Author Topic: 14' bump chaser  (Read 24518 times)

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #75 on: April 15, 2016, 01:19:49 AM »
Well, if it's anything like that earlier version I tried, it's going to be totally amazing.

soon as we get some wind we will have to go back to back again, typically its goes flat when you get a new dw board! best start building a flat water board.

yugi

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2228
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #76 on: April 15, 2016, 02:39:23 AM »
nice. weight?

I remember you had a really narrow one too, that you liked. I'm thinking of trading my x27 DW 14' board for same in x25 (quiver-of-one: it's one or the other). Figure I'll just get used to the narrower one. Thoughts?

me 5'11" 160 lbs comfy on x26 race boards

(As a backup plan: I do have access to 14' Bullet's to use in festive conditions if it turns out the x25 is a bit challenging for me)

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #77 on: April 15, 2016, 03:02:55 AM »
I don't have a weight yet I'm guessing around 11 or 12 but it's super solid construction as dw boards seam to take a pounding and I like mine to be super stiff and last. I don't have any narrow dw boards ... Yet... I plan a 24 or 25 16' the only narrow ones I have are a 12'6 and 14' flat water at 21" I will do a proper narrow 14 but that's a good few boards down the line like I say there is a dw16' 12'6 flat water and 12'prone board and a 12'6 ocean that I want to get done before.
This board at 26 1/4 is so stable we did a 8 mile run last week that was all over the shop and wasn't even close to wobbley at the end and it was the first run of the year, we all kinda say it's like paddleing a sofa.  I think I could easily go down to 24 on this board for a little more of a chalange you do notice the extended glide of the narrow boards between bumps.

Ichabod Spoonbill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2174
  • Hudson Valley, NY
    • View Profile
    • HVH2O
    • Email
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #78 on: April 15, 2016, 06:24:50 AM »
That is a gorgeous board. Great skills.
Pau Hana 11' Big EZ Ricochet (Beluga)

TallDude

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 5714
  • Capistrano Beach
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #79 on: April 15, 2016, 10:56:19 AM »
Excellent. I don't know what it is, but I'm always drawn in to the green and black deck pad myself.
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #80 on: January 22, 2017, 03:38:45 PM »
So out in Melbourne for a few more mouths a few have said they are missing my build posts so will try to keep updated the few bits that i can.

I managed to get a slightly special prototype one of these 14' dw boards over with me to aus. Unfortunately the thing is a bit of a heavy weight for various reasons and i can officially say heavy downwind boards suck compared to light ones! While it still feels the same to control the extra weight make it a lot harder to get up to speed and the added swing weight makes it a lot less responsive to turn and there is no noticeable increase in glide so please don't try and tell me weight can be a good thing on a dw board! However that said i wouldn't want a super light board that falls apart its just that thing of were you sit in the strength,weight,cost triangle.

Any way here is a shot from a dw here in port Philip bay Melbourne the other day with myself in the background taking a short steep and steep one shot from a friends camera on his board

Eagle

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2426
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #81 on: January 22, 2017, 04:35:10 PM »
Unfortunately the thing is a bit of a heavy weight for various reasons and i can officially say heavy downwind boards suck compared to light ones! While it still feels the same to control the extra weight make it a lot harder to get up to speed and the added swing weight makes it a lot less responsive to turn and there is no noticeable increase in glide so please don't try and tell me weight can be a good thing on a dw board!

^^^ Heavier DW boards are slower to accelerate to get onto a bump.  So you use a lot more energy.  Everything just is slower and more tiring.  For me a 24 lb board like my AS23 is a tad too light vs my 26.5 lb Bullet a tad too heavy.  So based on this for production ~ 25 lbs to 25.5 lbs full carbon would be optimal.
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #82 on: January 22, 2017, 04:49:43 PM »
personally i really don't think there is a thing as to light there is a thing about to fragile though from being built to light.

Eagle

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2426
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #83 on: January 22, 2017, 06:12:09 PM »
".....there is a thing about to fragile though from being built to light."

Yeah.  Light is great so long as it is durable -> but too light often equates to too fragile.  Every board that I have used that is too light happens to also be too fragile - as only so much weight can be reduced before durability is reduced too much.  A board too light can often crack like an eggshell.

This guy at 2:30 says "While I use the ultra light biaxial on my nose".  Well as it happens this is the exact area that developed a crack on my board from an impact.  So in the effort to eliminate weight - this board now is at risk from minor impacts in this ultra light carbon area.  Interestingly Connor in a 2017 vid talks about how the new board is "stronger" now.  Hmmm?  Maybe too light was indeed too fragile.  ;)

https://youtu.be/zyW2-VQI6bs
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #84 on: January 22, 2017, 06:51:05 PM »
".....there is a thing about to fragile though from being built to light."

Yeah.  Light is great so long as it is durable -> but too light often equates to too fragile.  Every board that I have used that is too light happens to also be too fragile - as only so much weight can be reduced before durability is reduced too much.  A board too light can often crack like an eggshell.

This guy at 2:30 says "While I use the ultra light biaxial on my nose".  Well as it happens this is the exact area that developed a crack on my board from an impact.  So in the effort to eliminate weight - this board now is at risk from minor impacts in this ultra light carbon area.  Interestingly Connor in a 2017 vid talks about how the new board is "stronger" now.  Hmmm?  Maybe too light was indeed too fragile.  ;)

https://youtu.be/zyW2-VQI6bs

There are ways to build lighter and stronger boards but it comes at a cost that is all.

Most company's could build stronger more durable boards if they just used more skilled labour. I recently repaired a carbon nsp that was suffering from loads of little cracks all down the rails, when I striped the paint and filler off the surface you could see the carbon had been sanded through when it was built and just covered over with the paint to hide it.

yugi

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2228
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #85 on: January 22, 2017, 08:05:59 PM »
Strong, Light, Cheap.

Pick any two.

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #86 on: January 22, 2017, 08:23:30 PM »
Strong, Light, Cheap.

Pick any two.

yes exactly!

Eagle

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2426
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #87 on: January 22, 2017, 10:24:00 PM »
Strong and light - questionable
Strong and cheap - no
Light and cheap - no

So SB carbon sandwich is more strong and light vs the other options.  But is too light making the board too fragile.  They should add 1 to 1.5 lbs more material using skilled workmanship.  Then the board would be more durable for the racer or average joe like me.  Something did give somewhere for 2017 because list prices dropped a few hundred bucks.

Besides that little crack I repaired in a few minutes -> the board is quite good.  More of a needless irritation and sloppy construction.  Not expected in such a high priced board.  QC was lacking that day.  And if it was not cracked by someone else -> I would never have seen how thin the carbon skin layup actually was.  Was kinda scary - and about as thin as shown in the vid.  So be very careful handling SB race boards 24 lbs and under.  They may be very fast and win races -> but can be somewhat fragile.  But that is kinda expected for a race board of that ilk.
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

supuk

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1957
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #88 on: January 22, 2017, 10:52:04 PM »
From the quality of the SB race boards I have seen on the shelf in the local shop here QC at least has defiantly dropped just look down the rails and you can see them wavering around all over the place!

Area 10

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4057
    • View Profile
Re: 14' bump chaser
« Reply #89 on: January 23, 2017, 12:53:22 AM »
Has the build quality of Starboard race boards ever been particularly good? I think they cater to the market mainly for avid racers who will replace their board with next year's model every year, so they only need them to last for the bare minimum of time.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal