RRD CULT Y26 82 2021 TEST REVIEW
VERDICT: A classic looking shape that still has enough up and go to be used wherever you need it. But it would be a crime not to take this board and search out the classic days, where its ability to turn tightly with power and drive are sure to make the search more than worthwhile.
THE LOWDOWN: The new RRD Cult has been a labour of love over the last few years. This all-new design sees a big shift from previous Wave Cults. The board is more compact at 3 cm shorter, but with a concentration of volume underneath the sailor. The board features tail wingers to allow the board to maintain a long parallel outline despite its compact size, without increasing tail width. The focus has been on reducing drag to help early planing, but also help maintain drive in turns. The wingers then provide a break point in this outline to still allow the board to pivot and make tight turns.
The bottom shape is so innovative that it has a new name. RRD call it a Mono-Tri-V, which is essentially a long channel down the middle of the board with a mono concave. This is designed to increase lift and therefore early planing, but the vee at the back of the board focuses on responsiveness.
The Cult comes in 4 sizes, from the smallest 74 litre, to the 94 litre for heavier riders. The Cult can be used with both tri-fin and quad setup for full tuning potential.
BRAND CLAIM: “We open a new era! The Cult Y26 is an innovative concept with unmatched performance in all conditions, due to a completely new bottom shape idea. Speed on turns like never before, you will be able to catch more waves and shred them like a pro, a real step forward in the shaping of wave boards.”
PERFORMANCE:
The first thing to strike you about the Cult Y26 is its striking look. There is a lot of design in this board, with a drawn in nose you might see on a more traditional board, but a compact shape that includes wingers and a swallow tail, and that’s before you turn the board over and see the hull shape. All this makes you think that it’s going to be a technical board to sail, however it’s far from it. Despite being one of the smaller boards on test, it felt buoyant and corky underfoot, with much of the volume packed under the rider’s feet. In thruster mode this board can feel as much like a high wind bump and jump board as a wave board, depending on how you choose to use it.
It gets going easily with progressive acceleration and good speed. The five slot boxes in the board offer plenty of tuning options. In thruster mode, packing the fins tightly together gave the best turning performance, whilst running the rear fin slightly further back enhanced the more ‘blasty’ feel of the board. Even moving the mast foot back helped you make the most of the boards outline, meaning you could tune the board for the conditions, but also for your favoured type or style of sailing.
You can turn the Cult incredibly tightly in thruster mode; small amounts of pressure on the back foot make a big difference to turn radius. However the Cult excelled most on the wave when switching to quad setup we found. The Cult has great drive through the turns and this was especially highlighted in quad mode. This setup allowed you to sail much more on the front foot and gave you the ability to turn incredibly tightly, but still with continued drive in the bottom turn. And even in quad mode it still remained fast and spritely to plane and sail round the break.
VITAL STATS:
Volume (Quoted): 82 litres.
Length: 219 cm
Width: 58 cm
1ft off (Tail Width): 42 cm
Bottom Shape: Rounded vee in the nose, leading to mono concave by the shoulders, which becomes increasingly pronounced in the mid-section and under the straps, finishing with vee in the tail. Large channel through the mid-section with internal vee. Channel in the tail.
Weight (‘Naked’): 6.4 kg
Fins: K4 Scorcher 18 cm (slot) + 2 x Shark II 10 cm (slot).
Sail Range (Quoted): 3.7 – 5.4
Sizes Available: 74, 82, 88, 94.
PRICE: £2089.00
THE LINEUP