OK, new year… same posts.. I need to get more creative with my content but the more of these “what they ride” posts I put up the more positive feedback I get around town! Thank you to anyone who has come up to me at restaurants and in the water to give feedback and praise, I really appreciate it.
Alright, onto business.. the CI Spine-tek craze continues. Is it marketing? Is it functionality? Not sure but I have had four of them over the last few years and I like them. It doesnt really matter how I feel but what does matter is the feedback from ex- WSL big leaguer Gabe Kling. Gabe continues to love the Spine-tek construction and knows its no gimmick in FL surf. His latest love affair is his Rocket Wide that has been making most of our small winter swells look oh-so appealing this past month..
surfer- Gabe Kling, 39 years old
height- 5’11”
weight- 178 lbs
Board- Rocket Wide from CI Surfboards w/ spine tek technology
5’9″x 19 3/8″x 2 5/16″, 27.9L with FCS2 five fin set up, running either large AM tri or medium performer quads
The magic craft everyone has been asking about
It’s funny, for years and years Gabe and I have had similar tastes in boards. His dims on the same models are usually 2″ longer than mine, 1/16″ or 1/8″ thicker and usually at least 1/4″ wider. It was like clockwork.. Fevers, OG Flyers and all the way back to MBMs were almost always proportionately the same. This time I noticed we arent even close to our formula. While I have ridden a stock 5’5″ Rocket wide Gabe has taken it and stretch it out ever so slightly and tuned it up. He has been working with Mike Andrews from CI surfboards for so long that he trusts what Mike does without really questioning it. So when a new Rocket Wide showed up without his usual requested dims he didnt even blink an eye. Needless to say, from the photos below that it works.
I was out this day and could literally barely go down the line it was so wonky and I look down the beach and see this…
words directly from the main man himself:
“I’ve always liked shorter boards with a swallow tail. This one is really fast and planes through the flat spots in our funky wind swells really well, also fits in the pocket nicely. Its held in and I have liked in hollow waves too. As far as Florida boards go, this is a great all around board. I have been trying it out as a quad as well and it adds another fun element, I like it best as a thruster though. I like the spine tek as long as you’re not dealing with really strong winds, it adds some spring and feels really lively through turns without feeling too chattery. Maybe a little chatter, right on the edge of out of control.. just the way we like it!”
Rocket wide seems to work on a chunkier section..
