Best race/tour board to catch really small waves and wake?

[SUPpaddler]

What are your choices for the best 12'-14' race/tour boards for a 160 lb paddler, mostly for flat water, but which will catch the smallest waves, especially wake from passing boats, wind waves on lakes and small bays, or tiny ocean swell (way short of full downwind conditions)?  Something narrow, but still fairly manageable would be OK for these conditions.  So what board can catch a fun ride that others would miss? 

[Muskoka SUP]

The Starboard Coast Runner (14').
Perfect cruising board, kick butt down winder, turn key fun.
The AST version is a bit heavy (35lbs), but pretty well bomb proof. I think the carbon version would save you 5 lbs.

David S.

[westbeach]

The 2012 Naish 14' Glide. I say demo both the Starboard and the Naish. Then make your decision on how each board feels. They will both ride diffently. I have a 12'6 Starboard Race and I love the glide on this board on flatwater. Over Christmas I was in Oahu and paddled the Naish Glide and loved it. Now I am thinking of adding a 2012 14' to my quiver although we don't have the same ocean conditions as HI. It's such a fun board to have around.

[PT Woody]

The Starboard Ace will also do what you want. Either 12'6" or 14' but you can easily go 25" wide at 160lb. There are a couple of other SB models coming out in the next week or two that may also work - the Ace Pro and the Pierce Touring. They'll both do the flat water cruising really well by the looks of them, just not sure how they'll go about catching boat wake and small swell.

[corlot]

I think you have to consider a few different factors.

 1-What do you want more, flat speed or ease of swell catch?

2-frequency and size of swell (or wake).

Here in the Pacific Northwest I find the wind generated swells to be close frequency, ocean or lake. They also tend to be steep and unless it is really howling, lacking true power ( not like Hawaii ).

I find my 2010 14 foot Glide with the huge nose rocker is really easy to catch these types of swells. The nose does not bump into the wave in front. It also handles like a more traditional surfboard. The down side is with all that nose rocker, it is slow in the flats.

My 14 Bark Dominator is fun on the flats and really small swells, but I do not like the way it downwinds. The nose is easy to poke into the wave in front and really slows the board down.

That being said there are people who kick butt downwind on a Dominator.

My brother bought a custom downwind board, the Rogue, from Bellingham Board Works. I think it is  great! Good ample nose rocker, enough water line to be quick, and surfs like crazy!

It will be my next choice for a board. Good luck on the hunt.

[Argosi]

At your weight, I'd also pick the Starboard Ace in the 25" width.

If you were 180lbs or more, the Coast Runner would be more stable.

I just wrote a quick summary of the Ace:
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=12489.msg129190;topicseen#new

[SUPpaddler]

What about flat water boards like the narrow Fanatic Fly 12'6"?    I think someone also mentioned the Naish 12'6" Catalina in that regard as well.  Are they sometimes better at catching really small wake and waves than the downwind style boards?

[bean]

SUPpaddler, the Catalina was discontinued, but a great board for paddling and even small surf.  Although some riders complained about having to step out of the recessed cockpit to get on the tail.  Fanatic makes great boards; I currently paddle a 14 Fly along the Jersey Shore and it seems to "fit" our short period swell perfectly.

Where do you do most of your paddling and what boards are available to you at this time?  At 160 lbs your options are endless.

And if you havent already, take a look at the "Down-winding the new 12'6" Glide" thread that was recently posted.

[SUPpaddler]

I'm mostly around the Chesapeake Bay, and have a Dominator that I only got to use a few times before the water got too cold.  It seemed to catch small waves reasonably well, though I have a kayak that I thought was really good at it.  The kayak is 22" wide with a 16 foot waterline and good volume in the bow and stern.  I thought a nearly flat board would do even better, so I'm pondering.  That's why I asked about narrow boards catching waves.

[Argosi]

I've got a custom Bark 14' board that's similar to the Dominator but narrower. For light to moderate downwind conditions, my Starboard NEW is a lot more fun than the Dominator and catches small waves better. The Bark is better around a race course though and a bit better in glassy water.

[bean]

That's why I asked about narrow boards catching waves.

The narrower you go, generally the faster the board will be and the easier it will be to catch bumps earlier.  But you go too narrow and it becomes counter productive because you spend a lot of energy maintaining your balance (and getting back on your board.) 

Your Dominator should be a great compromise from flat glass to just about the biggest chop the bay can dish out. 

[PonoBill]

They'll all catch waves, but the more they tend towards a canoe style nose and displacement hull, the bigger a handful they'll be. I'd say the question is more one of your priorities. Sounds like you want mostly a race board that will still catch a swell, and the answer to that is--they all will.

[DavidJohn]

 Sounds like you want mostly a race board that will still catch a swell, and the answer to that is--they all will.

I agree.. They all will.. But some will let you surf it (once you've caught it) better than others.

If you want to surf it don't get a board with a tail and rail shape like the Javelin.

DJ

[PonoBill]

Boyum and I did a run from the Harbor up to Kanaha and back today--starting our training for Maui to Molokai. We planned to go further, but when we got to Lower Kanaha there were some nice little glassy waves, with about 10 SUPs and a couple of longboarders enjoying the glassy, windless conditions. I said "let's go poach some" so we pulled in about 50 yards outside of the lineup and waited for a wave. I got into a pretty nice one right away and by the time I was twenty yards from the lineup I was back to the tail, surfing my 17.5" SIC Bullet.

It's actually fun to surf it, even though everyone was yelling "have you got a license for that boat"! A little hard to kick it out of the wave with ten or so feet of nose hanging out in the air, but fun. A bottom turn takes about twenty yards, especially since I feel compelled to announce every maneuver: "Prepare to come about", "Aye, Captain, coming about", "Engine room, we need more speed", "She's already at warp seven Captain, I can't give you any more", Damn it Scotty..."

It was fun enough that it was hard for Bill and I to quit--we kept saying "one more and we have to go", but we wound up staying until the wind came up and we headed back to the harbor.

So yeah, a Bullet 17 makes a fine surfboard.