I'm really interested in the larger Hipe Boards. They look good in somany ways but my only concern is the 6" thickness of the bigger boards. The 5'5" and 6'5" are ones that say 6" thick. In my head it just seems like it could be corky/tippy when not on foil. Anybody got any feedback on them?
Select to expand quoteFishdude said..
I'm really interested in the larger Hipe Boards. They look good in somany ways but my only concern is the 6" thickness of the bigger boards. The 5'5" and 6'5" are ones that say 6" thick. In my head it just seems like it could be corky/tippy when not on foil. Anybody got any feedback on them?
I know you are looking for feedback on the larger ones but I'll throw a bit of advice generally..
I have the 5'1 Hipe 85L and it has been fantastic way better than I thought it would be. I stepped down from Gong Zuma 120L.
I personally think you need the cheapest board to learn on either 2nd hand or something like the Hipe. If you got the 6'5 you will want to change after around 20 sessions and you won't loose much money. You also are fairly clumsy when learning and you can't damage yourself or the board. The foil keeps the board from feeling corky. It's a great choice to learn on!!
i have the 5.5 HIPE and like it very much. I started with a F-One Rocket AIR 6.6 also an inflatable and as IanInca said i sold it after around 10 sessions when the HIPE 5.5 was delivered. For my height 1.82m and 94kg the 5.5 is a perfect size. I'm still learning to jibe so i don't know how i will think about the HIPE next year when i'm more experienced but for now i really like the board.
The carbon block where the foil is mounted on is very rigid. The F-One Rocket AIR had a Tuttle Box for the foil but with that board if you you came down on the water you felt that it was an inflatable board. With the HIPE i don't have such kind of feeling at all.
And as said falling on it isn't any problem you don't hurt yourself or damage your board.
I would highly recommend it.
From the feedbacks, you should look at the length of the board rather than the volume or thickness for your first steps. Plus thickness helps a lot the rigidity in inflatables. And what is 2" more height when you stand 2' above water anyways? ;-)
Some 70kg guy chose a Hipe 5'3" to start because he thought that its 110 liters were plenty... but it was too hard, a 5'3" is still a 5'3" for longitudinal balance. After discussion on the forum and advice form the team and other riders, he resold it to get a Hipe 6'3".
In French on the Gong forum. Links to the Gong forum are banned here, you will have to search the title "help Zuma 6,6 ( essayee) ou Hipe 6,5 ?"
On this topic, there is an interesting discussion on Facebook started with a guy asking feedback from people have switched from a hard board to a Hipe: www.facebook.com/groups/174002002631963/permalink/3766983536667107/
It starts in French, (use Google Translate), but most of the answers are in English.
Just got caught out with GONG. Bought a 5'8" flint listed as in stock - shipping within 3 days. 4 or 5 days later had mail saying sorry not in stock. No info when it would next be and I had water ingress in my current board which i had to chop for warranty so needed a board within a month ideally.
Opted for a refund.....paid out ?1000.32 originally, refund was ?933.63 after bank fees and rates etc etc so out of pocket ?67 for a false advert really.
If you dont mind a potential hefty delay (dont need a refund) you are all good but just be aware at the moment things are busy and you might be better sticking with a local supplier. Love my Gong boards but bit miffed I would not have punted the cash on a board not yet in stock.
Or easier still give them a bell/mail before you order I will next time (I should have done).
D
Select to expand quotewindeee said..
Just got caught out with GONG. Bought a 5'8" flint listed as in stock - shipping within 3 days. 4 or 5 days later had mail saying sorry not in stock. No info when it would next be and I had water ingress in my current board which i had to chop for warranty so needed a board within a month ideally.
Opted for a refund.....paid out ?1000.32 originally, refund was ?933.63 after bank fees and rates etc etc so out of pocket ?67 for a false advert really.
If you dont mind a potential hefty delay (dont need a refund) you are all good but just be aware at the moment things are busy and you might be better sticking with a local supplier. Love my Gong boards but bit miffed I would not have punted the cash on a board not yet in stock.
Or easier still give them a bell/mail before you order I will next time (I should have done).
D
Buying Gong is...different.
It can be extremely frustrating,as you have experienced.I gave up on an order this summer,because of the delays.
But where else can you get really good shapes at those prices?.
I am awaiting a Gong Matata EPS 5.0 prone surffoil board...350euros. Nice :)
I think their communications,logistics,quality control and customer relations need work...but Patrice Guenole and his team really had the foresight an audacity to go full throttle into foiling and winging when most of the big manufacturers had their fingers up their noses.
And they have made this foil sports available to many people who could never have paid what the others were charging.
So overall they have my respect, though incidents like yours are completely unfair and i think they should man up and pay their mistake.You have done nothing wrong.
Select to expand quotewindeee said..
Opted for a refund.....paid out ?1000.32 originally, refund was ?933.63 after bank fees and rates etc etc so out of pocket ?67 for a false advert really.
I would be surprised if they do not refund you of your bank fees if you ask (nicely) with the receipts. Most probably they just did a standard refund, the usual customer (in the eurozone) not having bank fees. I had the same issues - in reverse - when buying things in the US from France.
Mistakes happen, but they always - in my experience - find solutions if you ask them.
When it was not possible is often when the customer entered "Karen mode" and were asking for vindication of what they seemed to consider as a slight to their honor.
PS: They now have a contact form on their web site that you should use for a faster response, as the form is automatically handled by the available relevant person. The global mailbox has to be hand-triaged, it can be slower.
Good to know thanks gents I will give them a polite mail to see if anything can be done via the contact form ta Colas
I have the Matata FSP and its allot better than I even expected in terms of quality and performance.
