Testing SUP on Flat Water

[seant319]

Thanks for that info greatdane. You guys are right it seems there is no way it could be even 1.5 mph faster averages, probably more like 0.5 mph.  The sprint still looks like a really nice board although probably better suited for lighter paddlers. Those kings UL boards sound fast though.

[greatdane]

Yeah Sean, I paddled that SB Sprint UL and it is very fast for 17.5' long…. But like you said, far too low volume for my 190 lbs.  I hope more manufacturers follow suit and offer more productions UL's.

[cnski]

Corran Addison is a firm believer in rounded bottom race boards and is quite vocal about the whole 12'6"/14" race classes being a total joke. When you are racing SUP why not race the fastest board possible? And it is all the about the glide, no doubt. Richmond makes a super fast unlimited board. They are unstable as hell. Has anyone ever heard of an unlimited board with a flat bottom? I wonder how they would compare? I'm really wanting a new one but want to make some changes to add stability. Here is a rounded bottom race board from Corran that was specifically for river races like the Payette River Games but shows his theory and seems to be in line with what 55NSup is describing:

[greatdane]

Corran Addison is a firm believer in rounded bottom race boards and is quite vocal about the whole 12'6"/14" race classes being a total joke. When you are racing SUP why not race the fastest board possible? And it is all the about the glide, no doubt. Richmond makes a super fast unlimited board. They are unstable as hell. Has anyone ever heard of an unlimited board with a flat bottom? I wonder how they would compare? I'm really wanting a new one but want to make some changes to add stability. Here is a rounded bottom race board from Corran that was specifically for river races like the Payette River Games but shows his theory and seems to be in line with what 55NSup is describing:

Plenty of flat-bottom UL's.  Or at least UL's with a large flat area under the standing area of the board.  My 18' Bark was 28" wide and flat (way too wide, but this was 5 years ago.)  My custom 18'6" UL was 25" wide with a flat bottom for 60% of the hull.  And Kings offers any hull design you are willing to pay for… I tend to lean toward stability over flat-out speed, mostly because I'm balance challenged & tall at 6'1".  And at the end of a 13 mile race, if my legs are shot from balancing for 2 hours, i'm going to swim.
The other thing I've found is that UL's don't really like to accelerate, it's not their strong suit, at least not with me paddling.  They like to get up to cruising speed and stay there.  In water conditions with lots of chop or boat wake where you have to decelerate and accelerate a lot, I am not much faster than on a fast 14'.
I'd love to see what kind of avg speed Connor would maintain on the SB Sprint UL.