A carbon board costs almost twice as much as a PU one. So the real question is simple: what do you get for the extra money, and is it worth it for the waves you actually surf?
Most of us grew up on PU. It's the feel you know. Carbon promises a lighter board with more pop that stays lively for longer. Here's how the two compare, in plain terms, so you can choose the right one for your surfing.
PU: the board you know
A PU board is a polyurethane foam blank, shaped, then glassed with fibreglass and polyester resin. It's how most surfboards have been made for decades. Our PU boards are shaped and built at the ShaperX factory in Milnerton, Cape Town.
- Feel: a bit heavier, so it sits into the water and pushes through chop. Smooth and predictable.
- Durability: the deck dents under your feet over time, the foam yellows in the sun, and the board slowly loses its spring.
- Repairs: any ding shop can fix it, fast and cheap.
- Price: Sharp Eye PU boards start at R11,850.
If you love how your current board feels, that's probably PU doing its job.
C1 Carbon: what's different
C1 Carbon is Sharp Eye's own construction. We don't build these boards: they're made by Sharp Eye and imported. Instead of a PU blank, it uses a light EPS foam core. That core is wrapped in Japanese woven multi-directional carbon (160g) over 4oz E-glass cloth, then vacuum-bag laminated with epoxy resin.
What Sharp Eye says that gives you:
- Holds its flex longer. The carbon wrap is built to keep the board springy, so it doesn't go flat and dead the way an older board can.
- Pop out of turns. The layered build twists and snaps back, which Sharp Eye calls torsional flex and return.
- PU control, EPS speed. The aim is the familiar control of PU with the extra drive of a light EPS board.
- Everyday waves. Sharp Eye built it for 1–6ft conditions, and it was tested by two-time world champion Filipe Toledo.
The trade-offs: it costs more, and an epoxy/EPS ding needs fixing quickly with epoxy resin, as the foam can take on water.
Side by side
| PU | C1 Carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | ShaperX factory, Milnerton, Cape Town | Sharp Eye, imported |
| Core | Polyurethane foam | EPS foam |
| Skin | Fibreglass, polyester resin | Woven carbon over E-glass, epoxy resin |
| Weight | Heavier | Lighter |
| Feel | Smooth, sits in the water, steady in chop | Lively, more pop and drive |
| Keeps its spring | Fades over time | Built to hold flex longer |
| Repairs | Any ding shop, quick and cheap | Epoxy repair; fix dings fast |
| Midgician price | R12,550 (custom order) | R20,950–22,950 (in stock) |
Which one suits you
Go PU if:
- you want the best board for the money
- you like a heavier, smoother feel, especially in bumpy, windy surf
- you're hard on boards and want quick, cheap repairs
- you want a board shaped and built locally, in Cape Town
Go C1 Carbon if:
- you surf small-to-medium everyday waves most days and want more speed out of them
- you keep a board for years and want it to stay lively
- you want a lighter board with more pop, and you're happy to pay for it
Still not sure? Tell us how you surf and we'll give you a straight answer, even if it's the cheaper board.
Try it on a Midgician
The Midgician C1 Carbon is Sharp Eye's mid-length that turns like a shortboard. You get in early, glide through the flat sections and catch more waves on small and medium days, which is most days in Cape Town.
Imported from Sharp Eye, we have them in stock in Cape Town, 6'6 to 7'2, from R20,950, ready to ship across South Africa. Sharp Eye's sizing tip: go at least 4 inches longer than your shortboard.
Not sure which size? WhatsApp us your height, weight, current board and usual waves. We'll match you to the right one.
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