Customer Surfboard Reviews
Jordan McCann
Hey Chris and Nick it’s Jordan thanks for hooking me up with the traveler. It was nice working with you guys and being Involved with fine tuning all the details. The board came out spot on it paddles fast,gets into waves easy, and feels good rail to rail. I have a ton of options with the 4+1 fin layout, it’s nice to feel how different setups ride. Right now I have a set of big twins with a small trailer and the board is quick! It was also fun to ride as a single. That being said I’m glad I rode it when I did, Anastasia likes it too I think shes trying to claim it. Thanks guys.
Jesyka Villins
Hey Chris, just wanna say thanks SO MUCH! Yesterday was awesome and it was so great getting out on the new board, (even tho the waves weren't great). It's perfect. You guys are the BEST.
Rick Clark
Love the board, Chris! Rode for about an hour before heading back to Delaware. Thanks again!
Alex Brown, Ph.D.
This past fall, I was in the market for a new board. Over the past couple of years I've decided to get with the program, buy some decent winter gear, and extend my surf season into the colder months. After snapping my old 9'2 performance longboard on a big, dredging right this fall, I decided that continuing to surf from October-May meant that I needed a board that would be better suited to the demands of the more substantial New Jersey winter swells.
I considered lots of 'stock' board designs from lots of shapers, but nothing seemed like a good fit. I've been a die-hard longboarder since my early teens, so a typical performance shortboard or step-up would probably have cut my wave count a little too drastically given my skill level. I'll admit: I'm aging rapidly, and my waistline isn't getting any smaller. I needed something with quite a bit of volume, but I didn't want to sacrifice hold or drive.
Thankfully, the guys at Kona were super quick to draft a board design that met my seemingly impossible combination of conflicting requirements. From scratch, Chris concocted a wide point forward design with performance rocker, a pulled in tail and performance oriented rails that would hold in bigger surf, but maintain enough float and stability to keep things fun for a longboarder without a lot of experience riding boards under 9 feet. Chris and his team took my height and weight, assessed my experience level from a few videos, and turned those specs into a completely custom magic stick for less than many comparable stock boards. The experience was affordable, quick, easy, and personalized. As an engineer, I was impressed with Kona's in-house manufacturing capability and their local supply chain. As a customer, I couldn't be happier with their commitment to customer satisfaction and the care they took in delivering a truly personalized product.
Chase Deegan
Prior to riding two other Kona models that I loved, I knew I had to try the Bullet out because my good buddy Jack fell in love with it. For a long time, I always rode the same board in different sizes, but after trying out the Bullet I felt like I had so much more speed and was able to do way better turns and really put it on rail.
Garrett Straube
I was super stoked to be able to sit down with Chris and design exactly the board I was looking for. Having liked the stock design on the Thumper, we tweaked it just right for my needs. The round tail is great for holding in heavy fast waves while at the same time being versatile enough for turns. We also gave it a bit more volume allowing for additional float through those slower sections making it the perfect all around board for what we get here in New Jersey. It was a really cool thing to see your paper idea come to life right there in the shop.
Jack Hendee
It was awesome being able to pick my own dimensions for the board I had imagined in my head and then seeing it on the CAD. I had the idea of shrinking the Bullet down a little in size and adding width while still keeping the short board shape. Overall, it was an easy and quick process from the idea phase to having the board in my hands. The custom is just the way I wanted it and has been working great as a high performance / Groveler type board.
Josh France
Real playful and fast with single more for style and old school. Quad makes it more performance for tighter turns and skateboards style speed carves
The way there’s more foam with the darhma style deck and the sick bottom concave
Rocker is perfect
The board is a beast for all around small to mid range surf
The tail holds steep Avallanas Beach break perfect with that big single
Luke Garripoli
Its a really great board super I can get into the waves with ease. its fast and sturdy. Love the all around production of the board and you guys for being very helpful and always willing to work with me.
Emily Logan
When Kona designed my custom surfboard, I got the red carpet treatment. Chris and the crew sat down with me and asked me what I wanted in a surfboard. He designed my board exactly how I wanted it. I got to pick out all the dimensions. Watching the board get shaped right in front of me was an awesome experience. The board was designed for those small summer swells. It has a five fin set up with a ton of float. I was so stoked when I saw the finished product. I’m so proud to be a team rider.
Thanks Kona Surf Company.
Jake McKenna
I'm a big fan of the Kona Retro Fish with a quad fin setup. It was my go year round groveler board. When you looked at the board the bottom was flat, very little rocker, and a fat fish tail like all old school retro Fish boards. I wanted to make a custom that pushed the Retro Fish into a modern day Groveler Fish. I looked and researched a lot of Fish boards that were being made these days. After searching around I got a few ideas of what I wanted to do for my custom Groveler Fish. I took the Kona Retro Fish and added more rocker in the nose and in the tail. I pulled the nose and tail of the board in and added a double concave through out the bottom. It was awesome working with Chris on my custom board. It's crazy being able to go from a picture on a computer to a cut blank in just a few minutes. I couldn't be happier the way this board came out. It's definitely my favorite board in my current quiver.
George Rague
Just picked up my new Kona Custom and I am blown away! The time, effort & attention to detail; taking my idea and helping design the board I wanted into the board that would best work for me, were exceptional. Having surfed for many years and had a number of boards, I am stoked that I now have a board design specifically for me. Thanks to you and your team for the time & effort you put in to insure my success. Mahalo.
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Sagu Patel
I was searching for a new summer board that was higher in volume which would do nice here in jersey. After looking around at a lot of company's I found Kona and their Lemon Head. The bat tail caught my eye and looked like it would perform like a fish with just a little more hold. I went with the custom to get the black tint I wanted and it was awesome that the guys at Kona were happy to explain how changing various dimensions on the board would affect its performance. Customizing the the fin setup was my favorite part because it makes the board a great all around board. Having the ability to choose from a twin, quad, single, and even a thruster setup made this board great for small mushy waves all the way to steep larger waves. When I wanna have fun and really draw out lines I go with the lemon head, when I wanna get barreled during a steeper swell I still go with the lemon head. The board paddles really well into waves and the bat tail provides and amazing balance between stability and maneuverability. The lemon head is a great addition to my quiver and my favorite board so far!
Mike C
The board is awesome, paddles super fast almost like a longboard. Catching pretty much everything I go for and it's easy to control in the wave
Yeah, board is perfect.
Joe Koebele
The board is perfect. It floats me well and I am catching pretty much everything I go for. Once I get on the wave it provides easy control and transition from rail to rail.
Thanks Chris.
Alex Chimell
I could not be more pleased with my experience ordering a custom shaped board from Kona Surf Company. I was in the market for a new board and had heard good things about Kona Surf Co. through friends. I was hesitant to order a custom board because of the long wait that is so standard with other companies.
After getting in touch with Nick and discussing what I was looking for, he came up with a few designs for me within hours. We tweaked a couple things and my board went into fabrication. I received regular updates/photos on the process and 3 weeks later I had my new board in my hands.
The board rides amazing which was no surprise to me. I am so impressed with the entire process from start to finish. I look forward to ordering from Kona Surf Company in the very near future.
