Comparison between C4 Waterman Boardworks 10′ and 10′6″ stand up paddle surfboards with video
I’ve been riding the C4 Waterman 10′6″ stand up paddle surfboard for about 2 or 3 weeks now. I think I have about 15 hours on the 10′6″ for now and 6 hours on the 10′ stand up board. At 210 lbs on a good day, the 10′ board is a bit more challenging to balance on than the 10′6″ which I’m very comfortable on. The 10′ board surfs way better than anything I’ve tried so far so it’s been worth the extra effort to get the balance right. I paddled the 10′ today in 20+mph winds. Basically, paddling any size stand up paddle board is hard in winds over 15 mph. I was very pleased today in that I was able to balance on the 10′ C4 board and was fairly comfortable. I think with another 5 hours or so more of time on the 10′ board in the water I’ll be really comfortable and will have a much easier time surfing. We’ll see.
I made a short video with the C4 Waterman 10′ and 10′6″ stand up paddle surfboards along with the Surftech Laird 12′1″ stand up paddle board for reference.
Here’s the video.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Transcript:
Comparison Between C4 Waterman Boardworks 10’ and 10’6
Evan Leong: We’re going to do a comparison of the three boards that I have right here with me right now. This red one over here, that one over there, that’s the Laird. 12”1 long by 31 inches wide by 4 and ¾ I believe. If you look at all these boards, you can see the difference in size. The one in the middle, this one right here, this is a C4 Waterman 10”6 board and this one right here is the C4 Waterman 10-foot board. I wish I can get wider shots of this, but maybe back here. It actually almost looks like the 10-foot board is bigger than the 11-foot board but it’s not. If we look at the middle one right here, the 10”6. This board is 10 foot six inches long, 28 ½ inches wide and I believe four inches thick, and then the 10-footer is 10 feet long by 28 wide by maybe four, no three and 7/8, I think. But check this out, if you look at in comparison to the Laird, look at the difference in size of these things. I mean, Laird is just so darn big. Maybe you can see it from this kind of an angle. Check it out. That looks better, this aspect ratio. See how much bigger the Laird is than the other ones. Anyways, if you look at the Laird though, I changed the fin. I changed it to this Farberow Flexy Fin right here. Let’s go under and look at it. See this one, it says Josh Farberow, it’s actually upside down. Let me try and lift it up. 9 and ½ inch fin but if you look at the tip right here, the tip is actually flexible so that it allows the board to get up on the rail because you want to bury this rail, right? Let’s check it out. Let’s check out what the outlines of the board look like. This is of the Laird.
03:20
Evan Leong: Kind of cool. The Laird is a decent outline. Now people always ask what this is. I don’t know Pono Bill stuck on this. I bought this from Pono Bill – stuck this thing up in the front, I don’t know what it’s for. Maybe for paddle or something but my son likes to grab on to it so it’s good for him. Let’s check out the C4. See that? Kind of nice, huh? And if you loko at the C4, you got three fins on it, right? The two side-biters and the one middle fin. I think C4 also has a concave on it. I don’t know if you can see it so much but I think there’s some concave toward the back. It has this cool, I guess you call it diamond tail or what, I’m not totally sure. And this is the smaller one, the 10-footer. The 10-footer is pretty much the same thing; it’s just smaller, I think. So if you look at it, saying 2 plus one fin setup. This is a cool piece, this tail pad right here, which is right above the fins. Ok, here’s the other thing. This thing right here, you can attach your paddle to this. See there’s a leaf plug right in here, and there’s another one right over there. You can attach the paddle – put the paddle in here and it becomes a handle but this velcro is not the best, you might want to change that out if you’re going to do that. Or it’s good to just get it out of the way. You can put the paddle there and carry it on head. Anyways, that’s the board that I’m looking at.
05:40
Evan Leong: I changed the boards around so you can see the bottoms now. See you what it looks like. Laird is on the bottom, C4 10’6 is in the middle, C4 10’0 is on the far side. Let’s take a closer look. This is the Farberow fin that I was talking about right here. If you look at it, see that fin? So you can see kind of a sharp edge on the rail, and this baby is a big big board. Let’s go to this one. See the three-fin setup. I got my leash around it, didn’t feel like taking it out, just left it on. and also this one…
Comparison between C4 Waterman Boardworks 10' and 10'6 [6:48m]: Download
Comparison between C4 Waterman Boardworks 10' and 10'6 [6:48m]: Download
great review…. some real helpfull points
I have found the 10′6″ to be the a great ride.
