The Proformer is our top end, modern performance longboard. In longboard terms it's about as far away as it's possible to get from a traditional log. So where the Saunton Foil is the 'gentleman' of our range and all about glide and cruising the Proformer, on the other hand, is a punky 'teenager', quick to change mood and not as easy to deal with but my god it's cool.
The proformer at a glance
SIZE RANGE: 9'.0" to 9'.6"
TYPICAL DIMENSIONS: 9'.0"x 22 ½" x 2 ¾"
ROCKER: modern end to end rocker
RAILS: low/shortboard
BOTTOM SHAPE: nose concave-flat to vee
IDEAL CONDITIONS: anything goes
BEST SUITED TO: intermediate to experienced
The design in detail
The Proformer is designed as a competition longboard. Competition level boards have to be able to do a lot more than your standard mal. From small to big surf, from barrels to slop, this board is able to handle it and go from a noseride to a full round hose cutback almost instantly.
To make the tight turning arcs possible the Proformer has a narrow and finely foiled rounded squashtail with a 2 plus one fin set up. Rails are low and 'shortboardy' throughout but particularly low in the tail. It is highly rockered which helps fit the curves of hollow waves and there is a subtle nose concave to help give you that millisecond longer on the nose.
Of course, you don't have to be a teenage competition head to ride a Proformer, no matter what your age this board will make you feel young again.
Proformer longboard By Dave Smith
Being a bigger guy has always made board selection for me difficult, and the fact that I now live in Kent has also required me to re assess my boards. Growing up in North Devon I would always ride short boards made for me with a bit more volume packed into them allowing me to still keep the length down, but alas now I have gone to a performance longboard as I wanted a board that would ride in smaller waves but still be able to paddle out in a good 4ft day. I consulted the guys at Gulf Stream and they said that it would be a good option as a 1 board quiver for me, as im quite a big guy but super fit from regular swimming and marathon running.. After the first few surfs on it I really fell in love it. It paddled really well, caught waves excellently and would turn and react just how I wanted it to. This obviously doesn't mean you need to be a big guy to ride a performance long board, as mine is a big one (9'6 x 23 x 3), but it does show that even a big guy can have good manoeuvrability and performance whilst still getting loads of waves and having lots of volume.
Cant fault the board at all, Gulf Stream do it again….Thanks gents.
