Sharpeye Inferno FT in Dark Arts Surfboard Review

[@ETYSURF]

Every board you seem to surf better maybe it’s not the boards your just always improving!

[@ThomyeSurfs]

That is probably true. I also keep liking every board I am trying. But this particular board on several occasions surprised me because when I thought I was going to fall I ended up pulling the maneuver.

[@pjjeong4106]

Totally agree. He is getting better and better.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@pjjeong4106 Thanks. Maybe there is hope after all of pulling that air reverse someday. :)

[@HuyTran-lf6lh]

WOW. That is head and shoulders the best board I've seen you on. You look faster, and much more radical on that board. I always thought at this level of polish and production and R&D, high performance boards differ from each other in figurative inches (not much different beyond your personal feeling atop the board). But your surfing looks remarkably better on this in every way. This is the only board I think the hype is 100% real!

[@ThomyeSurfs]

The only hard part, is that I don't know how much of it is the board design and how much of it is the dark arts. It would be nice to know the percentages just to see what the value is.

[@TheSchmuel]

Agree with this comment. Immediately your surfing was much more high performance than Ive ever seen from you yet. AND, yes its amazing and quite notable the projection you were getting off of the bottom turns.. That board really covers some ground. Great- Now I have to buy one.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@TheSchmuel Putting that giant pressure/ding on the board was the worst thing that happened and possibly the best thing. Worst because it ruined such a great looking board. Best because now I was forced to buy it. :) no regrets now. In fact, most of the time I surfed it, I was sort of babying it. I was so worried about deck pressures. Can't wait to hit waco with it.

[@Cuisinenomade1]

Man this is the fastest I've seen you go!

[@jakesboardreviews]

Mate, you were ripping this board to shreds, amazing surfing brother 👍🔥

[@devera6]

Of all the reviews I’ve watched of you I think this is best surfing I’ve seen. 🔥

[@ThomyeSurfs]

thanks, it felt that way too. But since it is so subjective, I didn't want to claim it. LOL It definitely helps with slightly more critical turns and critical situation. I did a backside turn at uppers under the hook of the wave and usually coming down from that, most of my grovel boards poke the nose and pearl. This board cuz of the more performance rocker just pull the maneuver off for me. I have been surprised by this board more often in situations where I have totally given up on the maneuver but the board just pulls it for me. haha Here is the wave at uppers :50 second mark. photos.app.goo.gl/e18tQrdubbpP66qo6 Now I wonder though if it can get any better. haha

[@kenkohncke7929]

I, like a lot of others can see that you are looking so much better on this board than any other! Must be something to it. And I was so surprised at how well it grovelled. Definitely on my radar now!

[@ThomyeSurfs]

thanks. I am really considering selling a few of my older boards to try and test out a PU version. it would be nice to know just how much the Dark Arts adds to the overall performance of this board. This way buyers can decide if it's worth the extra spend. hopefully by summer.

[@kaiasano8370]

you're surfing so much faster on this board, so sickkkk

[@paulsmith5167]

Great review and great surfing 👍

[@etzioschmetzio2168]

I just ordered an Inferno 72 DA last week. Had the chance get a 5 fin thruster/quad setup, and decided to stick with the normal thruster setup. Hoping I dont regret it. The quad looks fun. Havent been this excited in a while. Cant wait to get out there and get some waves! Enjoyed the review my dude.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

let me know how it goes.

[@csarquiweb]

Most relatable reviews out there!!!

[@g35pm]

Good review! The Dark Arts definitely has something to it. I have a Inferno 72 in Dark Arts and it slingshots off the bottom for me.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Yeah, but it would be so good to try the FT in PU and E2 so I can put a number on it. Like it's 10% springier or 50%. I had a Varial board when they first came out and I remember it too being super springy. Have you tried the 72 in PU by chance?

[@dawsonbolus]

Ive got the 72 in PU and in DA. The DA is springier in most conditions except heavy offshore wind days, then the PU surfs much better with the added weight@@ThomyeSurfs

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@dawsonbolus My buddy has the FT in PU and DA, he says the same thing. In general, most conditions, he loves the DA better. It is seldom offshore here so he ended up selling his PU. I am thinking about buying the FT in that new C1 carbon from sharpeye. much less expensive than DA. might be a good comparison in carbon technology. what do you think?

