Equinox Surfboard Review 7’2″ Drifter

The Good

• You can get two great riding boards for the price of one! Nuf said...

The Not So Good

• You can't touch these or test pilot these boards prior to purchasing them online but take it from me, they are real surfboards and they come with a great return policy and warranty if you are unhappy with your purchase.

No B.S. Review

While surfing the net the other day a board jumped off the screen and caught my attention.  I just loved the shape, color, and overall look and it prompted me to do some investigating on who the manufacturer was.  A few clicks later I found myself on the website of Equinox Surfboards (www.equinoxsurfboards.com).  I hadn't heard of them before but their boards looked really cool and their prices were unbeatable!  I was anxious to learn more and reached out to find out what Equinox was all about.

Based in Hermosa Beach,CA, Equinox is taking a new approach to the modern day board shop and board manufacturing.  Their storefront is mostly online and their boards are manufactured overseas but by no means are these pop outs or cheap knock offs.  All of the board designs are created by a cadre of professional shapers here in the states.  Prototypes are test piloted by pros and Joe’s and refined until Equinox feels that they have the magic formula.  Once approved, the specs are sent overseas where they use precision CNC milling techniques to punch out exact replicas of that perfect board!  Final shaping and finish work is done by hand by skilled craftsmen and women trained in traditional surfboard manufacturing methods.  The finished product would pass muster with any hardcore board nut and they sent us one to try for ourselves!  Let’s just say, after this review…I’m a believer!

For the purpose of this review Equinox sent us a copy of the board that had originally caught my attention, a 7’2” Drifter.  This board just has a killer shape and carries some of the same lines and genes as an older pintail or stretched egg but with the reliability and predictability of a traditional thruster set up.

Soft and forgiving forward rails transition into a finely sculpted hydrodynamic thumb rail.  This gives the board plenty of bite and the cutting power to shred any wall; while also providing the sensitivity needed on smaller, logging days.  Constructed of High Density Australian EPS and Equinox’s FlexTec2 Hi-Performance Epoxy and glass, the board provides a great combination of flex and durability.  A 6 + 4 oz. deck and 6 oz. bottom offer enough armor to take a beating and keep on ticking (this was proven first hand more than once!)  The ol’ squeeze test also illustrated the board’s great compression strength and resilience.  The paint job is also flawless and the colors are classic enough to be in style for a lifetime.  The different tones of green are soft and inviting and quite a few people in the line up noted how much they liked the color scheme.  The overall weight is one of the nicest features and the board and it feels equally great in your hands or under your arm.

Testing took place over a month long sea trial and we put this board in everything from ankle high slappers to even a few double overhead monsters.  The more I rode this board, the more I loved it!  What I liked best is the versatility; with the Drifter, you are prepared for just about any conditions Mother Nature can throw at you.  On the smaller days, I found that the combination of the light weight materials and the ample amount of float that the board offers allowed us to get in way earlier than on some of these little groveler boards we’ve been riding.

It also has a glide factor that I haven’t felt on any other board.  The Drifter just cuts though any crap and chatter and offers a very controlled and stable ride; you can go anywhere you want on this board!  When stepping up in wave size, the board still offers a funboard/longboard feel but has much more shortboard performance than any other board I’ve ridden in this size range.  On the first bigger day we took this out everyone was tripping out at how hard you could push this stick!  Again, it’s added size allows the operator to get in earlier and the combination of the thruster set up and rounded pin tail give it unique drive and bite characteristics not commonly found in funboards.  It was also quite responsive in the pocket and it made backside barrel trimming a breeze; I think this is greatly attributed to the extended rail line and performance rails towards the back half of the board – just point and go!!!  I have also always found duck diving on EPS to be hit or miss.  Some companies are trying to cram so much cooler foam into these boards it is tough to penetrate down and through the wave but this board must be part duck!  Even on the biggest faces, getting out of harms way was effortless…I felt like I was ducking a 5’11”, not a 7’2”!!!  The last note worth mentioning is about durability.  After a month of hard riding there was very little indication of any knee knockers or dents and I could have easily sold it in “as new” condition.  However, during one of the last days of testing I was talked into trying a new break at a rather rocky spot.  A few nasty wipeouts later I heard the thud we all fear, the board took a direct hit on a submerged boulder!!!  When I popped up I expected to find the board in two pieces, or at least with a basketball sized hole in it.  But, to my surprise it was more or less unscathed and just had some minor scratches from the barnacles.  If that isn’t a testament to how tough this board is, I don’t know what is!

Coming in around $400 bucks there is no reason every surfer shouldn't have an Equinox board in their quiver.  Don’t let the economical price fool you, these are quality boards that offer a quality ride.  I say that with confidence because the boys and I really put this board through the ringer and we are all equally impressed.

This unmatched value allows anyone to now basically get 2 boards for the price of 1…how do you beat that???!!!!  I am all for made is the USA and still think there will always be a place for the “Garage Shaper” but Equinox’s unique business model allows the average, non-sponsored surfer to expand their quiver much quicker and have the opportunity to experiment with all kinds of shapes and rides.  I actually love the Drifter template so much that I am currently having the board recreated by my local shaper in poly as a single fin !!!  It is a win, win for everyone…They also have a killer warranty and return policy that will let you buy online worry free.  Whether you’re just starting out or if you've been at it for years, do yourself a favor and check out Equinox’s entire line of exciting boards today and enjoy the ride!!!  As always, thanks for reading and be sure to tell a friend…

-   Shaper

* I also want to give a special thanks to Jay for making this review happen and we wish the entire Equinox family the best of luck as they continue to grow!

User Rating

(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)

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