Shred Stixx

Hi All,

I am thinking about getting a custom Shred Stixx board. I like the shape of the Hazen model. What I'm looking to know is:
(1) how the board rides
(2) how are the dealings with the company (customer service, meeting delivery schedules, what shows up at the door step is right to what was ordered )
(3) would you recommend this board (fun to ride, good quality, how many season should I expect it to last)

My current board is a Ronix Koal. I have had an opportunity to use a Island Surfer Blue Lake a few times and I like both boards. I want to make a decision on a board within the next few weeks so I can make sure it is at my door step when the boat comes out of storage in the spring.

Worst case lead time is noted at 6 weeks on their website

these boards are completely different. The Blue is a beginner/intermediate board that has down the line speed and is really forgiving/stable. A custom Hazen model is going to be an advanced board that needs to be pump/riiden rail to rail for speed and will not be nearly as forgiving to ride. I dont know your riding skills, but you may want to buy a used intermediate board before you try riding a full custom. The ride is really night and day.

I'm still learning the differences in custom and/or advanced boards and how they get their speed. As mentioned above, Shred Stixx Customs, Hazen, and Thresher (I have this board) are pumped to get speed. Whereas if you go on Youtube and watch videos of a good rider riding a Flyboy you'll see it doesn't need to be pumped at all to get it's speed. I guess it'll all fall back on what you prefer. Are there any shops that have Shred Stixx to demo near you? I've never had an issue with my Shred Stixx board but did speak to Jerry himself when ordering mine. My board is not a fragile as the custom hand shaped boards (not that they are very fragile but they will ding). In my experience, I have a Koal as well, the hand shaped Shred Stixx are more durable and I'm sure you can get one glassed a little heavier for a little more durability. Shred Stixx are very bouyant and ride high in the water in my opinion...a nice loose feel and not glued to the water.

I have a custom hazen elevation, got it when the elevation came out. Its a super fun board to ride, I am 5'5 140 and have the 4.8. I wish I could have gotten a smaller board.

The board is super fast, great to air, and a blast to ride. The guys at shredstixx were great and definitely hooked me up. Downfall was the time it took to deliver.

I want to point out that I BABIED this board, it never travelled without its padded bag, had its own seat in the bow of the boat where it would rest completely on vinyl, and I was basically the only person to handle it. After the first season of riding spider cracks started forming, after this past season, there are too many spider cracks for me repair them. This might be because my "new board" goggles wore off, but there were lots of bubbles in the glass, i noticed i could push them in..

I have not heard anything bad about shredstixx, maybe I had a fluke, maybe a small elf secretly smashed the rails while i was sleeping, who knows. If I had the money again, I feel like I would get the flyboy with the sandwich construction, seems pretty bomb proof...at least comparing it to the eggshell skin of a custom surfer.

Also, I live in AZ and we have 115 degree days. Long, hot sunny days. I have read that exposure to sun is harmful to surfboards, maybe this was a contributing factor. Haven't heard anything regarding wake surfboards. Thought I might point that out.

We did a review of four boards, including the hazen that may be helpful for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFyHBbsi7ys

It definitely needs to be pumped, and fins make a HUGE difference on that board. Some people remove the trailers and ride like a twin, and then it is faster down the line, but the board was designed to be pumped for speed. Probably not the best for beginners but RJ definitely enjoys riding that board. I would say he prefers his soul craft Jetty more, but he still really enjoys the SS Hazen. Lots of preference involved there.

I'm not sure if there are any local shops where I can demo a shred stixx board (especially the 4'11 Hazen). I live in Michigan (about an hour NW of GR) and it is now too cold for me to get in the water. As for my skill level I would classify myself as a solid intermediate, but my thinking is if i get a new board that should allow me to progress faster. My ultimate goal is to make my riding look effortless. I am 6'1 about 190 right now and i am not sure I can do that with always needing to pump.

Also, with watching the videos it seem like there is always a fair amount of pumping to get speed to get air....still don't know what to do...

Thank you to everyone for your input!

Traver, The 4'11" Hazen is only made as a custom currently, however for your weight I would generally recommend a 4'8".

