Author Topic: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video  (Read 5120 times)

Piros

  • Sunset Status
  • ****
  • Posts: 464
    • View Profile
    • www.vonpiros.com
    • Email
12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« on: February 26, 2017, 09:33:18 PM »
It's been a year since I filmed any Sup racing and I was blown away by how much the downwind race boards have changed in design , more like a dug out canoe race. Some pretty Epic vision.

Von Piros Productions
Land Behind, Fish Below, Stories Ahead

Night Wing

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2724
  • Piney Woods of Southeast Texas
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2017, 03:50:11 AM »
Thanks for posting the video.

As for the dugout type of sup boards, I'm not a fan of them. I figure with my luck; if I was riding one of those and lost my balance, as I fell and if I didn't clear the board, I just might land on one of those upturned rails (like a gunnel on a kayak) and break a few ribs.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

yugi

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2228
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2017, 07:04:03 AM »
Titou is so smooth.

Is this race Jake's local waters?

pdxmike

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 6186
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2017, 10:10:06 AM »
Piros--that's is a nice video.  And that's something I love--seeing how board design is changing.  It doesn't matter if it turns out that these bulbous nose/deep deck designs are ultimately the best design.  In fact, chances are that boards in a couple years will have taken some other twist, although it may be more of a tweak.  I love seeing how designs are moving away from surf shapes for uses that are not surfing--makes total sense.  It'll be interesting to see what boards look like in 5 years.

Night Wing--that's what I don't like about the recesses--fear of hitting ribs on sharp edges.  Plus, I'd need a pool ladder to get back into some of them after a few falls.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2017, 10:14:39 AM by pdxmike »

Bean

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4211
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2017, 10:29:12 AM »
Great video!

One benefit of a recessed deck that does not seem to get much attention is the added rigidity inherent in the design.   

pdxmike

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 6186
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2017, 11:54:19 AM »
Good point, Bean.   There've been several boards recently (Fanatics, Starboards...) with bulbous noses that look like they took a recessed-deck design and cut the rails off at deck level.  I guess it gives you some of the advantages of a recessed deck (deck is still low to the water) without some of the disadvantages.  But they look awkward and weak to me--like the front half of a thick board glued to the back half of a thin one--and ready to split in two at the joint. 


The recessed-deck boards in the video look a lot better to me than those.

Eagle

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2426
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2017, 12:12:16 PM »
That looked kinda like a SUP canoe race.   ;D
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

Luc Benac

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1872
  • Super Natural British Columbia
    • View Profile
    • When not paddling...
    • Email
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2017, 12:20:56 PM »
Good point, Bean.   There've been several boards recently (Fanatics, Starboards...) with bulbous noses that look like they took a recessed-deck design and cut the rails off at deck level.  I guess it gives you some of the advantages of a recessed deck (deck is still low to the water) without some of the disadvantages.  But they look awkward and weak to me--like the front half of a thick board glued to the back half of a thin one--and ready to split in two at the joint. 


The recessed-deck boards in the video look a lot better to me than those.

I paddled an 2015 Ace-GT recently and was agreeably surprised at the stiffness and weight for such a long board. The board is about 17cm height with a 9cm recess.
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
Blackfish Paddles

Area 10

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4057
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2017, 12:29:15 PM »
Dugouts are, generally, very specific designs for specific people and specific races. For a non-racer, or for very serious conditions, they make little sense. And yes, hitting your shins on the rails as you fall is intensely painful (don't ask me how I know this), and getting back into a dugout for the umpteenth time in choppy conditions gets very old (don't tell me how I know this).

Dugouts are also:

1. Awkward to carry.
2. Easy to damage (the upper rails).
3. Hard to transport, especially if stacking boards.
4. Truly dreadful in big chop if it gets over the nose - the deck fills like a birdbath and you come to a dead halt for a couple of minutes.
5. Look criminally ugly.
6. Don't surf well.
7. Are pretty dreadful for beach races (see points 1,2,4,6). Try a beach start with one in shorebreak.

