2018 Raceboard rumours ?

[SUPflorida]

How are you measuring the width? My favorite method is to use two aluminum framing squares. Both with the long leg on the deck (or bottom is sometimes easier), lap them and keep both together so it a perfect right angle over the rail. Add the 22-1/2"'on the one with what ever is left on the other and you will get the true width no matter what the tuck or rail shape.

It's also great for determining the centerline anywhere on the board (as long as you have them 90 degrees to the centerline).

[Luc Benac]

How are you measuring the width? My favorite method is to use two aluminum framing squares. Both with the long leg on the deck (or bottom is sometimes easier), lap them and keep both together so it a perfect right angle over the rail. Add the 22-1/2"'on the one with what ever is left on the other and you will get the true width no matter what the tuck or rail shape.

It's also great for determining the centerline anywhere on the board (as long as you have them 90 degrees to the centerline).

Something similar. I put the board on the ground. Put two squares on the outside and a measuring tape to select the widest point, so in effect I measure between the hopefully vertical portion of the squares at their tops and at their base. It is by no way exact but gives a sense of a plus or minus inch.

[PonoBill]

I use a framing square and a level.

[ukgm]

Well, the next big race to reveal much I guess will be the Lost Mills in mid May. Last year that's where the 21.5 sprint was revealed.

[Area 10]

I wonder how many 21.5" wide sprints were sold worldwide? A tiny number, I should think.

The Starboard race board that really matters is the 14x25(ish) AS and probably the 14x27 All Star in the cheaper construction too. The market for the 14x23" Sprint will be small, and I doubt a UK distributor would even bother importing a 21.5" wide board.

Is there going to be ANY regular contributor to this forum who is going to be racing a 21.5" wide Sprint? This just shows the growing gap between the racing community and mainstream paddling.

There's a problem here. If I turn up to a tennis tournament, you won't know how good I am by looking at my racquet. If I enter a swimming or running comp, my gear will not sing the level of my competence. But if you go to a SUP comp these days you might as well award the medals on the basis of how narrow the person's board is, and the average Joe or Joanna turning up with their 28" or 30" wide board is going to feel like a dumbo before they even hit the water. This puts a big psychological barrier up to participation. I think this is what Jim Terrell was getting at when he argued for standard board dimensions. I'm actually predispositionally disinclined towards such regulations. But maybe it would be inevitable if we are going for the Olympics, or if we want to keep participation in races high.

But I'm beginning to feel that maybe those who race don't. Hard board sales in some markets are already so small as to be almost irrelevant. Is SUP starting to establish a club structure like surf lifesaving, surfing etc that could form a backbone for local racing scenes? That would help. But if we are to be governed by the canoe or surf fraternity rather than develop our own international body, then it seems to me that we will always be just a minor adjunct to other sports, and so we will develop at a rate and in ways that are determined substantially by them.

[ukgm]

I wonder how many 21.5" wide sprints were sold worldwide? A tiny number, I should think.

The Starboard race board that really matters is the 14x25(ish) AS and probably the 14x27 All Star in the cheaper construction too. The market for the 14x23" Sprint will be small, and I doubt a UK distributor would even bother importing a 21.5" wide board.

Is there going to be ANY regular contributor to this forum who is going to be racing a 21.5" wide Sprint? This just shows the growing gap between the racing community and mainstream paddling.

There's a problem here. If I turn up to a tennis tournament, you won't know how good I am by looking at my racquet. If I enter a swimming or running comp, my gear will not sing the level of my competence. But if you go to a SUP comp these days you might as well award the medals on the basis of how narrow the person's board is, and the average Joe or Joanna turning up with their 28" or 30" wide board is going to feel like a dumbo before they even hit the water. This puts a big psychological barrier up to participation. I think this is what Jim Terrell was getting at when he argued for standard board dimensions. I'm actually predispositionally disinclined towards such regulations. But maybe it would be inevitable if we are going for the Olympics, or if we want to keep participation in races high.

Well, look at it this way, I don't know about your 'average consumer' but two of the Starboard UK team ladies were on the 21.5 at the Head of the Dart event (probably the biggest race we have in the UK) the other week. I know that two of the men were on the 23 that day. All in all, I know of 3-4 in the UK so far but none of the non team guys have bought one. Mind you, I think this is part of a bigger problem of the 'new market' now being completely disconnected from the secondhand market by too large a gap. The depreciation is savage in the first year and many people buying new boards seem to hold out for a good deal instead. I do know though that the Naish 'domestic racer' discount racer programme went down extremely well here and Naish have sold a lot 24 or 26 14ft Maliko's here as a result.

As for Jim's fears, I mostly agreed with him. I wrote a couple of follow up articles here on SUPracer about it.

http://www.supracer.com/the-board-class-debate-again/

and more specifically to some of the concerns you've raised here:

http://www.supracer.com/the-board-class-debate-again-again/

[ukgm]

"With 500 racers one of the bigger events of the year. The Starboard Sprint 14'x23" proofed the right choice for Larry Cain (1st place) and I."

Here's a compromise for you that I discovered. The RRD Razzle dazzle in a 14ft length, 25 width and 280 liters of volume. I've never seen one in the flesh though (only the 12'6 version).

http://www.robertoriccidesigns.com/equipment/shop/razzle-dazzle-14-v1/

[yugi]

^ A friend uses the 14' x24 for everything, including choppy days and downwinds. He likes it. He's really good though.

It's a pretty high volume board. It has high sidewalls.

[ukgm]

^ A friend uses the 14' x24 for everything, including choppy days and downwinds. He likes it. He's really good though.

It's a pretty high volume board. It has high sidewalls.

I looks like a 2014 starboard sprint clone. Is it stable though ?

[yugi]

sort of

but not as stable as a Naish Maliko x24 or Focus Bluefin x24

[Eagle]

Def lotsa razzle and dazzle in that paint job.  Shape kinda reminds me of the Eradicator 25.

[Area 10]

Paolo Marconi went well on his RRD at the Carolina Cup. A friend of mine had one of the early RRD 12-6s. Good board. I'm surprised we haven't heard more about RRD internationally.

[Eagle]

Mistral seems to have nice dropped standing areas with Steeve Rete Ryan etc doing very well.  ukgm - the Vortex Equinox looks a solid one two punch that might be an option.

 •  VORTEX 14’ x 26" (426.7cm x 66cm)
     Optimum for paddlers up to and over 209lbs (95kg) with added stability

https://shop.mistral.com/collections/2016-sup-hardboards/products/vortex-14

https://shop.mistral.com/collections/2016-sup-hardboards/products/equinox-14

[ukgm]

Mistral seems to have nice dropped standing areas with Steeve Rete Ryan etc doing very well.  ukgm - the Vortex Equinox looks a solid one two punch that might be an option.

 •  VORTEX 14’ x 26" (426.7cm x 66cm)
     Optimum for paddlers up to and over 209lbs (95kg) with added stability

https://shop.mistral.com/collections/2016-sup-hardboards/products/vortex-14

https://shop.mistral.com/collections/2016-sup-hardboards/products/equinox-14

Yep, I've spoken to Steve West about that one in the past. They will be doing an XL version too at some point (like the narrower 23 inch version). The Equinox I tried and its identical to an Ace really (as that was what the prototype was heavily based on).

[Luc Benac]

I was very interested in the Mistral offer - Equinox (Chop & Downwind) and Vortex 26" (Flat).
I think that it is a nice simple line of boards.
Regretfully, Mistral confirmed that they did not have a distributor in North America but you could beat Brexit and get these while you can :-)