C4 BAT WING SWALLOW 9′0″ REVIEW: Airhead Surf Dairy
Here is a review of the 9 foot C4 Waterman Batwing Swallow Tail by Pete Shiplee…
Pete Shiplee on the 9′0″ C4 Waterman: Image from Mellow Wave
Here’s what C4 Waterman say about their board
The Bat Wing Swallow is actually a winged bat tail with high performance rocker and compact size. This Dave Parmenter shaped 9″ foot rips in the surf. The BoardWorks TEC construction makes this board light and strong. Comes with a 2+1 fin set up.
Wing-Bat Tail
26.75″ wide
3.5″ thick
Fin array: 2 X 1
Rider guidelines: Beginner, 75 to 125 pounds; intermediate up to 150 lbs; advanced up to 190 lbs.
Construction: Epoxy lamination with a 1-lb EPS core sheathed with 1/8″_ Divynicell high-density foam, compression and heat molded to form a monocoque-style fuselage.
DESIGN NOTES: While this smaller and more manageable SUP was designed for lighter surfers like kids and girls, it features contemporary shortboard components that make it a front-line preference of the C4 surf team when they want a board for high performance surfing and/or competition. Under the command of advanced riders this thin, light, progressive-rocker SUP shortboard refuses to take no for an answer.
So over to Pete for his view on the board
Now I normally ride a JL 10FT which surfs great and is stable but I have been looking for a performance short board SUP for quite a while and Andy managed to get me this 9FT C4 and it has answered my prayers ..big time! Let me tell you though that this board is NOT for the beginner or faint hearted and needs a lot of skill to paddle through the waves and stay on board but when you catch that wave and fly down the face (because this board is FAST) it will all make sense.
When you go to turn this board on the wave you will be shocked at how quickly it turns it really does feel like a short board you have to totally recalibrate. If you have no surfing experience then this board will hinder you not help you, its fast and very loose which is great for rail to rail carving and playing in the pocket of the wave.
Mel & Pete collecting their 9ft C4
This board is very tippy and takes a few sessions to get used to it, you cant just jump on and paddle through the surf, most of the time the back of the board is under water and if you even take a big stroke and move your head and body forward then the front will just submarine chucking you off. Total focus is required even just getting from a sitting to a standing position. It catches the wave nice and early and when picked up becomes a nice platform but this also requires a different approach, you really need to FEEL what the board is doing when the wave picks you up but adjustment only have to be small as large ones will have you swimming.
As you can gather this not an everyday paddler, this is only for surfing, each stroke will turn the board so it has a lot of yaw but that’s ok because its not ment to paddled in a straight line for hours, forget having to sink the tail to turn prior to catching a wave, just stroke on one side in your normal stance and it’ll swing round which is great.
To really understand this board you have to compare it to a F1 car, around town and the local village (like everyday paddling) were its not designed to be its horrid BUT put it on the track and it all makes sense and the race track for this board is the wave. When I say wave though I mean waves over 1-2 foot and also with not a lot of cross wind and chop as this will also have you off.
So to sum up this board…….its awesome and I’ve had my best surf sessions on this board by miles and recommend it to any surfer who really wants to crank it on the wave and has an aggressive style but just remember that this board is right at the top there on the performance side and if you have the skills then you wont want anything else for surfing.
Pete Shiplee
Pete that is a very honest review and giving a great description of what a rider can expect from a session with the 9ft C4 Waterman… if you can handle it then you will love it.
If you have a review of a board then send it to the Airhead…. you know we will share it with the world.