Stealth Tour PE Tension Tech.

Manufacturers blurb: The Tour is a great all-round template that will provide you with a consistent feel across the whole range. Whether you are surfing punchy reef breaks, hollow barreling waves or a summer rip bowl the Tour will serve you well. Designed to be your stock board, and the board you get for a trip away, the three constructions of the Tour are all shaped in the same way.

The PE core is a favourite among those who like some extra flex in their board and is also great for cold waters when you want extra flex in the board right away … meaning it will feel ‘broken. In’ almost right away! Tension Tech is a construction that has become a recent favourite which is a top mesh sandwich layer between a layer of PP core and in this case ‘Ethafoam’ PE. We have used graduated channels and a crescent tail as well as some slick grips on the nose to round out the board.

Reviewers Experience: The Tour PE Tension Tech is one of 3 ” Tour” boards Stealth offers (Tour PE, Tour NRG ISS and Tour Kinetic Double) The template on each board is the same, but the construction and materials used in each ” Tour” variation are different. The idea is that riders can get used to the one “Tour”  template, but then choose / use the variation with the combination of materials that best suit the environmental conditions they’ll be surfing in.

The PE Tour model is designed for those who want a little more flex in their board or who regularly surf in colder regions.

Despite Stealth saying that the PE Tour would feel broken in straight away, we found it to initially have a very stiff feel, probably because of the layer of mesh which sits under the deck.

This deck Mesh is sandwiched between mesh two extra layers of 1.5mm IXL PP (Crosslink Polypro) to add additional strength to the deck as part of the “Tension Tech” core. The “Tension Tech” is basically the encapsulation of the core with mesh on both the deck and sides of the board to add strength and improved recoil.

However, It only took a handful of surfs to start to feel the squishy quality of the PE come to the fore and once it did the extra flex was quite noticeable and welcome in the colder winter water conditions in which we tested the board.

The flex advantages of a PE Tension core were on display when your author took on a bottom of the tide, small, but sucky draining North Coast breakwall. The kind of conditions where you’re wrangling below sea level grinders and being on a board that you can flex and torque is the difference between slotting into the pit or free falling into disaster. The PE Tour Tension had the perfect combination of flex to allow it to bend to match the curvature of the bowling pocket as you scooped in to the barrel, but was still stiff enough to generate and maintain speed in the sucky pits. The right tool for the right wave.

The Tour PE template is a pretty neutral prone template, with the nose to wide point only just forward of the centre of the board. The Tour  felt like it carried a bit more width and volume compared to some other boards, so if you’re tossing up between which size board get with the Tour templates, we’d recommend staying a size down (ie if tossing up between a 42′ and a 43′, go 42′).

The Tour PE’s nose bulbs were nice and subtle, enough for a little extra grip, but not overly prominent as they can be on other companies boards. The graduated channels felt pretty standard which is keeping in line with the overall ethos of the Tour board series.

When are you riding it? Colder water temperatures or on those sucky reef ledge days when more flex is optimal. The wider, fuller template would also lend itself to fun on smaller days where more planning surface is optimal.

Who’s it for? Anyone looking for a nice neutral board with a little more flex

The wins: Familiar template, great flex when worn in.

The challenges: Only one colourway, initially very stiff but be patient.

Final Opinion: The Stealth Tour Tension PE is perfect for those looking for a simple, dependable board that offers greater flex properties than a standard Polypro boog. The versatility of being able to get used to one template that can be carried across the Tour range for different temperature is an added bonus.

Boognerd Details:

Name Tour PE TT

Core: Ethafoam PE + Tension Tech

Deck: 8lb PE

Slick: Surlyn and Mesh

Stringer: Single Stringer

Template: Tour – Stealth Pro

Features: Graduated Channels, Slick Grips, Crescent Tail