Channel Islands Ultra Joe Surfboard - Custom

Bought this as my small wave board, I'm 5'11 and weigh 80kg. I've been surfing for 26years, no hero shredder but I can manage an ok top turn and cutback. Certainly no Kelly Slater! I started riding all my boards with a bit more volume about 6 years ago. Never looked back since.

Went for a 6'0 custom in SpineTek and extended the width out by 1/4 inch. Paddles in super easy. Very stable platform on the takeoff. Easy to engage the fins to turn and feels very responsive. Could have gone shorter but it's got great paddle power and is very forgiving on the take off. Surfing it as a quad (as I do all my boards) and loving it.

The will do a spray on the SpineTek as a solid colour. Got a blue spray on mine which looks sick.

Impeccable service, fast, effective and professional.
Beautiful surfboard, true to the description, gives great satisfaction in the water.
To recommend!

Ive been searching for a board for a couple of years that would go in on-shore (sub-par) conditions. Living in Exeter, when local conditions come up I (and the kids) like to get in without a drive over to Cornwall. However, as many a local will tell you, it's not often shortboard conditions and enjoying the slop, and doing some turns can be tricky, without the right equipment.

I can honestly say that i've tried quite a few boards from fishy shapes, to mid lengths to grovel boards. The trouble I have found is that at 6.1 & 90kg (all power) some of the small wave shapes don't translate well up to larger dimensions and then I add in that I don't like boards that are really floaty, I like to feel a board dig in and putting 40+litres into a 5.9 is not going to surf, how I want to surf.

The Ultra Joe, has so far been the best board I've tried in these conditions. It's not a total grovel board, its definitely a small wave performance board, you do have to perform on it. It surfs and feels like a proper short board, which is what I wanted. The double hip into the tail makes it a lot loser than other boards in this category, so when you hit a section, you can chuck it around.

It paddles beautifully, sensible foam distribution, and the rails are foiled down, which again makes it more engaging to surf. There are boards out there that have much fuller rails, more float etc, and that's fine, but you can't turn those boards in the same way. The CI is some how a bit purer. It ultimately comes down to how you want to feel the board. This is no doubt a performance board feel, disguised in a user friendly shape, it has taken some work to get to know each other but it is definitely a keeper.

I have surfed a lot of epoxy boards, and still do, but in on-shore they can be fidgety, so the CI in PU is a bit heavier, but that's a benefit and the smaller bits of chop can be ignored where an epoxy will be feeling them all.

Fins wise I've been riding it with AM performance core 2+1 set up, it works great, really fast, loose and the trailer is just enough to hang onto when you need it. alternatively a quad would be great too, I think this board goes well in 2-6ft surf (optimum 3ft-ish) and would recommend it to surfers looking for a board to surf hard on. Its not a cruise and do all the work for you board, it does need you to put some energy in.

As ever, great service and grateful for many conversations with the guys at Boardshop.

Usual great service from the guys at Boardshop. The board is as described, great for slow mushy waves loads of speed as a thruster, just a fun board for UK conditions.

i traded in some old boards for this new 5'7" ultra joe...the trade in process was easy and the service from boardshop was great...
i was a bit unsure on sizing but they helped me choose the right size...(i am 16 and 68kg)
i have just had my first surf on the board and it was amazing...some of the sets were about chest high but the majority of waves were waist high...i never thought that buying this surfboard would impact my surfing so much...it caught waves easier than i expected and was very forgiving and easy to surf...i feel like this is the perfect board for me to progress with...yay!