certain tricks. However, I will confirm that as I do more riding with it in the flats.

If any one has any questions or feedback please let me know and I will respond ASAP.

Here is Todd like a proud Father:

Todd and his new baby!

Todd_Phase5_Bottom.jpg (157.17 KiB) Viewed 15366 times

Todd and his new baby!

Todd_Phase5.jpg (108.09 KiB) Viewed 15366 times

[Todd]

My thoughts on the pro model:

Pop - huge
Response - Ultra direct
Feeling - skatie and stiff
Pads - much softer than the Prop and the front is thicker too
Ride quality - fast and tracky in flat water, a bit bumpy and stiff feeling in chop
Rocker - slightly more than the Prop. I never felt like I would pearl the pro model and the rocker was in the nose area so it didn't affect speed

Without a doubt, the pro model offers the most pop of any skimboard I have tried. The first pop-shovit I tried sent the board almost saling into my teeth. This took some time to get used to. Also, when hitting ollies off small kickers and chop, the board tended to sail a bit on me so I blew most of those tricks during the first few tries. I actually regularly ride the Phase 5 model that is one size down from the Prop, so the extra size of the board was taking a bit to dial in as well. After the initial trial period, I started to get the pro model dialed in. I found the board to be great for aerial tricks - with so much pop, it was easy to charge full bore at two foot waves and bust huge aerial pop-shovit with grab transitions. Also, I started to go for ollies with indy grabs while sending the kite, something my previous board wasn't as keen to do. Ollies in flat water were noticeably bigger. I tack this up to the stiffness of the carbon layup. Shovits, ole's, unhooked frontside ollie to revert with surface pass, unhooked ollie to blind with surface pass were all doable. That hard rail had me concentrating a little more on my weight distribution on the board to ensure that I wouldn't catch an edge.

In the surf, I was not as psyched. The board didn't turn all that great when you really loaded up the edge on the face. Again, this is the tradeoff with the Carbon. The board is super stiff and has no give in the rail, so it's tendency is to track straighter and not follow through the carve nearly as easily as the Prop. I did note that the board had less tendancy to pearl whether riding nose or tail first, which is solid. Also, in the wavy/choppy stuff, you defintely experience some chatter as the stiff machine rides high on the water and doesn't flex to match the water surface. What you get is a skaty fast ride and an improvement upwind, but at the cost of some unstability, chatter, and lack of ability to carve.

Once I get some more time on the pro model, I will post more information. As is with any new piece of equipment, there is an adjustment period just to get used to riding it, then real conclusions can be drawn as to whether it meets or exceeds expectations, and what riding conditions best suit the equipment. I think it's safe to tell you that for an upgrade to an existing skim, the pro model in flat water is sure to electrify your riding style and will grow with your skill level. In the surf, I would still consider a non-carbon model as the pro model is just stiffer than it needs to be. One thing to keep in mind is that stiffer is better when you are wakesurfing, but not necessarily in kiting. When behind a boat with only the wake driving you, it's important to have all your energy transfer through the board without losing it to unecessary flexing, but when you have a kite pulling you, having a board with "give" to it can help you to smooth out the chop and flex the board in carving turns.

More to come on this board. I had an overall great time and for sure I hit my biggest and furthest ollies ever!! The finish quality of this product is top notch complete with front and rear deck pads, and a single 1" fin (that you will hopefully never use). Give the pro model a try if you can.

Todd