"One Design" Inflatables, Naish, Bic … Downwind?

[SUPdw]

Regarding this One Design racing class:  Are the Bic and Naish in the same class or is there a Naish class and separately a Bic class.   Also Red air 12.6x30", and the new SIC 12.6x30" and others in the "One" class?   
...
Are any of these reasonable for  down winding?  Thanks.

[pdxmike]

There is no official "one design" class.  Each company's "one-design" board is the only one in its class.  If BIC sponsors a "one-design" race, you can only use the BIC board.  Same with Naish or any other company making a "one-design" board. 

[peterp]

Yes you can do a downwind on 12'6 Inflatable - will it be great, probably not. One of our guys is waiting for his raceboard and has been using his 14' inflato - he is about 10-15% slower (and really not loving it). A guy did the Molokai on a 14' Inflato and beat several hard-boards (incl me.... )

[Green Water Sports]

Ditto pdxmike. Each brand, BIC and Naish so far, are out to establish a one design class requiring their boards.

[peterp]

Ditto pdxmike. Each brand, BIC and Naish so far, are out to establish a one design class requiring their boards.

Which is a shame - I feel the brands missed a great opportunity to create a one design class (box-rule) with inflatos - 12'6' x 30" x 6" and go mad.....let everyone buy their (more or less similar) inflatable and do one-design racing. But no, it has to be brand only.

The brands will spend big marketing dollar trying to build their own branded class instead of building the mass appeal of the sport. I guess they feel they will profit less from the latter......

I think the big brands would profit more by building the sport - having said that there are a lot of brands out there leaching off the marketing efforts that the big brands have put in and I can understand the frustration of this - but I still think a bigger pie would benefit the big brands more anyway.

[DavidJohn]

[pdxmike]

DJ--leave it to you to find music for a downwinder video with wind in it.   You should have been a DJ.

[pdxmike]

I think for a true "one-design" class to develop with inflatables--at least in the U.S.--some credible person would have to reassure people that, "If you're happy with your current board, you can keep it, and this won't affect you at all."