[@dawsonbolus]

Yea for sure. Good call! Sharp eye and DA don't collab anymore so it's a good option. Just ordered one and a twin turbo in E3!@@ThomyeSurfs

[@ThomyeSurfs]

A buddy who just got this board told me that his board is the Magic Board. He said that he felt his paddled better, got into waves better, and obviously surfed better. I'm curious if there is a drag factor (less drag) with the Carbon. One thing I will say is that when I see water on it, it seems to look different when it rolls off but it could be cuz it's black and you can see the water better. It could very well be doing the same thing on white boards but I'm not seeing it. My 25L FT paddles and gets into waves almost as good as my 27.5L Mashup. I think it has to do with buoyancy more than material but the carbon material is super light. That has to be a factor. Anyways, thought I'd mention this because it helps to know other peoples experiences and perspectives. But both of us agree, it is Magic. It's a great board in most conditions but Magic is clean Trestles like conditions. Here is a surfline clip of me at uppers. Soloshot failed me again. :( photos.app.goo.gl/3HWrvyW8wFCEqJWu7 I'm the guy way to the right (goofy). @darkartssurf7376

[@etzioschmetzio2168]

Im so jealous of all you dudes riding boards around 25 and 27 liters. Im 5'11, 180lbs athletic build and picked up a 6'0 31.5 liter Super branded and still feel like i'm not getting into waves like I want to. I just ordered an Inferno 72 dark arts and went with 5'11 29.83 litter and Im really hoping its not a mistake in dimensions for such an expensive board. Will follow up once it gets here.

[@joenefkens8428]

Your best surfing yet!

[@hellocorgi]

Best I've seen you surf!

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I felt like it too. But I didn't want to be to presumptuous. I know surfing is subjective so it's hard to really know. Haha

[@surfininmy40s]

Yeah agree. It’s a little bit the board but you’ve gotten better 🤙🏾

[@ODL957]

Great surfing !!!!!!

[@thomaskruth643]

Yeeewwww sick review! Keep shredding

[@SkipperSurfReview]

Looks really good under your feet💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@michaelono7335]

Just got my board. This thing IS good!! Thanks for the review. Way, way better than the regular inferno72.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

thanks for the comment. i am thinking about getting the 72 but several people told me the same thing. I think i will skip it given i have the FT. I love my FT, best board so far in the performance realm for me. Still grovels well, although not the best for grovel, way better than expected so this is my daily now. The only sad part is, it got destroyed in my session at Waco BSR. I may need to get a new one. Hope they go on sale.

[@michaelono7335]

@@ThomyeSurfs fyi- I did mention to Sharpeye that ur channel helped me decide to get the board so I hope that helps….

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@michaelono7335 thanks so much. Maybe they will let me demo some boards.

[@meteomorris]

@@ThomyeSurfs Wow, sorry to hear that. What happened?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@meteomorris not sure exactly. if you look at the tail, it looks like someone sanded my tail pad. so bad that the entire kick is ground down and it got some of my tail. it was a risk I had to take to surf the board I wanted in the pool. :)

[@mjstatic77]

Hey Thomye, did you ever do the comparison video to the Mashup up you mention at the end of this video? Can’t seem to find it…

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I haven't done a head to head, the more I think about it, the more I realized they are different. The FT is for me, a super high performance board. The Mashup for me is a groveler. FT for better bigger waves and Mashup for smaller softer waves. they overlap a little but not sure it is enough to do a comparison of the two.

[@TheDazboo]

Were about the same size and I'm on the path to losing a bunch of weight-my Q to you is what Quad set-up have you used and preferred using while riding? Hey-dont sell yourself short-great bottom turn and style-99% of what I like to look for

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I tried it with the FCS H4's like the way Toledo rides it. I think my next video of this board at least will compare the H4's against the NVS Aipa Sequencers. I liked the concept and interested to learn if it works. It will be good to compare both those fins in both the FT and the Mashup.

[@emisurfchannel2280]

Yeah sick surf!! Good waves

[@boltup5566]

Did you try other boards during this big January swell? Then you would be able to compare this Sharpeye in the same good conditions. Good on you to buy the board. It looks like a pressure. Did you actually expose foam?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

just under the sticker it's cracked. I pushed it in so deep that at the rail, it cracked, cut through my wetsuit and cut my arm. Took weeks to get all the fibers out of my arms. it still itches which leads me to believe that I have fibers in my arm. It could be in my head. I did surf my 6' Sunday. easier to get into waves but hard to turn. The Hypto is also easy on bigger waves. Mashup was too hard for me. Any time it was over head, it was difficult to burn off speed to set the thicker rails. it's also wider by an almost an inch. My soloshot failed me big time. Thought it was done for but was able to factory reset it. Hoping it goes another year or two. I did have some epic turns at Newport on the FT but didn't set up the camera. This board was made for that wave.

