2016 SIC FX 12'6 X 26 VS Starboard All Star 12'6 X 25 Shootout

[SUPflorida]

Starboard score an own goal again, by the looks of it. They come up with an innovative design that seems to be garnering universal praise, and then ruin the effect through over-exuberant marketing claims. I wish they wouldn't over-egg it this way - it's the kind of tactic I associate with fly-by-night operations, not a premium brand. Please try to be classy, Starboard. A good product sells itself.

But if it turns out that SB have actually invented a hover board then I want one!

Area 10 I think you nail it⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[TN_SUP]

Drum roll please....According to Standup Outfitters in Bern, N.C., the dimensions written on the Demo SIC FX are 14' X 26" and volume is 266 liters. Soooo, still not 100% sure until the production boards arrive en masse. Their container will arrive in a few weeks. They have been paddling it and said "As for a speedy all conditions board, the FX in general is amazing. It blows through chop and maintains speed without wearing out your legs."

[Rideordie]

TN SUP,
 As I suspected...that does sound really encouraging though.  So what will an inch more narrow and an additional 24 liters of volume do to it?  My guess is:  A bit faster.  A bit less stable.  And a bit more buoyant.  I guess that they will have to do a new comparison.  If the FX gets any faster, the Allstar riders can just jump up and down on their boards and I am sure the flex acceleration will help them keep up.    

Just kidding guys!!                

[DavidJohn]

I also find all this pretty fascinating..  I've also talked to DC (Dale Chapman) about it.. It seems like there is a need for the board to move up and down in a rocking horse type motion and if the shape or construction resists this it's slowing the board down.. So you either have a stiff board like an Ace/Falcon/Deep and have a very narrow tail that can move up and down without much resistance and also needs a pretty deep side rail to prevent the tail going under.. Or.. you have a wider tail and thiner and less deep rail on a board with flex.. This is why Travis Grant likes round bottom boards because they allow the board to move up and down better than a flat bottom but are also very tippy for most people.. If you look at someone paddling a narrow ski you will see the nose/tail moving up and down as a result of the paddling motion... Personally I hate flex and would prefer a stiff board because I'm heavy but I can see how a lighter person might be best on a board with some flex.. Maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree here.. but it is interesting and something very different to windsurfing boards that I'm more in tune with.

Look very closely at the few seconds at 3.12-3.15 in this vid.. You can see how much the tail of this Ace like Deep board moves up and down.

[Luc Benac]

Drum roll please....According to Standup Outfitters in Bern, N.C., the dimensions written on the Demo SIC FX are 14' X 26" and volume is 266 liters. Soooo, still not 100% sure until the production boards arrive en masse. Their container will arrive in a few weeks. They have been paddling it and said "As for a speedy all conditions board, the FX in general is amazing. It blows through chop and maintains speed without wearing out your legs."

The distributor in Canada confirmed 25" and the higher volume....and I think that his container is also on his way but I cannot find the FB message again...

[yugi]

I found their review pretty fair. I haven’t tried the SB yet, but I do have the 12’6 FX.
The flex thing is no BS, if you switch between two boards, one very stiff and one with some
flex, you’ll notice it immediately. My FX, which is a custom, has the flex thing going for it as well
and I really like it compare to other very stiff boards I’ve used.

…
But at $800 less, they basically gave the FX the nod since the only real advantage they gave the
SB was in upwind, everything else was splitting hairs basically.

Interesting because I received a completely different message.

My takeaways:
- Flats: SIC won. I could’t give a damn, if I’m in a race I won’t be first so it’s going to be choppy as hell. If I’m not in a race who cares. Besides - it’s marginal.
- Upwind in bumps Allstar clear winner
- cross chop: SIC quicker but “the Starboard seemed a bit easier to keep on line” and felt more stable. I’m liking the Starboard here.
- downwind: maybe SIC faster with expert rider but Allstar easier, turner and, while not mentioned explicitly, sounds like would handle bigger conditions better. I’m liking the Starboard here.
Both for stable and turny. Super important for me.
- Bouy turning: funny, they give SIC the nod for quicker turns but later point out the Allstar more stable when kick turning.
- Stability: Allstar win. Also it’s narrower so nicer to paddle.
- Fun: Allstar win
- Construction: review clearly favours Allstar
- Price: SIC win
- Fins: whatever. I like the SIC one too.

[Kaihoe]

Starboard score an own goal again, by the looks of it. They come up with an innovative design that seems to be garnering universal praise, and then ruin the effect through over-exuberant marketing claims. I wish they wouldn't over-egg it this way - it's the kind of tactic I associate with fly-by-night operations, not a premium brand. Please try to be classy, Starboard. A good product sells itself.

