Surftech Bark 14' Eliminator 2013

[supDane]

Hi

 I want to know if anybody has the spec. for the new surftech Bark eliminator 14 ' 2013

Thanks for a great forum.

supDane

[TWsup]

bark eliminator 14 x 29,88 x 8,2.    333 liters. sounds like a dominator for big boys.

[TWsup]

http://surfbussen.nu/assets/2012/09/2013-Surftech-SUP-Catalogs.pdf

[upwinder]

Anyone seen/paddled one of these in real life yet?

[AM9K]

Has it changed ( besides the deck pad )?

[upwinder]

Has it changed ( besides the deck pad )?

Eliminator, not Dominator. Eliminator is identified in Surftech's catalogue as new for 2013, 14 x 29.88", 333litres. Big boys' Dom.

[SUPpaddler]

Their catalog looks great with lots of choices, though the differences between just the 14' race boards is unclear:

Phantom        14 x 27.8, 253 liters
Eliminator      14 x 29.88, 333 liters
Dominator     14 x 28, 285 liters
Laird Race     14 x 29.5, 275 liters
JM Navigator 14 x 29, 259 liters
Kaiwi-Kai       14 x 28, 325 liters

Other than what's obvious from the specs, there's no statement of design or performance except in flowery characterizations.  Someone shed some light on this please.

Also, the 2011 Dominator was spec'ed at 258 liters by most sources, not the 285 liters shown now, so did someone just transpose numbers before or now, or is there some difference?

[Area 10]

SUPpaddler, I think the stats for the Phantom you list actually are those for the 12-6 rather than the 14. The catalogue shows the Phantom 14 to be:

28.2" wide
7.5" thick
277.85L volume.

Also, the Kaiwi-Kai is a downwind board designed by Gerry Lewis not a race board designed by Joe Bark so it is quite different from the others.

But you are probably right about it being a mistake in the listing for the 2013 Dominator volume.

And you are also right, in my opinion, that it is getting hard to decide between these 14 ft models. There seem to be two slim(ish) race boards - the Dominator and the Phantom, and then two wider ones designed by Bark - the Eliminator and the Laird Race 14. Then there is the JM Navigator, which is designed by Adrian Birse (not Bark) but which is a similar overall design to Bark's.

I'm wondering in respect of the Bark boards, whether this is just an overlap between old and new models as a transition between them. The Dominator in particular has such a huge market presence that to throw away that name might not make good marketing sense. Although it's a couple of years old, like the 12-6 Competitor, the Dom is still better than a lot of the new opposition for many people. If you had to pick some "classic" SUP raceboard designs (if it makes sense to talk about such things at such an early stage of the sport), then these Bark ones are likely to be somewhere right at the top of the list.

Also, as soon as you drop a model, your retailers have to scramble to get rid of stock at bargain prices. Better to let a transition happen naturally? This actually seems to me to be a more sensible evolution-type approach to me than for e.g  Starboard, where each new model seems almost completely disconnected from the last, instantly rendering the old model virtually unsellable. I always wonder why, if the old design was so good, why does the new one look nothing like it? Whereas, with the Bark designs maybe he got it pretty much spot-on straight away and so they only need tweaks as they go on.

[SUPpaddler]

Those are really good insights, and yep I messed up the Phantom specs.  I like the 14' Dominator because I can get both bow and tail in the water with only 150 lbs.  I'm not sure what 14' board would replace it since everything seems to be supersized now.

Absolutely right about Starboard.  I bought a Coastrunner because everyone said it was an ideal rough water/downwind board, then it's suddenly gone, with no word on why or what replaced it, but just guessing it would be the widest Allstar.

[Area 10]

And I should have said Gerry Lopez rather than "Gerry Lewis"... doh!

"To err is human; to forgive, divine" as Alexander Pope put it.

[paddlestandingup]

Very strange.  I thought the Laird Race was the dominator for bigger guys?  Hmmm.  On a slightly different note, the Surftech website is not very good!

[tulipcity paddle]

Very strange.  I thought the Laird Race was the dominator for bigger guys?  Hmmm.  On a slightly different note, the Surftech website is not very good!

I was thinking the same thing....on both points.....

[Kojack]

website is def not the best...I like the looks of that Lopez board.  Would love to hear reviews as it seems like an interesting board to compare to the 14 ft Naish Glide.