Is there a new switch to race 12'6"

[gorgebob]

Curious about the numbers of racers racing 12'6" over 14's. And the
World races leaning to 12'6". I thought 14's were the ticket. Do I need to get another board?

[johnrg]

I have both Bob. It makes sense for travel reasons but the WPA announced the World Championships next fall in Cabo or San Jose del Cabo to be on 14ft for men. Means someone will probably truck the boards from SD. The women are 12.6. Honestly 2012 won't see any shift but just more confusion/anxiety for many. For series races I am sticking with 14 since the WPA seems to be supporting that for men. Other races I may choose to race the 12.6 like I did at the BOP Distance and Hennesseys just to mix it up and the series races were over.

John

[PT Woody]

I don't think you can say there has been a switch to 12'6" given that several of the top events have always been 12'6". Therefore 12'6" is kind of the status quo as the stock class. There has been a push to switch to 14' as stock class but that hasn't eventuated unilaterally.

[Slow Ride]

The numbers are overwhelming when comparing 12'6" numbers to 14' numbers at all the large races (outside of very long distance races).  Some small races may have more 14' boards  than 12' 6" boards but when you look at the big picture it is not even close in numbers.  Hard to say if this will change in the future......

[SUPracer.]

Here's a few to consider...

WPA/Hennessey's World Champs 2012: 14' Men / 12'6" Women

ISA World Championships 2012: 12'6" Men / 12'6" Women

Stand Up World Series/World Championship Finals 2012: 12'6" Men / 12'6" Women

Battle of the Paddle Elite Race: always 12'6" (this is where the 12'6" class was born...)

Battle of the Paddle Long Distance Race 2011: Unlimited (for the prize money)

Battle of the Paddle Long Distance Race 2012: 14' (for the prize money)

Orange Bowl Paddle Champs 2012 (flat water race): 12'6" Men / 12'6" Women (for the prize money)

The Doctor (downwind race, Australia) 2012: 14' Men had the most prize money

The Doctor 2011: 12'6" had the most prize money

SUP 11 City Tour (endurance flat water race): 14'

Molokai-2-Oahu (the 4th World Championship, just to confuse you even more): Unlimited

[SUPracer.]

...I think the biggest difference this year is that there's going to be 3x major World Championship events. It's these three (along with the BoP) that will probably help set the standard.

The ISA World Champs and SUP World Series are entirely new for 2012, and the WPA/Hennessey's World Champs have totally changed their format from previous years.

So it's basically three big new events that are focusing almost entirely on 12'6".

3x World Championships for men, 3x for women, with 5 of those 6 races are using 12'6" boards.

Throw in the BoP Elite and Long Distance races and you've got 6 major races focusing on 12'6" and 2x on the 14' class.

Just depends if all the other races follow suit or not.

[Slow Ride]

Great analysis supracer.com!  One more observation the only races not on 12' 6" boards for men are the Long Distance races and the downwind race.  The only exception is this years WPA championship.  Maybe we have a theme?  Have the 12' 6" board for shorter distance races and save the 14' and unlimited for distance races.

[peterp]

In South Africa it's all 14' - the only guys who have 12'6 are pretty much the guys going to ISA Worlds as they had to start training on them - I'm pretty sure they will switch back the minute they're done there. They don't like getting beaten and being told you did really well coming 2nd, 5th, 12th etc on a 12'6 just sucks.

We don't know what to do going forward, if we are to breed international riders we'll need a 12'6 class and consensus for now is that those that want to be selected will have to compete on 12'6 - so 12'6 becomes elite and 14' the cruiser class....

Not exactly what was intended when the 12'6 "stock-class" came about. I'm glad WPA have seen the light.

[Kaihoe]

In NZ we have the opposite. It's nearly all 12'6" with everything else being unlimited. 
There's only a few of us bigger guys running 14's along with the occasional downwind board

[pdxmike]

We don't know what to do going forward, if we are to breed international riders we'll need a 12'6 class and consensus for now is that those that want to be selected will have to compete on 12'6 - so 12'6 becomes elite and 14' the cruiser class....

Not exactly what was intended when the 12'6 "stock-class" came about. I'm glad WPA have seen the light.

That is a pretty funny observation, and ironic--as the general paddling population continues moving to 14' boards, if elite races continue to stick with the 12-6 limit, then you end up with races where the elites are on the short boards and non-elites are on longer, faster boards.  

At the races with conditions favoring smaller boards (tight turns, etc.) or at large races that attract high-level elites, the elites will still be fastest. But at smaller races that have elite divisions that stick with the 12-6 limit, you could easily see the elite winner finishing behind non-elites (or at least several elites beaten by non-elites)--a bit confusing for the spectators.  Then the question for elite paddlers will be, "Do I want to finish first, or do I want to win?"  

[greatdane]

I think it will be unfortunate if the world goes 12'6"... only because it is a handicap for many of the 200+ pound guys... I saw the numbers of 14's being close to equal with 12'6"s last year in the Pacific Northwest... I am lucky in that I have each board size, but not all are.  The 12'6" ruling won't effect me because I probably wont be traveling to any world championship races, and many of the elite racers will have sponsors providing for them... I will continue to train on a 12'6" but race mostly on 14's and unlimiteds.

It's an interesting progression/evolution we are involved in now... which size/class will dominate in the future... When one goes to an outrigger race or a surf ski race, no asks; "what size boat you paddling today?"  Because the answer would be; "um... the fast one?"

[lee]

Curious about the numbers of racers racing 12'6" over 14's. And the
World races leaning to 12'6". I thought 14's were the ticket. Do I need to get another board?

Bob I think you me and all the rest of us ancient mariners here in the North West ought to band together and have a North West 14' over 50 race challenge series.

[gorgebob]

Over 50 for 14 in the NW . Got it. One board for all events.

[PT Woody]

I think it will be unfortunate if the world goes 12'6"... only because it is a handicap for many of the 200+ pound guys...

You must have missed Area 10's provocative and thoughtful article on this very point: that it's not so much the fact that 12'6" "disadvantages" 200+ pound guys, but that 14' gives them an advantage.

[pdxmike]

It was a good post:

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=14400.msg128005#msg128005

But the "disadvantaged" versus "not advantaged" question is still relative, depending on your viewpoint.  You can say a 12-6 board gives a light paddler an advantage, or you can say a 12-6 board takes away the advantage of being heavy.  But the result is the same--the light paddler comes out ahead.  (Or the heavy one comes out behind.)

The only reasons that wouldn't be true is if 1) there really is no advantage or disadvantage to being heavier (meaning muscular, not fat) or lighter regardless of board length (which I don't believe) or 2) there is some advantage or disadvantage one way or the other, but there is a certain length that is objectively "fair".