The Danielo Diamond is the new shape from Phase 5 for 2011. Drew has been riding it a lot lately and I have been hearing great things about it. It is very similar to the Drew Pro Carbon except that instead of a traditional pin tail it has a diamond tail. The extra surface area in the tail keeps the tail higher on the ater for less drag which makes it faster. The extra width makes it a little less agile and responsive, but it is hardly noticeable. Since most people havent heard much about the new board I thought I would do a review.(im a huge board nerd)
So last week I got out on the Diamond 51” behind Frank Wolter's Sanger V230. It was only my second day out since October. I’ve been riding a Calibrated Piscus 51” that I own and rode that for one fall first to get a comparison. I rode both finless.
First impressions: The Diamond felt totally different than my Calibrated (which is a wide swallow tail). I felt the extra thickness of the board instantly and wasn’t used to that much material between my feet and the water. Even though it was thicker I felt the board sat deeper in the water though. I also felt the extra weight and rocker. This made the board a bit slower than the Calibrated. While riding, I also felt that there was suction between the board and the water near the tail which made the board feel like it had extra grip.
Normally I want a really fast and loose board, but this board just worked for me. I got comfortable on it imediately and I had the best set I have ever had wakesurfing. The board felt sticky like it had a fin for normal riding, but when I did lipslides of shuvits it felt smooth and loose. It was definitely the best of both worlds. I was able to come down the face of the wake much smoother and with more control.
With most skimboards I’ve ridden I have noticed how they struggle to catch up while riding the board backwards. The calibrated always amazed me with how fast it was backwards, but the stability wasn’t always there. The Diamond was just as fast backwards and was extremely stable. I was able to ride the board backwards much more comfortably. I was really pumped on this.
Stability was the overall theme of the Diamond for me. When I landed shuvits I felt so solid. I felt that I was riding less sloppy.
I have been in the process of learning 3 shuvs and I was sooo close. It was my second day wakesurfing since October and I felt like I had been riding wakesurfing all winter. Maybe wakeskating has been helping me haha.
Video:
First fall (on calibrated)
http://www.youtube.com/user/wofrank1#p/u/3/RAcbAAZQDUE
Second (on diamond)
http://www.youtube.com/user/wofrank1#p/u/4/xs04BQagqlU
Getting comfortable
http://www.youtube.com/user/wofrank1#p/u/2/UP967FIoHuI
3 Shuv
http://www.youtube.com/user/wofrank1#p/u/1/I9Of6x2qQKM
Today I went back out with Frank and just rode my Calibrated. The boards are different but both work for me in different ways. I love the speed of the Calibrated. It is the fastest skimboard I have ever ridden (backwards and forward) and spins super smooth. The Danielo Diamond is extra stable while finless, but you have to work harder to stay in the wake if falling back. Both boards are way faster than pin tail skims though. I cant go back to riding a traditional pin tail skim after riding these two boards.
Linear Mode
