Leap of Faith - SIC FX 14????

[Rideordie]

Thanks Raf.  Appreciate the great insights.  Looking forwards to your follow up review in calmer conditions and overall impression as an "all water race board".  Curious as to what your weight is , as it relates to the board stability.  I am about 200 lbs.
     

[raf]

I'm about 165 lbs.  When I say X-14 I meant the X-14 Pro.  The regular X-14 is really a board for people closer to 200lbs. 
At your weight I think you will be close to maxxing out on the FX, but it should still be doable.  The rails are pretty vertical throughout, so sinking another 1/2" of board shouldn't change the way the board works. 

On the Big Winds video, they commented on the boards rocker, and compared it to the less-rockered All-Star.  To my eye the rocker profile on the FX is just about identical to the X-14; aggressive tail rocker, but very flat from the handle forwards.  I think Starboards use a more continuous rocker.  The big difference between the FX and the X-14 is rail shape  along the bottom edge (sharp vs rolled), and nose entry (full vs hollow).  In plan and profile, the boards are very similar.  The FX is much more comfortable to paddle, however.

A fairer comparison would be the X Pro-Lite vs the FX.   

[burchas]

Thanks Raf.  Appreciate the great insights.  Looking forwards to your follow up review in calmer conditions and overall impression as an "all water race board".  Curious as to what your weight is , as it relates to the board stability.  I am about 200 lbs.
   

Rideordie, I'll be very surprised if you'll have any stability issues on your FX14. I've been using the FX12'6 (about 270 litter) for a while now and even with full winter gear, at 190+, stability was never an issue. Can't wait to read your review when you get the board.

[PonoBill]

I'm about 165 lbs.  When I say X-14 I meant the X-14 Pro.  The regular X-14 is really a board for people closer to 200lbs. 
At your weight I think you will be close to maxxing out on the FX, but it should still be doable.  The rails are pretty vertical throughout, so sinking another 1/2" of board shouldn't change the way the board works. 

On the Big Winds video, they commented on the boards rocker, and compared it to the less-rockered All-Star.  To my eye the rocker profile on the FX is just about identical to the X-14; aggressive tail rocker, but very flat from the handle forwards.  I think Starboards use a more continuous rocker.  The big difference between the FX and the X-14 is rail shape  along the bottom edge (sharp vs rolled), and nose entry (full vs hollow).  In plan and profile, the boards are very similar.  The FX is much more comfortable to paddle, however.

A fairer comparison would be the X Pro-Lite vs the FX.

I did a Viento run on an X14 Pro, I can tell you that 235 pounds of balance-challenged geezer is not what the board was designed for. I do better on my 12'2" X 26" Starboard. Easy to catch bumps, but hard to stay vertical.

[Area 10]

Big old geezer downwinding on a board meant for small young experts in flat water... What could possibly go wrong?

What were you thinking, haha!???

[Rideordie]

Raf,
I received my board last night.  It's a beauty!!  Got her cleaned up and put on some XL Rail Saver Pro tape.  One question about your comments:  You said "slight concave on the bottom".  I did not see that at all.   I see a slight vee shape in the front 20% or so of the board, moving toward flat for the entire middle portion, then to a vee on the rear third through to the tail.  These things are subtle and difficult to see with the naked eye.  I used a metal broom stick across it, which helped.  I checked each side of the vee to see if perhaps there was a double concave and there was none.  Anyway, I will be taking it out later today for a shakedown run.   Will provide some thoughts.             

[raf]

Grats on the board!  Let us know what you think asap.

You are right about the bottom shape.  Initially I just glanced at it and ran my hand along the bottom and I thought it had a slight concave in middle to double concave in tail, but after putting a straight edge on it it is indeed flat in middle with V in the tail. 

[PonoBill]

I think Mark is allergic to double concave. I think for most shapes and sizes it's slower than flat. I'm sure there are shapers that will tell me I'm nuts.

[Muskoka SUP]

Hey!  Rideordie...  waaaSUUUP??   So, was it difficult to convince your S.O. that the FX was spending the night in your bed?   
Talk story brah.. And pics too please.

