I’ve had the new OES 115 for a few weeks now but sadly I’ve not had much of a chance to test is to it’s full potential, Weather not co-operating or work getting in the way…..Take your pick.

With a few hours under It’s belt now I think I have It sorted and can form an honest opinion on what has been frowned upon by wave sailors for too long now, Large volume wave boards.

I’ve had it out in a variety of conditions over the past few weeks from sub Planing conditions, Barely able to waterstart a 5.8 in half mast waves to 30 knot bump and jump. I must say the I am impressed with the versatility of this quad, It’s perfect for someone like myself that weighs in at 95-105 kgs….depending on how much beer and pizza is consumed over the weekend. It’s right at home in the waves, Easily picking up waves early or late without much effort. The only time it felt a little big was in pure bump and jump conditions with short sharp chop at 30 knots with a maxed out 5.0, Something more suited to my 85L but in 20-25 knots this board is such a smooth comfortable ride that it’s hard to step off onto any other board in my quiver.

The construction and finish is of the highest standard and the custom spray is 100% to what I designed. Made of a Carbon/Innegra/Corecell construction I’ve been assured that It will be stronger then any other board that I own, Which Is good as I have a habit of giving my boards a nose job. The exposed Carbon rails are sick and a talking point that everyone has so far has loved. The footstrap plugs have twin screws to attach them in place, I’ve used Pryde straps which are super comfortable. All 4 fin boxes are US and I’ve picked Makani Walu Quads in 16 & 8cm which seems to be a nice combination of drive and looseness.The foot pads are top notch with the right amount of grip and comfort, I can ride it all day without fatigue, The non-slip deck is also a superb finish and super grippy. The hull has a very different shape about it, From it’s highly domed deck to the huge single concave through the bottom into a flat tail…It’s different but it works well and makes for a very smooth ride.

Like I said I’m yet to fully unleash the boards full potential but I like what I’ve seen so far. It plains marginally slower than a single on flatwater but not too much and on a wave there is no difference, The quad is maybe even a little better. It has plenty of grip when needed, In the turns and when landing jumps. It can be made give way for a slashy top turn or tail slide with the slightest of back foot pressure. The sharp rails at the tail make it turn aggressively if you want it too but the turns can be controlled to be nice and smooth as well. The board is very tune able through fins placement and mast foot position, It did take a few days to work out a super sweet setup that I liked but the board can be made very loose. I’ve got some 17cm Twinzer fins on the way to see what a difference that will make, But really the board is sweet just the way it is.

Anyways, This is part 1 of the review of the OES 115 Quad as I really have yet to get it out in ideal wave conditions but for the conditions we’ve had it’s been good and I salvaged some days that I would have missed without having a large volume wave board…I think you’ll see the top brands following suit in the near future.

Overall I am a happy man, The board does what I expected and a little more…It really is my favorite board at the moment and It’s a hard task to step off it and ride any of my others. All this with a competitive price tag, What more could you ask for.

……..Go large and go custom, You know you want to.

Rider stats:
Weight: 95kg
Height 6″4′
Conditions:
20 -
25 knots cross shore
Small shoulder to head high
waves
Sail:
5.4m
Fins
13cm fronts
16.5cm
rears

Had been hanging to test the board since receiving it but too much
work and travel had it spending the majority of time in the racks in the shed
and not on the water.

Have to say it was worth the wait when I finally
got it in the water.
It was windy and I could have gotten away with ridding
my high wind board but was super keen to test the OES
*I ran with the big
sized fins that I set up for light winds as I wanted to try and set up a
balanced feel (true quad as opposed to small fronts and big backs or visa versa
as I have been riding a quad surf board for the past 4 years and prefer the feel
of similar sized fins all round)

First run out and I was stoked at how
high the board would point, and had no problems working up wind to the wave
zone.

The thin drawn out pin tail is an absolute beast to ride when on a
wave. Make no mistake, this is no token light wind board to get bigger guys out
on the water, the OES Ice Quad series are true wave machines in every aspect and
belong in the waves.

Fully loaded on the bottom turn (full weight to rail
and fully powered sail) and the thing just cranks around, tight, solid and fully
engaged.
Transition from rail to rail was seamless, with zero bounce, stall
out or twitch.
Top turns could be entered into at full speed with full
commitment and no thought… just look, lean and go !

I’m guessing the
big fins helped keep the rail engaged and there was no sign or sensation of
traction loss or tail slide.
At one point I attempted to carve off the top
and the board simply went where I was leaning/pushing… resulting in my going
all the way round and back through the wind before being biatch slapped through
the wave as the sail re-loaded !
Any less of a kook would have made it
look like they knew what they were doing but even still, I couldn’t wipe the
smile off my dial

Managed a couple of jumps on the way out along with an
attempted pushy.
Was totally blown away by how small the board felt on the
water and in the air.

Am absolutely stoked with board and have no
affiliation with OES… unless you count contacting Pete Ross and ordering an 85
QUAD ICe to replace my much loved high wind twin fin !

Anyone who is
toying with the idea of a big wave board for the ‘larger’ sailor needs to ride
one of these boards. Hell, I’m so wrapped with the thing if you are ever in the
Bay (Nelson Bay NSW) and want to know what all the hype is about, drop me a PM
and you can take it for a blast.

STOKED

http://oesaustralia.smugmug.com/Other/Maui/21536073_WnvLKx#!i=1717010813&k=rLMbMGD

Nick Warmuth sails Lanes  Maui on a OES quad 85

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