Stretch SUP's take podium at Puerto
So there's no podium. There's sand. But if there was, Greg Carson and Thomas Kosmoll would be on top of it. Carson (1st) and Thomas (3rd) have been rocking the Stretch C/TEX SUP's in any waves of consequence back home in Puerto Rico. Some of the most progressive R&D in our SUP line comes from what these two can handle in serious surf. Through continuous feedback and design refinements with Stretch both have been an ongoing voice in the perpetuation of the performance surf SUP. Congratulations to these two rad watermen! Check out http://www.centralsurfpro.com/zicatela/galeria.html for more info.
Here's what Carson had to say about the experience on his Stretch SUP:
"The board was a 9'6 quad. I was using the Gerry Lopez futures quad fin setup. It was amazing how fast it accelerated off the bottom. It also held its line in the barrels. The waves were 15+ and very hollow and fast but the board handled the conditions better than any board i have ever been on in the past. The conditions were so heavy that we had to paddle out from the bay about a mile away from the main peak. My initial feelings were this board is very stable and paddled efficiently. The board can make or break a session in heavy surf. Therefore, my confidence level due to being comfortable with my equipment was insurmountable. What i think stands out the most is the way i could feel the board flex and accelerate better than the pop out style models. The surf conditions were so heavy it pushed the boards completely to the limit and the Stretch custom model i was riding not only handled the waves but enjoyed them! I'm stoked with the Stretch SUP high performance boards and look forward to the future with Stretch under my feet."
Thomas shares his experience as well:
"I feel fortunate to collaborate with Stretch. I can't think of anyone that shapes with more innovation and intuition for what works. In no time we saw the cleanest lines and most refined details of any SUP's to date; boards that in the crazy stuff, wouldn't porpoise or skip all over the place, but actually handle and perform the way we felt was possible. The 9'10" I used in Angel Salinas' Central Surf Pro was built specifically for Puerto-- which is without doubt one of the most challenging arenas on the planet. After the first heavy drop it was clear that all the thought and feeling that went into the shape paid off - the outline, bottom design, rocker, rails, thickness distribution, fin set-up etc. was all in balance to make riding the waves possible-- waves that really are more suited to lunatic bodyboarders!!"
Thomas shares his experience as well:
"I feel fortunate to collaborate with Stretch. I can't think of anyone that shapes with more innovation and intuition for what works. In no time we saw the cleanest lines and most refined details of any SUP's to date; boards that in the crazy stuff, wouldn't porpoise or skip all over the place, but actually handle and perform the way we felt was possible. The 9'10" I used in Angel Salinas' Central Surf Pro was built specifically for Puerto-- which is without doubt one of the most challenging arenas on the planet. After the first heavy drop it was clear that all the thought and feeling that went into the shape paid off - the outline, bottom design, rocker, rails, thickness distribution, fin set-up etc. was all in balance to make riding the waves possible-- waves that really are more suited to lunatic bodyboarders!!"
