The Lib Tech Whirlpool is a unique, low-volume, high-performance shortboard designed specifically for river waves and wave pools. Inspired by the growing popularity of river surfing and the City Wave® culture, this board incorporates innovative features developed through extensive wake and ocean surfing shape experiments.
Design and Features
The Whirlpool boasts a classic squash tail with a smooth, curved rail line and a matching rocker. A single concave and tri-fin setup ensure proven high performance. Key features include:
- PAD (Particle Acceleration Dish) Concave: Placed in the front fin area, this feature increases water flow rate, creating speed and a loose feel.
- Chined Rail: A visibly chined rail offers catch-free forgiveness while reducing rail volume, allowing for aggressive, precise surfing.
- Top Deck Concave: Located under the front foot, this concave provides positive skate-like control in and above the water.
- Reinforced Fin Boxes and Rails: Designed to withstand the demands of rapid wave pools and river waves.
These elements combine to provide an all-access pass to surf progression, making the Whirlpool a radical choice for infinite waves.
Lib Tech River Surfboard Rundown
Eco-Friendly Construction
Lib Technologies is dedicated to hands-on board building, using alternative, high-performance, environmentally friendly materials and constructions. Traditional surfboard construction has often been too fragile, with a toxic and unhealthy building process. Lib Tech's ecoIMPACTO addresses these issues through innovative materials and processes.
Every component used in their ecoIMPACTO surf construction is new to the surf industry. Their Thermo Fusion Process minimizes resin exposure and sanding, creating durable, environmentally friendly, high-performance surf structures.
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Available Sizes
The Lib Tech Whirlpool is available in the following sizes:
- 5’2″ x 18.5″ x 2.0″ at 21.5 liters
- 5’4″ x 18.8″ x 2.1″ at 23.0 liters
- 5’6″ x 19″ x 2.21″ at 25.0 liters
The construction is consistent across all sizes, ensuring durability compared to regular ocean glassed surfboards.
Performance on Scout Wave
Based on surfing experiences at Salida’s Scout Wave in the 2023 season, the Lib Tech Whirlpool 5’4″ is considered an easy-to-surf, user-friendly board. It's a good option for those transitioning from a foamy or inflatable board who are concerned about damaging their board.
Here's a ranking of surfboards tested at Scout Wave, from least to most recommended:
| Rank | Board | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Lib Tech Hydra 5’3″ | Too slow for Scout Wave. |
| 7 | Badfish Bomb Drop | Recommended for beginners at Scout Wave. |
| 6 | TL Crusty Booger | Fast but challenging to balance carving and spinning. |
| 5 | Lib Tech Hydro Snapper 4’5″ | Recommended for low water conditions (except for beginners). |
| 4 | Lib Tech Whirlpool 5’4″ | Easy to surf, user-friendly; good for graduating from a foamy. |
| 3 | Corridor Craw 4’4″ | Fastest board tested, great for carving, but durability is a concern. |
| 2 | Badfish Wave Farmer 4’10” | Recommended for intermediate river surfers, easy to learn new tricks. |
| 1 | Peterson Tomahawk 4’10” | Super fast and responsive, excellent for spinning but can be hard to control. |
Innovative Design Claims
Lib Tech claims the spooned-out bottom section, or “particle acceleration dish,” increases water flow, creating speed and a loose feel. This design is a relatively new approach in surfboard design, potentially aiding in the board's mid-to-back float on standing waves.
Read also: Read our review of the Lib Tech Lost Rocket
Chined Rails and Top Deck Concave
The Whirlpool features chined rails, which enhance control over the board's bite and release points. Additionally, a top deck concave under the front foot aims to provide skate-like control, although some consider this claim to be slightly overstated.
Potential Issues
During testing of the 5’4” Whirlpool, the area around the front foot concave delaminated and bubbled up due to regular usage, indicating a potential weak point in the design.
Shaping Team
Lib Tech shapes their boards with an in-house team consisting of Mike Olson and Jeff Henderson. Mike Olson’s innovative designs and hand-shaping skills are complemented by Jeff Henderson’s technical computer shaping skills.
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