a Great paddle board review of the Gong 9’1 Asyl, we have a few left in stock
Gong SUP 9’1
Firstly let me say that this won’t be a super technical review as I’m a fairly new paddle boarder. I am riding with the standard Gong fins and it’s set up as a thruster and fitted with a standard deck pad. The quality of the workmanship looks excellent and this is especially notable when you consider it comes in hundreds of pounds less than other board of similar size and, after 8 months of use it’s still looking good (although I would recommend a rail guard as the red does tend to show paddle marks)! The board is very light given the size, much less than I thought it would be. I’m 74 kilos.
The 9’1 from Gong is my second SUP, the first being a 12’1 Cortez so I was used to lot of stability and plenty of volume. I was slightly nervous that 9’1 would be too small for flat water, distance paddling that I tended to do more often. Fortunately after just a few minutes of getting out on my local river spot in Llandaff, Cardiff my initial fears disappeared. The board has more than enough volume to feel very stable and keep a decent speed, once I’d found a comfortable paddling position I soon managed to put some decent power into my paddle. There was very little rowing when I’d got the paddle to the front of the board. I was surprised to find that losing 3ft off my previous board hadn’t meant that I had lost little in flat water performance. I have paddled this board to and from work in the summer time and a distance of 5.5k+ is quite doable.

Keen to try out my new board in waves I headed to Rhossilli with the SUP Gower team. I had virtually zero surfing experience (one session on a mini mal) so I wasn’t expecting a lot more than getting out the back. The sun was out, the sea was glassy and Rhossilli was providing some nice little waves from about 2-3ft. My first time in waves and getting out the back wasn’t too much of an issue, I was soon paddling into my first wave. Wow, what an easy and fun board to ride! The stability meant that I could power into the waves comfortably and once I was planing the board felt way smaller than 9’1. It picks up plenty of speed travelling down the face of the wave. With a few tips from Matt I was soon getting to the tail of the board and manoeuvring with more confidence, the board turns very easily and in the hands of a better surfer it is clearly capable of much more aggressive moves. I have since taken it out in bigger and smaller swells, it’s still fun on a small wave and I felt happy taking it out in the bigger stuff as it doesn’t ride like a big slow turning board. As a beginner I feel that it’s a board that’s going to help me progress quickly but not one that I’m going to grow out of any time soon. My ultimate goal is to ride something smaller but I won’t be giving up this board in a hurry.
Summing up I’d say it’s a very capable all rounder, fun and agile in the waves whilst still large enough to get some serious miles in on the flat water. It’s a confidence building board that’s going to encourage you to get out and progress. This board has taken me from a complete novice to making my first proper turns in a couple of sessions!
find more info and price on GONG 9’1 ASYL STAND UP PADDLE BOARD
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