14'0 Board Recommendations

[jdmotes]

 Comes in carbon and AST construction with carbon (of course) being lighter. I've had a 12'6 Exocet Edge flat-water racer on the demo van for almost 6 months (with no bag) and it's in excellent shape. Just gets dirty cause it's white but a good bath will fix her right up. 
 Remember that the 12'6" Edge and Marlin (in AST) has a suggested retail of just $1299 (and $1350 for the 14's). Excellent boards for that price range!...      Paddle on;  JD

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

This Exocet is messing me up. I was all ready to get the Bic Wing, and now you had to tempt me with this inexpensive and sexy-looking 14 footer. Argh!

My only problem I think with getting a 14footer over a 12'6" is that if I ever race, I'll be much less competitive in the 14' class. Not that I'm really competitive anyway, but I'd get more of my ass handed to me if I went against those guys. On the other hand, I mostly just tool around the Hudson, and I've never actually been in a race. So maybe I'm just being paranoid. My real goal is longer distance paddles like what those two guys did crossing Lake Erie, so I think that 14 footer might be a better choice. On the other hand, those two guys did that crossing in twelve-sixes. So that means— Ahh, I can't decide! ;-)

[Weeble]

Ichabod...you're not alone!  I have gone thru a few boards the last 9 months...an NSP All Arounder that got me on the water and learning...and short Stint with a Riviera Missle 12.6 that taught me that I am too big for a 12.6 (I'm 6.2 & 215 lbs), and now I am finally on a 14 Fanatic Fly Race.  I don't have a quiver...just the 14...now, my fiancee has a quiver, then again, as I am learning...the future wife/ wife comes first!....But at least she lets me use her NSP 11.6 in the surf for fun days. 

Anyway, I was freaking out about what board to get, what if it puts me in a hard race class, etc.  We have joined a race class/ team at our local shop and are getting trained by the shop's sponsored racer.  What we have learned and how we have improved is amazing.  We have done a few races now as a little club and they have been a blast.  Some have been local races with rules and classes set by the sponsor and some using the WPA rules.  I found that at 43 years old and only SUPing for 9 months, I don't stand a chance no matter which way I race!  When I have raced a 12.6 in a four mile race that was set by board type and age groups (20's, 30's 40's, etc), I was up against guy's in their forties that have been surfing and paddling for years.  Hell, the guy that won my age group also won the over all race.  When I moved up to 14, I have to do the long races and so far I am just getting put into an elite class (even though I am nowhere near it) and it's just "men elite"...and I am racing against some serious young studs in their late 20's to mid 30's.  I just do my race, my pace, and finish.  The good thing I have found so far in SUP, is that I haven't met a jerk yet.  Everyone I have met has been really cool, really supportive, and will usually give me tips and such.  So, even when I get my tail handed to me in some of these races, the winning guys are quite graceful and fun to have a beer with at the end of the race.

Also, look at getting a 14 footer like this....how often are you actually racing, and how often are you just out paddling?  I totally enjoy my 14 and I only spend maybe 2% of my time on it in a race...the rest is workouts, fun paddles and tours...and for me, on my 14...the other 98% is awesome!

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

Weeble, that's good advice. Truthfully, I haven't raced yet, but I was planning to start next year. Mostly I'll be doing flat water touring on the Hudson, bays and the ocean. A dealer suggested to me since I was already on a 11 that I should go to a 14, but I kind of dismissed that because of the price. Now that there's a good priced 14 on the market, that changed my mind.

BTW, you and I are about in the same circumstances age and skill wise.

[SaltH2Opaddler]

May want to look at the new Fanatic Falcon 14'er.

Lot's of volume though.

[pdxmike]

Ichabod--personally, having the 14' put you in the tougher race class is the last thing I'd worry about.   Not that it isn't true.  People generally start out on 12-6s and don't buy 14's until they're more experienced or serious about racing, so almost everyone on a 14 has some minimum competence.    So on the negative side that means not many people slower than me on a 14, because everyone on them is a good racer.  But so what?  I'm just racing against myself anyway.  Plus you have the excuse that you're in the tough class. 

