In surfboards or stand up paddle boards, there can be alot of hype surrounding particular models. Although SUP is fairly new in Florida, it has been around a while in Hawaii, and C4 Waterman is one of the most respected brands in the industry. The Sub Vector is one of the most talked about models there is, so does it live up to the hype?
Having paddle boarded several times a week for 3 1/2 years now, and surfed for over 30 years, I migrated from a 11′ all-around shape to a 8’8″ Hypr Nalu moon tail high-performance shortboard style SUP last fall. While offering less glide and stability than the bigger board, the Hypr definitely took my SUP surfing to a different level performance wise. But at 210 pounds I wanted something a little more stable, with slightly more glide. Ever since I started working at the Surf Station beginning of 2011, I have been staring at the 9’3″ Sub Vector by C4 Waterman on the wall. This past week I could not stand it any more, and pulled the trigger.
I was out of town for the peak of the swell on Sunday, but was able to catch a few leftovers yesterday morning with the quad fin setup. The wind was light offshore with perfect glassy surface conditions, and swell 2 feet 8 second intervals, pretty much ideal SUP conditions. After 5 waves I noticed that I was getting hot, and my hair was still dry, so I guess that is an affirmative on the stability factor. The Sub Vector had plenty of drive down the line, turned smoothly, and did not dig a rail at all on cutbacks. The other thing I noticed was the construction quality is a big step up from my previous board, going from hand-glassed epoxy with a stringer on the Hypr Nalu, to epoxy sandwich construction over EPS foam on the C4.
But you do not have to take my word for it. I will be offering SUP rentals and SUP surfing lessons at FA on the north end of St. Augustine Beach starting this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Rentals are $25 for 2 hours, and you can come in and swap out a board for something else anytime during your session. If you would like personalized instruction, please email me at etoy@firstcoastsup.com or call 904-347-6872 to schedule an instructor. Lessons run $90 1 on 1 or $75 2 to 1 including board and paddle. If you have your own equipment take $25 off the price of instruction. You are welcome to try the new Sub Vector and let me know what you think!
Here are some helpful links to videos that might help educate you on the design and performance of the C4 Sub Vector:
C4 Waterman Sub Vector 9-3
C4 Waterman Sub Vector 10′
C4 Sub Vector Comparison Part 1
C4 Sub Vector Comparison Part 2
