Author Topic: Bark Vapor  (Read 13095 times)

yugi

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Bark Vapor
« on: August 11, 2015, 02:33:53 AM »
any beta?

from Outdoor Retailer show:
   http://www.supthemag.com/gear/boards-outdoor-retailer-2015/

Quote
The Surftech Bark Vapor is a marriage from the depths of legendary shaper Joe Bark’s paddling mind: why not put a prone paddling nose from the famous Bark Commander prone board on a SUP? The result is the Vapor, available in both 12’6″ and 14″ (both 26″ wide). According to Bark, this is an extremely versatile shape, most at home in the rugged open ocean but also fast on flat water as well. This board has the potential to become your everyday distance sled for riding bumps to surf races.


Muskoka SUP

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2015, 03:55:32 AM »
Well it looks like a similar nose to the series of boards that Brian S. shaped for Starboard - the New/Ace, Coast Runner/Open Ocean, etc.   
It ain't over until the fat board sinks....

yugi

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2015, 04:38:55 AM »
Never judge a board by it's top!

Muskoka SUP

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2015, 02:20:15 PM »
Never judge a board by it's top!

True Yugi.  I made the assumption that Joe would be using a similar nose shape to his tried and true prone shapes like the Commander..
It ain't over until the fat board sinks....

yugi

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #4 on: August 16, 2015, 03:07:57 AM »
any pics anyone?

Lakeshore1

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2015, 07:39:00 AM »
Is it just me, or does it seem that all the manufacturers are making DW and "hybrid" boards in rather narrow widths? I would think they'd want to appeal to a broader base of buyers. Not everyone can handle a 26" wide DW board. I am considering a Bullet V2.... but not too sure i can handle it in most of the conditions we get for DW runs on Lake Michigan.  On inland lakes where conditions are more "lined up", i LOVE the speed of the V2, but on Lake Michigan, it's rarely lined up perfectly and because of that it's very choppy and confused. That's where my SIC F14 is such a solid board. I am a bit slower, but i don't fall much either. Last DW run was in 4-8' waves, quite a bit of chop and a 25mph wind. 10.5 miles and i fell about 9 times. 4 times were in the shorebreak.
I want to buy another DW board, but just think that manufacturers are forgetting about us non-superhuman paddlers.
I am 46 years old, 6'4" tall and about 225.

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It ain't over until the fat board sinks....

TN_SUP

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2015, 05:54:56 PM »
Having just received my new Commander Pro Elite, I will never buy a Surftech board sight unseen. The pad is over an inch off center and full of 3" diameter bubbles and one side of the board has a series of scrapes and chips although the packaging was perfect. I did get 10% back from them which was nice, but can't believe this board passed inspection. Paddles great though, can't imagine that glide on a sup. Aha- found a video of it being paddled - wait till the end of Gary's blog video: http://www.paddleboardspecialists.com/info_blogpost.asp?id=164
« Last Edit: August 21, 2015, 06:32:40 PM by TN_SUP »
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Area 10

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2015, 09:12:15 PM »
Is it just me, or does it seem that all the manufacturers are making DW and "hybrid" boards in rather narrow widths? I would think they'd want to appeal to a broader base of buyers. Not everyone can handle a 26" wide DW board. I am considering a Bullet V2.... but not too sure i can handle it in most of the conditions we get for DW runs on Lake Michigan.  On inland lakes where conditions are more "lined up", i LOVE the speed of the V2, but on Lake Michigan, it's rarely lined up perfectly and because of that it's very choppy and confused. That's where my SIC F14 is such a solid board. I am a bit slower, but i don't fall much either. Last DW run was in 4-8' waves, quite a bit of chop and a 25mph wind. 10.5 miles and i fell about 9 times. 4 times were in the shorebreak.
I want to buy another DW board, but just think that manufacturers are forgetting about us non-superhuman paddlers.
I am 46 years old, 6'4" tall and about 225.
No, it's not just you. 2016 is going to be a tough year if you are over 200lbs and paddle choppy waters and want a new board. Not many options from the biggest brands. It's a shame that SIC don't make the F14 in the lighter SCC construction. Presumably, the 28" and wider distance SUPs just haven't been selling. Or perhaps the brands are trying to anticipate where the market's skill set will be in a year's time, and it is assumed that if you are 200lbs or more you aren't likely to be winning races (a self-fulfilling prophecy since there is no UL category in most races worldwide and at over 200lbs on a 14 you are at a distinct speed disadvantage) so you will give up on speed and be a "tourer" who wants a big heavy (but stable) and cheap "touring" board, not a "race" design. This baffles me a bit since to my eyes there are just good designs and bad, not "touring" vs. "race" shapes. But clearly I know nothing. Maybe it's a sign of the growth of women in the sport, since many women paddlers will want a fairly narrow board. Although there doesn't actually seem to be that much increase in female racing numbers over the last year or two, to my mind. Or the growth of the youth market.  Or maybe most SUPs are "aspirational" purchases, where people buy boards that are above their current skill set, in the hope (often forlorn) that they will grow into them. Whatever, I'm not quite sure why there has been quite such a rush to make 26" the new 28" for 2016, but it isn't good news for most bigger guys. The new SIC FX looks to be perfect for what many people would want - but at 27-28" wide, not 25", and the same thing could be said about the Bark Vapour too, to my mind.

