Gentemstick Mantaray Written Review & Comparison Video Review by The Good Ride

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Welcome to the Gentemstick Mantaray 156 Review from average riders with exceptional gear knowledge.

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How This Review Happened:  We liked it so much we asked to keep it (we only do this with our favorites), and we were lucky enough to get one…sooooooo stoked!
Size: 156
Days: 20+
Conditions:  Everything from some messy spring conditions to some pretty good groomers, a few powder days ranging from 1-2 feet, and some early morning slackountry time in a little powder with Drift Boards.
Riders: James (Size 9, 5’10” 185-195lbs), Grant (Size 11 6’ 160lbs), Nick (Size 10, 160lbs, 5’8”), Jimbo (Size 11, 5’11” 160lbs),
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton Imperial,
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Bindings: Union Atlas, Union Strata, Union Falcor

Similar Boards (but not the same) That We Compared This To:
Burton Skeleton Key, Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Gentemstick Giant Mantaray,  Korua Dart, Korua Pencil, Korua Tranny Finder, Gentemstick Chaser HP, Gentemstick Stingray, Gentemstick Mantaray 154, Gentemstick Giant Mantaray, Lib Tech BRD,

Set-Up: 21.5” Wide. 21 front -3 back and 27 front and +6 back. Close to Reference and Set all the way back.

Approximate Weight

The Gentemstick Mantaray 156 has a medium to medium-light feel that doesn’t feel light and less like a work of art that you are unsure if you should ride it like some Gentemstick boards look like.

Sizing

There is only one size, so it’s not like there is a lot to talk about. Keep it 8-10, and be careful if you are a 10 with a big footprint boot. It’s not the waist or front binding that’s the problem. It’s the back foot, as there is a lot of taper and less width over the back foot.  if you are on the heavier side, it might not work, but if you are on the lighter side, it won’t be a problem.

Flex/Buttering

The Gentemstick Mantaray 156 gives a lot of easy flex in the tip/tail but then stiffens up a good bit between the feet, giving you a very easy board to butter in comparison to many in this peer group. The rocker in the tip/tail also helps. The ABS sidewalls seem to give it a slightly softer flex than the previous model we tried with Bamboo sidewalls, but it seems to have almost the same energy underfoot and feels lively and snappy without being too chattery.

On Snow Feel/Ability Level/Skidded Turns

The Gentemstick Mantaray has the same stable personality in all conditions and one foots/flat bases very well. It has a pretty tapered feel but doesn’t feel super off the tail, so it feels like it can slash or carve equally well. It’s easy to skid a turn, and any advanced to expert rider who likes a tapered directional style of riding will enjoy this board. It doesn’t require a certain stance angle/width setup or riding style to have time on it.

Edge Hold

Such a competent grip for a board without any disruption in the sidecut. It knifes into harder snow really well and doesn’t grab in softer, thicker snow.

Turn Initiation

Pretty fast edge to edge, and if you are in the trees or tight spots, it can turn quickly. It can slalom through trees or make hard direction changes.

Turning Experience/Carving

I don’t know what’s going on here, but you wouldn’t think that 1mm of camber underfoot could carve this hard and be this much fun turning. It’s a really fun backfoot carver, and it can also drive a little off the front foot with positive front/rear stance angles. It’s every man’s turner/carver.

Powder

Like turning and carving, it does really well for not being super far back on the tail in comparison to many alternative freeride/snow surf kinds of rides we have tried, from Gentemstick, Moss, Korua, and many others.

At a 20.75” stance width when set all the way back on board, the Gentemstick Mantaray 156 has a -4.625” setback from the center of the board. That’s a pretty healthy setback on board but not super far in comparison to many in the Alternative Freeride world. Throw in the early rise in the nose and the 20mm plus of taper in the tail you have a pretty floaty ride. We got this in a few feet of powder, and it was doing just fine. If it gets super deep, you might want something more floaty, but overall, it’s a great board for powder. The base also glides so well in powder that it will carry you further on a traverse in or out of the powder line than most other boards out there.

Speed/Base Glide

We talked about the Gentemstick Mantaray 156’s base already in powder, but to say it again, it has exceptional glide. We haven’t come across many other bases that can keep up with it. The ABS sidewalls make it a little more damp than the Bamboo sidewalls, but it also feels softer now in the tip/tail, so it all evens out. It’s not a bomber, and the tip/tail can get a little clown shoe effect if you really point it, but that’s not what this board is about. Still, it’s competent enough.

Uneven Terrain

The Gentemstick Mantaray 156 can buck a little bit, but overall, it’s a pretty good board for all-day resort riding. I love riding this through bumps or messy snow as long as I turn through it. It’s pretty good powering over it, and I like the extra dampness of the ABS sidewalls compared to the Bamboo. It keeps what you are riding over from reverberating into your bones.

Switch

Doable but far from ideal. If you want to ride a switch, check out the independent stick.

Jumps

So the Gentemstick Mantaray might not have a pure powder board kind of float, but it has some tail for an easier flight. For some reason, we liked the Stingray a little better. Maybe it’s because it feels less tapered and likes a straight line a little better, but it all comes down to personal preference. There is good pop for an ollie, which doesn’t make much sense with 1mm of camber underfoot, but for some reason, it really pops well.

Jibbing

nope…

Pipe

Sure. Really fun, actually, as long as you don’t like to ride the switch in the pipe.

So, all in all, the Gentemstick Mantaray 156 is one of those boards that I’m stoked to have in the quiver, and it provides a really fun ride in any condition that I want to ride.