Dug-out decks work

[Area 10]

I just saw a look alike UL starboard color dugout from a starboard rider so it looks like dugout is in and maybe sic/bic should get into building some.

Starboard pioneered the dugout, right back to Jim Drake's K15. So when everyone is downwind racing standing in canoes, we will substantially have Brian Szymanski (and Starboard) to thank for it. In terms of dugouts, everyone has been playing catch up to Starboard. That's nothing new.

[JEG]

I see Area 10.
it looks very sharp from the pics.

[PonoBill]

So yes technically a DWNDR but more like a down breezer with side wind.  And sure it equalizes the field and makes it more like a race anywhere else in the world.

I love how spoiled you guys are and I cannot wait to spend more time as part of that world    JR was way off the 9.6 mph he showed in the video, but still averaged 7.4 mph for the entire race - start and flatwater included.

Serious question:  has anyone actually made it from the start in the gulch to the sand in the harbor under an hour in a race?  Gotta be half a mile from the harbor entrance to the sand.

I'm pretty sure several of the guys have, but my memory is always suspect.

[headmount]

Yes spoiled but we live here and aren't pros.  So we don't need to go when it's crappy.  We can use those days to do the things we need to in order to pay the bills and keep the trash emptied.  Added to that, going in crap is a stoke killer. 

If you intend on doing this for more than just a few years you want it to be fun.  Just as in you don't want to go surfing when it's small and shitty.  That's been my philosophy for the past 13 years of stand up and 10 before that of prone paddleboard and when it's good, I'm still stoked to go.  That's the big picture.

[headmount]

The dug-out-decks are definitely showing their worth in lighter conditions over flat planning hulls.  The wind might be light for M2O.  If it is, look for James Casey in his Sonova SUPDUG.  For racing it's probably the future.  Some have reported less need to squat back onto back leg, which can wear you out in a long race like M2O.

Or you can just switch to a surfski.  Jeremy, La Perouse Bay and I went today off S Maui.  JR's graph read three sub 6 min/miles in a row.  One of those miles was 5.41 mins.    He's got about a year and a half in his ski.  I have 6 months.  Every run is getting better by huge leaps for me.  You just can't beat a displacement hull whether you stand or sit.

[yugi]

The dug-out-decks are definitely showing their worth in lighter conditions over flat planning hulls.  The wind might be light for M2O.  If it is, look for James Casey in his Sonova SUPDUG.  For racing it's probably the future.  Some have reported less need to squat back onto back leg, which can wear you out in a long race like M2O.
...

Exactly. They are kind of auto-trimming. The wide front coupled with the pointy "axe" transom means the transom sinks when it needs to without much stepping back. Due to the Axe transom there is no drag penalty.

At the same time this is exactly what I dislike about pintail dugouts. I like the need to move around on a planing hull and I'm totally addicted to the planing feel. Same thing skiing really. I ski 90% powder.

DW SUP, biking and skiing are all great cross-training for each other. I'm not interested in an eBike for mountains nor do I use training heels (alpine bindings) skiing. I have a desk job, I want exertion when I do sports.

True for racing it's probably the future. Titou used his ocean racing dugout pintail also  flatwater racing this year. It handles rider wash better than a pure flatwater board but obviously also  because it's fast enough. His personal preference for downwinding is still a planing hull he told me. But for racing, especially marginal conditions, he's on dugouts.

[Area 10]

Yes, that's a very good summary, yugi.

We are beginning to see the divergence of race craft from recreational or pleasure downwinding. Dugouts are undeniably fast. But they are also a PITA in so many ownership ways, and they are more awkward, more dangerous, and less fun to paddle in a lively ocean environment. If you don't have the skills and/or get caught in conditions that are beyond your or its capability, they will give you a hateful experience. Crosswinds are its Achilles heel in particular, and when you downwind them it is less like surfing than moving with the bumps.

So, if winning a race is your only goal, then get a dugout. But if you downwind just for fun, and want a board that maximises safety and the sensation of surfing bumps, is easy to own, looks good, and is easy to transport, then avoid them.