2011 Naish Javelin 14 - Pull the trigger?

[Rideordie]

OK, I bought a 2012 14 Glide in AST and I love it.  However, I am now considering getting a second board for even more flatwater speed and possibly racing.  My wife likes to ride but is not a nut about SUP like me.  I have also been telling her we should get a board for her.  I found a brand new 2011 Naish Javelin 14 in AST for $1070.  Seems like a killer deal to me and I am itching to pull the trigger.  I am thinking she could ride the Glide and I could ride the Jav, when it is flat.  If windy and choppy she won't go out and I could use the Glide or use the Jav, if I am not afraid to get wet.   I weigh right at 200lbs now and I am about 5 9.  Paddling for a little over two years, but have put in a lot of miles.   I am headed to the Carolina Cup and will be able to test some boards.  Maybe there will be a Javelin there.  The new ones are way expensive.  Did they change the shape or just the construction?  I kind of prefer the durability of AST versus carbon anyway.  Don't want a ding every time I bump my board and two or three extra pounds means nothing to me!!  Certainly not thousands of dollars.  So Glide faithful, tell me your thoughts on the 2011 Javelin 14.  I know it is tippy, but can you get used to that or does it constantly bug you?  What do you think about that board compared to a Bark Dominator?
 

[GizzeeNZ]

Mayb get a nice mellow board that she could have fun on rather than doing the "me me me" thing

[pdxmike]

Buy it!

Do a search for "javelin".  You'll find lots of discussion, such as:

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=17544.0

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=17706.0

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=19351.0

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=17258.0

Or, buy it first, then read the threads and feel good about what you did.

I'm your weight, but taller, without great balance.  I have a custom version of the Dominator. I got my Javelin last summer, and have only used the Dominator a couple times since.  And I love the Dominator.  The Javelin is tippier, but faster.  You can temper the tippiness with the right fin.  Larry Allison recommended the Ninja for me. The Javelin has accelerated my balance by tons.  I get a much better leg workout also.  You can't beat the glide (not Glide). 

Javelin is definitely faster than the Dominator in flat water, and would remain faster until you hit conditions where the Dominator's stability allows you to paddle harder.   The Javelin has something in between the Bark's full displacement nose and a board like the Glide.  So where the Bark cuts through anything, the Javelin does a combination of cutting through and floating over, which I prefer. 

My Javelin is the old, all-white version, but I think identical except cosmetically to the new ones (except for price--I couldn't afford a new one!). 

I have the old, elf-shoe 14' Glide--have never been on a new Glide.  But I've often thought a Glide/Javelin combo would be a perfect two-board quiver.  Javelin for flat conditions up to the point you need more stability, then the Glide. 

Part of what I like most is the beautiful shape--you're only on a board occasionally, but it's sitting there in your living room every day, so it should look nice. 

For that price, you can't go wrong.  You could sell it for that if you decide not to keep it. 

If your wife isn't heavy, she may even like the Javelin with some practice.  The narrowness is an advantage for paddling if you're not large.  Otherwise, if you use the Javelin, the Glide seems like a good board for someone less experienced, since it's pretty stable.

[GizzeeNZ]

Faster/narrower.....?

[GizzeeNZ]

" My wife likes to ride but is not a nut about SUP like me.  I have also been telling her we should get a board for her."
  well get a board for her.....not another board for you

[corlot]

" My wife likes to ride but is not a nut about SUP like me.  I have also been telling her we should get a board for her."
  well get a board for her.....not another board for you

Really!! Everyone deserves a quiver. Remember it was mentioned that his wife was only so so on sup. sounds like the perfect solution to me haha.

[covesurfer]

I've got them both - the Glide and the Jav. Think of them as mountain bike/road bike. The Glide is slower but more stable and a much better rough water board - you will be able to paddle the Glide when the Jav would be mostly an exercise in balancing. Love the Javelin in most conditions, including straight into chop and downwind in milder conditions. Once you're into real swells instead of wavelets, the Glide is more fun. Still, I'm trying to push out the envelope with the Jav. The speed potential is addictive.

The new 2013 LE model is in a new universe. It is 23" wide and has a new shape. I haven't ridden one yet but I'm already worried about the flat water races and competing against people on the new shape. Sure, it is going to be rough for them when a good sized boat wake comes along, but it looks extremely fast and it's light as well. But, it's somewhere north of $2k.

$1070 is a pretty good price for a new, old Javelin I think. You won't be sorry, especially since you have a Glide. You'll be able to gradually work into the Javelin and have a fall back board for downwind and rougher conditions. When the water is warm and you don't mind falling in, push the boundaries to see what the Jav can really do and what you can do on it. Have fun!

