New Uli 14' Inflatable Vid

[PT Woody]

This is a video of my friend Cam's new Uli 14'. It's just a flat water paddle on Melbourne's Yarra River on a beautiful winter's morning. We haven't tried it in a downwinder yet, but looking forward to seeing how it goes. It paddles well, but naturally enough, it is no match for the Starboard Pin or K15 in the flats.

[lee]

looks like a big white Banana..

[DavidJohn]

Great vid Paul.. It will be interesting to see how it goes on a real down-winder.

Yesterday's DW'er would have been a good test.. It's a shame Cam couldn't make it.

DJ

[NickFL]

Wow does the front really stick up that much?  Was it fully inflated?  It seems like a lot of the waterline in lost with that tip.

[DavidJohn]

Wow does the front really stick up that much?  Was it fully inflated?  It seems like a lot of the waterline in lost with that tip.

Here's what the ULI guys said...

DJ

Guy's below is an explanation about the rocker the from Jim (the inventor).

I'll contact that guy through my Aussie distributors and get the rocker fixed. All he has to do is reverse the roll-up or better yet, inflate to the max and weight the center 6 or 8 feet with anything heavy, while the opposite ends are elevated. I used two sawhorses and my tool boxes to weight the board down. The board must be inflated to the max and weighted beyond what you want in the end, but it works. The problem was these two or three 14's were completed and then packed immediately for shipment by sea to OZ, so they cured in the party whistle position and just need a good stretch out.

As for the pumps they have certainly come a long way, the previous pumps did struggle with the increase of pressure, now the new pumps are almost effortless.

[NickFL]

Wow does the front really stick up that much?  Was it fully inflated?  It seems like a lot of the waterline in lost with that tip.

Here's what the ULI guys said...

DJ

Guy's below is an explanation about the rocker the from Jim (the inventor).

I'll contact that guy through my Aussie distributors and get the rocker fixed. All he has to do is reverse the roll-up or better yet, inflate to the max and weight the center 6 or 8 feet with anything heavy, while the opposite ends are elevated. I used two sawhorses and my tool boxes to weight the board down. The board must be inflated to the max and weighted beyond what you want in the end, but it works. The problem was these two or three 14's were completed and then packed immediately for shipment by sea to OZ, so they cured in the party whistle position and just need a good stretch out.

As for the pumps they have certainly come a long way, the previous pumps did struggle with the increase of pressure, now the new pumps are almost effortless.

Thanks for the info.  I was hoping it was just in need of a good stretching.  Now should I order a 14' or 15' for touring and racing?  The 14' is listed as being much lighter.  3 fin setup vs single fin though.

[NickFL]

I was wondering if the board in the video is actually the 15' uli board on closeout instead of the 14' listed in the video.  On uli's website it looks like the 15' and has a single fin which the 15' has and not the 14'.

Which one do you think will be faster/glide more?  The 14' is ~25 lbs and the 15' is ~40 lbs.  I'm looking for a big touring/race board that I can easily store. I can't fit anything over 10'6" in my elevator   I'm 6'1" and ~220lbs.

[kurtr]

Hi Nick,

I have a 14' double-skin, and it weighs 34.5 lbs.  My friend has a single-skin at 25.5 lbs.  Both have single fins, which I'm pretty sure are standard, in spite of what it says on the website.  I don't know anything about the 15-footer. 

I've only had it a few weeks and haven't GPSed it yet, but it feels much faster than my previous dual-purpose boards.  I love the convenience: I keep it rolled up in my van, and when the surf's flat, I'll just pull it out and enjoy a nice flat-water paddle.  This is my second ULI and is top quality, as always. 

Woody: Nice vid!

DJ: Thanks for the info!  Mine has a bit of nose rocker that I wouldn't mind reducing some.  I didn't know it was possible.  I'll try the sawhorse method and report back.

Kurt

[Tecpartner]

The weight depends on single versus double skin.  When I asked about 3 months ago, all the 14' boards were going to have a single fin setup, (despite whet the web site says.)

[NickFL]

What board feels more like a normal SUP? From what little info I can find the double skin might be better since it can take more PSI.  Although the lighter weight might be faster so idk.  I will be using it in the ocean and intracoastal so no river/rocks to worry about.


Also it looks like their website has been updated to say single fin now.

[kurtr]

What board feels more like a normal SUP? From what little info I can find the double skin might be better since it can take more PSI.  Although the lighter weight might be faster so idk.  I will be using it in the ocean and intracoastal so no river/rocks to worry about.


Also it looks like their website has been updated to say single fin now.

I haven't had a chance to try my friend's single-skin yet, but I'll let you know when I do. 

The single-skin would probably be quicker off the line due to the lower weight, but once up to speed, I'm guessing the weight of the double-skin would lend itself to better maintaining momentum.

As far as which would feel more like an epoxy, I would think the unique feel of any ULI would trump any small differences between them, although possibly the greater weight of the double might tend to counteract a tiny bit of the "ULI bounce," which I personally like, BTW.  It makes me feel more in touch with the water, and it's softer underfoot, although in rough conditions it's more of a challenge.

I didn't know about the psi differences.  I thought 18 pounds was about the sensible limit for all of them.  I've paddled mine at 15 and 17 psi, and I couldn't feel any difference, but I'm going to continue to alternate until I can. 

 

[NickFL]

I ordered my Uli 14' last week and 2 more paddles.  I really hope it doesn't have the same rocker issue.  I need all the water line I can get!

[PT Woody]

I ordered my Uli 14' last week and 2 more paddles.  I really hope it doesn't have the same rocker issue.  I need all the water line I can get!

We've conducted the simple repairs that the designer recommended this week and it really does appear to have flattened out the rocker or the unnatural bend through the middle of the board. Hope to get it back out on the river tomorrow to test it and we'll get some pics as proof.

[NickFL]

Thanks!  Any pics and video is great while I wait.  They said 4-6 weeks as I'm first on the list for the next batch.

[kurtr]

I ordered my Uli 14' last week and 2 more paddles.  I really hope it doesn't have the same rocker issue.  I need all the water line I can get!

Did you order a single or double-skin?

I weighted mine down as recommended, and it didn't seem to reduce the rocker, although I didn't take before and after measurements like I should have.  Also, I only weighted it for about an hour, and my rocker is mostly in the nose and isn't too extreme.  (I'll post a pic when I have more time.)  I've got it rolled up in reverse, and I'll try weighting it for several hours in the sun next time. 

All that aside, I'm really happy with it!