Messages

1

Gear Talk / Re: Starboard Airline Inflatable???

« on: May 02, 2022, 08:44:06 AM »

I tried a first generation 14*27 and found it good tracking and ok stability and the bouncing was better than a standard inflatable. I was on flat but it does not have a lot of rocker so I am not sure how it is in waves.

I purchased a Naish Maliko light 14*27 inflatable and it is lighter, faster to pump completely as I do not have to fit the cord and nose cone, packs smaller than the airline as the airline cannot be rolled as the standing area is too stiff and was half the cost brand new. On the Naish the bouncing is controlled very well by the carbon stringers and if you pump to max 20 lbs it is very stiff. The design is also better for chop and waves as it has a little nose rocker, rounded area on bottom of nose and a wider nose as well.

I have done paddles in 2 foot waves with a 30lb pack on the Naish board with no issues and done a 2-3 foot wave upwinder and downwinder unloaded with no issues as well.

Keep in mind my primary board is a 20 inch wide Starbaord Sprint so I may find a board more stable that others find tippy.

I read your review of the Maliko Light 14x27 and that convinced me to pick up one as well (from GreenWaterSports). I was looking for an inflatable for an event I have coming up in June. I needed something that was simple (no accessories needed like RED Elite and Starboard) yet lightweight and durable. This board checked those boxes, and a fair bit cheaper, as well. My stock board is an SIC RS 21.5, so similar to your 20 Sprint. I haven't gotten it out in waves but I can see how the front and nose will help out with this. It's not as snappy as I'd like on flat water, but also that's not a super fair criticism. I can see having a lot of fun in rougher conditions on it or when I just want something wide and forgiving. I demoed an older model of the RED Elite 14x25.5. That thing is responsive and responds well when sprinting but it just has too much going on with the rods and side attachments. I can get the Maliko up in the mid-5 cruising range but for me, it takes more effort than I prefer. I'm coming from trying to manage a pace for a really long time.

I'm really curious about the Infinity Blackfish Air, the 14x26. It's brand new so I can't find much information about it. If anyone does, I'd like to hear it. It's supposed to be about 16.5lb. My event is really really long and includes a lot of portaging so the Maliko being at about 24 lb makes about that a 7lb difference. That's a massive amount of weight savings over time. My concern would be durability with that weight. I may pull the trigger and pick up one, but not sure yet.

2

Gear Talk / Re: Inflatable Question/Advice-SIC/Starboard

« on: January 07, 2022, 05:26:21 AM »

Hi all-I have a race coming up this June where I'll be needing an inflatable board. I need something that's durable, reasonably fast, and stable. I need to carry a fair amount of gear and manage a lot of portaging.

My daily board is a SIC RS 21.5. I'm looking at the SIC RS Air Glide 14x26" and Starboard Airline 14x26". I'm writing off the Airline 24.5 as it seems to me that it would be too narrow. Am I correct to assume this? Last year I did a really long event (340 miles) on a SIC RS 24.5 hardboard, but I know that inflatables are typically less stable. Any thoughts?

Does anyone have experience with the durability of those? I like the "rails" on the Airline but that stringer on the bottom has some exposed parts that worry whereas the SIC as the carbon bit instead and seems more simple overall. It's cheaper.

I would rather test each, of course, but don't have access to either. I'll have to order online so trying to get it right the first time.

Thanks, everyone!

https://greenwatersports.com/shop/product-tag/race?ref=17

Usually I suggest paddlers coming from a hard board to go at least 1-2" wider than the hard board they are comfortable on. At a 21.5" hard board, I would say 2-4" wider. Inflatables are typically 6" thick and when you get super narrow, you end up with a sausage rather than a board with how the rail profile shaping is limited.

I like to consider the SIC race boards as a bare bones race board. The Starboards have the extra features, larger tie down, standing tray, airline system, nicer bag and pump. Both are fusion, Starboard a little more sturdy construction with rail taping.

The SIC 26" would be a little more stable than the current Starboard 26". Prior to the 2021/22 models they were more similar but for the current model, Starboard trimmed down the tail width to make it faster. This means less stability also.

I had a 14x28 Airline for a year in 2019 and found the standing tray to work very well. It gave you an inch or so more deck pad on either side and a nice edge to lean on/push against while paddling/balancing.

