Author Topic: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"  (Read 4300 times)

Stefan

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2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« on: September 29, 2016, 06:36:37 PM »
Wondered if anyone has paddled this board, possible in the Gorge, how is it downwind? Thanks
NSP Puma 14' x 24"
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yugi

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2016, 04:19:38 AM »
It’s a rounder hull kind of board. It’s pretty OK for a roundish kind of board. It does roll ALL the time. Best description a friend said about it is : It’s not really unstable, it’s just that it’s never stable.

It’s OK though. Not super tricky like the race versions are, and one can get used to it pretty quickly. Once you get used to it it does have the advantage that it’s kind of oblivious to chop. It’s less affected.

It does glide well and takes off quick. But always with that round bottomed feel which makes me feel like a ball in pinball machine. Just go with it. And that is fast, for sure.

Personally, I like the planning hull of “jump up and plane” and then a solid carve - this board isn’t that. You need to know what camp you are in, and if you don’t know go try both so that you find out. I know peeps who come from kayaks, surf skis, Va’a like round bottomed boards feel. Peeps who come from planing sports like windsurf, kite surf, wakeboard like planing hulls.


mrbig

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2016, 07:26:19 AM »
My 12'6" Marlin was like that. Rounded bottom with no difference between primary and secondary stability - or the lack thereof. Picture a lumberjack on a log!

But, it was decent in short period windy chop once you adjusted to rolling all the time!

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Stefan

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2016, 10:36:04 AM »
It’s a rounder hull kind of board. It’s pretty OK for a roundish kind of board. It does roll ALL the time. Best description a friend said about it is : It’s not really unstable, it’s just that it’s never stable.

It’s OK though. Not super tricky like the race versions are, and one can get used to it pretty quickly. Once you get used to it it does have the advantage that it’s kind of oblivious to chop. It’s less affected.

It does glide well and takes off quick. But always with that round bottomed feel which makes me feel like a ball in pinball machine. Just go with it. And that is fast, for sure.

Personally, I like the planning hull of “jump up and plane” and then a solid carve - this board isn’t that. You need to know what camp you are in, and if you don’t know go try both so that you find out. I know peeps who come from kayaks, surf skis, Va’a like round bottomed boards feel. Peeps who come from planing sports like windsurf, kite surf, wakeboard like planing hulls.

Great feedback, thanks Yugi. I understand secondary stability well, I used to paddle Sea Kayaks and Canoes all the time and I've liked a variety of hull shapes for different reasons. I'm gonna try and paddle a similar older NSP demo for some distance to see if I can get comfortable. Cheers
NSP Puma 14' x 24"
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mrbig

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #4 on: September 30, 2016, 01:08:38 PM »
Stefan, look forward to your feedback! Should be quite different from your 404!
Cheers,
CBig
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Stefan

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #5 on: September 30, 2016, 03:35:41 PM »
Stefan, look forward to your feedback! Should be quite different from your 404!
Cheers,
CBig

Paddled a 2014 14' x 24" wide NSP "Flat Water Race" (canoe style) for a 4 mile loop this morning (glassy river with some small boat waves) . Very tippy initially but as soon as my hips figured out the balance I was able to paddle quietly without catching myself. Secondary stability is solid which is no surprise, and the NSP goes through cross chop like a butter knife... not bouncy like flatter bottom V3. I can definitely see the open water/choppy water potential for this design... but for flatter river paddling I'm not sure. It has really good glide... probably better than my 25.5"  V3 but I can't compare it to 24" V3 yet. Since I'm a newer paddler I kind of like pushing the balance issue... makes paddling a little exciting and I think it helps develop balancing muscles (my balance sucks naturally)  Obviously too narrow isn't a good idea if you can't relax... but on flat water I felt comfortable. I think for all around a 26" wide Ocean Race Elite would be the ticket and after a few more months paddling  I could take it into large river swell and open water. Right now I'm leaning toward getting the 24" wide V3 and getting a second board (possibly the NSP) for open water and downwind paddling. More research is needed... oh life's struggles...  LOL. Cheers
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mrbig

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2016, 06:54:28 AM »
Thanks so much! I have paddled the 404 v3 boards and had the same experience. Very fast in calm flat conditions (we see those not too often!), but stiff and harsh on any kind of cross quartering chop.

High primary stability with a sudden change when the dreaded boat wakes appear. We also get a lot of very short period vodoo chop.

The Puma sounds interesting!
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warmuth

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2016, 02:28:31 PM »
  I have a V3 and I'd concur. Seems to go well on flat water even though it doesnt look like it should but it does not do "all conditions" very well at all imo. I was hoping to be able to use it in mild ocean races but unless theres very little wind and no side/quarter chop I would never use that board in an ocean race. It gets tossed about very easily. I'm pretty much in the same boat as Stefan with it, and will need another board for ocean races in anything less than ideal conditions.

Stefan

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2016, 06:09:05 PM »
Thanks so much! I have paddled the 404 v3 boards and had the same experience. Very fast in calm flat conditions (we see those not too often!), but stiff and harsh on any kind of cross quartering chop.

High primary stability with a sudden change when the dreaded boat wakes appear. We also get a lot of very short period vodoo chop.

The Puma sounds interesting!

