A sustainable surfboard? Gary McNeill CV2 Treetech ECO Surfboard Review
The Gary McNeill CV2 is a ripping performance fish surfboard...but this one has a conscience.
Is this a sustainable surfboard? Is that even possible?
Read the Gary McNeill CV2 Treetech ECO Surfboard Review and you decide...
Introducing the Gary McNeill CV2 Surfboard
Gary's small wave "ferrari" and Dave 'Rasta' Rastovich's go to for most things, the CV2 is a versatile modern performance fish with a twist.
And this CV2 is extra special. With Gary's TREETECH ECO construction, flax cloth, recycled Marko blanks and bio resin come together to create one of the more environmentally friendly surfboards in production.
That doesn't make it perfect - surfboards are constructed of notoriously toxic materials - but Gary is trying to make a difference and this is something we, as surfers, should get behind.
I hope you enjoy this Gary McNeill CV2 Treetech ECO Surfboard Review!
Video Transcript
This is the Gary McNeill Concepts CV2 Model.
I have had the pleasure of owning three of Gary McNeill's surfboards, and Gary is a fantastic shaper. He is also a very interesting and lovely guy. And, he's quite a progressive thinker. His mind is always going off in different directions about how to progress his designs.
Gary is also a bit of an environmentalist and there is something special about this CV2. This is part of a new series of boards that Gary is making, dubbed his Treetech ECO surfboards.
This is one of the most sustainable surfboards on the market today. You can order this board just like this and there are three things that make this more sustainable.
I say more sustainable, because the surfboard production process is filled with horrible chemicals and creates a lot of terrible waste. So, this board isn't perfect and it still does create waste.
But Gary is trying to do something that's better. And, I would say this board overall is probably one of the best representations of an environmentally friendly surfboard.
For the big players, Firewire Surfboards have pushed the envelope in trying to make more environmentally sustainable boards.
But this Gary McNeill CV2 Treetech ECO Surfboard takes this to another level.
3 Steps to a More Sustainable Surfboard
There are three more sustainable components used in the construction of this board:
- Gary uses a flax cloth, which is lighter and is just as strong as the regular cloth that is normally used. I've ridden Gary's boards in both PU and SPC construction and this feels just as strong. After riding it for months, there are hardly any dents on the deck.
Dave Rastovich is notoriously hard on surfboards. He snaps them frequently and he has been riding these Gary McNeill Treetech ECO boards without issue. He hasn't been snapping them.
- It's lighter. Gary uses Marko Envirofoam Blanks, which feature recycled foam but with consistent density throughout.
- Third, Gary uses Entropy Bio Resin.
So Gary has taken the fundamental building blocks of a board, especially the really nasty bits, and created a board that is just as lively, just as fast, just as light but still strong.
All of the great aspect of this board design are preserved, but he does it in this package that is a lot more environmentally friendly.
So, flax cloth, bio resin, and recycled blanks.
I think it's awesome what Gary's doing and I think the more surfers and shapers that get behind this concept, the better for all of us.
What about the Gary McNeill CV2 Surfboard Review?
I think Gary calls the CV2:
"the Ferrari of what I'm doing right now."
I've reviewed his Rasta Torus twin and I've reviewed the Entity and love both of them.
I thought this Gary McNeill CV2 Treetech ECO Surfboard was intended to be a performance Semi-fish.
True that this is a more performance oriented board versus the Gary McNeill Rasta Torus Twin, which is a little flatter and shorter and wider. And then there is the Entity, which is one of the best all rounder surfboards I've ever owned.
But, you can see that this board does have a little bit more rocker, especially through the nose and tail. So, while it's definitely a performance fish surfboard shape with the wide, fishy tail and wider outline overall, this is a surprising performer in small waves. When you see Dave 'Rasta' Rastovich riding this board, he's doing all sorts of ridiculous things and putting them in places that you and I never will.
Then, there is that lovely Torus channel that runs the length of the board. And, as with the Rasta Torus Twin, it gives you a little extra hold when you need it, which I really liked on this board.
If you're looking for a modern performance fish this is really the definition of a that style of surfboard.
The Gary McNeill CV2 comes as a quad setup and Gary recommends riding it as a quad or a twin.
I was originally surfing this with the Futures Rasta Quads, which are my got to quad setup...and, I didn't really like the feel of the board.
My undisputed favourite quad fin set...and they just didn't do if for me in this board.
Then a gentleman reached out to me on Instagram, Mark Noel Tattoo, to recommend that I switch to these Futures Fins AMT Twin fins in. (And, Mark, you're right. I did put these fins in and this really, I think, changed the dynamic of the board for me). It just made it feel a little bit more lively and looser and, overall, I just had better surfs on it when I put these fins in.
These Futures Fins AMT Honeycomb Twin Fins did the trick! It's amazing what the right fins can do...
Gary McNeill CV2 Surfboard Review Wrap Up
So, that is the Gary McNeill's CV2. It's Gary McNeill's uber popular modern performance fish.
If you haven't ridden one of Gary McNeill's surfboards or if you're stuck in that mould of riding the same boards, Gary McNeill Concepts have a little more heart and soul in their boards.
I think Gary McNeill is a shaper you should definitely pay attention to. He's a lovely guy. A very cerebral gentleman. And I think it's great what he's doing for the industry - his boards are just fantastic. I think you'll not find a person that can say a bad thing about one of his boards.
This concept of a sustainable surfboard - at least, a more sustainable surfboard - is something that we should all be getting behind.
For a sport of passion that involves us being in nature, we should be getting behind this movement and voting with our wallets to go for production like this.
While this surfboard isn't perfect, it uses recycled foam, it uses bio resin, it uses flax cloth. Already it's better and safer for the environment and for the people, the shapers who actually create the boards.
That is the Gary McNeill CV2 review in his Treetech ECO construction.
If you share the mindset that you wanna be in a world where you use products that harm it, then this is the definitely the sort of surfboard you should be looking at riding.
Did you enjoy learning about this more sustainable surfboard? This is the Gary McNeill CV2 Treetech ECO Surfboard Review for Benny's Boardroom.