This is our second ELIT Board Test. We tested the SD model a couple days ago. Have you read the SD Elit test ? If not, click here. Anyway. This is the ELIT TEAM DESIGN 41 PE STRINGER MESH test here. ELIT boards are made in indo by Mez (like NMD, VS, SCIENCE, PRIDE, HB, TOYS, SNIPER, LMNOP and more brands – we probably forgot some brands in the list) so it’s a solid contruction, good materials and craftmanship. Read the rest of the review by clicking the link below…

The ELIT Team Design board we tested is a 41 PE stringer + mesh board. Pretty basic construction, with a surlyn slick bottom, nose bulbs and channels. The board felt a litle bit like a smaller version of the SD board that we tested before but the TEAM DESIGN board doesn’t have contours on the deck which we preferred. We’re not big fans of contours. The TEAM board worked really well, it was fast and responsive. It reminded us of the SD board from ELIT as well as the Ben Player board from NMD but in a smaller version since this is a 41 and the BP Board is 41.5. The shape/template is good and easy to ride. The picture on the left doesnt look exactly like the real board we reckon, the real board has a straighter template and higher widepoint. The board was less fast than the SD but it’s probably due to the fact that the SD model was larger and longer which makes you gain more speed. Once you’re riding the Team board on a good wave though the speed generated is good and the board has a good drive and stays in and around the pocket easily. 360’s and tricks were made easy thanks to its small size and its flex (PE core), the recoil was really good and the board felt great. We really enjoyed riding it and didn’t have to adapt to the board. We liked it and surfed it easily as soon as we jumped on it.

What we really noticed is how smaller boards liek this ELIT 41 Team Design (we usually tend to ride 41.5 boards for prone) are easy to control and easy to spin and stay in the barrel with good control. Smaller boards lack of speed if the waves are not powerful or hollow, that’s for sure but they are fun to ride when the waves are good. Too small isn’t a good idea either because you wouldn’t have enough foam under your body to make you float and get the speed required to surf properly and do tricks. That ELIT board felt good in hollow waves at least for our size and weight. It was a little weird at the beginning to ride a smaller board than usual but as soon as you ride it and spin a couple times you realise how fun it is to ride a small board. The only problem is when you paddle into a wave, it requires more power and you have to really push yourself into the wave because the smaller the board is, the less buoyancy you have, and the less speed you’ll generate when you paddle. A bigger board like the SD board or a Ben Player 41.5 or any bigger board requires less power to get into waves and can help you get into waves earlier.

To sum it up: the ELIT Team Design is a really good board, it’s fun, it’s a got a nice shape and easy to ride template, it doesn’t seem to require any special skills to surf it, the behaviour of the board is good and sane. Becareful if you’re over 5′11 (1.80m) like i am because the board might feel a little too small in small or mellow waves. If the waves are good we reckon it’s ok to ride 41 inches boards or smaller (for our size and weight of course – if you’re smaller than us, the board will be perfect), if not, we reckon using a 41.25 or 41.5 inches board would be better for someone heavier than 70kgs or higher than 5′11 (1.80m). You can compensate a small board in small waves if the board is larger also… but that’s another debate! Anyway, this board is good and we’ll keep this one coz we liked it!