But if it turns out that SB have actually invented a hover board then I want one!

Yeah the marketing BS meter is waay off the scale on this one. Their flex video with that picture in also show ACE and is implying that all the board with their fancy pant carbon get the advantage of flex. I'd love to see the engineering to build flex into a n ACE or sprint with their solid sides.

IMHO this is some proactive marketing as the new Al Start flexes so much more than the old one.  It might also be some hedging against the build quality at Cobra.  The latest SB boards look pretty good and well made... But there appears to be a huge weight variance on supposedly identical carbon boards.

And I've got an older ACE which was built out of 2 blanks. We found this fixing a crack across the bottom of the board, opened it up and there was a huge  engineered join just in front of the standing area!!

That said I really like the new All Star, I an see one in my quiver as a surf race/dw board. 

BTW it is pretty good up wind, but they guys in the original review have obviously not paddled an ACE upwind because there is still no comparision

[Eagle]

From this Starboard SUP vid -

"The All Star's profile is very much oriented as a downwind board - but combined with the bottom shape - it also gives incredible flat water performance" ..... "the sharp rail makes it easier to steer the board on downwind bumps - and catching waves"

If the 14x25 is anywhere close in stability to our very stable Dom and Bullet - and steers somewhat like a hard rail M-14 -> it would be a viable option for efficient up down planing in smaller AW conditions and general knock-about fun.  So am looking forward to upcoming demo days when it warms up.  Out of the current crop of cross-over boards - a discounted full carbon one has some appeal.

But a 14x23 Sprint hover board might be a bit more fun.   

http://youtu.be/80FgPsMHKZE

[burchas]

I found their review pretty fair. I haven’t tried the SB yet, but I do have the 12’6 FX.
The flex thing is no BS, if you switch between two boards, one very stiff and one with some
flex, you’ll notice it immediately. My FX, which is a custom, has the flex thing going for it as well
and I really like it compare to other very stiff boards I’ve used.

…
But at $800 less, they basically gave the FX the nod since the only real advantage they gave the
SB was in upwind, everything else was splitting hairs basically.

Interesting because I received a completely different message.

My takeaways:
- Flats: SIC won. I could’t give a damn, if I’m in a race I won’t be first so it’s going to be choppy as hell. If I’m not in a race who cares. Besides - it’s marginal.
- Upwind in bumps Allstar clear winner
- cross chop: SIC quicker but “the Starboard seemed a bit easier to keep on line” and felt more stable. I’m liking the Starboard here.
- downwind: maybe SIC faster with expert rider but Allstar easier, turner and, while not mentioned explicitly, sounds like would handle bigger conditions better. I’m liking the Starboard here.
Both for stable and turny. Super important for me.
- Bouy turning: funny, they give SIC the nod for quicker turns but later point out the Allstar more stable when kick turning.
- Stability: Allstar win. Also it’s narrower so nicer to paddle.
- Fun: Allstar win
- Construction: review clearly favours Allstar
- Price: SIC win
- Fins: whatever. I like the SIC one too.

Well yugi, you can look at it from a different angle... At $3500 of the SB, I can just call Mark
and have him build me an FX with just the flex I want, the width which optimized for me, make the
tail slightly wider (if that's your thing), put the handles in the position I like.

Throw in why don't you, a Larry Allison 4 fin setup with the color and graphics I want. Hell, I can even ask him to make it a 2 piece so I can carry it in my SUV, no racks needed and store it in my apartment - no boat house needed.

Either way, the FX still comes a winner. Take it as it is for $800 less or build the board of your dreams for $3500.
SB would really need to add a lot of flex to their marketing to spin this in their favor

[yugi]

The Allstar at 22.5 lbs is sick light. No wonder it flexes. Yes, there is a hefty premium to pay for ultra light gear.

I’m sensing you are not an ultralight aficionado, Burchas. It is understood you have other unavoidable constraints (space) so any normal board is not even an option.

A light board is incredible to paddle. Acceleration is phenomenal. I've had some time on a Naish Javelin LE and the lightness is very addictive. I’m surprised the review didn’t mention this in the parts reviewing the ways the boards handle. Yes, there are downsides. Price, fragile (flexy too) and less stable in festive conditions.

I, on the other hand, am a certified weight weenie. Where you know, and value, the [lack of] weight of your paddle I know the weight of everything. My other sports are ski alpinism, where every gram counts, and mtn biking. Even my kite board and the footstraps on it are ridiculously light. Living in mountains where rides have serious amounts of vertical a light bike or skis make a world of difference. Yes, even the screws on my bike are titanium to shave a gram or 2, my ski poles (and gloves) crazy light and, yes, my wallet has also been well lightened in the process. Going light is a very expensive proposition in gear and gets exponential in cost once you reach the exquisitely light end of the spectrum.