[@DavidS1er]

Would you recommend this for some one who’s comfortable riding midlengths and getting comfortable with shortboards? Also, would love to see videos of any sort of you on the board, looking extra sharp on this one

[@ThomyeSurfs]

this is relatively an easy board. The rocker and fin setup makes it feel more like a groveler vs a performance board. Although it is a very high performance board, it doesn't seesaw like one. Because of the nice medium rocker and concaves, it sizes up well too. Don't go too big but you don't have to ride it as small as me. I have a few buddies that are my height but ride it a few inches longer than I do and they love, and I mean love, their FT's. For all of us, it is our favorite daily drivers. I am actually thinking to get one at 5'9, 1" longer.

[@vantvu]

Damn, by far the best I’ve seen you surfing! And super surprising to see how well it grovels - I think Kales talks about how he likes it really for bigger waves. Makes me really want to get one, although I still love my modern 2.5. How did this one feel vs the modern 2? So much better you wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I love my Modern 2 but I think I bought that too big. But I also didn't want a short stubby rail line. this sort of fixes that. I get a 5'8 rail line in a performance package. the upside is way batter. there is no way i could have made some of those turns on the bigger sets on that big day. not on the Modern 2. the Modern 2 had a ceiling of about 6' for me. Anything over head was difficult. too wide. For me, no hesitation. Having said that, I feel like that Sharpeye Twin Turbo is a more performance oriented twin. an upgrade to the modern 2. Anyways, longer rails and performance is what I am shifting to.

[@vantvu]

@@ThomyeSurfs would you go with the quad or the regular thruster if you were to do it again? The quad didn’t feel like it wanted to draw out your turns too much?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@vantvu the FT is quad by design and there isn't a thruster option. Although I suspect you could order it custom. For now I like it as is. If I wanted a thruster, I'd probably go with the inferno 72 instead.

[@gilliamm.5732]

Great vid. Thanks

[@fox.709]

Looking good 🔥

[@barnabyflynn965]

Hello. Dominator 2 or sharpeye 72 FT for daily driver? Got a mini ghost round tail. Doesn’t hold when it turns on. 31 ltrs. Ghost 31.5ltrs holds in anything. Thinking Dominator in 30ltrs or Sharpeye 72FT 30.5ltrs. Am 10.5 stone average to good surfer.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I guess it would depend on ones definition of Daily Driver. For me, cuz my waves are often softer and smaller, my daily driver would be a groveler. Other factors like paddle power goes into it but we'll ignore that for now. Comparing the three boards, the dims are: D2 30L 5'8 x 20" x 2 3/8'. FT 30.5L 5'11 x 19.5" x 2.62" mG 31.5 5'10 x 19.5" x 2.56" of the 3, the best groveler will be the D2. Mostly cuz of the width, it is likely also much flatter than the other 2. Less rocker grovels better but It too won't hold as it turns on. Which is why you don't see Kelly ever surfing the D2 even in small crap waves. Too wide. the interesting thing about the FT and mG is that they are very similar in size except the mG is shorter and thinner but has more volume. What I have to guess is that it adds the extra volume in the rails. fatter rails definitely make a board harder to hold in bigger punchier waves. All said and done, the best performance board of the 3 will be the FT. it will definitely hold better than the other two. Again, since I don't know much else about you, this is just board info. you sort of have to answer the question of what you want. grovel or performance in your daily driver. But between the D2 and FT, the D2 is a groveler and the FT is a performance board. hope this helps.

[@NCsurfer607]

I’m thinking about getting this board we are about mirror image same size . Probably getting same size board just confused which construction I wanted to go with ? How you liking the board still ?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Love my FT. By far my favorite performance board. I personally have not ridden any other construction for this board but I have a buddy who owns both. He sold his PU version and went Carbon. He says night and day, Carbon all the way. In fact, now that they make the C1, you are saving like $300 from what the Dark Arts used to cost. Having said that, I know they also have the E3 construction. Although I have not surfed the FT in E3, I have surfed the Modern 2 in E2. I loved the M2 a lot, but not sure how much of that was Construction vs board design. Anyways, based on what my buddy said since he has owned both at the same time and surfed some wave pools on both boards, his opinion is pretty legit. Hope this helps a little bit.

[@NCsurfer607]

@@ThomyeSurfs thanks for the info my be leaning towards the E3 thank you

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@NCsurfer607 consider the C1 Carbon cuz it's not much more than the E3. but availability is everything. good luck bro.

[@alberto0]

@@ThomyeSurfs Thanks! I have one in PU, and feels a bit "rigid". Yours looked much more alive. I was considering getting a C1, and this comment about what your friend said made my decision.

[@RobSymington]

You’re ripping on that board. Time to make some YT revenue with some more excellent tutorials then! 😂

[@Dill_doh]

How does this work in windy conditions?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I didn't have any issues but I also didn't surf it in howling winds. Moderate wind seems fine.

