Two boards or one board

[Luc Benac]

After going through two phases of wanting one specialized board for flat water and one specialized board for downwind and then wanting one board doing everything and reading plenty of diverging advice on the subject I came to my own conclusion that everybody was right...it just depend on the mood of the time....

To me it all come down to two conflicting factors and which of these you can live with on any given day 


1a) On glassy water nothing can reproduce the feel of a full displacement nose. The Bark Downwinder comes close in terms of both speed and not "pushing" as much water but still not the same feeling.
1b) In choppy water/downwind, nothing is as comfortable as rocker. The Allstar is fairly stable for a 25" but it is still more work than when on the Bark.

=> having two boards one displacement and one with rocker


2) I hate to switch boards. Going from one board to the other takes some adjustment in many forms and takes a bit of paddling before comfort come back which is wasting good paddling time

=> have one board that covers 90% or so i.e. 2016 Allstar, Bark Vapor, JL Rail (?), SIC FX14 (?), 2016 Rogue Downwind (?), Bark Downwinder

[burchas]

=> have one board that covers 90% or so i.e. 2016 Allstar, Bark Vapor, JL Rail (?), SIC FX14 (?), 2016 Rogue Downwind (?), Bark Downwinder

I hear you Luc. Had the same back and forth in my head, though I'm coming from a different angle as
I just don't have the space in my apartment for more than one board (not including inflatables).

I opted for the SIC FX Pro the 12.6 rather than 14 (to fit in my small NY apartment)
I should be getting it in 2 weeks or so, I'll be happy to share notes.

[robon]

I'm not quite at that place where I really need two boards, but it would be nice. I definitely have a compromise with the Naish Glide as my one board. It's isn't bad on flat water, but with the rocker, it has only around 13 feet of effective board length. A bit more if I'm standing with my heels at the front of the centre point. It also doesn't start cutting through incoming waves/swell until the wave height is higher than one foot. I knew all of this going in though, but having something that is a bit more efficient going up wind and on flat water would be good.

The Javelin 14 x 28 is a good compromise on paper, and the New Allstar hybrids are reportedly more stable than last years in narrower widths and very capable in all conditions. I have read the hybrid 27" is as stable, if not more so than last years 28" wide AllStar, and it goes well downwind and on the flats. The hybrid 27 doesn't look as ridiculously bulbous as the new 28 DW version either. I liked the old Coast runner and Race series with the volume in front, but the newer 28" AllStar has a very pronounced hump on top, and you would think it would get pushed around a lot in quartering swell and side chop.

[velocitek]

After going through two phases of wanting one specialized board for flat water and one specialized board for downwind and then wanting one board doing everything and reading plenty of diverging advice on the subject I came to my own conclusion that everybody was right...it just depend on the mood of the time....

To me it all come down to two conflicting factors and which of these you can live with on any given day 


1a) On glassy water nothing can reproduce the feel of a full displacement nose. The Bark Downwinder comes close in terms of both speed and not "pushing" as much water but still not the same feeling.
1b) In choppy water/downwind, nothing is as comfortable as rocker. The Allstar is fairly stable for a 25" but it is still more work than when on the Bark.

=> having two boards one displacement and one with rocker


2) I hate to switch boards. Going from one board to the other takes some adjustment in many forms and takes a bit of paddling before comfort come back which is wasting good paddling time

=> have one board that covers 90% or so i.e. 2016 Allstar, Bark Vapor, JL Rail (?), SIC FX14 (?), 2016 Rogue Downwind (?), Bark Downwinder

@ Luc Benac - Have done any testing with your Velocitek Makai (http://www.velocitek.com/makai/) to quantify the performance differences between your two boards in various conditions? The Makai's Results Mode will allow you to recall your maximum and average speeds, distance traveled and elapsed time for a session and it can provide some valuable insights to your equipment choices.

Cheers,

Charles

Charles Swanson
Sales & Support Manager

Velocitek
Web: www.velocitek.com
Toll free USA & Canada: 1-866-498-6737 ex. 103
Worldwide: +1-650-529-4519 ex. 103
Fax: +1-(650)-618-2679

[Luc Benac]

Hey Charles,
Yes I take it on all my outings and specially as I have switched from using a 95 sqi paddle bale to a 84 sqi so keeping the cadence is all important and the Makai keeps me honest.
The good news is that it is easy to read and use, the bad news is that it is showing that the limiting factor is really the paddler more than the board within a few % of km/h :-)



Cheers,

Luc

[Rideordie]

Luc, we think alike!!  I am chasing the elusive "one board" concept, even though I have three already.  In my case, it may be a three or four board concept.     Anyway, the Starboard Allstar initially got my interest.  More recently, the Bark Downwinder and now the SIC FX 14.  I would really like to try all three or more on the same day.  What I am looking for is 1) A light weight, narrow and fast flat water race board with 2) decent stability and 3)enough rocker to handle rough water/side wind/chop and 4) light down winders well.  In short, one race board for just about any conditions.  I know that is a tall order, but shapes are continuing to evolve and improve.  AND, the smart manufacturers know that there is a significant demand for such a board.  Sure, compromises must be made along the way in the designs, but I believe that progress is being made and will continue to be made going forward.  If you paddle on a sizable body of water, even if an inland lake, conditions will not always favor a flat displacement board.  there have been many days I wished for more rocker.  If you are a downwind paddler, there will be many down breeze days, where you wished you could flatten your rocker.  It stands to logical reason that you could create a compromise board that could achieve better average results.  I have stood in front of my rack trying to decide which board to take out given the conditions, or even to take to a race.  It is not fun to show up with the wrong board.  It would be nice to know that you have the right board for just about any conditions.  I have read some reviews about the Bark Downwinder.  Would love to hear more about the 2016 Allstar and the SIC FX 14.  Anybody?
                               

