After trying out the Gerry Lopez 8' surfboard (that failed on me on the second day), I decided to look for a new surfboard that would get me closer to surfing my 6'6" Firewire Spitfire shortboard. After looking at Craigslist ads, I identified a few contenders that were overly expensive (ranging from $400 to $800). In addition, I stopped by to look at 7' surfboards (fun-size) at Freeline Surf in Capitola, but they were also priced above $400.
Since I already had a good experience with my two Wavestorm 8' surfboards (purchased from Costco in Santa Cruz for $99 for Alex and me), I decided to see what other sizes Wavestorm had available.
My existing Wavestorm 8' longboard was pretty beaten up after 69 rides, with holes and dents everywhere. Looking at the Wavestorm website, I found a shorter, 7' Wavestorm board with 70 liters of volume and a similar outline. Luckily, Amazon had it in stock, and I decided that for $189, I could afford to try it out. It arrived faster than expected (in about 4 days). I was worried it might be damaged, as many Amazon customers reported badly dented boxes. Luckily, my box was fine, and the board was undamaged.
After attaching fins and waxing it slightly (it's still too slick), I tried it out at the Hook in Capitola. I immediately noticed it was less buoyant than my Wavestorm 8' surfboard and an inch narrower. It took a bit more power to catch waves with it and was much less stable than its 8' sibling. However, it felt more responsive and had many nice rides on it. I noticed I needed to put more weight on the rear foot to keep the nose from digging in.
Wavestorm 7' Scorecard
Highlights
- Inexpensive ($189)
- More responsive (stiffer)
- Faster
- Narrower
Lowlights
- Requires more effort to get planing (catching waves)
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