Plus (and I may be weird in this regard) I like knowing how I compare to others without giving myself the excuse that I'd be faster on a different board.  The 14' is the right length for my size, and the 12-6 isn't.  I don't want to be able to kid myself that I'd be doing better in races if only I wasn't on a 12-6. 

Get what you'll enjoy paddling on most day to day, and for most people that's a board with the best glide and that works in your conditions.  And for you it sounds like a 14' would be great. 

[robon]

Weeble, that's good advice. Truthfully, I haven't raced yet, but I was planning to start next year. Mostly I'll be doing flat water touring on the Hudson, bays and the ocean. A dealer suggested to me since I was already on a 11 that I should go to a 14, but I kind of dismissed that because of the price. Now that there's a good priced 14 on the market, that changed my mind.

BTW, you and I are about in the same circumstances age and skill wise.

NSP has a well priced 14' touring/recreational racer that would be worth checking out as well. There are some good sales on 14 footers right now for well under 2K.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

pdx, I'm convinced. I certainly could have used a bigger board today. I did 6.5 miles up then down the Hudson. On the way up the wind was with me, on the way back the current was with me. This started throwing up some sloppy 1' chop which kept smacking into the nose of my NSP 11. I felt like I was dragging my board through the water. I had what felt like no glide. My GPS recorded my speed at about 3mph. It occurred to me that a nice long board with a sloped or sharp nose would do much better in that kind of water than my all-around. Instead of slamming into every wave it would cut through it. The extra length would keep me from getting tossed in the troughs too.

robot, I was looking at the NSP, and my local dealer sells them, but it doesn't have tie-downs. I want to do some touring, and I want some built-in tie downs. My NSP is a good, solid board -- no complaints, really -- but for some reason most 14 footers don't have tie-downs. I assume the expectation is that they'll be used for racing, but I'm a tourer, not really a racer.

[Reid SUP'd]

Hey Ian,

You could always by ez plugs and out tie downs on any board you'd like, i did it for my 14ft 404

-Reid

[robon]

pdx, I'm convinced. I certainly could have used a bigger board today. I did 6.5 miles up then down the Hudson. On the way up the wind was with me, on the way back the current was with me. This started throwing up some sloppy 1' chop which kept smacking into the nose of my NSP 11. I felt like I was dragging my board through the water. I had what felt like no glide. My GPS recorded my speed at about 3mph. It occurred to me that a nice long board with a sloped or sharp nose would do much better in that kind of water than my all-around. Instead of slamming into every wave it would cut through it. The extra length would keep me from getting tossed in the troughs too.

robot, I was looking at the NSP, and my local dealer sells them, but it doesn't have tie-downs. I want to do some touring, and I want some built-in tie downs. My NSP is a good, solid board -- no complaints, really -- but for some reason most 14 footers don't have tie-downs. I assume the expectation is that they'll be used for racing, but I'm a tourer, not really a racer.

To touch on what Reid SUP already stated, you can get a tie down kit and configure it however you want. I would say the NSP is more of a touring board than a racer, but it's overall shape and width would probably make it easier to race than the Exocet Marlin. That is a huge ass board. For expedition paddling the Marlin would be great because I'm sure it could float a sumo wrestler or two worth of gear.

[Rideordie]

I have been doing some research and I am now lusting after the Laird Race Bark 14 Tuflite.  Really fast and durable.  Might wait and see what the 2013 models look like before deciding.  Did not find many dealers on line.  Trying to find the best deal.  If anyone has experience with this board, please let me know.  I am about 5' 9"" and about 205lbs. Thinking that this would be a good fit, except the width perhaps.  My current board is 30 and 3/16 inches wide.  The Race is 29.5 inches.  Was kind of thinking that a 27 or 28 inch wide board would make for a straighter paddle stroke and feel better.  At times, I feel like the width of my current board is a bit too much and wish for something slimmer.  Thoughts?
         

[SaltH2Opaddler]

but it doesn't have tie-downs. I want to do some touring, and I want some built-in tie downs.

After doing some reading on here about tie-downs...seems that putting in leash plugs is the way to go.  Riviera did this on many of there designs as well as some of the shapers that post here on SUZ.  Makes sense.  I will be doing the same with my board.   Functional and looks super clean.