Kechele UFO Surfboard Review: Me Likey

Where to Get Some: Kechele Surfboards

No B.S. Summary

Highly recommend one to any surfer looking for a new shred stick. It has been engineered, tested, and proven by the best and the formula Kech has come up with is near flawless.

The Good

Slightly more foam in all the right spots makes it a wave catching machine!

The Not So Good

Poly construction is slightly less durable than some of the new epoxy boards but the flex and feel is still unmatched.

No B.S. Review

We are going to start putting more focus on surfboard reviews this year. We’ve had a ton of requests from our readers to hear more about the latest and greatest boards on the market and we finally decided that it was time to reach out to some of our favorite manufacturers to see what we could get our hands on.

To kick things off we were honored to hear back from East Coast superstar, Matt Kechele of Kechele Surfboards and Freak Traction. Matt is a living legend and true surfing pioneer and entrepreneur. He has been shaping and personally testing his designs for decades and he has refined his current lineup of boards into a quiver that can handle just about any wave that Mother Nature can toss your way. He shaped for and mentored Kelly Slater early in his career and he is respected by many as one of the father’s of aerial surfing. For the most part, Kech specializes in traditional poly surfboard construction. Although some of his most popular shapes are now offered by Surftech Matt says, “there’s a reason most pros still use poly boards”….

For the sake of this review Matt sent us one of his UFO models; this specific board came with the following dimensions: 6’2” x 20.55”x2 ½”. The UFO is a double winger swallow tail and a true small–medium wave rocket ship. It hosts a 3+4 fin set up to let you take advantage of multiple fin arrangements depending on conditions and it is light enough to do some real damage above the lip. With slightly more foam than your standard short board, it provides great float and easy paddling. Super forgiving forward rails taper off into a sharp thumb rail towards the rear third of the board. These classic features combined with a modest rocker make it easy to turn and maneuver in the pocket and not bog down during big cutbacks. I was most impressed with the overall drive the board seemed to provide on the bigger point breaks I surfed it at. Aided by a small swallow tail, the board made pumping down the line and setting up for more vertical sections effortless. I also noticed that the board offered a great amount of flex which translated into more productive power out of transitions. I also tried it as both a thruster and quad and am torn between the two. Both set ups offer different benefits and in the end it really comes down to more personal preference and wave conditions than anything else. Either way, stoked to have the options!!!

Overall, I have to give the UFO an A+ for a traditional poly board and would highly recommend one to any surfer looking for a new shred stick. It has been engineered, tested, and proven by the best and the formula Kech has come up with is near flawless. Aside from being hand shaped and finished by a true legend of the sport, it is also made here in the good ol’ USA and comes in economically priced around $549. Check out Matt’s entire lineup as well as his line of Freak accessories at: http://www.kechelesurfboards.com/KECHELE_SURFBOARDS/MODELS.html/http://www.freakinfo.com/. As always, thanks for reading and be sure to tell a friend.