[stoneaxe]

If you aren't racing then the answer I would think becomes simpler, are you going to have more fun with two specialized boards? if not then the answer is one. I also like the feel of full displacement on flatwater but it only matters when you focus on it. When I'm on flatwater its usual a sightseeing trip as much as anything so board type doesn't matter much. I know you are asking in a generalized sense about designs that might do it all but given that enjoyment level of a given board is subjective the only way to really answer it is demo....not easy to do for a number of boards.

I'm probably more sensitive to this than most need to be. The recommendation of others is of very limited use to me. If you are someone in the middle of the bell curve, closer to the average paddler, recommendations of others may be of more use. Even my brother who is somewhat similar to me in size, etc has very different idea of what stable is than I do and that one variable changes everything. This is the main reason why I thought the format of the board and paddle showcase that Bill did way back was so good...subjective reviews from a wide variety of paddlers, all different sizes, shapes, and experience. If you were a 250 lb newbie with really bad balance then maybe my opinion back then would have mattered...Zane Schweitzer, and I rode some of the same boards that day...I doubt very much our opinions were the same... But you could find a number of paddlers that seemed close to your specs then maybe (maybe) those boards that group liked would suit you too or at least get you closer.

[1tuberider]

I don't see any surf oriented boards in your quiver.

Long board, short board, big wave board and all the sizes you really need.
One board is a bad dream for me. Two would not cut it either.
I do have 13 boards and I love them all.

My all-star is fun but not the only non surf board I have. In a downwinder with
20 to 30 knots of wind I use a bark. Maybe next year a sic.

[surfafrica]

The answer is n + 1.

[Muskoka SUP]

The answer is n + 1.

..or the corollary, S-1.     

[stoneaxe]

The answer is n + 1.

Best answer yet....

[SUPJorge]

One board (Bullet 14V2) works well for me. Like Stoney, when I'm on flatwater it's usual a sightseeing trip, so I'm not focused on maximizing speed, and when I'm DWing or in the ocean, where performance does matter, that board does everything exceptionally well. There are also benefits to dealing with just one board, like saving space and money and getting it really dialed in.

[Board Stiff]

The Bullet V2 would be my current choice for a quiver of 1. At my level of balance and conditioning, I can't squeeze much more speed out of a narrower and more flatwater/race-oriented board like the SIC X-14 Pro, and I'm far more comfortable on the V2 in downwind or rough water conditions that I am on any equal or narrower board that I've tried. I'm very interested in trying the new Bark Vapor and SIC FX too, though I think with only one board, I'd still lean towards the added stability and downwind performance of the V2.

Having recently won an X-14 Pro in Raf's Casco Bay Race Series raffle, however, which at least for me is really only good for relatively calm conditions, I'm now leaning towards the quiver of 2 and adding a more dedicated downwind board like the Bullet V1 or a Jimmy Lewis M-14 for downwinding, rough conditions, and the occasional big board surf session. 

[Luc Benac]

The Bullet V2 would be my current choice for a quiver of 1. At my level of balance and conditioning, I can't squeeze much more speed out of a narrower and more flatwater/race-oriented board like the SIC X-14 Pro, and I'm far more comfortable on the V2 in downwind or rough water conditions that I am on any equal or narrower board that I've tried. I'm very interested in trying the new Bark Vapor and SIC FX too, though I think with only one board, I'd still lean towards the added stability and downwind performance of the V2.

Having recently won an X-14 Pro in Raf's Casco Bay Race Series raffle, however, which at least for me is really only good for relatively calm conditions, I'm now leaning towards the quiver of 2 and adding a more dedicated downwind board like the Bullet V1 or a Jimmy Lewis M-14 for downwinding, rough conditions, and the occasional big board surf session. 

What do they say - do not look at the teeth of a gifted horse - not a lot of people would object at a quiver like that especially when half of the quiver comes free :-)
Congratulation on your good luck.

[yugi]

Oh look! I found 190 million reasons for you, Luc:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=live+simply

Your own reason is still one of the best.

…
2) I hate to switch boards. Going from one board to the other takes some adjustment in many forms and takes a bit of paddling before comfort come back which is wasting good paddling time

=> have one board that covers 90% or so i.e. 2016 Allstar, Bark Vapor, JL Rail (?), SIC FX14 (?), 2016 Rogue Downwind (?), Bark Downwinder

I took a friends race board on a Dwer the other day which turned out to be most festive. Oh boy was that point driven well home. It was conditions which mandated one to be well in tune with your board. Which I wasn’t. It took me out of my comfort zone and spanked me. I learned a lot. One lesson being to never neglect this rule.

Yes Stoney! If you aren’t driven by race results the answer does become even more simple. Our little DW gang does quite well in our local flatwater races with our pure downwind boards. Mainly because we get more TimeOnWater than others.