For these reasons, I can't see dugouts becoming the standard for ocean boards. As the number of potential buyers who are ex-racers or probably-never-will-racers exceeds the number of active racers (as is inevitable in a maturing sport), this should keep the demand for dugouts relatively small.

But they sure are fast in the right hands and the right conditions. In the wrong hands and the wrong conditions you'll wish you'd stayed at home instead and shoved a red hot poker into your ass.

IMO a compromise between a full Ace-style dugout and a flat deck (like the Mistral Vortex) might be the way to go for most of the advantages with minimised disadvantages.

JEG

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1016
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2017, 12:31:22 PM »
I've tested a dugout and I can see the advantage but dont fall.

heyheysup

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 19
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2017, 02:51:54 PM »
Area10, the ace-ish board from mistral is the equinox, isn't it? Awesome video, thx for posting

Luc Benac

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1872
  • Super Natural British Columbia
    • View Profile
    • When not paddling...
    • Email
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2017, 03:09:48 PM »
Dugouts are also:
1. Awkward to carry.
2. Easy to damage (the upper rails).
3. Hard to transport, especially if stacking boards.
4. Truly dreadful in big chop if it gets over the nose - the deck fills like a birdbath and you come to a dead halt for a couple of minutes.
5. Look criminally ugly.
6. Don't surf well.
7. Are pretty dreadful for beach races (see points 1,2,4,6). Try a beach start with one in shorebreak.
But they sure are fast in the right hands and the right conditions.

All fair points.
After a first try, for a common paddler like me, the design seems to work well as a touring board for moderate conditions.
Granted not exactly the advertised and recommended purpose...
The bottom shape seems to be easy to move along and take advantage of small ripples while been quite effective upwind.
Granted I have just started trying one and paddled only twice 10 km in flattish conditions.

The biggest drawback I could see is the bucket feeling with water in choppy conditions.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2017, 03:21:47 PM by Luc Benac »
Sunova Allwater 14'x25.5" 303L Viento 520
Sunova Torpedo 14'x27" 286L Salish 500
Naish Nalu 11'4" x 30" 180L Andaman 520
Sunova Steeze 10' x 31" 150L
Blackfish Paddles

Area 10

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4057
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #12 on: February 27, 2017, 03:55:01 PM »
Area10, the ace-ish board from mistral is the equinox, isn't it? Awesome video, thx for posting
Yeah, sorry, I meant the Equinox. I paddled it quite a bit thought it was a very effective race design, like a more user-friendly Ace. Very fast downwind.

Off-Shore

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1663
    • View Profile
    • HksupaHK SUP and Downwinding
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2017, 10:08:42 PM »
Great to see this vid with so many dugout shots. I've had my 2017 SB Ace 14 x 27" now for 4 months and can concur this style of board is now my favourite all round board, but a pain (literally) if you fall on the thin side rails rib or shin first. Somehow I have avoided that so far. Getting back into them is also difficult at first but somehow I don't even notice this now. Muscle memory or something.

If I could only have one board it would be a dugout... something I'm not sure I would have said 2 months ago...
SB 9' x 33' x 4.1" - RPC 9'8" iSUP - SB All-Star 12'6" - Blue Planet Bump Rider 14 - SB Ace 14 x 27 - RedAir 14' Elite Race - SIC Bullet 14v1 TWC - SICMaui F16v3 Custom

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HksupaHk_SUP_and_Downwinding

Eagle

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2426
    • View Profile
Re: 12 Towers Downwind Race Video
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2017, 09:35:50 AM »
So much talk about "dugouts".  Now this is a real deal dugout tested back in 2015.  Now just need to add a fin or rudder ...  tracking was a bit of a prob.  Getting close with all those 2017 designs.  What old is new once again.  ;D ;D
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal