FANATIC
8’5 PROWAVE LTD
TEST REVIEW.

Verdict
The fresh new shape and construction for 2019 the new ProWave range looks super sharp with its custom surfboard style looks and build. The new 8’5 size offers a fairly stable platform to access serious performance SUP surfing. The Pro wave’s thin grippy rails and hard sharp release in the tail offers a very secure smooth bottom turn with a fast flowing ride. It’s a little bigger than some of the other wave boards on test so is more forgiving and with the wider profile, more stable in choppier conditions. Everyone loved the new custom finish to the board and light weight construction, the new Fanatic ProWaves have pushed the performance wave SUP’s very close to the surfboard look and feel.

Overview
The new ‘custom surf technology’ is a fresh approach, on deck it’s just glass and foam up front, a large 3/4 textured deck pad with tail kick hiding a bamboo reinforced domed deck. There’s a good sized ledge handle, air valve and windsurf insert and twin leash plugs. Underneath a concave runs through to vee in the tail, the bottom also has a 3/4 length carbon stringer, then 5 Multiboxes in the tail. The rails are thin and have a Vector Net reinforcement along most of the length of the board. Three glass fins sit in the squared off tail.

Brand Claim
The four new ProWave shapes are based around the needs of our international team riders who are pushing the boundaries of powerful new surfing performance with these models. Balanced and easy to paddle, yet super radical once unleashed onto a wave, they offer a responsive ride with quick acceleration, great speeds and lots of drive. The ProWave is designed for deep carves and tight arcs in the pocket whilst handling mushy days with ease. The controlled flow gives you the confidence and comfort even on the biggest days. The ProWave comes in our new Custom Surf technology and with five boxes to give you the choice of either a Quad or Thruster fin setup allowing you to adapt the board to your style of riding and conditions on the day.

Performance
Sooner or later if you want to start performance SUP surfing you’ll need to step down to an 8’5” (if you’re below 90kg). The new Fanatic ProWave 8’5 will be a board you can use for getting the basics on smaller waves and it will still give you heaps of performance and control as you move forward with your surfing. We really enjoyed the easy secure nature: predictable, directional when dropping into bigger waves, pretty stable at rest and it feels fast enough for most riders. It’s a great looking board that turns heads on the beach and is plenty light enough too. The domed bamboo reinforced deck felt solid underfoot, and the long deck pad meant no need to wax upfront. We did find although there was no paint or gel coat to chip on the rails our (rail taped) test board was starting to show some minor sign of wear by the end of our test. Also the rear quad boxes were fairly close together, and the centre fin position offered great smooth surfing style but it would have been nice if you could have moved this fin to offer a looser slashier feel. Overall this new, sharper, faster Fanatic ProWave offers an easier “pro” performance shape which hopefully will get people off their 9’0” all-round surf shapes and let them feel much more like they’re surfing a more performance shape. A sweet 8’5” perfect for stepping into the performance board market, it almost looks like you’re walking down the beach with a surfboard too.

www.fanatic.com/sup/

OTHER BOARDS IN THIS TEST:

• Bic 11’6 Performer Tough 
• Fanatic 8’5 ProWave LTD 
• JP 8’1” Surf Pro Edition 
• RRD  I-Wave Pro V2 8’0 
• Starboard Longboard 9’0 Pinetec

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