The airline is a simple system to set up and gets you on the water easily and stiffens up the board a little more. At 6" and 18PSI you've got a stiff board, but the airline adds a little more which helps for rougher days or larger paddlers/loads.

The underside stringer on the Starboard (also used as the airline sleeve) is much the same as the SIC. There is one small hole at each end for the line to come through. I don't believe, and I did not experience any issues with these. The only fiddly bit with the airline is tucking the string under the fin before you trim it to length and then just use the 4 hooks, and not adjusting the knot to set up the board.

We probably sell 2:1 Starboard to SIC.

New style Naish Maliko arrived in 2020 with some sweet tech. Quad carbon stringers,  2 on top and 2 on the bottom, which have evolved into one on each side, but wider. One of the stiffest boards out there. Also a good option, and a bit more stable if you're interested.

We've got all 3 in stock.

https://greenwatersports.com/shop/starboard-inflatable-14-x-26-all-star?ref=17
https://greenwatersports.com/shop/sic-14-x-26-rs-air-glide?ref=17
https://greenwatersports.com/shop/naish-inflatable-14-x-27-maliko-fusion-carbon?ref=17

Ha, how funny that you replied! My plan was to buy a board from you guys. Thank you very much for the info and suggestions. I'm confident in grabbing a 26" and I likely go with Starboard. Despite that stringer sounding like a bit of the pain, it seems to be they have the best accessory package and I really like the side rails. Planning on doing Texas Water Safari this year so hoping it will hold up!

3

Gear Talk / Re: Inflatable Question/Advice-SIC/Starboard

« on: January 06, 2022, 06:49:39 AM »

Hey, that's a great suggestion! Missed that one. More to think about.

4

Gear Talk / Inflatable Question/Advice-SIC/Starboard

« on: January 06, 2022, 06:18:28 AM »

Hi all-I have a race coming up this June where I'll be needing an inflatable board. I need something that's durable, reasonably fast, and stable. I need to carry a fair amount of gear and manage a lot of portaging.

My daily board is a SIC RS 21.5. I'm looking at the SIC RS Air Glide 14x26" and Starboard Airline 14x26". I'm writing off the Airline 24.5 as it seems to me that it would be too narrow. Am I correct to assume this? Last year I did a really long event (340 miles) on a SIC RS 24.5 hardboard, but I know that inflatables are typically less stable. Any thoughts?

Does anyone have experience with the durability of those? I like the "rails" on the Airline but that stringer on the bottom has some exposed parts that worry whereas the SIC as the carbon bit instead and seems more simple overall. It's cheaper.

I would rather test each, of course, but don't have access to either. I'll have to order online so trying to get it right the first time.

Thanks, everyone!

5

Gear Talk / Re: Fin Recommendations for Unlimited Board

« on: October 02, 2021, 06:52:47 PM »

Hey, how cool is that! Wow, that's a lot of unlimited boards :O

6

Gear Talk / Re: Fin Recommendations for Unlimited Board

« on: October 01, 2021, 11:24:55 AM »

Heck yeah! I'll post some pictures when I get it. Rhonda said it's done but just needs to painted and felt pretty confident that it would be ready. I'm going to call and check up to see next week but I'll temper my expectations just in case.

Thanks for the advice on fins. I do notice differences on my 14' with fin changes but it's also a SIC board. I wasn't aware that they may not make as big of a difference on an Unlimited. That's good to know, I'll have to play around and see, as you said. I'm a bit nervous I went too narrow with stability on the board but I have faith in Dave's shaping ability.

Either way, super excited to get it on the water!

7

Gear Talk / Fin Recommendations for Unlimited Board

« on: September 30, 2021, 02:42:17 PM »

Hi there -
Looking for some advice on what type of fin setup I should use. My custom King's unlimited board is about done and should be picking it up next week, super excited! It has a standard fin box and a center box for a tool-less FCS fin. I currently have a SIC 8.3" weedless fin and a Futures Triangle (small). I'm not sure if either of these would be good choices for it on the standard fin box, what do you all think? I don't have a FCS tool-less fin for the center box and would be looking for a ventral fin for that. Any recommendations? I'm pretty certain I'll want to have both fins for the board.