[@rctrix9063]

Some boards manufacturers make their models to extreme lengths, does that really work? I always thought it had a lot to do with shoulder width. The topic of scaling could be a vlog?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

yeah, I know that most surfboards don't stay true to scale. I have mathematically calculated the scale of the Dominator and Seaside and they get more stretched out than wide, which totally makes sense. I'll consider it for a topic but to me, it's more surf locker room discussion. My buddies and I get beers after a session and all we do is discuss design. LOL geeks at heart. I feel like we don't do it enough. Pizza and beers after a long surf. Super refreshing. and then we just argue the whole time.

[@larrydowling5213]

Damn dude, smackin dat lip 🤙

[@bencostantini5771]

Had a ft and didn’t gel with the quad thing and ended up getting a 72 which I really like. I was thinking about ordering the fr as a thruster. What are your thoughts on that working.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I think the FT would work as a thruster. But more specifically might work better as a 2+1.

[@Bixrimini]

For the small condition you prefer ft inferno or Dark twin.?🤙.thanks

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I think it depends on how small. the DT would likely handle softer waves better, small or big. While the FT is pure performance with a touch of grovel made for better waves. It will still surf in the small stuff, but not naturally. It would require some skill to get the board moving in tiny waves.

[@Bixrimini]

@@ThomyeSurfs Ty 🤙

[@esdubya]

Hi mate what fins you recommend for a loser feel?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

one super loose set I tried was the NVS AIPA DNA Sequencers. they are super pivot and the rear fins at super small for a quad set. What fins system did you get?

[@turbowtime9611]

Do you regret not buying a 5'9 or '510? Also a year later, what's your thoughts?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

i don't regret not buying it. I think at the beach I surf, i could have gone 5'9 but the 5'8 is perfect for Trestles and better days at my local beach. The Mashup is what I have for the average days. So honestly, no regrets. I love that board. After a year, it is still one of my favorites. I am looking to replace it with another/newer one since mine is pretty beat up now. I am hoping to have an FT in carbon in my quiver for the next 5 years or so.

[@turbowtime9611]

@@ThomyeSurfs Legit, thanks bro!

[@jose2x784]

Why aren't you comparing it to dominator 2? it has a quad option and its medium concaves like the FT

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I rode my dom2 at 5'4. they didn't feel anything alike. in fact, I think my dom2 at 5'4 was 25.9L and it felt way smaller and surfed smaller than my 5'8 FT which is 25.5L. Something about the wide point being further back on the dom2 makes that board feel really small. oddly for me, in terms of the way it feels when surfing, hold, drive, balance, rail to rail, it feels more like a performance version of the Mashup. If I had to make any comparison at at, I would just say that the FRK+ is like a performance version of the dom2.

[@stevenyao8660]

Hi Thomye, I’ve been told that Sharpeye/carbon boards should be sizing down a little bit volume-wise to make it work. Do you think it make sense for intermediates? Or should I stick to the normal volume?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Slightly down in carbon for sure. The board is so light that the buoyancy is greater.

[@stevenyao8660]

@@ThomyeSurfs Thank you! On my way to order this one!

[@Dill_doh]

@@ThomyeSurfs how many is slightly down? 0.5L-1L?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@Dill_doh in my case, because i was looking for performance and not trying to maintain grovel, I went from a 27.1 Firewire Mashup which already floats better than say a PU, to a 25.5L Sharpeye FT Dark Arts. If I wanted to maintain more grovel, I probably would have gone with a 5'9. Having said that, I recently did a review part 1 of the Firewire FRK+ and because it too is a performance board, I bought the 5'8 25.1L. I am struggling with that one to paddle and catch waves. to make the math easier, here are my calculations and hopefully you can apply it: I'm 145 lbos Mashup vol to weight = .186897 FT vol to weight = .175862 so my percentage drop was 5.9043 in volume. Seaside vol to weight = .194483 so percentage drop from seaside was 9.5747 Anyways, calculate your vol to weight and then the percentage drop. I would then take you skill level and decide what you want in a Dark Arts board. One thing I will say, if you like the Seaside and/or the Mashup, the FT is an easy transition. To me, all three feel so natural. They took me zero time to get used to. From wave 1, it felt like I had surfed the board for months. Hard to explain. Same with the El Tomo Fish. Maybe I prefer swallow tails with little tail rocker. Sorry for the long response.

