Messages

16

Downwind and Racing / 2020 SIC Bullet 14 X 30" questions.

« on: January 10, 2020, 01:43:31 PM »

I was just checking out the new 2020 SIC catalog, and am intrigued by the new Bullet 14 X 30" to possibly replace my F16 on Maui. I am wondering if anyone has had a chance to downwind on one of these?
I know that a lot of people will object to the 30" width, but here are my thoughts:
1. My wife and I are both turning 69 this year, and we hope to continue downwinding for many years to come. I still fall off a few times every run, and getting back to my feet in 30 mph winds is not getting any easier as we get older and get more surgeries and joints replaced. Robert Stehlik of Blue Planet has pointed out that a wider board can be faster for an average paddler if it means more stability for paddling power.
2. I read one opinion that the new v3 rocker is faster in dw than the v2. This might make up for some of the drag from the 30" width.
3. I wrote a post a few months ago where we discussed whether the forward rails on the F16 might be knocking me off sometimes. The nose area on the new boards is much more rounded on the bottom, which may help with this.
4. The new Bullet 14s appear to have more nose rocker than on the v2, which I like. We do the vast majority of our runs in front of our home in Kihei, where the swell period is shorter than on the North shore.
5. Our priority in downwinding is not in getting to the end of the run first, or I would be looking at 17 footers. What we love is zig-zagging back and forth connecting diagonal rides across the bumps. I am thinking that the 14 will be even better at this than our 16s because of the shorter length while having as much or more stability.
6. My very first downwinder was on a 2013 F14. It was super stable, but very heavy which made it hard to accelerate onto bumps. The new Bullet 30" is about 4-5 pounds lighter. The 2013 F14 had a very flat and wide nose, which really bogged down when it punched into the back of a swell. I am hoping that the nose rocker and rounded nose of the new one will be less of a problem.
7. I did demo a standard width Bullet 14. While it was fun, I really preferred the extra stability of the F16 due to its extra length, even though the width was about the same. I also caught more bumps on the F16.
8. Lastly is the controversial topic of wanting to keep a rudder, which I believe is now available on the Bullet 14s. In Kihei, the wind can often turn offshore, and many people have lots of scary stories. We often do short runs, that require us to turn towards shore and paddle half a mile directly across the wind to get home. We can do this by paddling on one side while adding some steerage from the rudder. We have been caught in some bad situations near reefs without a rudder, and want to avoid any more of those. Plus, in the small waves that we have at the start of our runs, they are fun to steer around in, but you need to stay near the middle of the board because the small waves do not generate enough speed to step back and steer from the tail. The rudder allows lots of quick turns from mid-board, which are difficult to duplicate with just paddle steering.

Those are my thoughts, but it's all just theory. I would love to hear from anyone who has downwinded on the 2020 Bullet 14s, of either width. Thanks.

17

Gear Talk / Re: New Blue Planet 'All Good'

« on: January 03, 2020, 07:11:08 AM »

Hi Oki. Congrats on the new quiver. I think that you and that All Good are going to have a lot of fun together.

18

Sessions / Re: Home Runners

« on: November 10, 2019, 02:46:08 PM »

Hi OkiWild. Thanks for posting more of your fun videos, complete with enjoyable commentary.
One question for you: You mentioned in your post that you are ordering a carbon version of that board. I am 98% certain that your current board in the video is a carbon version. My understanding is that the boards with the pinstripes running through the white nose area, with the large skeleton fish head on the nose, is one of the graphics in recent years on the carbon versions. There was also a year when the carbon version had the nose in white brushed carbon instead of the pinstripe, and with the same fishhead. I thought that in the year your board was made, the bamboo non-carbon version had exposed bamboo showing on the deck and bottom, and a smaller fish logo showing the whole fish.
I certainly could be totally wrong about this, but I would be tempted to send a photo of your current board to Robert at Blue Planet, and ask him to confirm which construction you already have.
I also might have misunderstood your whole intention, if you are simply ordering another carbon board like the one in the video, but maybe with a newer graphic. Sorry if I misunderstood.

19

SUP General / Re: Anyone familiar with QUATRO SUP?