I sense that the racing bubble might be about to burst though, as far as increases in participation goes. We've matured enough as a sport now that if you want to do well at racing it's the same as in most other sports: you need to spend many hours a week doing boring drills, watch your diet very carefully, and make sacrifices in terms of work, family or social life. This will always limit the number of serious or even semi-serious racers there are. But the increase in more "social" paddling and non-competitive paddling (eg. surfing, downwinding, and mass participation events for charity etc, i.e. activities done because they are inherently fun rather than through the need to compare yourself to others) should still increase IMO, and for these activities people will need more flexible designs and widths. So I think we might see a return to 27-29" widths for 2017. I hope. Or maybe bigger guys should band together and kick-start a UL class revolution...
« Last Edit: August 21, 2015, 09:16:19 PM by Area 10 »

Off-Shore

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2015, 09:21:45 PM »

I sense that the racing bubble might be about to burst though, as far as increases in participation goes. We've matured enough as a sport now that if you want to do well at racing it's the same as in most other sports: you need to spend many hours a week doing boring drills, watch your diet very carefully, and make sacrifices in terms of work, family or social life. This will always limit the number of serious or even semi-serious racers there are. But the increase in more "social" paddling and non-competitive paddling (eg. surfing, downwinding, and mass participation events for charity etc, i.e. activities done because they are inherently fun rather than through the need to compare yourself to others) should still increase IMO, and for these activities people will need more flexible designs and widths. So I think we might see a return to 27-29" widths for 2017. I hope. Or maybe bigger guys should band together and kick-start a UL class revolution...

I'm seeing the same here.. You got is spot on about the recreational racer dropping out of racing because of it all getting a bit too serious at the top (and expensive).. Perhaps this is one of the reasons some of the brands are bringing out downwind boards as this is a fun social group thing to do. I can always get a group together to downwind or downbreeze... but racing or even training to race.. it's getting harder. In fact I am seeing people selling their race boards and buying downwind / touring boards as a result. Probably best we take this discussion to a new thread...
« Last Edit: August 21, 2015, 09:23:37 PM by Off-Shore »
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paddlestandingup

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2015, 01:42:48 PM »
I agree with you guys 100%.  I think the fun and the challenge factor is pushing people to want to try downwinding.  It's getting more and more popular around here. 

yugi

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #11 on: September 01, 2015, 02:34:37 AM »
And I beg to disagree .. with the whiners. In full agreement with the board designers and manufacturers.

I don’t get all this whining from you 200lb guys. You have a whole lot of great DW (and touring) boards nicely spec’ed for you in 28” and 30” wide already. There were lots of skinny/tippy flatware race steads (that suck in chop) for the light n fast racer types. Now we are getting a very nice in-between faster, better on flats, DW racy boards for both the racer types and the guys who are in-between race size and 200+ lbs. Just what was missing.

OK, OK, OK, I get it. You are whining coz you aren’t getting any new toys. I have noticed the most whining comes from the guys with the biggest quivers to begin with.

Jeese. You want to play with those toys too? Here’s an idea for you. Drop 30 lbs.

I did. Went from 190 to 160. Without any of the special diet or social sacrifices like A10 thinks it takes. All I did was paddle more. Hell, I still down as much beer as I want to and I even have more friends to drink with (and more occasions - like every night).

I wasn’t even porky to start with. I was an athletic guy anyway, mtn biker, ski alpinist (don’t ride lifts much), with just a soupçon of a desk jockey gut (Mmmmmm… beer). Without any special diet or drill training it just melted all away once I really got carried away with my paddle addiction. In fact everyone in my SUP gang, all athletes (some 1/2 my age), have gone down a size in clothes. We’re not only getting stronger (and paddling better) but we’ve all shrunk!

TOW guys. TOW. That’s all it takes. I know you love it so just do it. More TOW also means those trickier boards suddenly become fun.

So where a 28” wide DW board fit me nicely a couple of years ago I’ve just, completely naturally through more TOW, evolved to fit a 26” or 26.5” wide DW/racier board. I’m a quiver-of-one type of rider anyway. I’m loving the DW/Race evolution. A lot. In skiing I’m an All-Mountain/Freeride kind of guy, in MtnBiking Enduro is the name of the game. So glad to have this in SUP boards. To me, the new boards of 2016 are just perfect. Mahalo!


Lakeshore1

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #12 on: September 02, 2015, 05:28:18 PM »
@Yugi..... Not whining. Just an observation.

Rideordie

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2015, 05:14:52 AM »
Right on Yugi!!  I think boards are getting better too. Whereas in the past, we may have needed a downwind board and a race board, we are actually getting single boards that can handle both really well. I like the direction and evolution. Fast, stable and versatile. Makes it easier for racers to travel with only one board too. These type boards are hot sellers for a good reason. But they have to be winners. Speed sells. What wins on Sunday sells on Monday.  If the new FX 14 is as good as I hope, I will buy one.  Can't wait to hear more about it and test one out.
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Area 10

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Re: Bark Vapor
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2015, 11:18:20 AM »
Right on Yugi!!  I think boards are getting better too. Whereas in the past, we may have needed a downwind board and a race board, we are actually getting single boards that can handle both really well. I like the direction and evolution. Fast, stable and versatile. Makes it easier for racers to travel with only one board too. These type boards are hot sellers for a good reason. But they have to be winners. Speed sells. What wins on Sunday sells on Monday.  If the new FX 14 is as good as I hope, I will buy one.  Can't wait to hear more about it and test one out.
Nah, you are just getting boards that are moderately fast in flat water, and fairly limited in their downwind abilities. This is not a bad thing, but I think it is right to recognise that they are compromises. Good compromises perhaps, but compromises nevertheless. And that's not whining, that's just an observation.

 


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