Nov 21, 2018

BLACK FRIDAY TOUR - POLEN BOARD OVERVIEW

With winter well on its way, it could be time to think about looking at a new board. Polen is an often overlooked label in the UK as they don’t have as many top guys on their team as the likes of Lost and Channel Islands but they have been around for years and personally, I think they are really underrated shapes.

The boards are shaped in Portugal by legendary Brazilian shapers Almir and Bernardo, who both have countless years in the shaping bay and have a solid range of boards for all conditions and skill levels.

Here are a few of the models we think are going to be a good choice.

1: “Catchy” 5’8 x 20 x 2 1/2 (30.90 litres) thruster.

This board looks like so much fun, it’s got a really wide template up the front and has pulled in a rounded pin tail, similar to a Hypto Crypto but more user-friendly. This size would be great as a step down board for someone who’s standard shortboard was around the 6’0 mark but the bigger size you went with it the easier it would be, a 6’4 would be an awesome choice for a bigger surfer wanting something that would get them into waves easily which is going to be appreciated when wearing all the extra rubber during winter but still turn well and perform in bigger waves.

Polen says this about it “This model was designed for surfers who are not just frothing for high-performance moves, but still want to surf good and have the most fun in everyday surfing conditions. The wider nose, flatter rocker, and thicker rails will help you get into the waves very easily and flow through the weaker sections. The smooth round- ed outline and the narrow rounded pin tail will allow you to make rail-to-rail game whenever you want. The Catchy is a versatile, fast and loose fun stubby board that will make you happy either in good waves or weaker days as well. This can be your favourite all around board or your best travel friend for small to head-high surf. With a single to smooth double concave with V off the tail, we recommend a 5 fin setup, and you can ride it 2"-4" shorter than your short- board”

2. “Summer king” 5’7 x 20 x 2 3/16 (30.7 litres) 5 fin.

Another great looking board, this is a board designed for summer waves but is also a super versatile shape that you could ride in most conditions. Similar to the catchy it has a wide nose and a pulled in tail but has a chopped swallow tail. I had a similar shape the lost RNF and that went in anything. The 5 fin option gives you a lot to play with and to find the right fin set ups for different conditions, it would go great as a twin fin on cruise waves and would also go good as a quad or thruster when the waves got a bit more serious.

Heres what polen says about it “Designed to have lots of volume and make small surf fun and easy, but not forgetting that little touch of performance, we know this board will make you feel like ... yeap that's it, a Summer King! It features a very wide outline and a large nose to get into waves earlier, a flat rocker and mid/high rails to get you through weaker sections, and a smooth single concave progressing into a deep double concave and finishing with a smooth V off the tail. We decided to keep it simple at the end, and now you can order it in a nice swallow-squared tail or as a round squash. All this combined, you have a summer board that paddles incredible well, holds in flat sections, and still allows fast turns and generates great speed and drive. Depending on your surfing level, you can use it up to 5shorter than your standard shortboard. We strongly recommend the tri-quad set up for more versatile lines. Now you have one more good reason to smile in those smaller summer days.”

3. “Lazy dude” 6’3 x 19 3/4 x 2 7/8 (30.7 litres) thruster.

This is a great board looking towards winter, a super versatile shape that is going to get you into waves with a bit less effort than your standard short board which you’ll appreciate in the winter months weighed down in rubber but still perform great in more solid conditions. You could go a few inches bigger and use it as more of a step up for the bigger days as it’s still a high performance shortboard it’s got everything you need for Surfing the more serious days.

Here’s what polen has to say - “Our number one selling board and one of the favourites in our range for some years now. This versatile all-around shortboard is the perfect choice for surfers that want to get more waves with less effort and keep the same speed and performance of a pure shortboard. Don't we all want that? The wider point in the chest area allows you to catch waves easily and have more control than a normal shortboard would offer. The bump in the front fins area, makes the board loose and responsive, working really well in different everyday surfing conditions. There is nothing lazy about this board, this is one of the fastest and most versatile shortboards in our line-up. Featuring a low entry rocker, a single to double concave finishing with a smooth V off the tail, mid/low rails, round squash tail and 3 fin set up, this board is a great all around and a must have in you quiver. Depending on your surf level, you can order 2 shorter than your normal shortboard.”

All of these models are going to be featured in the upcoming BLACK FRIDAY surfboard sales in both the Plymouth (Friday 23rd of November) and Cornwall store (Saturday 24th of November) so feel free to drop by and check them out and grab a crazy deal.

At Mango we love to surf, so if you need any more help about which model or size will be best for you just drop us a call, an email or a facebook message. We want to help find you that magic board, set of fins or wetsuit:

Phone: 01752 229624

Email: store@mangosurfing.com

Facebook: Mango surfing

Instagram: Mangosurfing