CORE Ripper 3
Sizes Available: 5’8″ x 17 7/8, x 21 1/16″, 23L, 5’10” x 18 1/8″ x 12 1/4, 25L, 6’1″ x 18 1/2″ x 12 3/8″, 27L
Sizes Tested: 5’10” x 18 1/8″ x 12 1/4, 25L
Core Says:
To all the wave warriors out there, we agree, there is no bigger rush than riding waves of all shapes and sizes. Strapped. Or strapless. Like the ones a Nor’easterly brings to the East Coast. Or a good low brings to the Great Lakes. For you, we built the ultra comfortable, Ripper 3. An allrounder that feels right at home on big, messy, wind driven lake swell or the super smooth reefs of Mauritius and Maui. The Ripper 3. A handcrafted, glass shortboard for all your road trips, wherever they may take you.
So, what is the payoff for going with glass over EPS? You get a classic, smooth riding surfboard with impeccable carving characteristics that performs just as well without a kite. Can’t find any waves? No problem, try the new Ripper 3 with a CORE LW kite and discover how much fun lightwind riding is. Go back to the future with the carbon fiber and glass Ripper 3 and find your inner wave ninja.
Visit for more info: www.corekites.com/us/boards/surfboards/ripper3
Tkb Says:
This is our first run in with the Core Ripper with its longer, narrower profile, rounded pin tail and classic custom glass construction in a classic performance surfboard shape. The Ripper features a single concave from nose to tail with a thruster fin box configuration that came with FCS2s Accelerator large sized fins. The Ripper came with a ¾ length deckpad that comes in three sections and features a fairly dense waffle weave grip that offers a ton of grip and good control connection over the board. The deck features a balsa inlay stringer in the center with two footstrap inserts along the center to choose forward/aft front foot strap position and three forward and aft centered inserts on the tail for back foot straps. We opted to install two of the three deck pads, skipping the middle section to save some weight because the front foot pad has plenty of coverage for footwork during jibes. The tail pad does have a raised hump down the center to support your back foot arch as well a solid kick guaranteed to prevent the dreaded splits.
The first thing we noticed about the Ripper was its super positive grippy tail and the long narrow outline that feels really at home with drivey large, big bottom turns. The Ripper in the 5’10” was a bit large for our size, particularly in smaller surf, so we often had to use more back foot pressure on the rounded pin tail to get the Ripper to snap tighter turns in the shore break. The Ripper with its longer length and gun shape would really come alive in medium to larger A-frame reeling waves, with clean confident bottom turns at speed and tons of tracking that inspires confidence. When it comes to small crappy surf we would probably choose the smaller sizes in the 720 for more playful and snappier carving. The Ripper has a really solid locked in feel that goes upwind really well with speed and ton of control through the chop that gets you to the top of the reef quickly. With large sized fins, the tail feels really grippy and offers confidence and precision in larger drawn out turns and feels fairly stable for footwork during gybes. When it comes to strapless freestyle, the Ripper is not quite as adept at load, release and pop and its larger size is a lot to handle for strapless rotations compared to Core’s 720 cuttoff shape. The construction on the Ripper is robust which helps the Ripper plow through choppier conditions and at the 5’10” size it feels built for strapped jumping and bigger heavy-footed riders smashing bigger lips. Overall, the Ripper is a solid performance surfboard that is surefooted and smooth with great upwind performance and stability for nailing the footwork on every jibe. We’d likely ride this board in a slightly smaller size and seek out medium to larger waves where larger drawn out turns with confidence is key — this is where we felt the Ripper really shines.
