Ian Reviews the The Lib Tech Surfboards x Lost Cali Pin surfboard.
Available at Boardshop: www.boardshop.co.uk/brands/li...
The Cali Twin has been a smash hit in the Lost surfboards range and this new pin tail version is now available in the 'dang difficult to ding and environmentally nicer' Lib Tech offering. This board really delivers, it perfectly fills the gap between your groveler and performance shortboard.
The Cali Pin has been created by a pair of legends, Mark Richards and Matt Biolos, that combined level of genius simply can't make a bad surfboard. Beginning with the Cali Twin swallow shape the boys lengthened the tail by an inch, subtly increased the nose rocker and pulled in the nose outline a bit. A bit of thickness was added through the centre line of the board to maximise paddle power while maintaining a performance minded rail. They pulled in the outline between the feet and changed the tail to its name defining, forgiving, versatile round pin. These changes make for a fast, forgiving but precise board, the continuous curve outline gives the board a wider on the range of functionality over the original swallow version. Fortunately what they did not change was the iconic MR Twin + trailer fin set up nor the single to double concave bottom curves that made the original so good.
The Cali Pin is an everyday board that will work in 90% of what we all surf on a regular basis. It paddles really well and goes from rail to rail smoothly, what you really notice straight away is the hold it has which in turn generates drive and speed, we really like this board! We'll sit it in the hybrid; category for now, its a great allrounder but it has genuine better wave performance when needed, would be great to travel with.
As surfers we've all dreamed about owning a high performance surfboard with all the positive attributes of a traditional PU board but with none of the inherent fragility that comes with this construction.
Lib Tech are changing everything you know about surfboards and everything you thought was possible in surfboard construction. The Cali Pin features the all new ultra high molecular weight polymer stringer, a great innovation that gives almost perfect flex for smooth surfing and of course is stronger than ever. Using 31 brand-new components to the surf industry and calling on 30 years of experience constructing environmentally friendly surfboards, skateboards and snowboards, it was inevitable that Lib Tech were going to produce some remarkable surfboards using this ground breaking, environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Each of the Lib Tech is handcrafted in the USA with an unwavering focus on building THE toughest high performance surfboards in the world with a commitment to operating in an environmentally responsible manner.
The construction process uses a Nitrogen cell Foam (25-40% recycled content) core for maximum strength and pop. The foam is closed cell, completely waterproof and won't absorb water.
Hexzylon Fibre Foam Skin, this is a smooth, strong, impact and ding resistant layer with the signature Hex pattern.
Next comes the unique Woven Basalt Fibre which is additive free super strong and resists heel dents.
The Bio-Matrix Resin is super strong and environmentally friendly with the best flex qualities of traditional PU and a longer lifespan than Epoxy.
Lib Tech surfboards are fitted with the lightest and toughest fin boxes on the market which are compatible with Pro Box, FCS, and all FCS dual tab style fins. They also use Sprock Blocks at the tail to add even more durability to the most fragile areas on the board. Even the leash plug has been given the same attention with 6061 T6 Aircraft aluminium pins and lightweight fibre composite cups.
"Since I first saw Lib Tech's ECO ISO construction, I wanted to build a board with it. The strength to weight ratio, eco minded materials and techniques, and the fact that this tech was being built in the USA was incredibly interesting to me. I am stoked that the time has finally come and hope people enjoy riding them as we have enjoyed building them." - Matt Biolos
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