Equipment Review

 

Make and Model: Bote Valhalla

Dimensions:

Length: 14′

Width: 26.5″

 Thickness: 9″

Volume: Not listed

Fin Setup: Single fin

First Impression (on land):

Visual: This board makes an amazing first impression, its hot. Kinda wanna buy it a drink. The exposed chainmail is super sexy, this board looks silly fast

Features: Super sharp nose reminds me of a sailing yacht

Weight: At 24lbs its right in the middle of its class.

Construction: The proprietary chainmail construction looks great!

On The Water:

Note:  Primary stability is how the board feels when at rest and not moving.  It’s how twitchy the board is when standing at rest; it’s often the first impression of how stable a board is.  Secondary stability is how far you can lean on the rail without going in. This is usually what gets you wet.  It’s not uncommon to have a board that feels unstable at rest and have awesome secondary stability.  If this is the case, it will be twitchy to stand on and then be stable once moving or really leaned on its rail. Some boards have awesome primary stability.  Then, once leaned on the rail, it will seem to let go and in you go.

 

Primary stability: This board feels a little twitchy at first, but it soon went away. After a couple miles it felt great

Secondary Stability: Super stable! Never did I feel like it would let me go, even ended up is some very choppy conditions. Felt very confident the entire time.

Speed: Its a rocket! Great glide in flat water, not amazing in the chop, but it wasn’t out the of the question.

Turning: Once you got the nose out of the water she pivots very well. With such a sharp nose, this board track straight as an arrow when the nose is in the water.

Deck Pad: Super comfy deck pad that goes all the way to the tail.

Best Use: This board is ideal for flat water.

Price Range: Board has been discontinued by Bote. New went for $2249.00

Pros: Great looks, fast, full length deck pad.

Cons: Have to be careful with nose.

Final Impressions: Super fun board! This was the first race board I owned, so glad I was able to put lots of miles on it. They just don’t make them with this kind of great style anymore.

 

 

 

 

By: Chris Woodruff
Owner: Paddles By The Sea
What: Paddle Board and Kayak Rentals and Tours
Where: 3321 Bridge Plaza Dr Vero Beach FL
Contact: 772-444-7871