Topics

1

Gear Talk / 14' board for fitness and touring?

« on: June 11, 2018, 12:49:57 AM »

Hi All,

I have been pondering about upgrading my paddling experience, coming from a 2014 12'6" x 30" Red Race. Storage space won't be an issue, so I can go for a hardboard this time.
I am not looking into racing, but will paddle for fitness, as well as the occasional lake paddle, and eventually some day-long coastal tours.
We have somewhat mixed water conditions up here around Vancouver and the coastal areas, and I (170lb, 5'9") would judge my balance at about intermediate on most days.
I might occasionally have a 25-30 lb passenger on short and flat lake paddles.

Currently there are two 2017 boards on sale at a local shop that caught my eye:
- SIC X 14.0 TWC  (28.5" wide)
- Amundsen 14’0” TR-X  (27" wide)

I have demoed the 14' TR-X in 2013, in flat water conditions, and found it to be fast and very stable, and I believe the 2017+ shape improves upon that a bit, but have no experience with the X 14.0.

Most 14' Touring boards are 30"+ wide, and seeing that I probably won't be hauling a lot of gear around, they might be a bit too wide, but again, I haven't had a chance to test any yet.

Is there any other board I should be looking at, or does anyone have experience with the somewhat wider 14' tourers in mixed water conditions, or will they just be too much volume for what I am planning to do?

2

Gear Talk / Looking for Inflatable touring/racing board suggestions

« on: June 25, 2014, 02:09:52 AM »

Hi there!

Long time lurker here, who feels he needs something stiffer and faster than his starboard astro touring 12'6".

I am mixing up flat water with somewhat choppy ocean or inlets in most of my sessions, and occasionally, I need to be able to strap a bit of gear onto the board, as well as take along my pug.
So far, the astro has been good to me for nice touring sessions and a bit of training, but the pronounced rocker in both front and back (at 18 psi) and it's poor tracking feel like a huge bottle neck for me at this point.
There are a bunch of small local races throughout BC/Canada, that I would try myself in and so I am looking to replace the astro with something that can be paddled with higher efficiency, glides and tracks better.

Due to storage limitations and plans to travel with my board, it needs to be inflatable.

So far, I have been looking at the Red Paddle Race 12'6" x 30" and the Fanatic Fly Air race 12'6" x 29".
The Red Paddle is flat, very stiff, has a nicely long deck pad and deck straps, whereas the Fanatic is more narrow, has deck straps as well, is very flat but not as stiff as the Red Paddle.

Did any zoner try these boards and can chime in? Or are there any other alternatives to check out?

I am 5'10" and 160lbs.

Thank you guys for any input!


Sebastian