Author Topic: New board time 14 foot all arounder.  (Read 12545 times)

robon

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New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« on: July 29, 2015, 04:56:24 PM »
New to me anyways.

I was originally set on a large 14' for expedition use (over 300 litres and 30 inches wide), but I think I can get what I need out of a board right now in the 14 x 27 to 29ish width at 280 litres+. I'm around 205-210 right now and much larger paddlers than me seem to be getting by fine on the Naish Glide 14 x 29 and others such as the Lahui Kai 14 x 27.25, and Starboard Allstar 14 x 28. I paddle in all conditions ranging from whirling and boiling stretches on the Columbia river, to lakes, and the west coast. I want something I can down breeze and downwind that won't be a total dog on the flats, and that can also hold some gear for long distance tours and some overnighters. 

Anyone with experience on these boards feel free to chime in.

Contenders that I have found deals on are:

Naish Glide 14 X 29.
Lahui Kai 14 x 27.25
Starboard Allstar 14 X 28"
Old SB Coastrunner in carbon (I have heard they are brittle in carbon a few years ago).

I was holding out for the NSP-DC 14 X 29 Coco-carbon used or new for that combination of weight and durability, but finding one in the States is extremely difficult. Gorge Performance has the carbon version for more money than I want to spend right now. The NSP-DC 14 x 29 for 2015 in epoxy and the brushed carbon 14 x 28 downwind ocean elite look good, but it's very hard finding any information on these boards in the States right now.

jsupsocal

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #1 on: July 29, 2015, 06:30:51 PM »
Below is a pretty good thread on opinions, discussion, and eventual selection of the Lahui Kai 14x27.25 and 26 by two members of the Seabreeze forum:

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Starboard-All-star-2015-or-Lahui-Kai-Race/

I am SD County on Seabreaze and a happy owner of the LK 14x27.25. I am finding it to be an excellent all rounder for California Coast conditions. It is particularly stable in side wind and general chop conditions, and has excellent glide with the right fin selection.
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Kwolfe

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2015, 06:34:36 PM »
I have a 2013 Naish glide 14x27.  I have been riding it for the past few weeks and really like it.  I can only imagine that a 29 would be that much more stable.  Board seems nice and stiff and well built (not fragile).

stoneaxe

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #3 on: July 29, 2015, 06:41:25 PM »
We have the Glide 14 x 29 as a raffle for the CCBC. I'm going to buy a bunch of tickets. Great looking board. At 205 I think it would be plenty stable for expedition use in fact I think it would be fine for me for that purpose and I haven't seen 205 since I was 14..... :P
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

robon

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #4 on: July 29, 2015, 07:18:12 PM »
We have the Glide 14 x 29 as a raffle for the CCBC. I'm going to buy a bunch of tickets. Great looking board. At 205 I think it would be plenty stable for expedition use in fact I think it would be fine for me for that purpose and I haven't seen 205 since I was 14..... :P

Hehe. I was 220 this winter for sure and I'm just about down to my healthy lean weight again. It's a cycle I repeat every year-and I also say to myself every year that I'm not going to gain so much weight over the winter, but I blow up by January like clock work.

Another board that just came to mind was the Amundson 14-TRX. PB had one for a bit and liked it and he is around 240ish I believe, so I could probably get away with strapping some gear to it. I tried the Amundson TRT and it was almost too stable and barge like. At my current weight I think I can get away with a board in the 280 litre category at 14 feet and still have enough float for strapping down enough gear for some overnighters. I did it on my Starboard 12'6" X 30, but it was a little bit lower in the water than I would like.

stoneaxe

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2015, 07:36:56 AM »
My current 14 is 28" wide and less volume, particularly in the rails. Great for DW, cruising,  and even occasional surfing but it does sit too low for expedition use and if it gets bumpy on a DWinder I could use more stability. The Glide is not only and inch wider it's thicker and has a lot of volume in the rail especially in the standing area. I expect it to be very stable.
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

robon

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #6 on: July 30, 2015, 11:14:26 AM »
Below is a pretty good thread on opinions, discussion, and eventual selection of the Lahui Kai 14x27.25 and 26 by two members of the Seabreeze forum:

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Starboard-All-star-2015-or-Lahui-Kai-Race/

I am SD County on Seabreaze and a happy owner of the LK 14x27.25. I am finding it to be an excellent all rounder for California Coast conditions. It is particularly stable in side wind and general chop conditions, and has excellent glide with the right fin selection.

Thanks, I noticed on the sea breeze forum you also tried the Hobie Apex 14 x 27". How did you find the stability of the Hobie compared to the Lahui Kai? The Apex 4r series seem to be a good bargain with a fair bit of volume.

PtBobSup

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #7 on: July 30, 2015, 11:18:49 AM »
Saw an email from JimK and he had some Fanatic boards that looked like a great deal.   They might be worth checking out.  Lots of volume for the full size folks.

jsupsocal

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2015, 11:30:41 AM »
Robon:  Yes, I did demo the Hobie 14x27.50 as well as LK. 