Thanks Andy…your site is cool too!
Great SUP website with excellent info. I just got started myself and bought my first SUP two weeks ago Saturday. I got a 10′4″ Angulo rounded pin with wings that specs out at 10′4″X29″X4.25″. Your movie is really interesting since you compared three different boards. I’ve always heard the tail on the C4’s referred to as diamond tails too. The C4 10 footer looks like a complete ripper, practically a surfboard that you can stand on…with a lot of practice I’m sure. But your previous experience should shorten that learning curve. I hope you keep us posted as you progress and learn more. Great stuff. Aloha!
Srfnff – I’ve ridden the Angulo 10′4″ and like it a lot. In fact, I rode it last week or the week before side by side w/ the C4 10′6″. I remembered the Angulo paddling really well, almost like a heavier board so I wanted to compare side by side and lo and behold there was another SUP dude on the Angulo. I liked the C4 better on that day because to me it surfed better and I had better balance but I also had a bunch of sessions on the C4 previously. Maybe if I had been riding the Angulo for a while and then tried the C4 on that day it would have been a different opinion.
I’m riding the C4 10′ this week but the lame thing is it’s been super windy. If you are under 220 lbs you should try the C4 10′. It surfs super good…better than anything I’ve tried so far. Trade off is that it’s a bit more tippy to stand on.
One really good thing about the Angulo is the durability. That thing is rock solid. I demo’d one from Tropical Blends http://www.tropicalblendssurf.com and dropped it by accident on the rail on concrete. The board actually bounced. Surprisingly, it only had a small crack on the rail which I got professionally repaired but there should have been more damage. The board only had small marks on the rail and I know as a demo board people were hitting it hard w/ their paddle. Jim at Tropical Blends was really cool about it, super friendly and a great resource for info.
Evan,
Thanks for letting me try the 10′ C4 at Tongg’s. I wanted to use it longer but did not want to keep it for more than a couple of waves. It worked really well on the wave. It felt lively because it is epoxy and it did whatever I wanted without catching a rail. It was very easy to get used to paddling (after you find the sweet spot) and surfing on right away. The gusting wind didn’t seem to bother it either, at least it wasn’t crowded on a consistent three foot day. I was amazed that you paddled my thin “like a longboard” 10′ fiberglass board by Bruce DeSoto so well. Even though you weigh 20 pounds more than me you have the skills. It’s funny that I can support my local shaper (lucky you live Hawaii) because some really progressive hand shaped boards are about half the price of a “pop out.” Hopefully all board prices will come down at some point.
Ethan – Was it windy today or what? I think the wind would have overpowered my kitesurfing kite today. You did great on the C4 10′ board riding it like a champ right off the bat. I had the hardest time standing today. I even wrote a post calling my session today ’sit down paddle surfing’. I only could paddle the DeSoto once it was moving. It was hard to balance for me but with today’s wind and chop any board would be hard. I like the feel of the heavier hand glassed boards like your DeSoto. It just glides better and seems more stable. Maybe I’ll get a hand shaped custom in the future. See you out there and regards to your family. Your website selling Hawaiian souvenir items is cool. http://www.HawaiiStores.com
Thanks for the side by side comparison Angulo 10′4″ vs. 10′ C4. I’m here in Santa Cruz and Angulo seems to have a pretty good showing in the market place. It took me a while to connect the right dots to demo the Angulo. Not many other brands are available to try that I know of. I figure when I get better I might “move up” to a shorter more high performance board, but at 150 pounds the 10′4″ is a pretty good blend and compromise re a board that surfs well and paddles well too. Thanks for the info and the Tropical Blends link. I’ve been trying to find an Angulo SUP website but have had no luck. Blends is the best so far.
Once you get comfortable, you’ll end up wanting a smaller more surfy type of stand up paddle board. You’re really light so you can get by on a 9′ stand up board once you get more time on the water. I think you’ll be surprised how fast you can progress. You should try both the C4 Waterman 10′ and 10′6″ if you can. I think at your weight you’ll like the 10′ a lot. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Angulo and C4 are both good.
