Poll

Are Starboard SUP losing their way with the new designs?

Yes, they've lost it!
9 (20.9%)
No,
11 (25.6%)
Maybe?
7 (16.3%)
Yes, but one design is good!
2 (4.7%)
No, all the designs are awesome!
14 (32.6%)

Total Members Voted: 43

Author Topic: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014  (Read 25761 times)

1tuberider

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2013, 06:53:10 AM »


I love the shape and durability, but if it were just a few more liters of volume, it would be available to a wider group of people.


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My thoughts as well.  I was going to replace my 8'5 with a new one until I realized
it lost 16 liters.  I ended up getting a closeout pro 9'8 in carbon to round out my quiver instead.
At 3k I cannot afford to have a board I won't enjoy.

Puamana4me

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2013, 08:58:11 AM »
Really?

SB makes about 900 models for 2014 , if one doesn't work for you, why don't you patronize one of the other 5,000 sup manufacturers.

WOW,   A lot of "whinning" !


UKRiverSurfers

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #17 on: December 10, 2013, 11:05:07 AM »
That's the problem... Not one of the 900 designs will do what I want..

I'm pretty certain i'm not the only paddler in the world who wants to do wilderness expedition ocean paddles??

As you can see from my quiver, Im not exactly anti SB..

Quote
WOW,   A lot of "whinning" !

If you don't like it, nobody is forcing you to read  ;) ;D
« Last Edit: December 10, 2013, 11:07:56 AM by UKRiverSurfers »
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SaltH2Opaddler

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #18 on: December 10, 2013, 12:16:25 PM »
Why don't you look at the BOTE line up of boards. They have plenty of tie downs and the 14' Ahab can handle 500LBS of gear.
Custom Infinity BLine 7'8 x 26.5 89l
Custom Infinity BLine 7'11 x 28 97l
Custom Infinity Asym. Gun 8'10 x 27.5 110l
2016 Starboard Enduro Carbon oval stiff
Kialoa Methane(back up paddle)
5'10
175 lbs
42

UKRiverSurfers

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #19 on: December 10, 2013, 12:34:01 PM »
Thanks for the heads up!

That Ahab does look interesting for sure.. http://www.boteboard.com/?page=Ahab

SIC Bullet 17v2 Custom
Richmond Custom Carbon 16'
Starboard Point 14'8
Starboard K15
Starboard Astro Touring 14
Starboad Big Easy
Redpaddle Ride 10'6
Badfish Rivershred
Jackson SUPercharger
Badfish MVP 9'o
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Pack OC1 12'

UKRiverSurfers

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #20 on: December 10, 2013, 12:38:50 PM »
Having a closer look, the Ahab has a hull with a flat mid section and very sharp gunwales (rails) that I could imagine handling much more than knee high chop.

For paddling in a 'sea' you really need a shallow arch profile to the hull.
SIC Bullet 17v2 Custom
Richmond Custom Carbon 16'
Starboard Point 14'8
Starboard K15
Starboard Astro Touring 14
Starboad Big Easy
Redpaddle Ride 10'6
Badfish Rivershred
Jackson SUPercharger
Badfish MVP 9'o
Badfish IRS 7'2
Pack OC1 12'

SUPflorida

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2013, 05:25:38 PM »
You always have an alternative...if you can't find what you want design & build your own.

Starboard or any other big manufacture can't please everyone...from a "me centric" perspective they may apear to have lost their way...but it's all a mater of perspective...your personal passion may going in a slighly different direction than the majority of the market...remember the goal of a business is to make money...despite what the surf culture tries to delude us into thinking.

pdxmike

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #22 on: December 10, 2013, 06:07:25 PM »
This has been (is being) a good topic.  It's good to question what a company is doing.  Itt's nott whinning att all. That's  better for a company than people just silently going elsewhere while the company figures it out.  The company can decide whether it agrees or not, or whether it wants to revise its lineup but at least it knows (if it pays attention to what people are pointing out).  

newton333

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #23 on: December 10, 2013, 06:15:47 PM »
boards are sicker then ever!!!!

Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #24 on: December 10, 2013, 07:57:21 PM »
UK, what you describe is pretty much my perfect board.
Pau Hana 11' Big EZ Ricochet (Beluga)

Fog City Rider

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #25 on: December 10, 2013, 09:57:42 PM »
Thanks for the heads up!

That Ahab does look interesting for sure.. http://www.boteboard.com/?page=Ahab



That lady in the Bote video is a BOSS. 
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JonathanC

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #26 on: December 10, 2013, 10:24:45 PM »
Thanks for the comments folks....

From my pov, their boards are designed for fair weather paddling in warm countries.

