[Get Craig’s Rusty Surfboards Pump Ex Demo Here…]
The Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard is a hybrid performance shortboard to light up your summer, average, and less than stellar conditions.
Hybrid performance shortboards are all the rage for extracting maximum fun and performance from weak, small swells. This Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard Review + FCS2 AM2 Fins is a mean small wave weapon that will help all levels of surfer enjoy the small stuff more!
Unlike some small wave performance hybrids that can be too fat to throw around, the Rusty Pump’s design started with a shortboard and shrunk it into a smaller package. The nose and tail are still shortboard – esque, the bottom contours still geared for performance.
Hope you enjoy this Rusty Pump Surfboard Review + FCS2 AM2 Fins!
Cheers,
Benny
Have a question? Wondering if the Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard is the right board for you? Let’s talk about it in the comments…
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Pluses
+ The Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard makes average conditions tons of fun!
+ Great on top turns, wraps and carries pace over flat sections
+ Great board for intermediate to advanced surfers who want to make surfing a bit more fun when the waves are small and average
+ Could be a good option for beginner and novice surfers who want something that’s stable, wide, and has a lot of flotation and volume
Minuses
– I think when the waves go overhead and you’ve got suckier, steeper conditions, I think it could be quite limited. The board is very flat and it does hold it’s volume throughout. It could get a bit hard to ride in those kind of steeper, suckier conditions.
Craig Rides
Craig rides the Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard at 5’7″ x 9 7/8 x 2 7/16 at 28.7 L’s which is stock dimensions for the Pump. Craig rode the Pump as a quad and a thruster but preferred the quad setup using the FCS2 AM2 fins.
Standard Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard dimensions and volumes may be found at the bottom of this page.
Best Wave Type
Knee, waist, to shoulder high. Flatter faced, smaller, weaker.
The Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard makes average conditions a lot of fun. I think when you’re going to get to like head high and and overhead, I think that the flatness of the board may be quite limiting in those suckier and bigger conditions. Just recently, one of our local beach breaks had some little wind swells and those weaker, low period waves to shoulder high region and this is where this board kind of lit up.
Features
- Flat rocker – it stays really flat throughout the board
- Wider, more generous outline, which holds a lot of it’s volume
- Very gentle concaves as we go through the board, nothing too deep but just nice to keep water moving throughout the board
- Performance tuned nose and tail
Compare To
- Haydenshapes Surfboards Love Buzz surfboard review: a rad small wave performer – one of our favourite hybrids
- Stacey Surfboards Flathead surfboard review: one of the best all around small wave performance hybrids – this board can do it (almost) all
- DMS Carny surfboard review: epic small to medium size wave hybrid performance shortboard
- Simon Anderson DTS surfboard review: one of the most underrated hybrids by one of the world’s best shapers
Video Summary
Hey, I’m Craig and today for Compare Surfboards, I’m doing a review of the Pump by Rusty Surfboards. I’ve been riding the Pump in 5’7″ x 9 7/8 x 2 7/16 at 28.7 L’s, which is stock dimensions for the Pump. The Pump by Rusty is a stubby little short board.
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The Board
The Pump is a board to light up summer and average and less than stellar conditions.
It’s got a really flat rocker. It stays really flat throughout the board. It’s got quite a wide and generous outline, which holds a lot of it’s volume and it’s got a very gentle concave as we go through the board, nothing too deep but just nice and even to keep water moving throughout the board.
The Pump also has thruster and quad options so you can mix it up and make those those less than stellar conditions a little bit more fun.
Experience in the Surf
I’ve been able to ride the Pump in a variety of conditions. I’ve taken it out knee, waist, shoulder high and the thing has been really exciting.
I’ve mucked around with both fin configurations. I’ve put a thruster and a quad setup in it and I think I’ve enjoyed the quad more.
It’s just given a little bit more drive and a little bit more pull. Just recently, one of our local beach breaks had some little, towards summer you get a little noise, wind swirls and the waves to shoulder high region and this is where this board lit up.
We had a morning, a couple little runners, took it through a few turns. The board is very flat and it kept a lot of pace, but saying that,
It still has quite a performance orientated outline, where a lot of those stumpier, shorter fun boards are very full throughout the outline.
The Pump still has that design that has come off a shortboard. It’s still got a pointy nose and it’s still got a square tail, but it’s just beefed it up a little bit. I was able to get a few waves on the board this morning and the thing went really, really well, had a lot of pace and it liked to be turned, it liked to be moved and it liked to be pumped.
Saying the board has made not that great conditions that are a bit fuller and a bit junkier really good, I would say that when the board is really flat, there is not a lot of rocker throughout the board.
I think when you’re going to get to like head high and and over head, I think that the flatness of the board may be quite limiting in those suckier and bigger conditions but the board isn’t designed, I think, so much for that. I think it’s designed more to keep the less than stellar conditions a bit more fun. You know what I mean? So maybe put in a second board in your quiver just to light up those days when the waves aren’t that great.
Fin Setup
In the Pump, I’ve been riding the AM2, which is the large Al Merrick fin. I’ve been riding them in the quad set up. Like I said, I’ve ridden the thruster and the quads in it. The thruster felt good, but it felt a little bit loose at times, which was fine, but I definitely enjoyed the quad. A little bit more drive and a little bit more down the line pace, which was good but these are quite a large fin setup. It’s quite a wide tail area, so I think you definitely want to go with a larger fin just to hold that area in and not make things too loose.
Summary
I think the Pump is a board for anyone who wants to have fun. Like I said before, it is a fun, shortboard but it has got more of a performance orientated outline.
I think if you’re quite an intermediate or advanced surfer who wants something for summer, where you can still surf well, you can do your turns, do whatever and get a lot of pace, I think this is a good board for that.
I think someone from a beginner to an intermediate, it’s also a good board. It’s quite generous with it’s volume and it keeps a lot of speed and pace and it’s a very stable, wide outline so I think it would be good for almost anyone, for someone who wants a board for waves that aren’t that great.
I’d say looking over the board overall, the pros and cons, the Pump makes average conditions a lot of fun. You can still challenge your surfing with the performance outline. It’s good with top turns, wraps, all that sort of stuff. If you’re an intermediate to advanced surfer and you want something that makes surfing a bit more fun, this is a good board for it and if you’re a beginner surfer and you just want something that’s stable, wide and has a lot of flotation and volume, I think it’s good for that too.
Cons of the board, yeah, I think when it gets over head and you’ve got suckier, steeper conditions, I think it could be quite limited. The board is very flat and it does hold it’s volume throughout. It could get a bit hard to ride in those steeper, suckier conditions, but again, it’s not what it’s really for. That’s when you step onto your performance or normal shortboard that you’d have for better conditions.
Overall, the Pump’s been a lot of fun to ride and I’ve enjoyed it when the conditions have been less than great. I hope you’ve enjoyed my review of the Pump by Rusty Surfboards and hope you can get down and check on out for when the waves aren’t that great. Thanks for watching.
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Stock Standard Dimensions & Volume
Standard Rusty Surfboards Pump Surfboard Dimensions & Volumes available at the Rusty Surfboards website:
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