HYPR HAWAII 10’6 GUN 2021 TEST REVIEW
Verdict:
It’s a 10’6, but that’s where similarities with all other paddle boards end. Hypr’s 10’6 Gun wants you to knife it over the ledge and into the steel blue walls of Porthleven, Hossegor, Mundaka, or Sunset… Crowds probably won’t be an issue in the wave size that this board starts dancing! Like its taller brothers, the 10’6 Gun has impeccable manners outside the dangerous surf arena and runs fast like a trendy Californian hull across zippy summer sandbars too. It really can bridge the void between heaven and hell.
Overview:
The outline of this board is what you want a gun to look like: A pin tail whose sweep starts somewhere just behind the midpoint with a penetrating nose and the end of a parallel mid-section. The purpose is unmistakable, the twin leash plugs drive the fact home. The deck grip has the usual Hypr plushness while underneath run two deep concaves, more on which below.
Brand Claim:
Our board’s patented variable width hull design planes at 21 inches width and sits or paddles stable at a 27.5 inch width; the lateral waterline narrows when the board moves and lifts giving the rider the best of both worlds. The physics of a narrower board with the lowest hydrodynamic drag will be the fastest, and more manoeuvrable. Hard rail from nose to tail, you can engage the wave face at any point of the board rail.
Performance:
Previously, we tested the mighty 12’6 Gun, then formidable 11’6 and now with the 10’6 we’re down to 136 litres so this is a ride for middle weight and below paddlers, or bigger guys who are comfortable on a board made to plane and not displace its way through life. Yes, the 10’6 is a surfboard.
In cruisey chest high surf, the Gun loves to race spinning sandbar waves but in critical surf it requires the rider know where their weight should be placed: Very much towards the tail. This isn’t a zombie board that lets you plough into waves in parallel stance before you bounce down out of control, rather the Gun likes you to pause ever so slightly at take-off to let the wave bowl up a bit before setting a rail and knifing to glory. The grip is phenomenal and you can ride high and tight in some very steep pockets.
Once you’re gunning, this board loves you to engage and release the inside rail to fly through sections and build speed. Your reward is feeling like you are riding on a cushion of air as the hull lifts to reduce the wetted area to true prone-surfing dimensions. It is unusual in SUP surfing for more speed to mean more control!
Once more we are impressed with a Hypr board, and it feels good to know that Ian Foo and his team are going their own way to design and build these incredible machines for anyone to pick up and ride.
Vital Stats:
Length: 10’6″
Width: 28″
Thickness: 4 1/8″
Volume: 136 litres
Fin: 2 x FCS plus US centre fin