Sometime you get a board that seems to fit the waves just perfectly, the Riddler is such a board. I had the pleasure of trying it out in some local reefs after Christmas and it even surprised me. The combination of the tail shape and the subtle rails makes the board fit beautifully into the face whatever your angle of attack. It comes off the bottom with drive and speed, yet you can suddenly direct it up the face with no concern of it spinning out. The only drawback was that the rails were a little too thin for me, so i was overturning it and virtually stalling it on my backside bottom turns… of course this did draw me up into the pocket nicely but i prefer to choose when i do that, so i have immediately started another one ready for the Mentawais.
The reverse bonzer fins made a noticeable difference paddling in, it felt much easier to catch waves that my other models, (despite less volume and more rocker) so the theory of less drag with the upright bonzer sides seems to hold true.
The board did amazing roundhouses with no loss of speed and i was able to keep it on the same arc, even on slow waves, without the need for the double pump that most thrusters seem to require.
So i can say that i would recommend this board without hesitation to most surfers, especially for steeper waves.
