2016 RRD POP

When it comes to having a solid range of boards, RRD do not mess about… As with the rest of their kit, when it comes to surfboards you have plenty to choose from, for all manner of conditions.

The POP sits at the ‘lightwind/onshore/freestyle’ end of the scale. There is also a POP Ltd edition which is the same shape but has all sorts of trickery going on to shave some weight off. However, it has to be said that the ‘standard’ POP we tested was very respectable in the weight department and for most the standard POP will do just fine.

The plan shape of the POP is wide throughout with a fat tail and a snub nose to give that necessary surface area for float, so don’t be fooled by the length. The 5’2 comes in at 34 liters so has more volume than some boards a foot longer… The Future system fin set up is quad and the tail comes in to either a narrow ‘fish’ or a wide ‘swallow’ depending on your perspective!

Getting on the water and the POP delivers an insane amount of grip from the off. The volume gets you going and then keeps you going, even in marginal wind, and the quad set up, low rocker and relatively straight rail line enable you to power upwind with little effort. That extra volume doesn’t affect jumps though, and the POP certainly lives up to its name. We found the landings very forgiving too.

Riding in onshore surf conditions you can really snap the POP around – the combination of the tail shape and the quad set up delivers a really enjoyable ‘skatey’ vibe and you can spin around off the tail and really get around to the next section in onshore conditions with relative ease.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the POP though is that it is actually very good fun in more solid waves. We rode it (and paddle surfed it) in some decent waves and the grip it offers means that you really can commit and ride with absolute confidence.