[@IrvinKLiu]

Love seeing your progression, you look so good out there! What do you think would be the futures equivalent to the H4s?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I don't think they have one. the H4's are so unique in shape. I would hit up NVS. those guys are so cool. you could easily just have them cut you one similar to the H4's. Having said that, I tired the Aipa Sequencers on my FT as a quad with dark horseman rears. that worked similar if not a tad better in smaller waves than the H4's. The Sequencers are like between a normal quad/tri size and a Twin fins size. so the front fins are bigger providing more drive. They are very upright though so you use the Dark horseman rears to get the rake. I am thinking about trying that in my Revo and Mashup next.

[@vantvu]

Any update on how you like the board? Noticed the width you got is a lot narrower than a lot of boards you surf - how has that felt in terms of trade off between speed and control? I got an inferno 72 at 5.7 x 19 inches x 2.44 and to be honest it almost feels a little boats and a bit hard to engage the rail. Wondering if I should have gone thinner or narrower.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I didn't find mine to be too narrow or thin. Yours sounds custom from the looks of the dims. the dark arts adds a bit of buoyancy so I think having gone down from my usual volume and dims was a good call. as of now, it is the most perfect board for me. of all the boards I love, and I love many, I would rank this #1. The only negative was cost but because I do love it, it validates the spend.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

BTW, I love it so much, as soon as another 5'8 comes into stock and they go on 20% sale again, I'm buying another one. I'll travel with my current one and use the new one at home.

[@vantvu]

@@ThomyeSurfs yeah they told me a lot of their team riders were ordering thicker than stock, but kind of regretting it. You think going thinner or narrower would be better?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@vantvu than stock dims? no. i think the board is perfect as is stock. But I think I got lucky since my weight to height ratio is close to Felipe. if the boards are modeled after his board and scaled as such, it was definitely to my benefit to keep it stock. what liters were you looking for?

[@vantvu]

@@ThomyeSurfs yeah I’m 5.7 x 150 lbs. was aiming for around 26.4 liters. Interesting, I might have to think about how I’d adjust width vs thickness. I’ve always ridden 19 wide but curious now how 18 3/4 feels

[@davidcallaway5697]

Great surfing. Both your surfing and the waves you were surfing look next level. You made the board look electric! But is it that much better than the FW sci fi 2.0 or the Mash up? Is the Dark Arts / Sharpeye that much of a game changer, do you reckon? Given the price tag?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

3 different boards. The sweet spot for my mashup, at least for me is about knee to head high. The scifi2 was about chest to head high maybe bigger if softer. The FT is at least so far, waist to 3 to 4 ft overhead for me. at that wave height, I could still put it on rail. Now regarding the dark arts, I mentioned this in the video. I don't know how much of the springiness comes from the construction. I don't know exactly where the performance of the board ends and the construction begins. I have to believe there is some factor but until I surf a non Dark Arts version of this board, I'll never know. One thing though, it is so light. When I held a carbon Lost board in the shop, I was shocked at how light it was. Knowing this, when we worked out the size, I went 2L less than what I normally surf. My Mashup is 27.2 and most of my other boards are 28. This board does not feel small, in fact, I think this is the reason it grovels well for me. because it is so buoyant. I will try and make another video soon and do some direct comparisons.

[@davidcallaway5697]

@@ThomyeSurfs Thanks Thomye. I'm super interested to see a comparison vid. I just got a mashup, hoping it's the Holy Grail, but now it seems to be this thing 😕!

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@davidcallaway5697 LOL. it's tough. I am going to do a comparison but they aren't the same boards or even close to the same category of boards. The reason I'm actually going to do the comparison is to show that each have the strengths. People tend to simplify boards, waves, etc. too much. a 2' wave can be different from Trestles to Newport to Bolsa. And different boards will work better in different places. If you told me I could only surf Bolsa and could not go anywhere else, I would auto choose the Mashup or Seaside. If you told me Trestles, it would be the Mashup and FT (so far). If you told me Newport, FT and maybe the Hypto. So don't be too concerned with the board choices you make. Make sure it fits your wave and then master the board best as your ability allows. Then try other boards for the sake of sharpening your skills. I view surfboards like golf clubs (except much more expensive, haha). At the same though, tough to have too many boards because the choices become much harder.