[Rideordie]

Here is a review I also posted on Seabreeze  :
Here is a quick review. A few photos will follow. Just to be clear, my board is 14 x 25 290 liters. Check. The rails, as measured at the handle are 6.25 inches thick. To put that into perspective, I measured my X 14 SCC (not the PRO) rails at the handle and got 5 and 1/2 inches. So the rails are full. It is 7.75 at the thickest point of the board foward of the standing area. Construction, fit and finish are excellent. Did have some sort of minor compression damage on the bottom. No paint damage. Not that bad, but enough for me to mention. Not sure if it was a quality control thing or shipping damage. Waiting for a response from the dealer. Have not weighed it but assume 24 lbs is about right. I added Rail Saver Pro XL, which added a bit of weight. I installed the beach start handle to provide an anchor point for my Speed Coach, but the suction cup mount would not adhere to the flat paint. Guess we will have to go the adhesive route later. Slight V in the rockered nose, rides with about only 3- 4 linear inches out of the water when flat. The shape quickly goes to flat throughout the board and all the way out to the very sharp rails, which begin around midpoint and continue through the tail. The back third of the board has a very slight Vee forming slowing and increasing slightly toward the tail. Very interesting. Stepping onto the board, my first impression was that this feels a little tall and tippy, as I have been recent mounting a lower 28.5 in X-14 (barn door). However, this feeling quickly diminished and I immediately became confident in the stability. The wind was a steady 12 mph, but we were on the upwind side of the lake, so the waves did not have time to mount. Notice that more narrow width allowed me to have a more natural and upright stroke. The tall rails, kept the board very dry even when sideways to the wind/waves. The soft nose and soft from rails make it very easy to change directions or spin around. However, the tracking of this board is perhaps the best I have encountered. It does not get blown around in the wind. It is easy to make course corrections in the wind. I did get to point it downwind a bit and it seemed fast and comfortable, as verified by GPS. I was paddling with my friend on his 17 6 unlimited and was actually leading him most of the time. The board floats me very well at 205 lbs and it seemed like it could have handled an even larger rider easily. The board accelerates very quickly from a stop, glide is excellent. It seems to be easy to maintain a high speed and requires less effort in rough water. Due to conditions and time constraints, I did not get a chance to paddle on flat water or any significant downwind. Looking forward to that and want to get in a "typical" 6 mile training run and compare to what I used to do on my X 14 Pro. Oh, I really like the flat deck and feel like I have more room on it than I did on the X 14 or x 14 Pro. There are very slightly raised edges on the rails and pad, so you can feel yourself getting to the edge of the board. Stock fin seems fine to me. I have always liked the 8.3 weedless. Others might like a different shape. Overall impression so far: Well made, a little tall, handles great in the rough and wind, excellent tracking, acceleration and glide. Going to be great over long runs. Seems like it will be wonderful on downwind and good on flats too, but not verified yet. Any questions?

[burchas]

Congrats Rideordie! glad to read your Leap of Faith did not disappoint.
Wait until you get it into open ocean/rough waters, this is where the board really shines.

Do you feel you'll need to extend your paddle length?

[Rideordie]

Burchas, I did not feel out of balance with it yesterday.  I was more focused on the wind and the board than I was on my stroke and my paddle may have been a little tall to start.  I will be able to focus more on that one a flatter day.  My expectation is that I may make a small adjustment of 1/2 inch or less, but we will see.  That's just me wanting to dial it in because I have an adjustable Ke Nalu, rather than a need to do thing.  My friend said that I was sinking close to half of the rail when I was on it, it felt like less than that to me.         

[Area 10]

Burchas, I did not feel out of balance with it yesterday.  I was more focused on the wind and the board than I was on my stroke and my paddle may have been a little tall to start.  I will be able to focus more on that one a flatter day.  My expectation is that I may make a small adjustment of 1/2 inch or less, but we will see.  That's just me wanting to dial it in because I have an adjustable Ke Nalu, rather than a need to do thing.  My friend said that I was sinking close to half of the rail when I was on it, it felt like less than that to me.         

A 290L board will take a load of over 600lbs to sink it. So if you are 200lbs there is probably around 2/3rds of the volume of the board above the waterline when you are standing on it.

[burchas]

My expectation is that I may make a small adjustment of 1/2 inch or less, but we will see.  That's just me wanting to dial it in because I have an adjustable Ke Nalu, rather than a need to do thing.

I had no doubt you'll feel very stable. That side to side rolling feeling that you had when first going on the board is actually the besting about the board when in rough and confused waters. It allows my balance to recover from angles I could never do on other boards.

As for the paddle, that's about what I did, 1/2 an inch taller.

A 290L board will take a load of over 600lbs to sink it. So if you are 200lbs there is probably around 2/3rds of the volume of the board above the waterline when you are standing on it.

A10, you're right on the money. With my 270 litters and my 180LBR I have about 2/3 above the waterline

[Eagle]

Congrats Rideordie!  Looking forward to pics as well.  Odd about that small dent though - if you still have the packing box maybe you can rule in - or rule out - the freight company.

Had a board shipped - and damage to the box can definitely be a good indicator.