« on: October 31, 2019, 05:18:08 PM »

I did swap boards with guy on the water for a few waves, and rode the Glide Pro 8'6" x 32" @ 130 liters. I am 5'11", 163 lbs, 68 years old, started surfing in 1959, and have been SUP surfing for about 5 years averaging about 100 days a year on Maui, home of Quatro.
My basic take from riding the board, which by the way lines up with Quatro's description, is that it is a very stable allrounder, with decent wave performance for beginner up to intermediate SUP surfers.
I will compare it to the boards in my own quiver:
1. That day I was riding my 8'8"X 31" @ 120 liter Blue Planet All Good. The Quatro was more stable, and floated me much higher in the water, feeling like it had a ton of volume. It reminded me of my old 8'11" Fanatic Allwave. It was easy to catch waves, but had too much volume and width for me to get any high performance from the board. It was not at all close to the All Good in terms of performance, but would be a nice stable board for an intermediate or a heavier rider. With all the width in the tail, I would not want to drop into anything overhead on this size and model Quatro.
2. No comparison to my Sunova Flow 8'7" X 30" at 121 liters. The Quatro is far more stable, and the Flow is much higher performance, probably closer to the Quatro Carve.
3. A fairer comparison might be my Tabou Supasurf 9' X 31.5" @ 145 liters. The stability and width are pretty similar, but the Tabou still surfs better. In fairness, I run a very small trailing fin on my Tabou, and the owner of the Quatro was running a huge trailing fin. However, I felt that the surfing difference was mostly related to the very wide tail on the Quatro, compared to the pulled in tail with wingers on the Tabou.
Bottom line is that the Quatro is a great board for a lighter beginner, or a heavier intermediate who wants a shorter board that still has tons of volume and stability. Neither Quatro nor myself would suggest it as a ripping high performance board for an advanced to expert surfer. Quatro build quality is excellent, so a higher level sailor wanting to go with that brand might consider the Carve model, if they can handle the narrower widths.
Hope that helps.

20

Gear Talk / Re: New Blue Planet 'All Good'

« on: October 24, 2019, 01:54:55 PM »

Great report, thank you!
I don't think you would have any trouble with the nose to tail stability with the All Good, since the nose and tail are both wide enough to be pretty forgiving. Because the board has been thinner than most at 3.75", you might find that your weight sits low in the water. The 2020 version changes that by going up to 4" thick, increasing the volume to 125 liters. That new version might be great for you

21

Gear Talk / Re: New Blue Planet 'All Good'

« on: October 19, 2019, 12:17:25 PM »

Hi sflinux, glad to hear that you are enjoying the Fun Stick. A friend of mine just got one, based in part on my experience with the All Good. When you have time, we would love to hear your review of the Fun Stick.

22

Technique / Re: Fav sites for SUP wave riding vids?

« on: October 19, 2019, 12:10:58 PM »

Colin McPhillips is my favorite inspiration to watch for his smooth and flowing style. Just do a Google search for Colin McPhillips videos. Here is a good example:

23

Gear Talk / Re: Fin Fit

« on: October 09, 2019, 12:56:20 PM »

Having shimmed up windsurfing fins for decades, I have been in the habit of cutting pieces of thin plastic as you might find on common packaging. I keep a supply of different thicknesses as I swap different fins between different boards. Your metallic tape definitely works better than painters tape or duct tape, which both tend to shred easily.
I have had a lot fewer problems with Futures boxes than with US boxes, but I did have to shim a Futures box the other day.

24

Gear Talk / Re: intro & tell me what to buy!

« on: October 08, 2019, 09:27:14 AM »

I don't remember the exact size that I rode in Mexico, it was about 4 years ago. My guess is that it was around 8'4" and around 130 liters. It was plenty stable for me, and I would not have called it difficult or challenging to paddle around the break. I was just shocked at how slow it was trying to paddle onto a wave, and also once on the wave. I know that some people really like them, but it just did not work for me.

25

Gear Talk / Re: intro & tell me what to buy!

« on: October 07, 2019, 10:09:41 PM »

One person's feedback. I tried a Hyper-nut during a surf trip to Mexico. I found it very slow to paddle, slow to catch waves, and slow on the wave; overall not a winner for me. I spent a couple of hours trying to make it work, and then spent the rest of the trip on other boards that worked better for me. I have surfed other boards that were similar in size, for example, my wife's 7'11" X 31 110 liter Fanatic, and it was much better in all regards. at least for me.
Of your two recent choices, I would steer you towards the Super Frank, which is a very nice board.

26

Random / Re: Read any good books lately?

« on: October 03, 2019, 02:15:05 PM »

My new book that I mentioned earlier on this thread, 'The Spirit of Icarus', is available on Apple Books as of today. If you are looking for a good read, please check it out. Here is a direct link: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-spirit-of-icarus/id1482057008 If for some reason the link does not work, you can search it on Apple Books by title or John Crews as the author.
You can access a free sample download, or order the book if you like what you see. If you enjoy the book, please consider posting a nice review. There are many fun surf and ski adventure stories, with quality photos, and bits of humor and philosophy thrown in. I hope you like it.

27

Random / Re: Read any good books lately?