The Hobie is a good board. It does beat the LK in weight by 2lbs. I did find it to be a little less stable than the LK, particularly when attempting pivot turns on the tail. This is one area where the LK shines, in all their versions.. the wider tail and larger volume make the board very easy to walk and execute a pivot turn.

I don't have any data or real world experience to back up this statement, but it was my sense that you'd give up some overall durability when pitting the Hobie against the LK, which so far appears to be very strong, stiff, and nearly paddle scuff immune. In return, the Hobie will give you 2lbs less in carry weight and probably a tad faster in the flats.

Another difference is in the carry options. Hobie shines here, giving you the option to add a center carry handle, as well as handle mounts on either side of the board. The LK has a side mount on the left side only. I like the Lift Sup handle, and especially in the fact, that it disappears when not extended. The LK also has a leash mount in the front of the board, which I am now using and like. There is also a connex SUP mount for Go Pro Cams, speed coach clock/GPS in the LK, which Hobie doesn't have.

The LK has slightly more nose rocker than the Hobie, and the LK initial front rail design is quite different than the Hobie, which favors the open ocean paddler a little more.

I am a 50/50 open ocean/ flatwater paddler, and I think the edge fell to the LK for this mix. If I was more of a flatwater paddler, I would have probably gone with the Hobie.
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robon

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2015, 11:59:50 AM »
Cool JP.

How do you find the LK for initial stability? Do you need to get moving before it feels really stable, or is the initial stability already there? I have heard good things about stability in quartering swell and chop when moving, but not much in initial stability.

Thanks.

jsupsocal

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2015, 12:12:34 PM »
Robon:  Good point and good question. I find that the initial stability is excellent. And thinking back on my flatwater test of the Hobie, the LK probably has more of that initial feeling of confidence as you get up to glide speed.

One note, I put a SUP ATX keel fin on my board right out of the gate, which makes the board track better than the stock fin, and seems to make it quicker overall. Fin selection is extremely important. I will no doubt add at least one more fin for open ocean specific, choppy and multi-directional swell.

If you do get a chance to demo the LK, make sure they weigh the board before you demo. The older models, with the added 2-3lbs of overall weight feels quite different than the newer production, which comes in at the advertised 27lbs +/- a couple of ounces. The heavier boards feel like barges in comparison to the new ones.

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Board Stiff

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2015, 08:09:12 PM »
Have you considered the SIC Bullet V2 (27.3" wide, 269L) or the similarly shaped F-14 Wide Glide (30" and 298L, and rated for up to 220 LB rider)? The V2 is an awesome all around board, and I'd guess the F-14 would provide similar handling with added stability for larger folks. 

Off-Shore

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #12 on: July 31, 2015, 02:53:23 PM »
You mention the old Carbon Starboard Coast Runner. These are fragile if from 2013 and so I would avoid it if from that era. My friend has the Open Ocean version of it and we have to use kid gloves getting it in and out of the boat. The Coast Runner is a great board though for all round cruising, downbreezing and downwinding. I used to own the AST version of it and upgraded to a SIC Bullet V1 TWC which IMO is even better, especially for downwinding. However I'd also recommend the SIC Bullet 14v2. This vid is the V1 and the fragile SB Open Ocean in marginal downwinding conditions 

http://youtu.be/LLnCc9coblM
SB 9' x 33' x 4.1" - RPC 9'8" iSUP - SB All-Star 12'6" - Blue Planet Bump Rider 14 - SB Ace 14 x 27 - RedAir 14' Elite Race - SIC Bullet 14v1 TWC - SICMaui F16v3 Custom

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HksupaHk_SUP_and_Downwinding

robon

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #13 on: August 02, 2015, 12:00:49 AM »
I had heard about the original carbon coast runners being fragile shortly after they came out, but was entertaining the thought because a low price I found. I'm not going to buy one. I liked the original AST CR though and it had a very similar shape as the Starboard Race for the same period. Not the greatest on the flats but a good overall board. I considered the SiC wide glide and the Bullet, but haven't found deals as good as what I listed. Both would probably fit the bill. I don't race and a planing hull with a lower rocker is an option to consider.

Speaking of DW boards, I was also checking the Rogue Rage online, and it has a good listed volume (288), but it is only 27" wide. The epoxy version is fairly well priced.

Has anyone tried the Bic C-tec tracer 14 x 28? I think it would probably be the worst of the bunch on this thread for DW performance but it might be ok for an all arounder? Good volume. The price on Amazon has been hovering between just over 1100.00 and 1500.00 (price just jumped back to 1500) over the last day for the yellow model. Decent price for this type of board and free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/BIC-Sport-C-TEC-Tracer-Paddleboard/dp/B00PUAT1ZA



« Last Edit: August 02, 2015, 12:05:00 AM by robon »

Area 10

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Re: New board time 14 foot all arounder.
« Reply #14 on: August 02, 2015, 01:05:44 AM »
The Surftech Bark Downwinder 14x28 is a great all-rounder, and a good compromise between speed and stability. Handling in rough water is very good.

 


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