All boards are pumped up and down the wake or some amount of weight shifting is required to drive the board forward. Same as all boards have a 'sweet spot' where a rider can shift their weight to hang at a certain distance on the wake. Boards like the Hazen and the Stretch quad and others are on the surfing end of the spectrum of boards and are designed as such, where as some others tend to be closer to the skim end of the spectrum.

Less fin(s), results in less drag and more speed all things considered equal. However, less fin(s) tend to have a sketchy or squirrely feeling, particularly with the wider tails seen in most wake surfers. Trying to control the sketchy, slidy, squirrely, feeling is exactly how the thruster and quad fin configurations evolved. On the other hand the sketchy, squirrely, slidy feeling is exactly what makes a skim board fun. Surfers were looking for more control, and an ability to make tight turns up the face of a wave. This was difficult with twin fins of the day, as the tail would just slide out.

If effortless is what you are going for, I don't think that is the right board for you. A Soulcraft Jetty, Walker JWSM, Flyboy are board that are more designed to get speed down the line, put foot down and go. You DEF want to demo before buying a flyboy with your height and weight.

Try the Inland Surfer Sweet Spot Pro. Fast and fun, easy to get and I bet you can find someone in your area that may be willing to give you a demo. It feels very heavy in your hand, but RJ really enjoyed that board, and its very forgiving, and very fast. The custom boards like the Jetty and JWSM are tougher unless you really know what you want.

Easy get a soulcraft jetty or custom everyone that rides one gives them great reviews and the board can be pumped or ridden by just shifting your weight sort of the best of both worlds.RJ from wake nine has a shredstixx and the soulcraft and prefers the way the soulcraft rides.I love my soulcraft and just cant say enough good things about it and on top of that Jeff is a great guy and fun to work with

http://store.thewalkerproject.com/Si...011sig_twp.htm

Just want to confirm that this is the website for the JWSM.

That is the correct website.

The main advantage of a custom board is simply being customizable. In most cases, you can choose a paint color, graphics, light/pro or heavier glassing; fiberglass types, weights and weaves (very rare), other structural fabrics like carbon or kevlar; add-ons like passive goretex-style vents or manual venting systems; extra fin boxes or plugs, specialty spray/speed finishes. Most people choosing a custom board are looking for a one-of-kind item, something special or meaningful to them. Most wake surfboard manufactures package up what they feel is the best combination of features for their standard models. Some manufactures only make standard models. Unless you want something unique, you are best going with a standard model.

For the most part, all custom boards and about 80% of the production boards, will be a standard composite sandwich with a foam core, and clear fiberglass/resin matrix skin. Boards of this nature look great and feel like surfboards, but they have all the rear and tear problems of surfboards. Pressure dings due to heels, elbow, knees, shins, etc., will rapidly result in spider cracks; excessive sun and heat exposure can result in discoloration and further weakening. These simple little cracks can lead to worse damage or nothing at all. The cracks are very apparent, due to the clear finish of the board. Painted and molded boards are undergoing the same type of fracturing, but it tends to be hidden under layers of paint or other flexible materials and is often not apparent until there is a more significant ding or hole developed or the entire skin tears away. Even with ballistic fabrics, there is no such thing a a bullet proof board......

For your height and weight I would recommend you stick in the 4'8" to 4"11" range (largely since you will probably send your front foot off the nose of a 4'5" or 4'6" board, when landing aerial maneuvers or have a greater tendency to sink the nose). There are a lot of boards available that you might like. At the very least, go to shop and pick a few up and play with them. If there is a demo program near you demo as many as possible. Otherwise I would recommend these below (the stixx and walker boards can be done as customs or have some amount of customizable options):

Shred Stixx: Thresher, Piranha or Hazen
Inland Surfer: Sweet spot, maybe the swallow v, if you like a longer board.
Walker Project: F-18 or Convert (the signature if you want a trick board)

Custom boards, are available from Shred Stixx, Mike Doyle, Walker Project, Soul Craft, Idol, Stretch, Spindrift, Lakewakes, Jeff Walker/Flyboy, and a good half dozen others here in the US alone.

As far as you original inquires, for a custom stixx you will deal directly with me. I would hope the board delivered will meet your expectations and the typical turn around is 2-4 weeks.