[@philippepetitpas1883]

I know the shape is a huge factor, but can you compare dark arts to helium 2 construction ?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Sorry, thought I had answered this. I may have but then forgot to send it. haha Both are light weight. Helium though is much stronger. You barely get pressure dents on the deck from your feet. I am super heavy with that and my pressures are really light on Helium boards. The Dark Art is a tad lighter than the helium believe it or not but it also is a tad softer. I think the board is super strong, hard to break but the deck will pressure easier than the Helium. Definitely stronger than PU and most EPS boards. In case you didn't know, PU boards over time lose their spring and pop. So if you bought 4 boards that were identical, PU, EPS, Heluim, and Carbon but never rode them, here is what would happen: First, the PU would lose it spring and pop, not sure how long that takes. Likely different with the environmental factors. Then the eps and helium would last much longer as it relates to spring and pop; but, they would turn yellow at some point., It's the hardener in the epoxy that does this. I've seen it with my own eyes now. The carbon boards would never lose their spring and pop according to their respective companies. if you rode them, helium would show the least amount of wear, EPS and Carbon would show roughly the same, and PU would look like a golfball. haha Hope that answers your questions. BTW, most of this is based on my observation of my boards. My favorite tech is Dark Arts and Helium equally, then EPS, and I don't like PU at all. Only on bigger boards like mids and longboards. I may have a different opinion on better waves but I surf average crap.

[@philippepetitpas1883]

@@ThomyeSurfs thank you very much for this !

[@trestlesrocks]

Ripping!! What fins did you use?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I rode the fcs h4 since I wanted to ride it just like Filipe Toledo rode it in the final. Those fins are fantastic in this board but I also think there is a set of NVS that will go great as well. I will likely do a comparison video as soon as I can get hold of a set.

[@pirateunder40]

How do you protect it from the sun?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

It just goes from my car to the water. So I have not had any issues.

[@bryananderson5697]

I have one and I love it but it is very delicate and I maybe got 10 more sessions on it and it's done. I've had it for 2mths and it's been in the ding shop 3 times now and I buckled it.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

dang that sucks. you have the dark arts version?

[@bryananderson5697]

@@ThomyeSurfs yeah i have the dark arts regular inferno.. love the board in the right conditions, like in the vid the spring off the bottom turns are insane and i can move it on a cht high wave as if i was on a over head wave, but i guess all of that comes with a price, i've never had a board so brittle.

[@etzioschmetzio2168]

@@bryananderson5697 Your the first person Ive seen say this so far through out all the research. Pretty EVERYONE else has said they are way more durable than a PU. Im curious why your experience is so different. Did it break or just ding up easily?

[@rocapeinado]

Nice vid! Freakin fast!!! The inferno 72 and FT have so much hype, looks great under your feet. Is iT user friendly? (I mean for an intermediate) I have a FW omni 5’8 and a FW SSandB 6’8. I will go to the maldives in may (hopefully good waves, but no so big) I was thinking buying a seaside or a mashup, but man those inferno look good…what would you prefer?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I'm not familiar with the Omni (I've never surfed it) but when I looked it up, it looks like a Kelly performance board. So it seems you are covered for performance. The S&B at 6'8 is 38L or so you are covered for days that might be smaller or bigger and softer. I guess it depends on what you are looking to fill. Do you need a groveler in between the Omni and S&B or do you need more performance. Separately, to answer your question, I would say YES, this board is user friendly. I was super surprised by it and how well it did to grovel. That was something I was not expecting. To give you a good comparison, I reviewed the Dominator 2 at 5'4 which was 25.9L. Technically, that board is a groveler hybrid that leans toward performance. But it is not a performance board. The FT that I reviewed was 5'8 and 25.5L. Longer, more rail line, more rocker, narrower and it's 100% a performance board. But comparing the two, it surfed way better in the smaller waves than the Dom2. It grovels almost as well as my Mashup which is 27.2L. The FT is faster in almost every way except for down the line in flat sections. The Mashup wins there and there only. I speculate that the Mashup will also win in smaller sub 2' conditions just cuz it is wider and has more volume. Anyways, depending on what you are going for, this is a good option. It's not what I expected of a performance board. I had the Holy Toledo some years back and that board I would not recommend except for high performance surfing.

[@rocapeinado]

@@ThomyeSurfs thanks for the answer! The omni its quite old and sooner or later i’ll have to replace it. Noel salas in the last video recommended me the lost RNF96. I want an everyday board around 33-34l that surf easy. I’ll use the SSB in gutless and small waves and the other board betwen 2-6ft in bad and good and powerfull days

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@rocapeinado If you are looking for 33 to 34 liters, then the FT would be close to 6'2" in height. Unless you are 6' tall or taller, I would say it might not be the best option. But as I mentioned in the video, I'm not sure how it will scale. It could potentially scale amazingly, but I don't know for sure until someone else reports on that. Regarding the RNF96, that board looks really fun. It looks like the Mashup to me but with more tail rocker. My buddy has one and I am hoping he lets me ride it. Anyways, i'm super jealous. Maldives is on my Bucket List. With that said, if you hit some good waves there, you may want an oversized performance board that has a performance nose. It makes barrel riding so much easier. Performance boards cut for performance tend to hold the perfect line for barrels so the skill needed is much less. Wider nose boards are harder since it wants to climb the face of the wave at the angle you need to ride it. I know you said you were intermediate but imagine rolling up on a perfect wave and all you need is to be able to get in early and hold the perfect line. Just a thought. Cheers mate.

