Starboard 2018 Sprint/Allstar stability?

[PT Woody]

I'm a little confused by this conversation with all the talk of 21.5" wide SB Sprints and the Copenhagen ISA event... correct me if I'm wrong but ISA is just for 12'6" boards and therefore, the board being used by Connor Baxter and Michael Booth would have been a 12'6" x 23" as that is the only width available for 2018 in 12'6". The 14' comes in 21.5", 23" and 25".

[PT Woody]

all these narrow sizes are for pro's paddlers or wannabe and you weight 72kg (160lb) and under.

Spot on. When I was heavily into racing, I was sub-60kg and was able to ride 23" wide boards no problem. Since quitting racing, I've ballooned up to 70kg and sold all my 23" wide boards as they became too uncomfortable and no fun.

[Eagle]

Yep for that race in Copenhagen the Sprints Connor Bruno and Boothy would have raced in would have been 12'6" x 23".

[Turtle]

Here Annabel deftly spins her All Star on a dime after winning.  Boothy getting dumped from his Sprint just after rounding the first buoy in mass mayhem.

When the top echelon get dumped from their boards -> it tells you the narrow board widths and designs are getting close to their limits.  SB did cut the AS further to 22.5 -> but the Sprint is staying put at 21.5 for 2018.  By changing their designs incrementally to address concerns about lost stability -> SB has done the smart move.

Doubt you will see another "Race" concept come out anytime soon.  Basically the Sprint is the lean entry displacement option in a dugout -> or the All Star the tubby cutting boof option for big chop and surf breaking waves.

You actually got me on that screen capture where Boothy is going down. I'm the guy with black camelpack going in to the bouy. I'm on 2016 12'6x24" Allstar.

[ukgm]

On the left is the bottom shape of the 2015 Race.  On the right its 2016 All Star successor.  The key to the AS23 stability is the hard edges and the somewhat deep center concave with side chines having a hint of concave.  The Race has no hard edges so it rolls like a log.

Would suspect you could get used to the Race 25 over time.  But why waste time trying for such little fun in return.  Balancing is a constant mega challenge.  Fun it is not.  Can only imagine how difficult that Race would be surfing across and down a wave.  Tippy tippy canoe.  No surprise it was immediately discontinued after it was all hyped up as the next best thing from SB.  Haha!

You could make an argument that the 2018 more versatile Sprint is the board the 2015 Race was trying to be.

According to the SB ad copy the 2016 All Star was the 2015 Race successor.  That iteration of the All Star was the first to go to the triple concave concept.  From my perspective that was the best design.  The 2017 seemed to go back a step in stability with the chamfered edges -> and flattening the tail underside for 2018 should bring some of what was lost back again.

I would say that whilst the Allstar inherited and refined the triple concave concept as a feature it wasn't the successor. The Race was intended to be the board that could handle flatwater and light chop and get the best of both - exactly what the the 2018 Sprint says its now trying to do (rather than being a pure flatwater board). I think thats smart becuase we must be getting to the point soon whereby the brands are pricing their raceboards out of the market and the raw sales of each specialised design will be so small as to not be worth it (I mean, look at what naish have decided to do his year - and that's a big company)

[Turtle]

I weight 70-72kg. 14'x24,5" Allstar really feels like a big board for me. I'm usually faster with 23" but when conditions are hard and the race is long fatique kicks in and balance starts to be a problem. Starboards recomended weight for 14'x23" Sprint is quite bolde 50-95kg?

[ukgm]

I weight 70-72kg. 14'x24,5" Allstar really feels like a big board for me. I'm usually faster with 23" but when conditions are hard and the race is long fatique kicks in and balance starts to be a problem. Starboards recomended weight for 14'x23" Sprint is quite bolde 50-95kg?

The 2018 23.5 suggested max is 80kg. I think this is whereby you have to look beyond the stated volume and look at the distribution of it. i.e. there is a lot in the nose but not so well distributed at the tail if anyone was a larger or heavier paddler.

[yugi]

...

You actually got me on that screen capture where Boothy is going down. I'm the guy with black camelpack going in to the bouy. I'm on 2016 12'6x24" Allstar.

Did you see why Boothy fell? Was he bumped or fell all by himself?

[Turtle]

...

You actually got me on that screen capture where Boothy is going down. I'm the guy with black camelpack going in to the bouy. I'm on 2016 12'6x24" Allstar.

Did you see why Boothy fell? Was he bumped or fell all by himself?

Did not see that well. There might have been little bumb earlier that made him loose balance a little bit and wash handeled the rest. Really bad place to fall. I myself fell one time little further after the bouy.

[Eagle]

Yeah.  The 24.5 is def a big board -> but do know racers who like that board for its heavier rider weight handling and stability when fatigued.

In the vid it looked like Boothy simply dug down too deep overcommitting -> then lost his balance in the messy wash slop.  At 23 the margin or error is very small as I know that exact feeling firsthand.  Haha.  All it takes is a split second on a 23.

[Eagle]

I would say that whilst the Allstar inherited and refined the triple concave concept as a feature it wasn't the successor.....

Technically the Race was simply dumped and discontinued.  But SB in its ad copy talks about the "new design" 2016 All Star to "combine the AS rail stability with the speed from the triple concave bottom shape of the 2015 Race making it a winner on flat water."

That sounds like SB morphed the old AS and dropped Race -> to create a new and better 2016 All Star.  Bottom line is the end product was much improved over either previous iteration.

Would not expect the 2018 Sprint to handle chop much bigger than what was seen at Copenhagen.  Annabel simply destroyed the Sprints on an arguably better suited All Star for the conditions.  She paddled that AS so easy and so fast.  Having one makes it easy to appreciate what she and others on the Sprints were able to do in those conditions.  Really do learn a ton watching the fantastic technique of top level elite racers.

[JEG]

it really depends on the conditions you want to do with that board but I think it's a waste investing money into flat water board.

[Luc Benac]

it really depends on the conditions you want to do with that board but I think it's a waste investing money into flat water board.

Yes and no....from a recreational point of view
If you know that you are paddling regularly on very protected waters then a reasonably wide flat water board with long glide is really very nice to paddle.
If you are usually going for paddles that might start flat but you might find yourself having to paddle back 6 or 7 km in conditions now a lot more adverse then it is always a question mark when comes the time to load a flat water board on the roof.
I think that my Whiplash is as flat water oriented as I will ever go regardless of the appeal of a flat water board in glass early in the morning.

[Eagle]

Annabel destroyed the field again in the Copenhagen technical race.  But this time using her board.

Whereas Connor was nipped at line after leading much of the race on his All Star.  But goes to show that the board plays not much in the race equation -> and is most always simply about the rider.

4 very excellent board designs from SB Naish and Focus.  Each different enough.  But each plenty fast as well with the right pilot.

But nothing wrong at all with a flat water board for flat water.  Perfect for that really. 

[Quickbeam]

Annabel destroyed the field again in the Copenhagen technical race.  But this time using her board.

What board is she using now?