Review: Surftech B1 Bomber SUP (Black)
Editor’s note: The Surftech B1 Bomber is no longer being produced. The Bounce SUP 10’6″ Multi-Purpose is the new version of this same board. Read the preview post here.
Short Review:
Good all around board for flat water, white water, and river surfing. Unfortunately it’s expensive and not bomb proof as advertised.
Long Review:
I purchased this board at the end of last summer at an REI garage sale. The board was in practically new condition without a single scratch on it… and cost me a fraction of the $1600 new value.
Flat Water Paddling
I started off paddling it on in the local reservoirs. It’s super stable on flat water; any beginner should be able to paddle it without issue. I’ve found it’s even stable enough to fish off of, although I don’t think it makes the best fishing board.
The board and tracks well. It has a single longboard fin box, so you can switch out the fin if it doesn’t suit your flat water paddling needs. It does feel a little heavy, and I’m sure it’s more sluggish than a fiberglass board.
River Surfing
After getting used to the board, I started surfing it on river waves. I found it worked surprisingly well! Even smaller holes at the local kayak play parks are surfable on this board. There are some holes that are simply too steep or too short for this board, but I’ve found I can surf more holes on this board than I’d ever expected.
The Bounce Composite construction means you don’t have to worry about hitting rocks or grabbing a rail every time you fall. The shape is good for surfing as well.
The only complaints I have with river surfing this board, is the deck pad is too short (I can’t walk all the way up to the nose), and there’s only one fin box (limiting the fin options).
Down River Paddling
I’ve only paddled this board down river a couple times, but it works decently well. The rails aren’t shaped to move easily in and out of eddies, but it’s wide enough to provide decent stability. The single fin box, means you have to use a single longer fin rather than multiple smaller fins… and longer fins tend to get caught on things more.
Durability
The board doesn’t ding easily, so you don’t have to worry as much about hitting rocks. It does scratch, but not like a kayak. The scratches barely penetrate the surface. Unfortunately as the board wears and scratches, you can start feeling the fibers (fiberglass?) embedded in the board. This means that after awhile, you’ll start feeling itchy when handling the board.
The B1 NOT indestructible though. After using this board for just part of a season, it developed a crack running across the top of the board about 2 feet back from the nose. Surftech offers a 90 day warranty; the board was well outside of that. I did my best to repair it following their suggestions, but it will probably never be as strong as it was.
For a top dollar board that is supposed to be bomb proof, I’m disappointed in the fact that it cracked. The board is great otherwise. If you are considering purchasing one, I would suggest buying from a reputable dealer that will accept returns if you are unsatisfied.
DO NOT PURCHASE THIS BOARD!!!! I extensively researched SUP’s on the internet for a durable high end SUP that I could use for surfing, casual paddling, and rig up to fish. I thought this board would be perfect for me so I bought it, happily paying a large premium over other boards since it seems “indestructible”. Plus, I had been a huge Surftech fan and loyal customer for a decade and have owned more than 12 Surftech boards in various technologies. I was so stoked to get this board….was completely enjoying it, AND then 9 months into ownership a large portion of the deck completely delaminated. My board was used normally a few times per week and stored on a rack in a cool shaded garage when not in use…and yes 9 months into ownership, it severely delaminated!!! And what’s worse than the delaminated deck is the 3 month run-around- and poor treatment this longtime customer and advocate received from Surftech. They will not help in any way to remedy my situation (replace, repair, point we where to go to get it repaired) After months of back and forth, submitting several videos of the damage, going through countless channels, the best they could do is offer me a new B1 at a slight discount…wtf!!! So BUYER BEWARE…PLEASE DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY…you may be able to hit this board with a baseball bat without dinging it, but it will likely delaminate in less than a year…and Surftech will do nothing to help you get it repaired or replaced!!!!
Ironically, after months of struggle and denial, two days after I published about 50 negative online reviews like the one above….I got a call that a new board is on its way, and my issue was a manufacturer defect. I came back here to remove my previous post since my situation has been fixed and I’m now a happy customer again..but for some reason I can’t delete my comment….so if you have the ability to remove it, feel free to…and thanks for letting my voice be heard!!!!
