anyone here ever rode a 2007 hyperlite imperial?

[sooner dud]

i asked this on the newb forum and didn't get any responses. hoping you guys have some feedback.

[Capix]

I just bought one, I will get in a week or so. If you are interested I can get back to you after I get out in the water.

Let me know. PM me

[Riddick]

I rode the 08 imperial last night...I was trying out the b-side. the imperial. and the byerly... I liked the imperial the least of the 3, but it had good pop..just wasnt for me i guess..

[teos46]

What did you think of the b-side vs. the Monarch? I am demoing the Monarch tonight and I am curious about which one is looser, faster etc.

[LakeIolaLuke]

teos46, the b-side feels like a tank compared to the monarch. the monarch is the snappiest, liveliest board I have ever ridden.

[SeaLyon]

LakeIolaLuke, I've been wondering about the monarch too.
Thanks

[sooner dud]

hey lakeluke i read on another thread that you said the imperial was crap. i was thinking about getting one. what did you not like about it?

capix did you get your board yet?

[Capix]

well I get in tomorrow and I will hit the park on Friday, can't wait to really get it out there and see if it's good or not.

I have to say that most of the reviews I have read are good, great pop, soft landings, good for spins and stuff. The one complain is that the board is in the heavy side, but that should be expected since the board has a 18 waist.

I will probably write a nice review about by Sunday, I am hopping my hip gets better by Friday, that way I can really test out the board.

NOTE, I ride cable park not a boat, not sure how will that differentiate, but just pointing it out.

[sooner dud]

Capix still waiting on my review.
did you blow out your hip or what?

[Capix]

Sorry about the delay, UPS Bubb Rubb up and I just got my board yesterday, just got back from trying the board for 4hrs.

This review is comparing the HL Imperial to a LF Shane (friends board);

Ok so here it goes:

POP: The board has a lot of of POP and it's also very consistent. The board pops out of the water about at the middle of the board and gets plenty of air even just with a simple ollie. The Shane is a little behind with the POP, it seemed a bit to heavy to get as much air as I did with the imperial.

Landings softness: You know how people crave by the softness of the Shane landings, well guess what this board lands even softer than the Shane does. My hip did not bother me at all today, I am very happy about this, went 4 hours and no pain whatsoever .

Landings: As much as they are very very very soft, I would say the softest landing board I tried to date, they are not easy. It took me a few runs to get used to the board, I busted ass a lot before I was able to land well into 180's. This is the first board to ever give me trouble in landings, but once you get used to it, you are good to go. The Shane on the other hand has a AUTO LAND built into it , that stuff lands anything anywhere automatically. Don't get me wrong once you get used to it, you should be fine, but be advised that the board is not forgiving landing wise, as the Shane is.

Handling (NOTE, riding fin less): The board very much like the Shane grabs the water like there's no tomorrow. I was able to carve like I haven't done in the past. I cant imagine how it would be with the fins on. As much as the board grabs the water, it's also ready to come loose on command. I am not sure about this, but I think it's because of it's 2.60 rocker, you just lean forward and slide that 180 into position. The Shane is a little looser into the 180, it takes a bit more of you to kick the imperial into it, but nothing to extreme like in my old O'brien .

Weight: The Imperial feels light in the water, a little lighter than the Shane. So this makes it easier to pop ollies and stuff. But then again the Shane was a 136 and mine is a 135. The funny thing is since the waist is 18" I thought that this was going to make it bulky and heavy, but it really does not. Instead it gives the board some insane stability on the water, and it keeps the nose of the board up always (I am sure the 2.60 rocker is also helping here).

Speed: It feels fast, but I think the Shane is a bit faster, maybe the fatter waist has something to do here. Gaining speed was weird at the beginning, it takes a little of time to build speed, but once you have it you're good to go. Note I did not catch a single edge and at this cable parks this happens often with those dang 90 degree turns. The board is indeed the most stable board I rode to date.

Kickers/tabletops/A-frame ect: The board slides very easy into ramps, maybe too easy at times, it felt to slippery on the ramps/table tops. The Shane it's about the same as the imperial, you need need them slippery after all, my old o'brien sucked in this aspect, that stuff would brake on every surface other than water .

