Precision Model by AKA Surfboards

Dimensions & Material

The board we tested was 6'2" 19 3/8" 2 1/2" standard super blue foam, heavy glass (polyester resin and sanded finish).

Bottom

This shape has a shallow concave to low vee going from the nose through the tail section.

Tail

This board was shaped with a pulled in round tail.

Nose

Some noticeable flip but nothing extreme. A standard intermediate / advanced surfers type of rocker. The nose is a bit wider than a standard board of this type.

Rails

The rails on this board are soft and round with harder edges at the tail.

Fins

The best fins we tried on this board are Futures Vector ll 454. They really seemed to open the board up and make it much more responsive. The fins also allowed it to surf more vertical on the wave. We tried a couple other sets of more standard fins but because the board is already made for rampier type waves, they seemed to turn the board into a more down the line drivey type of board. The more foil we added to the fin set up, the more responsive the board became and the more it allowed us to really feel the slashing and turning.

Paddling

The Precision paddles great, especially for a shortboard. The extra thickness makes for easier paddling, even for bigger surfers. So the average to smaller surfer will surely be happy with the paddling abilities of this shape. Also, paddling into waves is as easy as most standard shortboards.

Catching

The continuous rocker on this board prevents you from getting into the wave as early as a flatter, more cruisy type board. But it's OK, this board can totally handle getting down the face while holding steady. It will actually be your best mate if you are attempting to drop in late.

Riding

The precision loves to surf straight up and down. The slashy pocket turns really allow the board to produce extra speed coming out of a turn. Whereas on many standard short boards you are driving to generate speed and then burning it off with a turn, the AKA Precision will allow you to come out of a turn with more speed than you came into it, which is a great feeling to get from a board. We surfed this board a lot at Newport river-mouth and it works really well in the rampy little waves there.

In certain sessions, during high tide or mushier waves, the board did not seem to drive as well but was still great at turning up and down the face of the wave. This AKA model also didn't really like to get too far out in front of the wave on smaller waves. The board doesn't draw enough speed in smaller waves to draw a big cutback. However in anything bigger than waist high surf, the Precision has no problems dishing out a variety of maneuvers. In even bigger waves this board seemed to progress and hold when a flatter board is skipping or redlining. Overall this board turns really well in the pocket section of the wave and was really good for hitting the lip late but still making the turn / wave.

Conclusion

Overall for me, this is my go-to board when the waves are rampy, curvy or maybe 1 - 2 feet overhead. I've had some magic sessions on this board. It always paddles great and holds amazing in rampy waves. The Precision has allowed me to surf on a more radical level then my standard shortboard shapes. This is an awesome step up shape to have in the quiver for when you need a bit more than your standard shorty but also want something that works in waist high to chest high racy and tubing waves.