Ed, I am having the same problem with surf tech and the b1, would it be possible to tell me what web sites you used ? thank you very much steve sandoval
Hopefully Ed will chime in, but I’d imagine it’ll be VERY hard to get Surftech to warranty the B1 now that they have discontinued it. It’s a shame that Surftech doesn’t do a better job at standing behind their products.
To Ed G. ,
Im kind of lost here. Surftech treats you poorly when they have obviously released a board with new technology that is not holding up. After 50 posts your getting a new board. Thats what it takes to get through to Randy French and his Santa Cruz Team. 50 negative post all over the internet! Now you want to take this post away! Are you for real?
Like you Im a huge surftech fan. When I say huge, I mean I praise their tuff lite technology. Im constantly trying to get people to buy their longboards and fun shape boards for surfing. They are hands down the most high performance , durable, and light, not all are super light however, surfboards on the market. They have waterproof fused eps cores. Awl grip, at least thats the rumor, paint on them. What more could you really ask for? Im telling you I flippin love them.
I own and run a watersport shop on St John in the Virgin Islands. Between my personal collection and the shops we have almost thirty surf tech boards for surfing alone. Thats a lot of love.
But when you release a new product and praise it for its durability. When you inform us it can take an ass kicking from a bat. Please be honest and keep your integrity and ethics for us thatlove your company and products. A guys board delaminates take care of the issue pronto. Then you would have written a letter saying how great they were. Thats whAt they need. Praise and good business practise. We as adults know we all make mistakes. Its how you deal with them. If they are having issues they can not work out with the b 1 then take it away. Thats the right thing to do. Work out the kinks and bring it back.
Im all worked up because like you I thought this was the answer for our shop rentals. Time has taught me to be patient and wait. Read the reviews and then decide. Well that dream board had some issues that started coming up and surfacing in the Sup world. Enough to keep me cautious, but still curious. However by you telling your story and surftech not coming out and verbally defending its board I feel like Im going to pass on this board. Its only through all of us communicating that the board builders wil be able to move forward. The bounce idea is amazing, now put in the R and D and make it happen.
Thanks for your story. I know it was a frustrating situation you had to go through, but you might have helped a lot of us out in the end. Plus you got a new board to watch self destruct or last years and you can inform us all with some good news.
Kendall
I believe Surftech is abandoning the Bounce Technology that they used for the B1. The company they licensed the technology from is now making their own boards. It’s a bummer, the idea of a nearly indestructible board is awesome.
Kendall, if I was looking for boards for a rental fleet, I would take a look at Glide. Their SUP’s are extremely durable AND repairable (something that was nearly impossible with the B1).
Actually, the new boards from Bounce SUP are quite an improvement from the boards that Surf Tech had. Allegedly, the black color of the original boards caused them to over heat and “delam”. Since then, they have went white and solved the problem. They aren’t “bomb” proof but they can certainly take the day-to-day damage and handle rapids, all that jazz. Also, the price has been significantly dropped.
Glide boards don’t even come close to the durability of the bombers/bounce boards.
Now as far as repairs, it couldn’t be easier… You take a rod of polypropylene ($10 online) and light it with a household lighter and melt the plastic into the damaged area. Wait a few moments, it will quickly hardens and then your good to go. Super simple. If anything the repair process is highlight of the technology.
If you have a problem with a bomber/bounce board. Contact Bounce SUP. They aren’t an intermediary brand, they manufacture these things and will help you on the spot.
The new repair strategy sounds great. The old Surftech is nearly impossible to repair (even following Bounce’s recommendations), I’ve resorted to just using duct tape and replacing the tape every few months. Now if they’d only get a good shaper… then I’ll be interested again.
From what I’ve been told Surftech did not manufacture the boards. They only distributed them and unfortunately had their name on them. Bounce composites is the manufacturer of this type of construction. The only part that actually came from Surftech were the shapes.
Marie, I think you’re right. Now that Surftech has dropped the B1, Bounce SUP has had to redesign their boards.