Will it downwind? Yes or No?

[Bean]

Oh for heaven's sakes - that's a "no". It's a dog downwind.

That fin will be tragic for DW, but there is more than that going on with the stickiness and failure to plane. It would be worth trying on another day just to make sure it wasn't odd conditions that day. But on the face of it, this looks to be pretty much as bad as any SUP gets for downwinding IMO.

Alright, I will concede that it was a dog downwinding, but If I get a chance, I'm going to stick a hard fin in it and try again...

A thicker stiffer fin might give it more lift...but nah

[baddog]

For sure that floppy fin sucks.  The 2016 short box is a bit of a of a misstep, my 2015 fits most of my race fins and paddles much better with them.  Try the California Downwind fin if you can; one of the few with a really short base length.

[Off-Shore]

I've been waiting to get my hands on this 2016 RPC 14' x 26" Elite race iSUP for a while, and had finally got it this weekend, and remarkably the wind kicked in enough for me to take it on a downwind run and a downbreezer with a SIC Bullet AirGlide 14' and SIC Recon iSUP.. But will it downwind... especially with so little nose rocker?

[Off-Shore]

Well, after all the banter on iSUPs v hard boards, I was a little reluctant to post this, especially as this is being tested in off-shore and wild conditions... But anyhow, here it is, the 2016 RPC 14' x 26" Race Elite. I was wearing a leash, a CO2 PFD, and had a phone and PLB with me.

I have to say it was not as good as I thought it would be downwinding compared to the 2014 one I tested last year. This is mainly because the nose rocker profile is different, and this board has virtually no nose rocker. So getting it up on a plane was a little more difficult. Also being 26" wide it feels a lot more tippy than the 2014 version. Nonetheless it was fun, and doable... My buddy on the SIC Bullet 14v1 TWC though was probably having more fun. Would I choose the 2016 RPC 14' x 26 Race Elite for a downwind run over the 2014 version? No.

One thing I did notice though is that this MSL material does seem to feel slippier than the old material.. ie the board is faster to accelerate. This could be because of the weight reduction compared to the old material as well as the surface finish..


GoPro 4 Silver - Headmounted

[Area 10]

I wouldn't worry about the "are iSUPs safe offshore?" debate. Everyone has to make their own assessment of the risks. It is where there is a risk that someone doesn't appreciate, or is not obvious, where the problems happen, and I think that is what the debate is about. So, if all iSUPs had a sticker on them saying:

"Warning: this board may go "pop" and sink at any time, so be prepared"

then there would be no debate. It is the fact that they don't have this warning and yet no steps are taken by the manufacturers to prevent this happening that irks me.

Anyway, it is a very interesting vid. You can see well how it is reluctant to plane sometimes, as well as how well it goes upwind. What does the bit of plastic on the deck at the nose contribute? Is it another way of stiffening the board? If so, how does it affect rolling up? It looks like it would be quite fast in flat water - have you tried it in pure flat water?

[Off-Shore]

Area. I have not taken it out on pure flat water yet and am looking forward to that. The black ridgey piece on the nose / bow is unusual and I've read elsewhere to be careful not to slide off the front of the board as it can apparently cut through wetsuit material. I've no idea what it is for except to perhaps to help the water "peel off" the nose or perhaps keep the rocker in the nose. It does not seem to affect the rolling up.

As far as the pop warning on boards are concerned I'm very familiar with the multi-compartment Zodiacs and other inflatable boats. I don't think they give any warning about popping. It would be bad for business. However I would be very interested to see an ISUP brand come up with a way to have multi chambers. Most of the offshore paddling I do is with others so we hope that we all don't go pop at the same time

[Area 10]

That's my point: with multiple chambers you don't need the warning.

My frustration is borne of the desire to do more with iSUPs (not less). They are wonderfully convenient and financially make sense. The performance is improving too. But until they are safer I can't really use them for much that I or my friends do.

[photofr]

The plastic thing (I asked 3 weeks ago) is said to help shed water better (obviously off the bow).

[Area 10]

The plastic thing (I asked 3 weeks ago) is said to help shed water better (obviously off the bow).

Hmm... Do we believe this will make any discernible difference, or is it probably just a marketing gimmick? Is it worth the risk of it cutting you, or your wetsuit?

[deepmud]

seems like if they split it down the middle there would be another place for those "battens" to add more stiffness - plus a place to play with overall shapes....

[powermi]

I have to say it was not as good as I thought it would be downwinding compared to the 2014 one I tested last year. This is mainly because the nose rocker profile is different, and this board has virtually no nose rocker. So getting it up on a plane was a little more difficult. Also being 26" wide it feels a lot more tippy than the 2014 version. Nonetheless it was fun, and doable... My buddy on the SIC Bullet 14v1 TWC though was probably having more fun. Would I choose the 2016 RPC 14' x 26 Race Elite for a downwind run over the 2014 version? No.

Nice test BTW. I was wondering if changing my 2015 Starboard astro racer 14x26 for and Redpaddle Elite 14' 2016 would make sense just for the MSL construction and the RSS battens. I tried the 2015 Elite model, was really fast but heavier than my Starboard.

[Off-Shore]

Nice test BTW. I was wondering if changing my 2015 Starboard astro racer 14x26 for and Redpaddle Elite 14' 2016 would make sense just for the MSL construction and the RSS battens. I tried the 2015 Elite model, was really fast but heavier than my Starboard.

The 2016 MSL construction is about 20% lighter than the 2015 version, so definitely worth looking at.

[Off-Shore]

Well Burchas laid down the gauntlet and so a vid had to be made. I have to say, I was reluctant to make this vid as on flat water this board is TIPPY.. but AMAZINGLY, once you start tracking downwind it starts to feel wider. You be the judge.. Does it downwind?


GoPro Hero 5 - Headmounted.

[burchas]

off-shore, your commitment is commendable! Great video as usual.

You know, when I laid the claim that this board killed your "will it downwind?" series, I meant that it is such a capable board, you'll need to change the series name to "How good a downwind?" or something and have it hard board VS. this board.

But you were so fast to pick-up the challenge I said f*ck it, I won't be the one stopping this video from happening.

But now that it is done, what do you think? Is worth repurposing this series and do head to head?

[Off-Shore]

off-shore, your commitment is commendable! Great video as usual.

You know, when I laid the claim that this board killed your "will it downwind?" series, I meant that it is such a capable board, you'll need to change the series name to "How good a downwind?" or something and have it hard board VS. this board.

But you were so fast to pick-up the challenge I said f*ck it, I won't be the one stopping this video from happening.

But now that it is done, what do you think? Is worth repurposing this series and do head to head?

Burchas, thanks for your kind words! I've been so busy over the last year that I just did not get time to grab friends and neighbors boards and add a bunch of other unusual boards to the "Will it Downwind? Yes or No?" Series.

But now the wind is back, and I've a little more time on my hands, I'm going to restart doing these.