Paddled a 2014 Pro Race NSP (flat deck) 14' x 25" today.... better initial stability than 2014 Flat water Pro... but strangely enough I liked the canoe style 24" better in cross chop, secondary stability was more solid. Upwind the Pro Race is similar to my V3 it gets pushed a bit in strong wind if you angle off wind (like many boards) but like the other NSP I paddled it cuts through oncoming chop extremely well. Off the wind in small chop the board is smooth and cuts through down wind swell perfectly ... I'm sure it would surf bigger waves really well. It's all about what you get used to and right now 404 has a slight edge for me... the V3 is several pounds lighter than the NSP and in flat up to moderate chop it's easy. The 24" wide V3 is slightly better in windy conditions (flatwater) possibly because it sits slightly lower in the water for me. If I was going to have one board the NSP's would probably win out... but where I live you really need 2, one for flat water mileage and another for off the wind large river/ocean swell. Cheers
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mrbig

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2016, 09:59:15 AM »
Absolutely. My Starboard 12'6" Race 27.5" is really fast. Fine upwind. Cross and boat wakes are a challenge - but my balance is hideous!

I bust out my Focus Bluefin 14' on the ocean, chop, boat wakes, impervious to anything. But not fast.

My previous  JP 12'6" was super fast, but really in any conditions except glass. I assumed it was my lack of skill until an elite guy borrowed it and reported really fast and really tippy. Sold! 2017 JP's have eliminated the spine at the front third and moved in the direction of the prone style noses that many are moving in.

Demoing an NSP very difficult! I suspect my previous experience with the boof nosed rounded Marlin might put me in good stead, but who knows!

My days of buying without trying are over! Zone a great place to share info! I now have enough experience to understand the differences from an experiencial perspective rather than the theoretical musings..

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yugi

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #10 on: October 03, 2016, 01:51:11 AM »
...
 If I was going to have one board the NSP's would probably win out... but where I live you really need 2, one for flat water mileage and another for off the wind large river/ocean swell. Cheers

nonsense!

A downwind board is perfectly fine as a quiver-of-one board. I know, I have one and I live on a lake.

There some a bogus misconception that downwind boards “push” water and don’t work on flats. BS! They work perfectly fine on flats. Did you know a Bullet V2 14’ is faster on pure flats than a top of the line pro version narrow as hell 12’6 race board? Two GPS heads swapped their 12’6 race steads for 14’ Bullet V2. Both are  now recording faster times on their flatwater training runs.

Frankly, unless you are racing, there is hardly a difference on flats. As soon as it gets choppy or windy the downwind board tends to be far faster for common mortals (everyone but the top 50 racers in the world).

Like I said, I’m on a lake. We get plenty of pure glass sessions. Plenty of chop, even a crazy amount of boat chop on summer days. And occasional very good downwinds. I’ve tried the new generation race/DW planing hull boards. I like them, a lot, but I’m sticking with a fast DW board as quiver-of-one. (Bullet V2, JL Rail, Rogue DW). They still are the best and far more fun on big DW days.

I choose my gear for the hardest part of any given situation one gets in an activity. My Mtn bike is light/enduro; excellent in rough and downhill but light enough to climb all day. My skis are crud busters, but light enough to climb with. For example my skis are not optimised for turning on groomers, but it’s hardly like I have any issue turning them on piste. Same with my quiver-of-one choice in SUP. Not the ultra fastest in pure glass, but it’s hardly an issue (and not as slow as some imagine). Yet so much better in tough conditions. And more fun.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2016, 02:06:50 AM by yugi »

yugi

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #11 on: October 03, 2016, 01:54:59 AM »

I bust out my Focus Bluefin 14' on the ocean, chop, boat wakes, impervious to anything. But not fast.


Odd. That’s the opposite of what I’d expect.

I’ve always liked the Bluefin shape. Been curious to try but never have. The Naish Maliko which I do ride looks so similar and is lightening fast. Mo sure seems to make that thing work. Danny Ching's new 404 seems to have followed same nose design (and he's an OC guy!).

So what’s not fast about it? Is this an impression or GPS backed data? I presume it’s the x26 wide one.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2016, 02:31:59 AM by yugi »

mrbig

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2016, 07:37:19 AM »
Yes, it is the 14' by 26" wide. Somehow I suspect the ones that Mo is on are hand shaped and significantly lighter than mine!

My observations regarding speed are most unscientific. My 12'6" Starboard Race is faster on a short sprint on a glassy lake using GPS.

However, the Bluefin is faster in real world conditions. The 404 V3  boards were not 14' unfortunately.

In a side by side comparison on the glassy lake, the Starby was slightly faster. I suspect the 27.5 width on the Race vs the 24 on V3 meant Tippy Wan Kenobi needs a wider board..

Further research is clearly necessary.

Cheers!
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Stefan

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Re: 2016 NSP Ocean Race Elite 14' x 26"
« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2016, 11:28:52 AM »
Yugi, I don't think anyone said one board wasn't possible.... and that's smart if you wanna save money LOL. I agree with you about displacement hulls etc. I'm talking about optimizing conditions for my ability and most importantly challenging myself. I can push myself on flat water, develop technique etc and not have to worry about constantly balancing, which sucks energy. In down wind river/ocean swell I need the extra nose kick and width of a more specialized board ...like a V2 or 404 Joy or whatever. As I improve and my balance gets better things may change. Cheers  :)
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