Vid - 2017 Starboard Ace 14 x 27 vs Naish Maliko 14 x 28 Downbreezer

[Off-Shore]

Had a great fun downbreezing day with the paddle crew from Blue Sky and HKSUPBA paddling the Port Shelter Express Run in Sai Kung, Hong Kong.

Swapped the 2017 Starboard Ace 14 x 27 for the 2017 Naish Maliko 14 x 28 mid way which was interesting. In a downbreezer, the nose on the Maliko has a beautiful way of slicing through the waves in front where the water flows over the nose like the proverbial duck's @rse. But much prettier.. The extra inch though on the width definitely was noticeable speed wise and effort wise. But hey, first time paddling a Naish ever, and it was very VERY nice...

Also shown in this video is messing about in some semi surf off the north coast of Shelter Island. This does not break that regularly, but is a fun way to break the run 2/3rds of the way down it.

Finally if you break a leash tie in the surf as we did, I show here how a whistle lanyard was used to temporarily attach the leash to the board at 4:30

https://youtu.be/fRYMj3HvV0s
GoPro Hero 5 - Headmounted

Music: Freeride by Rob Turnover ft Jesse Howe

[Night Wing]

Nice video. It's always nice when you can compare two different models from two different sup manufacturers. It gives a good prospective on how each performs on the same waves during the same outing.

Thanks for sharing the video.

[DavidJohn]

It's good to see the big Maliko zipping along but it's no doubt slower than the Ace in those conditions.. But hey.. it's not all about speed is it.. 

[Off-Shore]

.. But hey.. it's not all about speed is it.. 

Ha! DJ, you are absolutely right. The Naish feels like it is made for maximizing the grin factor. It starts with the water flowing over the nose which is mesmerizing and sends you into a trance like state and the smiles start, and so I can only imagine what this would be like in a proper downwinder... I guess you'd be feeling the corners of your mouth brushing up against your ear lobes in no time at all..

WAIT. I know what it feels like in a proper downwinder.... I have watched your vids! 

[yugi]

... feels like it is made for maximizing the grin factor.
...

hahaha  Yes, the all-important measure! Looked like a fun warm day for that too.

Say, isn't that guy's Mailiko too new to have a leash tie break? Was it rather a poorly tied knot?

The classic mistake is to not leave long enough tail ends. Tail ends MUST be long. Knots should be well "dressed" too. Climbers know this (those that don't are eliminated from the sport by darwinism). I saw some examples on the leash tie thread where tails ends were too short and forgot to post about it.
On the recent

[Area 10]

Great vid - I enjoyed that. Those Malikos are lovely looking boards.

I use good quality racing sailing rope for my leash ties, which is extremely abrasion-resistant, and once I've tied the knot I superglue it so it can't ever come undone. The rope is pretty expensive, but infinitely cheaper than a ding repair or worse.

[Luc Benac]

I use 550lbs. Military Paracord Type III Rope with double knots. Hope it is sufficient.

[Area 10]

I use 550lbs. Military Paracord Type III Rope with double knots. Hope it is sufficient.

Probably not, no - That's a setup for pussies 😀

[Off-Shore]

This is the issue for those people who always remove leashes at the end of each run. The leash tie had got lost in this case, and he had used two nylon cable ties looped through the leash point on the board to attach the leash to instead... You would have thought two of these would be strong, but in a breaking surf situation these just snapped clean when the board was carried away... Lesson learned. I always use the nylon cords that come with the leashes, and leave a good amount of ends showing. 

[Area 10]

I remove the leash at the end of each run. But there's no reason to remove the leash string.

I'm surprised an experienced downwinders like you relies on the cheap crappy cord that comes with a leash. It's not worth potentially risking your life for a few dollars, and the stuff I use seemingly goes on forever, whereas the strings that come with leashes most definitely do not: several years ago before SUP appeared, I had one break on me when surfing a mile offshore, with a long swim to shore against a current in a 5mm wetsuit on a cold dark UK winters day in fading light. Never again...