I’m 6’4” 225lbs middle aged dude, that’s slightly above average who rides 2-4 days a week. I’m riding behind my 2022 MB B52 with three people in the boat + 400 lbs of lead at 11.4 MPH. I’m on the 57”.
This is Phase 5s best selling surf style board. It is Parker Payne’s pro model. Parker is one the best technical surf style riders in the world. He is a powerful rider that does giant airs and mind blowing skateboard inspired shuv/varial tricks.
The 57” board is rated for riders 250 lbs and up to 6’6”.
Everybody raves about this board, so I decided to give it a shot. This is what a normal guy that could use some coaching thinks about it.
Speed 10/10: This board is very fast and accelerates down the line with little effort. I have to stay on the brakes much of the time. It recovers easily from the very back of the wave.
Float 5/10: The Phantom is a potato chip compared to my other boards, it has very thin rails. Despite me being in the size range for this board,it does not have enough volume under the front foot for my riding style. Tall guys like me with wide stances will struggle. I’m constantly stuffing the nose and burying the rails due to my wide stance. I had to constantly adjust my feet to be narrower than I liked.
Pop 10/10: This board has a great feeling off the lip, it wants to boost. It’s the poppiest feeling surf style board I’ve ever ridden. If I were more flexible I could go higher lol.
Liveliness 8/10: This is where the board differs from other surf style boards. It is constructed with a different process than traditional fiberglass surf style boards. It is very durable, rigid, and does not feel like any board I’ve had before. It feels more like a street skateboard. It’s also very light and extremely responsive.
Spins: 5/10: I struggled to spin this board consistently with my no handed techniques. It required a lot of effort and it is not forgiving at all, I was constantly catching an edge. My success rate is less than 50% and the ones I pulled off were sketchy. I can spin my other boards effortlessly, smooth, and successfully at least 80% of the time.
Weight 10/10: It’s super light compared to my other boards. The light weight makes it easier to catch airs and spin shuvs if you’re a pro.
Lows: Unforgiving, not enough volume for me under foot, limited fin selection with FCS fins compared to Futures which all the other major board companies use.
Who is it for? The person that likes to boost big airs, carve aggressively and go fast. Also, competitive technical riders doing shuv tricks. TBH, I’ve never seen anybody other than pros and competitive riders do surf style shuvs. I don’t see myself getting to the level of surf style shuvs.
Final Thoughts: I see the appeal with speed, liveliness and ability to catch big airs. It’s very fun for cruising and slashing.If you want a fun board that rips hard you will love it.
This board isn’t a fit for my size and style, it’s too aggressive for my goals of learning smooth spin oriented tricks. I’m not a pro and need some room for error that my other boards provide.
It’s also too small for me without enough volume and the nose rocker is too mellow. I really struggled burying the rails and nose when riding it aggressively. It was also extremely difficult for me to initiate and finish my spins. I tried multiple fins and configurations as well.
As much as I enjoy cruising on it, I’m after progression and this board isn’t the right fit. I have this board for sale locally in Utah, if you’re interested PM me.