So I am not shocked at the Allstar price tag.

[Rideordie]

Yugi, I agree that the Allstar is light at 22.5 lbs with fin and tape.  That is right at what Starboard lists the weight for a 12 6 carbon.  I am puzzled why the FX 12 6  weighs in at 24 lbs, when the SIC literature lists it at 22 lbs.  Again, I suspect the board used in the test is a pre-production board.   We will know for sure when the shipments hit the dealers in early March.  (FYI, SIC lists the 14 footer at 24 lbs.)  I think the bar has been moved on weight expectations for race boards in recent years.  22 to 23 lbs is about what I would expect for a top tier 12 6 carbon race board now.  24-25 lbs for a 14 footer.         

[Eagle]

As long as the All Star 14x25 has a proper Carbon lay-up at 25.82 lbs +/- 6% it should be plenty strong.  Our Bullet SCC is 26.5 lbs and has virtually no flex.  Our overbuilt SB Touring Carbon at 27.5 lbs feels like a heavy aircraft carrier.  26.5 lbs Carbon feels about right -> and only one pound more at 27.5 lbs feels overly heavy.  A one pound extra mass just makes it harder to accelerate when you want to launch off a wave into planing mode.  The difference between getting on glide vs getting on plane is a completely different level - where lightness makes all the difference especially in DB conditions.  We always want to be in plane mode and not simply gliding along with the waves.  Fun for us is going as fast as possible.

So would expect the All Star to be strong enough - unless you happen to get an underweight build.  Our experience with SB gives us some level of confidence in their build - but as noted - a couple of years ago we wanted to buy a super light Sprint Carbon 14x25 at about 23 lbs - until we noticed a 2" gash in its very thin underbody.  So definitely a build that is too light - can be a potentially big problem down the road.

On a side note - the Ace boof does actually go very well in chop and waves - and slides amazingly quick over waves upwind.  Even with all their hype - SB makes decent boards - plus light strong flickable paddles as well.

[burchas]

I’m sensing you are not an ultralight aficionado...

yugi, you missed the mark on that. I too am an ultralight aficionado brethren. I got the same titanium
screws for my bike, down to my carbon bottle holder which ways about 10grams...

The quoted weight for that Custom FX is 20-21 LB (Could go lighter if you were to sacrifice other things).

That said, the difference of 1 pound on the water is academic for most people. It might have some
effect for super sprinters, but once in motion, I would challenge anyone to tell me the difference
even on a side by side test.

I agree with you that going light is a very expensive proposition but my guess is that many people
would rather save $800 over 1 pound although, as Rideordie wrote,  the quoted weight for the FX production board is 22 pounds (see the image I attached on a previous post). so on paper, the FX
is actually lighter than the SB both in weight and on your pocket.

So we are going back to the flex or not argument which is the biggest difference between the boards
other than the price tag. I actually prefer the flex as I stated before, but as you could see from the
length of this thread, many pips think it's a marketing BS.

Either way, on paper, the FX wins, but at this level, it really comes down to a matter of preference
and I suspect you would choose SB either way, but I would love to hear you say that if in fact the FX
is lighter than the SB (as stated in the catalog), you would go for it.

[yugi]

 

Truth be told I’ll be taking the board that’s lightest impact on the wallet these days. Plus probably a strong one as in downwinding there’s so much potential for board damage when loading and unloading with a big group of people in strong wind. My friends are savages.

As a weight weenie you know I believe scales and not marketing fluff on brochures.

Even though I’m on a lake my priority is a all-round board that handles heavy chop and downwinds well. Truth is it gets choppy and windy quick here.

I like the FX for it’s nice clean lines, fast flat bottom but it’s just a bit too flatwater tuned for me. It is even pointed out that on flats the speed gain is marginal. I wasn’t so keen on the high volume and high rider height and the review just confirmed that.

I was thinking of a Rogue DW x25 but, as much as I’m a fan of clean simple lines and not a fan of fads, I have to admit I am wildly curious about the Allstar and how that bottom is working. Echoes continue to come in that it’s stable and my inkling that it’d turn like crazy seems confirmed by this review. Did they say fun?

I’m on the lookout for a board that is narrow yet very stable and the Allstar is on the radar.

[burchas]

As a weight weenie you know I believe scales and not marketing fluff on brochures.

+1

I would want to try that allstar myself, see what's all the rage about with the flex and all.