[melonhead]

" My wife likes to ride but is not a nut about SUP like me.  I have also been telling her we should get a board for her."
  well get a board for her.....not another board for you

Hey Rideordie - I think your wife made a secret account on the SUZ and is dropping not-so-subtle hints . . . 

[Rideordie]

PDX, Corlot and Covesurfer that is what I wanted and needed to hear!!  Thanks for the words of encouragement and information.  GizzeeNZ, I failed to mention that my wife likes to go fast on the paddleboard as well, but has zero intention of ever racing.  She wants the opposite of mellow, but does not like falling off either.  She likes the Glide, but she might also agree that I am thinking "all about me".  However, she is a pratical woman and may decide that this Javelin deal is about as good as it gets and will save us money.  Heck it is hard to find a nice used board for that price!! I am being practical and see value for the money here.  OK, maybe a bit self centered too.  Ultimately, I will do what makes her happy, because I AM a good guy.  Just hope I can convince her that this is a good option to consider.  I already have a Nija fin to slap on the Jav, an  8 by 12 foot Naish flag on the wall of my garage, a Naish sticker on my Explorer and I wear a Naish hat.  Hey, I am already a "Naish" guy.  It was meant to be. 

Melonhead, that was funny!!         

[pdxmike]

Gizzee did have a point, that if your wife's in this picture, then having one board work for her has to be considered (which I know you've done). 

My own thought was that the Glide is a great board for almost anyone--stable but also fast.  And the Javelin is such a blast--and not THAT tippy if you're light--that you may find she'll get more interested in paddling once she tries it, and will claim it for herself.  I know for me this sport got way better each time I moved to a faster narrower board.  There are a lot of novices on barge-like boards who have no idea how fun it can be when you're on a board that can really gliiiiide.  And women can generally handle narrow better than men, plus get more benefit from it because it makes it easier to paddle straight.

But in any event I asked my girlfriend about this, and since she's a she I believe she can speak for all women. 

She said, "If you ever get me a &^%$ pink board there's gonna be trouble.  I want one of those badass black-and-green Lara Croft carbon race boards."  So I say your biggest problem soon may be not having TWO Javelins.

[JillRide45]

You probably already bought the Javelin..but here is my two cents

Not sure the size of your wife but I found the Javelin to have way too much volume, I am 5'6" 110 lbs.  Sure it is narrow but it is also pretty thick.  I have a 14' Infinity at 26.5" wide, but with the deep sunken deck a lot of the volume was removed.  Not so on the Javelin.  Also for a woman a 14' board can be a little tiring, especially if it is heavy.  You have to accelerate the board and then in crosswinds and chop you have the entire 14' board to handle. 

I would have to agree to get her a nice 12'6".

Cheers, Jill

[JillRide45]

Also forgot to mention that the 14 is much harder to load and unload. 

I would not be afraid of carbon.  All of my carbon boards were just as tough as the AST boards, for normal wear and tear.  Actually my carbon boards tend to resist pressure dents more than the non carbon. 

Jill

[Rideordie]

Yeah, but if it is windy and choppy, she does not got out because it is not pleasant for her.  She is a fair weather paddler.  We live on a lake and she likes it flat.  She is about 125-130 lbs, but very fit with excellent balance.  I always put the board in and take it out for her.  She never carries it.  Anywhere.  PDX, give your girl a high five from me.  My kind of girl!!  You are right.  she likes the 14 Glide!!  I did not buy the board yet.  I am deeply hurt Jill!!  As I said, "Ultimately, I will do what makes her happy, because I AM a good guy."  

[gorgebob]

We just had a board demo with the 14 Javelin, Dominator, Amundson 14 trx, MnM, my custom and the Ohana. The Dominator and the TRX we the favorites. Mostly do to the ease of paddling and how they handle.  The Javelin is tippy and I found it very sensitive to weaving. It could of used a larger fin perhaps. For a 120 lbs person I would go 12'6". Like the Bliss from Tahoe. If you want to race flatwater the Javelin will work .

[covesurfer]

Fin choice on the Jav is significant as far as how the board responds. I've been running a 404 O'Fish'l with some sweep and I get good tracking and relatively low drag and I've had decent luck not picking up weeds (knock on carbon fiber  ). The older Jav fin box is short, so you can't get much in fore/aft adjustment by moving the fin in the box. A longer fin, like a pointer fin for windsurfing, would likely add some stability but I've never tried one on this board.