[@foxgd88]

Was the black board a pain with wax?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

no, the water is cold enough. I took it to Nicaragua last November and thought it would be an issue with the warmer water but it held up fine in the water. Definitely if you left it in the sun for 30 seconds, it would melt quickly but in the water, it was fine. In CA, no issues at all.

[@DeforestLCooper]

Hows that leash plug placement? Did it interfere with the pad placement at all?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

It didn't interfere at all. since it is a dedicated quad, I didn't need to put the pad too far back. In fact, I left a bit of space perfectly spaced around the plug itself and not the actually hole. I usually cover the plug and put the pad right up against the hole.

[@rctrix9063]

Your cat is a character.😁👍 BTW Your not low end anything. You are high end advanced, just need to be confident.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

LOL. Yeah, definitely has to be in the mix. Not sure if all cats do that but any time I'm focusing on something she needs to be a part of it for some odd reason. FOMO i guess. haha

[@vznquest]

how much of this board's strength do you think comes from the Dark Arts? any experience with PU yet? i'm looking at the base PU model as that's all i can afford right now...

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I have not surfed this particular model in PU. I avoid PU mostly because of pressures. The way PU pressures vs eps is vastly different. I have been meaning to do a video about that but figured no one would watch it, LOL. Anyways, one of my good friends told me that he has the FT in both PU and Dark Arts. He feels they are different and that it doesn't work in PU as well. But I don't know any other detail about it. they may have been different dims because I would recommend getting the DA version 1" shorter than the PU just cuz of buoyancy. Having said that, I'm not sure how much stronger DA is over PU. I'd imagine the same as epoxy/EPS over PU. The main difference is "spring" as carbon wants to get back to its original position/state. I put a massive pressure on mine after 2 weeks which broke my heart, actually it was a subs board and so i had to buy it from him. :( but I don't regret it. I'm happy that happened and I'm happy it's mine. I totally understand that the price tag is a massive hurdle. But I'll say this, I love my FT, and recently after some damage at the Waco Surf pool, I decided it is my travel board. I plan to buy another one as soon as one get shaped (I only buy stock). I am also hoping that it is in stock at the same time they have one of their 20% sales. One high selling point for me is that over time, it will not lose its spring/pop. PU's tends to do that, lose it's pop. at some point though, if I ever get the chance, I'll try an hop on a PU and compare it. But that is unlikely unless one of my buddies gets one in my size. most of my friends are bigger than me so their boards are too big. :(

[@vznquest]

​@@ThomyeSurfsthanks for the answer man. Maybe I missed it but did you run the H4 fins in this? I actually have the H4 thruster set but shudder at the idea of spending $100 on a pair of quad rears.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@vznquest I did run the H4's but don't know how much value it adds. With the H4's, you have to buy the quad rears which is a bummer and they are pricey for standard looking fins. I would consider just dropping in some other set of quad rears with the H4 fronts. I plan to test out some other fin sets, a few from AIPA that are of way better value.

[@vznquest]

@@ThomyeSurfs ok. When you do try some others than the H4 I'd love to hear how they go in comparison.

[@Brado11]

I would consider myself a similar skill level to you, what made you choose the FT over the regular inferno ? Is this a quad setup?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

great question. to be honest, I felt the 72 was reviewed enough. The old inferno looked like a step up. Figured I would try the FT since the 72 has the same rocker. Also, I'm not much of a thruster guy, I like 2+1 but historically, I've never fallen in love with a traditional thrusters. I could be wrong though, the 72 might also be magic for me. The final part of that answer is the sub that ordered it. He was leaning towards the FT so I wasn't going to argue. :) I think he already had the 72 in PU and wanted try to a Dark Arts. All the stars aligned at that point, the board was available in my (our) size, the FT needed more reviews, it was quad, and a swallow. All my favorite boards as of late, have been swallow. Wish I knew this 20 years ago. LOL

[@onshore1ft]

Your best surfing for sure. Your backhand is only struggling because of your lack of rotation. You need to rotate your upper body to turn more head on toward the direction you are heading.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

I will try and practice that at BSR Waco this week. Hopefully I come back a bit improved. LOL thanks for the advise.

[@jasonking8937]

Yeah Nah I reckon your backhand is looking pretty good. Just go right more often man.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

agreed. I need to force myself.

