2014 Shinn ADHD Wakestyle Board Review (137x41)

Test Conditions
4ft waves with flat sections
Three Word Summary
Accessible Wakestyle Performance
First Impressions:
Lovely lightweight deck, plenty of boot/strap mounting options and some tasty looking channeling near the tips, with a very slight concave underside. Much thinner on the rail than a lot of wakestyle boards, and comes with larger fins than you'd usually expect from a board of this category. It also has a lot of rocker - you can place the board down on the flat, and the 43mm fins are left clear by some margin!
It doesn't have a grid base, nor come with deep channeling which would lend itself to being ridden entirely finless, so its perhaps not the board of choice for anyone obsessed with hitting kickers and sliders.
Its clear than Shinn have a different take on how a wake style board should be, which made me intrigued to take it out on the water.
On The Water:
The ADHD feels very lively underfoot and has a really light feel. It accelerates quickly up to speed and doesn't have the sluggish feel you'd expect from a high rockered board at all. The ride is very comfortable and totally spray-free; its a very accessible piece of kit - much more so than its name would imply. It feels very stable in a straight line with a very respectable top end speed, it initially resists being spun on the surface but once you pass a certain threshold it can be switched very easily. Holding your ground when under-powered is easy and when well powered it will push upwind well.
The supplied Shinn straps and pads are a little different than most - very lightweight with a textured foot-bed. I found the hold of the straps a little loose at first, but once tightened up sufficiently I found the hold remarkably good with the strap gripping your feet from both side and top. The adjustment system is excellent - far better than peeling off layers of velcro - just tighten it up much like you would with your de-power strap.
It'll be of no great surprise that freestyle is what this board is all about, its comfort at speed coupled with the excellent grip provided by the channeling and fins mean you can edge super hard to really boost you skywards. On the way back down the ADHD inspires great confidence with effortless cushioned landings which your knees are sure to thank you for!
Unhooked pop is this boards' bread and butter - and whether you're popping hard against the kite for a railey or s-bend, springing upwards off the water for a flat spin, or getting catapulted off a kicker; its pop really is at the top of the game. The fins and channeling ensure you remain in control fully until takeoff, with no unexpected slip-outs. The landings are assured and forgiving, and the large rocker ensures you don't take an unexpected dunking!
In Summary:
The ADHD really breaks the mould from a lot of very similar wakestyle boards on the market, its lightweight feel with excellent pop and landings will make it a very attractive proposition for anyone interested in unhooking in a big way. It doesn't just stop there though, as the accessibility of the board opens it up to a much wider audience lower down the progression scale - any competent rider could get a great deal out of the ADHD, for free-riding and boosting and as progression comes it will certainly be ready for action!
For more info get all the details on Shinnworld
4ft waves with flat sections
Three Word Summary
Accessible Wakestyle Performance
First Impressions:
Lovely lightweight deck, plenty of boot/strap mounting options and some tasty looking channeling near the tips, with a very slight concave underside. Much thinner on the rail than a lot of wakestyle boards, and comes with larger fins than you'd usually expect from a board of this category. It also has a lot of rocker - you can place the board down on the flat, and the 43mm fins are left clear by some margin!
It doesn't have a grid base, nor come with deep channeling which would lend itself to being ridden entirely finless, so its perhaps not the board of choice for anyone obsessed with hitting kickers and sliders.
Its clear than Shinn have a different take on how a wake style board should be, which made me intrigued to take it out on the water.
On The Water:
The ADHD feels very lively underfoot and has a really light feel. It accelerates quickly up to speed and doesn't have the sluggish feel you'd expect from a high rockered board at all. The ride is very comfortable and totally spray-free; its a very accessible piece of kit - much more so than its name would imply. It feels very stable in a straight line with a very respectable top end speed, it initially resists being spun on the surface but once you pass a certain threshold it can be switched very easily. Holding your ground when under-powered is easy and when well powered it will push upwind well.
The supplied Shinn straps and pads are a little different than most - very lightweight with a textured foot-bed. I found the hold of the straps a little loose at first, but once tightened up sufficiently I found the hold remarkably good with the strap gripping your feet from both side and top. The adjustment system is excellent - far better than peeling off layers of velcro - just tighten it up much like you would with your de-power strap.
It'll be of no great surprise that freestyle is what this board is all about, its comfort at speed coupled with the excellent grip provided by the channeling and fins mean you can edge super hard to really boost you skywards. On the way back down the ADHD inspires great confidence with effortless cushioned landings which your knees are sure to thank you for!
Unhooked pop is this boards' bread and butter - and whether you're popping hard against the kite for a railey or s-bend, springing upwards off the water for a flat spin, or getting catapulted off a kicker; its pop really is at the top of the game. The fins and channeling ensure you remain in control fully until takeoff, with no unexpected slip-outs. The landings are assured and forgiving, and the large rocker ensures you don't take an unexpected dunking!
In Summary:
The ADHD really breaks the mould from a lot of very similar wakestyle boards on the market, its lightweight feel with excellent pop and landings will make it a very attractive proposition for anyone interested in unhooking in a big way. It doesn't just stop there though, as the accessibility of the board opens it up to a much wider audience lower down the progression scale - any competent rider could get a great deal out of the ADHD, for free-riding and boosting and as progression comes it will certainly be ready for action!
For more info get all the details on Shinnworld
Dimensions
Weight Rocker Centre Width Tip Width (measured between fins) Rail Depth (centre) Rail Depth (tips) Concave Depth Tip Flex Overall Flex Fin Size Stance Upwind Pop Bottom End Manoeuvrability Landings Directionality |
137x41 cm (tested) or 137x43cm
Medium-Light 60mm 41cm 31cm 4mm 4mm 1-2mm Medium-Low Medium 43mm 62 and 67cm (approx) Very Good Outstanding Very Good Very Good Outstanding Directional, but can be made to spin when flattened |