Angulo has a website at http://www.AnguloSurf.com but nothing on his SUP’s. I think Jim at Tropical Blends is in charge of that. You can see some pictures of the Angulo stand up boards at Jim’s website under the ’stand up’ link. I think Jim helped design the boards and I saw them before they came out at his shop. I’ve seen Jim turn the Angulo board upside down and jump on the middle like a trampoline to show how strong it is. Contact Jim and he’ll tell you all about the Angulo’s. He knows them inside out. You can also call Wet Feet Hawaii. They have a number of boards including the Angulo and they know what people are liking and buying. Tell them I referred you via this site and they’ll treat you nicer.
I’ve found that you can’t really get one stand up paddle board for all aspects of riding. That’s why I keep a big Surftech Laird 12′ and my C4 10′6″. I use the C4 just about every session and the Laird is for others to ride or to take my son on.
You should keep an eye out for the new C4 Waterman 9′ and 9′6″ stand up paddle surfboards designed to rip up the surf. I shot a video of them and will post that next week or so. They are really sweet looking and I’ve seen them ridden by lighter guys that absolutely rip.
Day 1 – Sunset Cliffs:
Conditions:
This morning I met John Ashley of http://www.paddlesurf.net at Sunset Cliffs for a paddle/surf and the christening voyage of my new 10′ C4 Boardworks SUB. The water still had a bit of the south swell that’s been around for the last couple of days, but the tide was just a bit too high for the Cliffs. Nevertheless, there were a few crumbly lumps to ride and we had a great time.
The entry at cliffs starts with a trek down a winding ~ 100 step staircase to the rocks below that are more slippery than ice when beneath a bare foot. The tide was a bit high, so the entry into the water is also a bit sketchy and you literally have to ’slide’ off the rocks into the water when there’s a push. After the entry, it’s smooth paddling out to the breaks. As John Ashley wrote in one of his blogs, “the Cliffs are an SUP’ers paradise” due to the endless channels (obviously not needed on this trip, but definitely nice when the surf gets going).
Equipment performance:
Paddling:
Initially, the 10′ was slightly less stable than my 10′6″ Infinity, but as soon as I found the sweet spot, it took right off and had decent glide. The thing I noticed immediately was that the overall stability curve falls off much steeper than the 10″6″, i.e., once you start to loose balance laterally, you need to recover much faster than with the big board to stop yourself from falling off. This lends to a great leg workout – just like when I first started SUP – and more strength that I look forward to having after a few weeks on it.
Surfing:
As I said earlier, the waves were backing off a bit, but there were still a few workable faces, and even some hollow sections. My first wave was very easy to catch. Equivalent to the effort I would use to get my 10′6″ into a similar wave. I stepped right back onto the tail and over powered my first bottom turn, expecting that I’d have to do a lot more work. This board turns with ease: it still likes to be powered, but the rail is easier to get into the water. I also noticed that the board felt much less than 6″ shorter than my other board, and in fact, I felt like I was on my 9′ Stewart.
My next wave was a left (backside for me) with a nice workable face. This board just begs to be turned. The rails are absolutely perfect in the fade from hard to soft; when I came off the top on one turn I thought for sure I was going to dig a rail an eat it, but it slipped effortlessly down the face and I easily regained control. A couple of the waves I caught had some steep sections and the board hung right in the pocket and had plenty of drive. I can’t wait to get it out into some overhead juice and ‘put the petal to the metal’.
Day 2 – Torrey Pines:
Conditions:
The tide was semi-high and coming in. When I first paddled out, the outside was breaking nicely, with some head-high sets. There were some very workable faces, peeling into a very fast, steep inside section.
Performance:
As I wrote in the first day’s session, the board paddles phenomenally well. The first wave I took off on was probably the biggest set of the day, just a bit overhead. It had a nice workable front side face in front of me and I was feeling aggressive so I went for some full power turns. WOW! Talk about turning radius. This board turns on a dime and holds its speed. I was surfing this board with the same mentality that I surf my short board with and it was reacting. No wonder Dave Parmenter is winning contests with it (besides the fact that he rips). When I got to the inside section I just kept going for it. I had great speed and floated of the lip in the section in front of me, the board riding like a Cadillac into the whitewater.
