King of the Cut DW vid from West OZ

[headmount]

Very good conditions and great paddlers on what look mostly like 14s.  These guys seem very keen and capable.  Our own Jeremy Riggs was over there and made the rounds from Melbourne to Perth.  Exciting to see the energy in West Oz.

[Argosi]

One the best downwind races anywhere in terms of conditions and level of competition.

Looks like the Ace is the top board in the 14' category there. Lots of Fanatics and DC/NSPs as well. They all share a lot of common design elements though - higher volume rounded nose, narrow tail. Quite a few sunken decks as well.

[yugi]

…
Looks like the Ace is the top board in the 14’ category there.
 …

Sure does. Did you notice Travis Grant is on one (with NSP paint job)? I think that says it all.

Is this because the waves (or 20 kn wind) there privilege an Ace type board? Or other races everywhere else in the world haven’t caught on to this secret sauce yet?

I’m thinking the former just based on the immense popularity of the board for that race.

…
Lots of Fanatics and DC/NSPs as well. They all share a lot of common design elements though - higher volume rounded nose, narrow tail. Quite a few sunken decks as well.

Yes. The short shot at 00:06 side by side shows that well.

[coldsup]

Have you seen this 360 degree footage of the race - really good.

If you are watching on Ipad or smartphone then use your finger to scroll right round and watch the riders.

[Muskoka SUP]

Yugi,  I'm pretty sure Travis is on a DC-NSP.  Dale Chapman (DC) has shaped a number of dugout boards similar to the Ace series.   Here's a pic of an earlier one from 2013. 

[yugi]

the one in race even closer to ACE

watch 02:24

Maybe the NSP nose is just a bit thicker, rear looks identical

[VMG Chris]

Have you seen this 360 degree footage of the race - really good.

If you are watching on Ipad or smartphone then use your finger to scroll right round and watch the riders.

Find our VMG Blades Facebook page for a version of this video which works on smartphones and tablets.

[Argosi]

In 20 knots of wind or less, I think the Ace is the fastest board around - for inland or coastal locations. In really long open ocean waves like Maliko, other designs do better.

A lot of fast downwind boards have adopted many of the design elements of the Ace and those seem to be fast as well e.g., Travis' DC/NSP board which really does look like an Ace clone as Yugi pointed out, Fanatic's Falcon (more the 2014-15 than the 2016), the DEEP boards out of Oz. Give credit to Brian Szymanski for designing the Ace way back in 2010/11. It was based on his successful prone paddleboard designs. Kinda makes sense that a prone paddleboard design that glides well using less power than a SUP paddler can generate, would also glide well as a downwind SUP design.