"Low budget" race board options

[ForeverBlue232]

Maybe early next year, I might be able to buy a new board for racing.  But even then, my budget won't be huge.  What I'm looking for is a race board in the 12-14' long, 26-27" wide range, and $1500 or less.  My intent of use would be for racing in lakes/reservoirs/rivers(non-whitewater).  So far I've only ridden boards in the 29.5-32" wide range, but think I'm ready for a thinner board.  But since I haven't gone 26 yet, I may want a board that is more stable for its width.  So far I'm leaning toward the Isle Spear.  It's 12'6"x27", and selling for $1200 now.  I know I'm not getting a Starboard or Naish at that price, but is there a good quality board in the <$1500 neighborhood?  After things I've heard about SUP ATX boards, I don't think I want to get one of their boards.  I know that one answer is to not get a board until I can afford another $2300 board, but I'm curious if I can get something worth having cheaper.

[robon]

The current Lahui Kai (SUP ATX) has an excellent reputation for both durability and performance and for the price it was being sold for not long ago, I would have picked the 14 x 27 over any offering from Isle. 

[TallDude]

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/search/sga?query=race+sup   Lots of deals around here.

[Eagle]

If you can - get a nice quality board from CL or a yearend deal or demo from a retailer.  We have 5 high quality boards and none of them were purchased new.  Paid 50% or less of retail on average.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I got an NSP 14' Race for $600. It's an old design (like 4 years) but it's fast enough to not embarrass yourself.

Maybe that's too low end?

[Quickbeam]

The current Lahui Kai (SUP ATX) has an excellent reputation for both durability and performance and for the price it was being sold for not long ago, I would have picked the 14 x 27 over any offering from Isle.

Looks like they have raised their prices (http://www.lahuikai.com/). Still a pretty good deal in my opinion, but not within the OP's stated budget. Also not as good a deal as they were recently offering. I'd keep my eye on their website to see if they drop prices again. Glad I got mine when I did!

[Area 10]

The current Lahui Kai (SUP ATX) has an excellent reputation for both durability and performance and for the price it was being sold for not long ago, I would have picked the 14 x 27 over any offering from Isle.

Looks like they have raised their prices (http://www.lahuikai.com/). Still a pretty good deal in my opinion, but not within the OP's stated budget. Also not as good a deal as they were recently offering. I'd keep my eye on their website to see if they drop prices again. Glad I got mine when I did!

You could always contact them and make an offer based on the previous price, or a compromise between the old one and the new one. No harm in trying.

[Mil-Surf]

Yep, call one of the warehouses, got a killer deal on mine and the boards are awesome.

[Quickbeam]

Yep, call one of the warehouses, got a killer deal on mine and the boards are awesome.

Just curious. Which board did you get? I got the 12' 6" x 26" Team Race and like you, got a great deal on what is, in my opinion, a very nice board.

[Mil-Surf]

I got the same board you did and it has been great. Stable and fast, solid construction. Have not been in the waves as much lately due to knee injury and this has been a great way to stay out on the water while recovering. Hope to spend the fall/winter on it and try some local races in the spring.

[Stefan]

Maybe early next year, I might be able to buy a new board for racing.  But even then, my budget won't be huge.  What I'm looking for is a race board in the 12-14' long, 26-27" wide range, and $1500 or less.

I think Riviera might be a good choice, they retail around $1600 for carbon construction and have the RP as well as a pure flat water race board.

[FloridaWindSUP]

Maybe early next year, I might be able to buy a new board for racing.  But even then, my budget won't be huge.  What I'm looking for is a race board in the 12-14' long, 26-27" wide range, and $1500 or less.

I think Riviera might be a good choice, they retail around $1600 for carbon construction and have the RP as well as a pure flat water race board.

Ditto on the Riviera recommendation. Their 2016/17 14x25 and 14x27 boards are very fast and stable for the width, are quite durable, and work in all sorts of conditions. I ride the 14x23. Of course if you don't mind riding a used board, those are the cheapest of all, and there are some fine ones out there.

[Bulky]

 Not sure where in the country you are, but $1500 can get you a pretty nice deal on a used board if you look on Distressed Mullet, CL or here.  I've owned and raced top-quality Naish and Kings carbon boards.  Paid $1500 for each of them.  Sure, maybe they were dated designs by a year or two but at my level that's not making any difference. 

[Area 10]

Not sure where in the country you are, but $1500 can get you a pretty nice deal on a used board if you look on Distressed Mullet, CL or here.  I've owned and raced top-quality Naish and Kings carbon boards.  Paid $1500 for each of them.  Sure, maybe they were dated designs by a year or two but at my level that's not making any difference.

I'm not sure that all boards get better each year, anyway. It seems to me that more often the brands change the boards so that they appeal to different markets. For instance, I'm not sure that the 2016 Naish Javelins were any faster in flat water than the previous models. They may even have been slower. But they worked in a wider range of conditions for a wider range of people. So if you are  a flat water racer, maybe one of the old Javs would suit you better. For 2017 it looks to me like Naish have gone back to making the Jav more flat-water specific again.

It feels great to buy a high quality "pre-owned" board, and know that someone else has taken the hit in terms of first-year depreciation.

[ForeverBlue232]

Not sure where in the country you are, but $1500 can get you a pretty nice deal on a used board if you look on Distressed Mullet, CL or here.  I've owned and raced top-quality Naish and Kings carbon boards.  Paid $1500 for each of them.  Sure, maybe they were dated designs by a year or two but at my level that's not making any difference.

I'm in Indiana.  So I doubt I'll find anything local on CL.  Not sure I'd trust buying something that expensive, and trying to have it shipped sight unseen from an online classified.  If something was local, at least I could drive and inspect the thing before taking a chance.  But yeah, if a used board is still in good enough condition, that could be a good option.  Since I'm still new with not much experience, I'm sure a board within the past few years will give me just as much as a brand new board.  And I'm sure it would give me better results than trying to race with a fishing board (my Bote Rackham)...  Haha