« on: October 02, 2019, 09:58:23 AM »

Now that you ask.... I have been debating about how, and even if, I should bring up something on the forum, and your new topic provided such synchronicity that the answer became obvious.
Just yesterday, I finally submitted to Apple iBooks an e-book project that I have been working on daily for a year and a half. Here is a brief description that I submitted to Apple describing this new book titled 'The Spirit of Icarus':
 
"The author uses the Greek myth of Icarus as a metaphor for that internal spirit that drives extreme athletes to pursue adventures not unlike Icarus’s own flight close to the sun. The reader is presented with true stories of adventure, exciting drama, humor, and philosophy from along the Icarus path. The author’s personal life-adventures offer a timeline to introduce many extreme sports, along with stories, quotes, and photos from others who have pursued these paths. This 357-page book, with over 325 enlargeable photos, is divided into four Parts broken up into 25 Chapters. Part I, ‘Mountains,’ includes chapters on ski racing, freestyle skiing, extreme skiing, helicopter skiing and more. Part II, ‘Water,’ explores slalom water skiing, ocean sailing, surfing, and windsurfing in high winds and surf. Part III, ‘Land,’ contains tales of motorcycle adventures. Lastly, Part IV, ‘Air,’ contains stories of parachuting, hang-gliding, and cliff diving. The book closes with a philosophical exploration of the mental challenges and rewards of following the Icarus path."

Once a finished project like this has been submitted to Apple, it can be anywhere from a day to a few weeks before it is released on the iBooks site as an electronic book suitable for viewing on any Apple product. People could check in to the iBook store periodically, or I will come back with a brief notification of when it is available. I think it is a read that most people on this forum would enjoy. Among the 325+ photos, there are a few choice SUP surfing photos provided by Robert Stehlik of Blue Planet Surf, and Andrew Cassidy with Sunova.

When the book is released, there will be the option to read a few free sample sections to see if it appeals to you, so please check it out. Positive reviews are always welcome if you enjoy the book.

28

Gear Talk / Re: intro & tell me what to buy!

« on: October 01, 2019, 10:12:54 PM »

I think that either the Flow or the Creek in an 8'10 would fit nicely for what you are looking for. I am going to suggest one other option: the Blue Planet All Good at 8'8" by 31". The width is mostly up forward for stability, with a nicely pulled in tail for performance, similar to the Jimmy Lewis SuperFranks. Although this year's model is only 120 liters because the board is quite thin at 3.75", I believe that the 2020 model is increasing to 4" thick, which brings the volume up to 125 liters and they are supposed to be available this month. It is one of the best boards I have found in terms of combining stability due to the width up forward, with amazing performance on the wave due to the pulled in tail and very thin rails. They will ship from Hawaii to any major airport for free, and the heavier construction is a great price at $1299. My current quiver is an 8'7" Flow for when it is perfectly glassy, a 9' X 31.5" Tabou for when the water is really messy with current or wind, and the All Good for everything in between which is the majority of the time.

29

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Re: "immediate" sea legs

« on: September 30, 2019, 10:01:00 PM »

For unsteadiness when you are first getting up, I will share a trick that I learned from Creek. I use it anytime the water is really rough, and it makes a ton of difference for me and my 68-year-old body with two metal hips, a disc taken out of my back, and screwy vision from a surfing injury.
Once I get my feet under me in a low crouch, I plant the paddle vertically on the deck of the board with one hand just above the blade. I then use that as a third leg as I start to rise up. Partway up my other hand grabs the paddle midway up, and by the time I am upright, the original lower hand is already on the top of the handle and starting to paddle. This approach allows me to have a third leg functioning all the way through the rising motion, and gets me paddling sooner for stability. This is the only way I can reliably get to my feet when downwinding on a 27" wide board in 30 mph winds, and also works on all my surf sups. Maybe give it a try.

30

Technique / Re: getting back on the pad

« on: September 29, 2019, 10:55:42 PM »

As far as getting that rear foot back far enough, two things really helped me, and are currently helping my wife to get it.
1. Understanding the difference between stepping back with a weighted back foot, which will usually just stall the board. and balancing all of your weight on your front foot just behind the handle, and then stretching your back foot back as you lean forward. Once the rear foot is all the way back there, then you can shift your weight as needed.
2. Arch bars are awesome. Before having an arch bar, I would always reach back with my foot and wonder if I was a foot from the kick pad or just inches. With the arch bar, I can tell exactly where my rear foot is without looking. I think that an arch bar is far more valuable when surfing than a kickpad most of the time. It gives you a range to work with that is centered over the fin cluster, rather than just an endpoint. Works wonders.