With the biggest range on offer I would expect a broader mix of designs.

Cutting volume from boards is surely a step backwards, in a sort of 'shortboard mentality'.... Smaller must be better, right?.......wrong!

Its as if they are selling prototypes and testing them on customers.

Hmm cutting volume from surfing boards and at the same time making them more stable and way better to surf   - not wrong,  RIGHT !! The 2013 and 2014 8'5 Pro for example did drop 16litres from the 2012, but it is a more stable and way better board. Same story with the 8'0 Pro. The 2014 Airborne range achieves incredible stability from very low volume boards with all the surfing benefit a thin board with fine rails provide.

Sounds to me like you are making assumptions about the performance of a range of boards from reading a catalogue.

Releasing a huge range including small low volume niche boards IMO shows a determination to please all shapes and sizes and weights of customers, is that really such a problem? Larger higher volume boards are also offered if that is what you prefer.

Starboard has always been a company that takes risks with bringing new, sometimes 'out there' product to the market. Should that be criticised, well that's your prerogative of course, but their innovative thinking has led to product that has changed both the windsurf and now SUP world over the years. Dramatically different race boards, Widepoint surfing boards, the Whopper,  tiny surfing boards, K15, 17'6 etc etc. It doesn't take much imagination to see the ranges from other companies that have taken many of these concepts, construction techniques and shapes and tweaked and rebadged to become their own latest and greatest.

The 2014 All Stars are amazingly fast and efficient open water boards, refined to allow a flatter rocker 'work' in rough open water, capable of efficiently downwinding in big conditions. The subtlety of rocker line and profiles refined over years of evolving models and hundreds and hundreds of tested prototypes and profile can't exactly be summed up in

"For paddling in a 'sea' you really need a shallow arch profile to the hull"

The discussion is great, every manufacturer should be challenged and critically assessed by the market and this is what great forums like this allow us to do, but criticising a new range because it doesn't fit your idea of how and what boards should be, wow, why don't you try some of the new product then come back with a real basis for discussion.

Maybe there isn't a board labelled as an open water touring model, but surely that is a very specific niche product. Bart de Zwart may be the best person to talk to about the lack of suitable open ocean touring boards in the standard Starboard product line, I think he is back from the Arctic crossing   ;)

Everything above is just my point of view, the funny thing is that after being associated with Starboard for the last few years I feel like the 2014 range is far and away the most complete and refined range they have ever released.

robon

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #27 on: December 11, 2013, 12:12:15 AM »
Jonathan,

SB sucks.

I can't take my SB touring model out in more than one foot of chop and I wouldn't dare take it out to 'sea' either. Fair weather paddling for me in glassy conditions only.  ;D
« Last Edit: December 11, 2013, 12:16:08 AM by robon »

UKRiverSurfers

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #28 on: December 11, 2013, 01:15:24 AM »
You always have an alternative...if you can't find what you want design & build your own.

Starboard or any other big manufacture can't please everyone...from a "me centric" perspective they may apear to have lost their way...but it's all a mater of perspective...your personal passion may going in a slighly different direction than the majority of the market...remember the goal of a business is to make money...despite what the surf culture tries to delude us into thinking.

Surf culture  ::)

Equals, fashion, blonde pony tails, QS Hoodies and usually folk with a board who cant surf!  ;D

The best surfers I know, surf hundreds of miles away from the hub of culture!

Surely if SB have the biggest selection they should be able to please the widest market?
SIC Bullet 17v2 Custom
Richmond Custom Carbon 16'
Starboard Point 14'8
Starboard K15
Starboard Astro Touring 14
Starboad Big Easy
Redpaddle Ride 10'6
Badfish Rivershred
Jackson SUPercharger
Badfish MVP 9'o
Badfish IRS 7'2
Pack OC1 12'

UKRiverSurfers

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Re: Starboard Losing Their Way In 2014
« Reply #29 on: December 11, 2013, 01:17:25 AM »
Jonathan,

SB sucks.

I can't take my SB touring model out in more than one foot of chop and I wouldn't dare take it out to 'sea' either. Fair weather paddling for me in glassy conditions only.  ;D

Too true!

A touring model should be able to handle almost anything?

I can tell just by looking at a pic that the 'touring' design is only good fro sheltered waters.
SIC Bullet 17v2 Custom
Richmond Custom Carbon 16'
Starboard Point 14'8
Starboard K15
Starboard Astro Touring 14
Starboad Big Easy
Redpaddle Ride 10'6
Badfish Rivershred
Jackson SUPercharger
Badfish MVP 9'o
Badfish IRS 7'2
Pack OC1 12'

 


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