Thanks for your time!

8

Gear Talk / Re: Low Volume Board Question

« on: July 13, 2021, 08:40:40 AM »

I got my answer, sorry not sure how to delete the thread.

9

Gear Talk / Low Volume Board Question

« on: July 13, 2021, 06:01:30 AM »

I've done quite a bit of searching on here and the Internet can't seem to find the answer, maybe someone on here can help me!

I'm curious to know the true advantage to a lower volume board in regards to this scenario. I'm 5'8", 122 lb (55kg) and looking at a SIC RS 21.5. The standard RS 21.5 has a max rider weight of 190lb and 265L and the LV version has a max rider weight of 155lb (70kg) and 240L. I'm still under the weight limit of the LV by 15kg. That's not adding water or anything of course, just rider weight.

What would the advantage/disadvantages of using the LV board versus the standard in my case? The board weighs about a pound less which is nice. Would it be better to choose the LV versus the standard?

Thanks!

10

Gear Talk / Re: 21.5" board recommendations/advice

« on: July 04, 2021, 01:11:39 PM »

Hey Puget Sound -
Thanks for posting your experiences, really helpful! When I bought the 24.5 RS I was told it would take about a month to feel comfortable on it. It took me about three weeks to where I could "zone out" and not have focus much. This was with pretty much no experience on a SUP. Now I can go out with 20+ mph winds and have some fun. I'm glad I didn't start with the 26! I don't have anything against Starboard, I would get one if I could find one used. Just can't seem to find anything on narrow widths, most people have 25+. Infinity has a sale on their Whiplash 14x21.5 Dugout so I went ahead and put in an order for one. I'm excited to see how stable it is compared to the RS with more experience now. It has more volume than I need by far, so with the dugout, it should really make a difference on stability... that's my thinking at least.

11

Gear Talk / Re: 21.5" board recommendations/advice

« on: June 30, 2021, 06:19:12 PM »

Great advice - thank you!

12

Gear Talk / 21.5" board recommendations/advice

« on: June 30, 2021, 06:48:01 AM »

Hi all - just looking for some SUP advice on going from a 24.5" board to something more narrow. I'm newer to SUP but am absolutely fell in love with the sport. I went from paddling a kayak, surfski, canoe, and then to SUP. I prefer it for a variety of reasons. In April I decided that I was going to get a race board and went to the local paddle shop. I didn't do extensive research at the time so I relied on advice from the shop. My athletic background is in running (trail ultramarathon, road, track) which I'm about 24 years deep in. I had only been on a paddleboard, I'd say about 3-4 times. I was looking at the 26" SIC RS but ended up with the 24.5" after discussing my background. I'm a 5'8", 122lb male so that was also a factor. I always paddle on flat water lakes, which do get windy and choppy definitely not the ocean. Can't wait to get out there soon and where the 24.5 will feel quite different I'm sure. I'm a few months in with paddling avg. 3-4 times a week. Typically 8-21 mile paddles and have been really enjoying practicing pivot turns and working on technique recently. To be honest, it feels like the board has gotten bigger and I'm looking forward to something a bit more svelte. I really bought this board for long-distance/touring and knew having something "wider" would be nicer for that. I knew that I would want something more narrow, just wasn't sure when I would reach that point. I knew I still have skill to develop, but look at the future and keeping my eyes peeling on the used market.

I'd like to spring for a 21.5 this year to further build my skill. I'd like to eventually get into some racing. Given my background, body size, are my thoughts correct on feeling like the 24.5 is a bit of a boat? I'm super glad to have started on it and will be great for touring, but a lot of my normal paddles aren't longer trips/etc. I'm curious if you all have some board recommendations. I'm looking at the Blackfish Infinity 21.5" at the moment. I really like the Infinity boards that have a "petina" look. The SIC looks great but it shows dirt so easily! Totally nitpicking, I know. The Starboard's are too pricey (unless I found used) for me and their durability concerns me. The SIC 21.5 looks okay, but I'm not a huge fan of being forced to go through a dealer for a board. I really like that you can order direct from Blackfish. I'm not ruling anything out, though, just some initial thoughts. I'm really excited to continue building my skill on any board but looking to the future, too.

Thanks everyone.