Potentially pointless comparison of old boards

[Kwolfe]

I sold my v2 Naish Glide (14' x 27.25")about 2 weeks ago.  I looked at multiple boats and found a brand new 2014 Starboard Allstar for a fantastic price...even with shipping which was only $140.  Oh by the way, shout out to the great folks at California Kiteboarding.  They were really helpful and nice. 

Ok, on with the comparison.  First off, let me say that the reason I sold the Glide wanted something a little faster and slicker through the water as I paddle 95%+ flat water lakes. 

Appearance:  I actually prefer the graphics on the Starboard.  I know some don't like the tiki guy but I think he rocks.  Just staring at me as I rack up the miles.  I will say though the the blue of the board seems like it will get hotter in the sun.

Ergonomics:  The board weight is roughly the same as between the two with maybe a couple of pound advantage to the All Star.  The side handles work well however they still aren't perfectly centered.  The offset center handle on the Glide was nice but, once again, not in the center.  Foot pads on the All Star are much more comfortable.  The Glide's foot pad was too aggressive for me and pieces of it were delaminating.

Stability:  Despite only a 3/4" difference in the board widths, the Glide is seems much more stable.  The All Star doesn't have really strong primary stability (feels a little twitchy) which took a little getting used to when paddling hard and leaning on the rails.  I actually over leaning and went in twice so I had to change up technique a little.  With the raised rails on the All Star, you can really dig in and use them to balance.  Needless to say I'm good now but it caught me off guard on the first ride.  I really thought with the sunken deck, I would be rock solid right out of the gate.

Speed:  The board is definitely faster.  I don't have GPS but I can see it (since I paddle close to land).  Ironically enough, the All Star glides much better than the Glide!  Ha!  Foot positioning on the All Star can easily create a full displacement bow causing it to carve well through the water using the entire waterline.  With the Glide, I always felt like the board was slowing down to fast which cause me to have to increase my cadence.

Overall, I really did like the Glide.  It was my first board and I clocked a number of miles on it.  It treated me well and I was glad to pass it one to a good person.  The All Star appears to be a great board as well which I think will suit my needs better.  Any questions, feel free to ask.  I figured I would post this for other people who might be looking at used boards. 

Mahalo

[Kwolfe]

Sorry, everyone likes pics

[baddog]

Probably not a 3/4" difference... Your All Star measures out at 26" not 26.5"

[HanaSurf]

Thanks for the comparison. I'd like to see more of these on boards a few years old. I'm starting to look for a 14' to add with my Sic F14 Wide and I'll go used or end of year close outs due to 2016 prices, probably used. I'd think a lot of people are looking used to get a quality high end board at good price. THANKS 

[Eagle]

Hana - it may be a good move to find a quality older board.  We have done that over the years and amassed a fleet of extremely well priced high quality boards now.  Pricing was hugely discounted over new.

Did a comparison of the supvic 14 test recently and you should check that out for even "older" quality boards.  Compared my 30 Touring Carbon pintail to my 27.5 Dominator head to head - and found only a small variance in finishes interestingly.

Surprisingly out of 13 results - it was 8 to 5 with the Dominator "winning".  But 2 of those were within 3 seconds.  So if the Touring won those - the results would have been 7 to 6 for the wide Touring!

So if not too serious about racing.  Get any quality board and it will be plenty fast enough - and will last - so long as you care for it.  Smart move kwolfe.   

[TeachSB]

Actually see both board son craigslist RIGHT NOW so this is a great comparison  thanks!

[HanaSurf]

Hana - it may be a good move to find a quality older board.  We have done that over the years and amassed a fleet of extremely well priced high quality boards now.  Pricing was hugely discounted over new.

Did a comparison of the supvic 14 test recently and you should check that out for even "older" quality boards.  Compared my 30 Touring Carbon pintail to my 27.5 Dominator head to head - and found only a small variance in finishes interestingly.

Surprisingly out of 13 results - it was 8 to 5 with the Dominator "winning".  But 2 of those were within 3 seconds.  So if the Touring won those - the results would have been 7 to 6 for the wide Touring!

So if not too serious about racing.  Get any quality board and it will be plenty fast enough - and will last - so long as you care for it.  Smart move kwolfe.   

For what I'm looking for used would be great. No racing just a displacement board with great glide for long tours in 5-10mph winds. Anything over 12 mph and I'd use the F-14.
 I'm thinking 14' and 29 or 30' width,carbon for light weight as I'm careful with my boards. Top speed doesn't matter so old race type boards would work. I want stability and super glide at mid-speed with least amount of effort. I may start thread on what board features yield these results. 

