GOYA CUSTOM 4 PRO 84L 2020 TEST REVIEW

GOYA CUSTOM 4 PRO 84L 2020 TEST REVIEW

THE VERDICT
The ultimate wave machine for the purest, the Goya Custom 4 is nevertheless easy to get on with and appreciate. If you’re lucky enough to sail in decent waves on a regular basis, this board will have you beaming every time you use it.

THE LOWDOWN
Goya’s wave and freewave series have been completely overhauled for the new season, the flagship wave board ranges retaining their ‘Custom’ title, yet distinguished by the number of fins they possess. So whilst the thruster offering is the Custom 3 range, the Surfwave Quad range is simply titled Custom 4. Much has been changed from its predecessor, its rocker line possessing a lower entry and an increase in tail rocker, giving it more of a “defined surfboard rocker”. The intention is to allow the board to “better fit into the curve of the wave” without disrupting its early planing and speed potential. The rider’s stance on the board has shifted slightly too, with more width in the mid-section and more area under the back foot, without increasing the board’s overall length. All this said, the Custom 4 is easily the narrowest board in this test group, with a somewhat gunny and drawn out profile. The tail is also the narrowest, with a definite mono-concave planted under the rider’s feet and the fin boxes placed well forward in the board. Constructed in the brand’s Pro Carbon monocoque construction, it is beautifully finished in yellow and pink, with alluring gloss golden rails. It comes complete with quality MFC QS fins and Velcro straps, the back strap boasting new double screw inserts to compliment the pad’s angled kick tail. One final thing to add – Goya have extended the sizes available in their Surfwave Quad range for 2020, with a new 60 litre version to cater for the demands of smaller riders.

BRAND CLAIM
“This is it. The latest and greatest evolution from our two world champions Marcilio Browne and Francisco Goya. The Custom 4 Pro is the ultimate pro model wave board, straight from their board bag to yours, a custom performance board put into production. Carrying the MB initials for a reason, the full series is used by Marcilio in both training and PWA competition.”

Goya Windsurfing 2020 Boards – Custom 3 & Custom 4 from Forward Maui LLC on Vimeo.

PERFORMANCE
With the narrowest width and tail in the group, it came as no surprise that the Goya sits lowest in the water in the group at rest. Nevertheless, as soon as power is supplied and it is turned off the wind, the Goya explodes from the blocks and onto the plane. As it looked at first glance, it behaves like a gunny rocket ship, the nose sitting low to the water whilst the tail provides plenty of traction to push against. Fast and confident, you can charge out through the break with reckless abandon, safe in the knowledge that the board will back you. It projects off ramps superbly and feels compact and controlled in the air. In small cross-onshore waves it did feel a little out of place, preferring a more dynamic front foot riding style that was a bit of overkill in the tight sections of the day. Much like taking a supercar round a rally course, it felt like we were asking a throughbred to mingle with the pretenders. That is not to say the Goya is solely for cross-offshore utopia – far from it. When properly powered and with proper waves to play in, the Goya can certainly mix it up in cross-onshore conditions too. You can trust it implicitly in the turn – commit as hard as you dare and it will keep driving smoothly through the arc. Its narrow drawn-out outline does make it a touch more niche and specialist than some here, feeling a little wasted in anything other than decent conditions with a wave face to carve all over. The Goya Custom Thruster of old was one of the team’s favourites, the Custom 4 continues to build on the legacy, sharpening its committed wave credentials and coming into its own when the conditions turn on.

www.goyawindsurfing.com

VITAL STATS
Volume (Quoted): 84L
Length: 223.5 cm
Width: 56.8 cm
1ft off: 36.4 cm
Bottom shape: Vee with double in the nose and mid-section, leading to mono-concave between the straps, right through to the tail.
Weight (‘Naked’): 6.32 kg
Fins: MFC QS RTM 300 Black (US centre, MT side)
Sail Range (Quoted): 3.4-5.5 m
Sizes Available: 60,68, 74,79,84,89,94,104,114.