[@catinthehat8412]

that board suit's you love your cat do you ride all types of surfboards I have the chilli mid strength 6:10 it I really go board 😻🤙🌟

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Look at the pic at 10:28 lol. The cat was verifying my measurement. She has to be involved all the time.

[@waxcomb]

145lbs is 65.75kgs folks

[@ThomyeSurfs]

LOL. thanks. I need to get used to that. some people ask me for advice and I have to look it up. :(

[@dawsonbolus]

Was this shot with the solo shot 3+

[@ThomyeSurfs]

no, this was the Soloshot3. I just paid for the 3+ upgrade and sent in my camera, which is why I have not put out a video in some time. :( hoping to get it back soon.

[@dawsonbolus]

Cool, look forard to more videos from ya. I just got a used soloshot3 w/25. Was this the 25 or 65? Thanks mate.@@ThomyeSurfs

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@dawsonbolus Mine was 65. Not that you need 65mm. I used to photo surfers 15 years ago and needed a really long lens for HB area so I bought the larger lens. Now after having used it, I realize that you don't want to be zoomed in too closely. The camera isn't that accurate for tracking so too often leaves you out of frame. I bought mine used from a buddy who bought it used from ebay. LOL mine is third hand. My original camera broke, got sand in the lens housing and it wouldn't zoom in or out.

[@dawsonbolus]

Aww sick, that reassures me some. I just ordered one on ebay but then got nervous with the several bad reviews online. Was it extremely difficult to first calibrate? Also, how long does it take each morning now that you are used to it? Appreciate ya man! @@ThomyeSurfs

[@ThePokersurfer]

Wow that board sure has a lot of pizzazz and spark to it and the cat wants to surf!

[@ThomyeSurfs]

she just wants a new scratching post. which is why I had to keep her off of it. haha

[@goingupsidedown]

Is the Inferno FT the board you pull out to surf most days still?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

hard to say, because of trying to get new videos out, I have to take advantage of what little surf opportunities I have. Not only the right swell but they have to fall on a weekend. :( If I didn't have a channel, it would be a toss up between the FT and my Mashup for daily drivers. they are about 1.5L in difference so I would likely take the FT when it was chest high and bigger and the Mashup for anything smaller. But as full disclosure, I don't surf my FT at all cuz of this channel. But I still have it and will always have one in my quiver.

[@maynardlim9438]

Ripping!

[@Toades8513]

Some of the best surfing I've seen you do. However I don't like that one elbow hit can dent that board so easily.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

No, I hit it pretty hard. Like I fell from top of an 8' wave and to avoid hitting my face, I put my hand up. My elbow basically went 8' down right onto the board. any other board would have taken the same if not more except for timber tech and libtech. those might have broken my elbow.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

One other thing, I'm 100% certain a PU board would have snapped. I've snapped PU's with way less force. And given it was the nose, thinner part, I'm actually impressed that it didn't break.

[@michaelono7335]

Ru riding the H4 mediums or large?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

Mediums. was trying to copy Toledos setup as my first go

[@michaelono7335]

@@ThomyeSurfs I’m 5’7 178lbs, medium or large for me?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

@@michaelono7335 I think you can go either or. I personally don't go by weight rather, the size of the wave. if it is a big punchy wave, I like medium fins. if the waves are small, I do large fins for more drive. I also don't push as hard as say a pro. I have rather weak legs but that is something I'm working on. For you, I would ask what type of waves do you surf more and are you a power surfer. do you push your tail around a lot. if you surf small waves, go with the large. if you surf bigger waves, do mediums so they don't hold too tight when you push on them.

[@RBNK157]

thomye, would you still recommend the NB2 in 2023 ?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

no, not for daily driver. It's to specific. for me it worked really well in waste to head high punchy conditions frontside. backside had to be a tad softer. It really didn't work at the Kelly pool for me. But my issue is that i'm super heavy front foot. O don't pivot off the tail as much as i should backside. I would recommend the FT over the NB2 any day even in those conditions where the NB2 excelled cuz I think the FT would perform better. I'm super interested to try the 72 to see which is more user friendly in my conditions.

[@josephtube24]

What fins?

[@ThomyeSurfs]

so far, I've tried it with the H4's and the NVS AIPA Sequencers. I think is a drawn out wave, the H4's are better but in a pocket or smaller wave, sequencers for the win.

[@josephtube24]

@@ThomyeSurfs got it, thank you for the feedback, appreciate it

[@PA96704]

Thats a magic board.

[@ThomyeSurfs]

just surfed it this weekend. I have been on such big boards lately that the FT felt tiny. Like a kids board. Took 2 sessions to make it feel normal. But definitely my Magic board.