[Kwolfe]

Yeah, you can get a new prior year board for darn close to half of a new one.  I'm not planning any races now but if I do, I think I can hang with this one.  Clocked a few more miles over the past two days.  Now that I'm getting used to the board, stability really isn't an issue.  That being said, I haven't had it in any kind of chop yet. 

It glides very well and the nose responds nicely to your position on the board.  No more sprinkler effect like on the Glide.  Keep in mind, the Glide was a nice board.  It's just that I think the Allstar suits my needs better.  Now it's time to upgrade my paddle.  I have a generic carbon adjustable and its time to step it up which I think will also make a huge difference.

[Eagle]

Hana - that's a good idea to get a displacement board if you need one.  There are many nice used ones that give you stability and glide.

Kwolfe - what we found is a paddle can make a huge difference.  And that blade size and shape - plus shaft flex and length - seem to be pretty important factors.  Good thing is - there are many really good paddles to choose from.

[robon]

Glad you found a great deal on a new board. Some really good bargains from that shop. I got my 14 x 29 Glide on closeout pricing from California kiteboarding and they have been very good to deal with. Great shipping rates too.

[stoneaxe]

Horses for courses. Glides are great boards but weren't designed with flatwater in mind.

[Area 10]

Stoney is right. The Glide is really a downwind board, and that is where it excels. It's a good all-rounder, but if you paddle pure flat water most of the time it is not really an obvious choice. There were far better boards for flat water on sale at the same time (eg. Bark Dominator), and there certainly are now.

[Bulky]

I think you could start a very important review blog:  "Boards for the rest of us".  Always cool to see the new gear but the only way I'm able to maintain both my penchants for SUP and staying married, it has to be used boards.  Fortunately there's lots of good product out there if you look for it.  Reality is, the progression from year to year is significant, but most of us aren't going to see some huge improvement when we hop from one board to another.  Last year's board (or one from 3 years ago) works pretty well for me and isn't going to make more difference than the paddler does.

I'm particularly chuckling because I have the same Glide which got me into more serious daily paddling.  About a year ago stepped up to a King's as I wanted more speed but kept the Glide because I'd gotten sentimentally attached to it. I was just starting to move to the end of that when the King's had to go into the shop for what's turning out to be a much longer repair than I'd hoped.  Glad I kept the Glide for a backup.  It's great in the mixed up open ocean stuff that's typical here.  True I wouldn't want to try to catch someone on flatwater with it but those guys knew a thing or two about making a fast board.

[PonoBill]

A little tip K--  Try moving your feet closer to the middle of the board. takes a little while to get used to, but you'll find more stability with a narrow stance with boards that have less primary stability. Stay away from the rails.

[Eagle]

Just did a time trial today comparing the 23 AS to Dom to Touring boards we have.  Granted still cannot put full power down on the 23 - maybe around 85% upwind - 50% cross - and 100% down.  The times were upwind - tied for fastest ever - cross about mid-pack on my knees - down near the top.

Overall the Dom is faster than the Touring by 0.1 mph -> and the Touring faster than the All Star by 0.1 mph.  So do not worry at all about old race board speed - they are not slow.  The Dom and Touring are very fast boards and very stable in their own ways.  In really crazy cross chop they do not buck you off like the AS.  At 23 you have very little board width to stabilize on.  So things get a tad dodgy.  Finding the balance point is critical on any board.  Just that on the 23 it is much narrower.  You go over a few degrees - and before you can say "no" - you are in.  But do expect in maybe a week or so - the 23 All Star should beat my oldies but goodies handily in light wind conditions.

I wanted to see a direct comparison today as I have a lot of old compiled time and distance data.  The 23 will eventually be the fastest board for me - I have no doubt.  And probably by a significant amount - judging from how much wasted nervous balance energy was expended today.  But each day the nerves diminish less and less.  And the board becomes more and more stable.

Once those bugs are worked out - that board should rock.  So the 23 will be perfectly fine.  And would expect the 21.5 Sprint on flat as well.  Have taken that 23 in some nasty conditions and it handles it just fine.  On flat it is very hard to fall off now.  I can stand still and balance 100% comfortably and relaxed.  So would expect a lower COG 21.5 Sprint to be just as stable - and no problem.

And PB is right (for once) haha.  Even on the 23 - I stand about 2" inboard from the rail.  On the Dom about 4 - and the Touring about 6.  A narrow stance is a supremely good stance.  Everyone should definitely give that a try.  Told my wife that - but on the 23 she feels better out by the edge.  So it may or may not work for you.