Summary:
I love when I make a purchase like this and I find out that I got what I paid for. The board paddles and glides well, is much more stable than I thought it would be, turns on a dime, and really just begs to go fast and be turn hard. My first day on it in marginal conditions was a blast, but the second day is probably one of my best SUP sessions ever. Even though it’s only 6″ shorter than my other board, it’s physically much lighter and has the feel of a much, much smaller board. This is the first pop-out I’ve ever had (besides windsurfers), but it seems to be top quality. I was used to the smooth, thinner decking that Steve/Infinity were using at the beginning of the year, but like the feeling and hold of the C4 decking a bit more. The tail pad is a must have. I had to put one my old board after a few months, but this board comes stock with one. The last cool feature is the leash plugs built into the deck. They come with Velcro straps to hold the paddle, but I could see my self using them with a strap to haul the board if I ever have to park a significant distance from the water.
Great job on designing a high performance – yet forgiving – board. I highly recommend this board and purchased mine at Bob’s Mission Beach Surf Shop. Bob has a huge selection of SUP boards and accessories, but I have to say, I think the C4’s are going to steal the show.
http://www.sdwaterman.com/Articles/EquipmentReviews/C410SUBMLP.htm
Evan- Found this review on John Ashley’s website http://www.paddlesurf.net.
Last week, I had an opportunity to test drive one of the long awaited, C4 Waterman, stand up boards manufactured by Boardworks. Evidently, the boards had been imprisoned in a shipping container in San Pedro and were just unleashed upon the mainland last week- look for them as they spread across the coast and into your local surf shop.
Kelly Kraus of Emerald City (619 435-6677), in Coronado, Ca was willing to let me hop on his brand new 10′0″ version of the board (the board line also includes a 10′6″ and an 11′6″).
Setting the scene: I paddled this board in the ocean on a moderately choppy day, the surf was a small 2 – 3′ wind swell. I’d call the conditions “semi-challenging” due to the pop-up nature of the wind swell peaks and the amount of south wind, cross chop. We surfed the board at a local beach break, no channel cheating here.
Paddling: I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about the how I’d do on such a small stand up board. I’m currently riding a board that is just about 12′ by 29.5″- the dimensions on this board put its width at 28″ with a thickness of 4″. I weigh about 210lbs and I honestly didn’t think the board would float me.
I was completely wrong. The board handled me; the deck wasn’t awash. In fact, I found the board surprisingly stable for it’s size. I could paddle around, back paddle it and even pivot turn it with a foot on the tail. Undoubtably, paddling it did require considerably more thought then my other board but I have to say that my preconceived notions (see the article about the Craig paddleboards) regarding paddle-ability and board size have been put to rest. A guy my size can definitely paddle boards in the sub-11′ range.
Surfing: Scott Bass wrote a great article (“Got Paddle? A Preliminary Look at StandUp Paddle Surfboard Design” at http://www.surfermag.com) about stand up boards that discusses the trade offs in a board’s design. There is evidence of this in this board. The board does not possess the glide of the big 12′ tankers and I’m reasonably sure it was never meant to compete with them in this area (however, the 11′6″ C4 may have been designed for this purpose). What the board does do extremely well is surf. Form definitely follows function with this board- the thing surfs really, really well.
Taking off on this board is a different experience then gliding in on the 12 footer. The board has a snappy acceleration (think a twitch of the wrist on a rice burner) and an easy entry into the wave- there is some meat in the nose of the board allowing you to really lean into the paddle over the front of the board. Kelly Kraus goes from zero to ripping in about three strokes, I’ve seen him get into waves he had no business catching.
Another clue regarding the board’s purpose? Check out the tailpad (the board comes stock with a deck pad and a cut-in tail pad). Like your favorite short board, the board was meant to be surfed off the tail. Get your foot back there and the board goes rail to rail down the line very nicely; it’s “pump-able”. The board makes speed easily and feels like a much smaller board then it is. I didn’t get a chance to disfigure a fat reef break shoulder but I have no doubt that thing would carve a cutback very nicely.