Feel/smooth/chop: Hands down this board is insane smooth, it handles great in choppy water. The Shane is very similar but the Imperial is a bit smother in calm water.

Conclusion: I LOVE THIS BOARD , very much like I love the Shane. My only complain about this board is that it would be a bit more forgiving in the landings, but the more power for me to get better.


Here are some pics and a video of today, don't judge me to hard, I am still learning to approach some of these kickers.

http://www.vimeo.com/1305193 That's the Video.

I was lucky enough to get the 135 with a black bottom




The top is full of glitter, it's really reflective in the sunlight. It's not bad looking, but I rather if tit was white or black.


2.60 rocker, you can fit 4 fingers there.


With middle fins.


This is the interesting part, if you notice the sides work as fins. That's how the board manages to grab the water to hard while carving. I was actually scared of the desing, I thought it would be hard to slide into a switch, but it's really not that hard.


Another View of the side and center fins, look how the sides mold sort of into fins.


Design in the front.


And the sad part after a day of hitting kickers, the bottom of the board shows a bit of wear


Let me know if this is good enough or if you need more info. Sorry about the spelling/grammar, I am working on it (second language).

[LakeIolaLuke]

I don't like the imperial cause of the amount of sidecut it has. The tail sits a little deep in the water and it just feels mushy off the wake, esp. compared to the shane. The same reason it doesn't stick landings to easy, it just wants to slide out on landings cause the board's profile is so oval-shaped. Different strokes for different folks though...Its the same Reason I like a PS3 better than a substance, even though there almost the same board...the PS3 has a wider tip/tail, and makes it a little more solid off the wake and a little more sure-footed on landings.

[sooner dud]

thanks capix and you too luke.

stupid question here capix but i've never seen a cable park, so what happens when you wipeout? is your ride over? do you have to swim back or what?

luke what do you mean by a side cut?

[Capix]

LakeIolaLuke, so that explain the landing situation, I guess I just have to get used to it. I do like how light it feels compared to the Shane. By the way what do you ride?

I wonder if I put the middle fin, maybe the landings would be a bit more stable. But that could affect the sliding into switch. Either way ill try it on friday.

sooner dud, Yes your ride is over if you fall, you get 3 laps and then you have to let go of the rope.

The park I go has 4 corners, what really sucks is if you fall in the firs or second corner after you take off. The second corner is called "the walk of shame", it's a really long walk back to the dock.
but over all is not that bad, most people fall in the first kicker on purpose after their third lap and it's pretty close to the take off dock, walk less than a minute.

There is plenty of distance between each rider and its usually a good amount of time to get out of the way. I have yet to see an accident of one rider going over the previous one.

[LakeIolaLuke]

sooner dud, sidecut is the amount of curvature from the belly to the tip that a board has. Lots of sidecut gives the board a round profile. little sidecut a square profile.

lots of sidecut

little sidecut

[sooner dud]

capix how much does it cost to do the cable park? how long do you have to wait between turns?

LakeIolaLuke have another question. if you would rather kick me in the throat than asnwer i understand. what is the advantage/dis-advantage of a wider/narrow sidecut. i ride behind a bayliner with a wake that is about 8"-10". just trying to find a good poppin board. i'm mainly a w2w rider. don't care much about landind out into the flats.

[Capix]

1 hr is $18

2 hrs $24

4 hrs $30

all days $38


I you are like me "energizer bunny" you could up to 7 runs each 3 laps in one hour. Thats on a slow day. Something more normal is like 5 turns, after 4hours you are drained out.

The worst line I ever done was on july 4 it was like 13 minutes, funny thing I busted ass taking off .

[sooner dud]

capix forgot to ask: how much did the board and boots cost you?

the park looks fun but for now i'm stuck getting pulled by the family bayliner.

[LakeIolaLuke]

sooner dud, less sidecut/wider tip= more solid pop/landings
more sidecut/rounder profile = easier to spin

[Capix]

sooner dud, The board I bought it from a close out at http://www.boardersbestbuy.com/ and it was $169 shipped. The boots I am using from my old board, they suck. I need new ones.

[Capix]

A little update.

After another on the board with no fins, I am very confident with the board. I land almost everything I attempt and the board is a natural spinner. If you find a good deal on the board I would say buy it, its the hell of a board, a lot of fun.