Starboard Ace Pro 14"

[PT Woody]

The Australian Starboard distributor kindly sent a couple of demos over our way for a 14' speed test we have planned shortly. I took a couple of snaps of the sexy Ace Pro. Video to follow.










And here's how it compares with the Fanatic Flat Water 14' and the Starboard Pierce Touring 14'.

[DavidJohn]

Great pictures Paul.. Is it just me or is it hard to tell the front from the back? ... 

DJ

[PT Woody]

If it's a race and you're on a Naish and you're looking at the Starboard, chances are you're looking at the back of it. 

[Kaihoe]

If it's a race and you're on a Naish and you're looking at the Starboard, chances are you're looking at the back of it. 

If you can see it

Seriously I'd be interested to here how this compares to the ACE. Does it have the same soft rails in the tail?

[chasesurf]

I'm surprised how much rocker this board has!  Really soft rails looks like too. 

Is this the 25" or 27" wide? 

Either way looks fast, but really curious about stability in chop/ small waves compared to Ace.  The Ace has definitely proven itself and looks like the board of choice Connor used to win The Doctor.  (Unless  there was no Ace PRO available yet).   Really curious to see what board the StarBoard riders use in the coming races and conditions.  Its on my wish list..

[balance_fit]

Yes ! Very interested to see how it goes against the ACE, regarding speed and stability.

 Somewhere i can't remember i saw a clip of a paddler on the ACE Pro actually riding a small swell...very versatile for a flatwater design !

Thanks for the pictures, any chance for a picture of the bottom contours?

Be well

[PT Woody]

Yes ! Very interested to see how it goes against the ACE, regarding speed and stability.

 Somewhere i can't remember i saw a clip of a paddler on the ACE Pro actually riding a small swell...very versatile for a flatwater design !

Thanks for the pictures, any chance for a picture of the bottom contours?

Be well

I got that on video, just forgot to take a still shot. Will cut it all together and post in the next day or so.

[PT Woody]

I'm surprised how much rocker this board has!  Really soft rails looks like too. 

Is this the 25" or 27" wide? 

Either way looks fast, but really curious about stability in chop/ small waves compared to Ace.  The Ace has definitely proven itself and looks like the board of choice Connor used to win The Doctor.  (Unless  there was no Ace PRO available yet).   Really curious to see what board the StarBoard riders use in the coming races and conditions.  Its on my wish list..

This one is actually 28" wide, there's no 27" in the Ace Pro 14' range. It's quick and stable but I have my doubts about when and where it will be superior to the Ace. Perhaps in glass flat water. We will be doing our board tests hopefully this weekend and have all the data available very soon.

Connor actually used my Ace in the Doctor race. I think this Ace Pro would have been on the same shipment to Perth so he may well have had the choice of this wide Ace Pro, the Ace or a Coast Runner or Open Ocean. The Doctor ended up being a long distance slog through choppy water and side winds and unhelpful swells so the Ace was probably the best call.

[balance_fit]

Yes ! Very interested to see how it goes against the ACE, regarding speed and stability.

 Somewhere i can't remember i saw a clip of a paddler on the ACE Pro actually riding a small swell...very versatile for a flatwater design !

Thanks for the pictures, any chance for a picture of the bottom contours?

Be well

I got that on video, just forgot to take a still shot. Will cut it all together and post in the next day or so.

Looking forward to the vid and testing.

Locally, we're neophytes regarding Starboard racing shapes. My ACE is the first ever of this kind here. It has raised quite a few eyebrows !... and frowned others too...

We owe a lot to you guys for instructing us on the great SB shapes!
 
Be well

[chasesurf]

Oops I mean 28"  Thanks for the insight PT. 

It sounds like the Ace is still the Go-To board.  I'm in Holland and will be doing the 11cities 220km race in September, and will try to get on the Ace Pro as this is a strict flatwater race through canals with an occasional lake-chop crossing.  Last years race 1st & 2nd place were on the Ace.  Shows how this board is fast in flatwater too.  And then reading that Connor grabbed the Ace to paddle the long slog and choppy waters in Perth with this board too shows the versatility of it. 

Plus I can throw my kids and dog in the back of the Ace and not worry too much about them slipping off...and the occasional 6 pack on board too.

[Kaihoe]

I saw one of these last night, same soft rail as the ACE but it's missing the big concave down the centre, there seems to be a very small concave but it's subtle.

The 25" should be quick, not so sure about the 28".

[paddledaddy]

So, I have one of the 14x28 Ace pro's, a Coast Runner, and have owned a 12'6" x26 ACE back before it was called the ACE. IMHO the Ace pro will be the faster board than the equivalent 14' ACE in a lot of situations. That piercing nose and overall low volume rounded profile is pretty darn fast in flat water and light chop into the wind or with the wind. The other thing this board does pretty well is downwind in mild conditions. And considering how good it feels off the tail, while sliding with the wind swell, I would guess you could ride a wave into the beach like in BOP pretty well. I think the noticeable tail rocker must be what allows it to behave so well with the waves. I haven't noticed that it "misbehaves" in side chop but I haven't really tested out in rough side-on conditions. I think there could be some stability issues for me in rough side conditions.

Side-chop is really where the bulbous nose ACE boards shine so I would expect the ACE to be better in side-chop conditions and better in downwind situations because the bulbous nose behaves so well downwind. The old 12'6 Ace I had didn't steer off the tail all that well, while down-winding, but it caught swells just by thinking about them.

To some it up, I think if the conditions are a bit flatter the ACE Pro is probably the best choice even if you need to catch a few swells. If you have messy conditions or occasional down-winding goals the ACE is probably better;  and if serious raging down-wind is what you crave the Coast Runner is the way to go.  I had it out in 30+ mph winds in TampaBay this weekend. Yaahw!

[1paddle2paddle]

Wow, don't know if that thing would float me.  I look forward to your speed tests/video too.

[chasesurf]

Thanks, paddledaddy.  Good review

[chasesurf]

...paddledaddy

...but considering you are riding the 28" wide, won't it be different to compare a 25" Ace Pro vs 25" Ace?