Summary: This board would not be my choice for a long distance (10 mile or more) coastal cruise, it just doesn’t have the waterline and weight to match the speed and glide of the big boys. I would use this board for a two or three spot go out; the kind of session where you roll up, see the peak you want to poach, surf it and then hit one or two adjacent spots. The board has an extremely “surfy” feel that will appeal to shortboarding cross-over surfers. At my weight, I could see myself eventually getting used to a board of its size, realizing that I’d have to climb the SUB learning curve again. I’d be interested in trying out the C4’s bigger brother the 10′6″, given my dimensions and experience I think this larger version would be a better fit . Overall, I can say that riding this board has expanded my paddle surfing world a little bit- and I’ve begun to realize that I may have to make room in my shed for more then one stand up board. Ouch.
http://www.paddlesurf.net/2007/07/in-water-c4-waterman-100.html
SUPR – Thanks for the additional info and reviews on the C4 Waterman 10′ stand up paddle boards.
I did a downwinder yesterday with my brother from Hawaii Kai to Kahala Beach which I think is around 3 miles or so. He rode the 12′1″ Surftech Laird and I rode the C4 Waterman 10′6″. My brother is 30 yrs old, 6′ and 170 lbs. Paddling the Laird downwind for him was really easy but staying in place in 15 mph winds was a major struggle. He easily led the way downwind but when we stopped to catch waves at the surf breaks along the way he just kagged (Pidgin term for losing your breath and struggling). He also had the hardest time catching waves because the wind would get under the front of the board (offshore winds) and would not let him get the nose over the lip of the wave to catch it.
My C4 10′6″ was affected but not by much. I caught a lot of waves. There’s a pretty decent difference in stability for me btw the C4 10′ and 10′6″ in high winds. The 10′6″ is just as comfortable to me now as my Jimmy 11′ was before. It’s just easy to ride, even at 6′, 210 lbs.
I took out the C4 10′ for a dawn patrol session today. I let my friend who has been riding the Jimmy 11′ try it. The wind was light to non-existent and conditions were nice. My friend is about my size but he’s 52 yrs old. His first try to stand up ended up in falling off the board but on his second attempt he was able to paddle around in a circle.
I rode the C4 Waterman 10′6″ today in head to head and a half high surf at Diamond Head, Oahu. It was a little windy and choppy and this board was super stable and really livened up with bigger stronger waves. It allows you to get up on the tail and surf. I think my balance was better because I’ve been riding the 10′ for a while.
I think the really sweet board in the C4 line so far for my weight and ability is the 10′6″. I let 2 other people try it today out in chest to head high waves. One guy was a beginner and was on an Angulo 11′9″ and he had no problem paddling and balancing. I think he was in his late 40’s or so and had a cool wooden paddle he made.
The other guy was just surfing his long board and I overheard him talking to another lady in the the line up about how longboards used to be the ’stand ups’ and now stand up paddlers are taking over the break. I thought I’d get him on the board and he shredded the 3 or 4 waves he caught. He’s not an experienced stand up paddle surfer but he could do a kick turn and caught and rode waves with ease. After he caught the first wave the lady gave him a yell, “Heyyy!” and I thought that was funny.
Evan
Thanks for the usefull information – comparison of the 10′/10′6″ C4s. I have an soemewhat urgent question: I want to get back into surfing after many years out out the water. I’m 6′, 215 lbs. (ideal ~190 lbs.). There is a 10′6″ C4 in a local shop. Would you recommend I grab it fast before it sells, or hold off for a 10′ model. Remember, I want to surf. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks Again,
Rusty
I think that’s hard to answer because there are so many variables. I weigh 218 currently and have a very easy time on the 10′6″. It is stable, paddles straight and surfs well. The 10′ is a bit more tippy, less volume and surfs better than the 10′6″. If you get into the 190’s in weight you may be able to get on one of the newer 9′6″ bat tail ones. I think either way you can’t go wrong because the resale value is pretty good on C4’s so you can always use it for a while and then sell it.
I am looking at purchasing a 11′6 C4 Standem as there is a slightly used one close to me for sale. On the review at Ke Nalu it states the Standem has a volume of 137 litres. However, the 11′6 Naish is only 3/4 of an inch wider and has 230L of volume. Is the volume for the Standem incorrect? I am 250 lbs and will certainly need the volume, but the numbers for the standem dont seem quite right. Please feel free to contact me on my personal email address. Cheers!
[..YouTube..] i rode on the two outside ones in hawaii when i went to waikiki
[..YouTube..] Your lucky dude to own those…i’m somewhat jealous.I’m looking to get a 11′ da mooch model?anyway take care and nice sup quiver bro