Lieuwe Brute

We waited a few weeks after getting our hands on the new Lieuwe Brute, holding out for the exact conditions to do it justice. When the forecast finally lined up, it lined up so perfectly that even our local fair got cancelled because of it! A nuking Levante rolled in, and rolled in for the long haul, and naturally, we made the most of it. Perfect conditions to put a Big Air board through its paces.

The Lieuwe Brute is built from hybrid fiber, a lay-up combining fiberglass, carbon and Kevlar, and features a double concave bottom with multiple channels underneath. It looks every bit as purpose-built as that construction suggests. Out of the box, we found the footstrap stance a touch narrow for our liking but while adjusting it, we discovered a genuinely cool feature: the Brute comes with far more inserts than expected, letting it adapt to virtually any stance preference. Paired with their Pro Pads, the possibilities for dialing in the perfect footstrap position is nearly endless. The Brute comes in four sizes, from 132×39 to 141×41 and we tested the 135×40.

As mentioned, we scored proper Big Air conditions, but day one greeted us with a ton of chop at the spot, a bit of a mood-killer at first glance. We went in anyway, and it turned out the Brute handled the chop remarkably well. The board feels very stiff in your hands and, consequently, delivers a fairly stiff ride, but somehow it remains composed and comfortable enough when riding through messy water. If there is one characteristic that really stands out, though, it is the grip – especially when loading up for a jump. If you ride regularly in choppy conditions, you know how frustrating takeoffs can be when you’re fully powered and trying to load as hard as possible. The board can bounce, skip or simply refuse to hold the edge when you need it most. This is where the Brute really shines. It allows you to lock the board into the water and build speed before loading, resulting in fast and extremely vertical takeoffs. Landings are equally impressive. Even after hard and fast landings, it is relatively easy to regain the edge and get the board back under control. We finished that first session with the feeling that the Brute had played a significant part in what turned out to be a surprisingly good session, despite the sea conditions being far from ideal for Big Air.

The following day threw one of the windiest sessions of the year at us with gusts topping 50 knots at their worst, with strong wind sustained throughout. That’s where the Brute’s biggest strength revealed again: grip. The sheer amount of control it offers in gnarly conditions genuinely extended our comfortable top-end range. The Brute feels like a cheat code when you’re pushing your limits in high wind, proving to be the ideal companion for stormy, chaotic days. After surviving that session, we squeezed in a couple more in strong conditions, and found the same story every time: relentless grip and excellent jumping capability.

So, who will get the most out of the Lieuwe Brute? We have to admit that the Brute isn’t the most comfortable board out there, even though the Pro Pads themselves are very comfortable. It isn’t particularly playful either. For a more casual freeride session, some riders may even find that it offers too much grip, combined with a ride that can feel quite stiff. But that is also exactly what gives the Brute its identity.

For riders who regularly ride overpowered, or who are lucky enough to have strong winds on a regular basis, the Lieuwe Brute can make a significant difference. It feels particularly at home when the conditions get rough and the water turns messy, giving you the grip and control needed to push harder when things get serious. It may not be the board we’d choose for an easygoing freeride session, but when the wind goes properly crazy and you’re looking for a board that will keep you locked in and give you confidence to push, the Brute definitely earns its name…