NSP/DC - are they still making these?

[striveseeksup]

Hi everyone:
I posted several days ago about finding my first board. I spent two hours today with my very patient local shop demoing:

12'6x26 Starboard Hybrid Carbon
14'X27 Starboard Hybrid Carbon
12'6x24.5 Starboard Carbon
12'6x26 NSP/DC Ocean Race

I liked the 14' a lot, but I was paddling in very calm water The guys said if I want a 14, I need to go much lower volume or I will get pushed around in windy conditions and have no fun. They said they'd sell it to me but they wouldn't recommend it at all. I will have to wait until Spring to demo a narrower 14'.

I really liked the 12'6" NSP/DC, and they said they'd take me out to demo sometime this weekend or next week when the weather gives me the usual chop/wind conditions.

Here's my question: the NSP is $1700 (MSRP $2500); it's not used, but is a demo and does have a cosmetic scratch. I don't mind that...saves me the agony of a first scratch. But I can't find any information on the board - is this a 2014 board? Is that ok? If I'm spending this much, am I better off just saving a few more pennies and waiting til Spring? Or should I not worry about the model year of the board if I like it? I did find a couple of 2013 threads here discussing this board favorably with respect to its performance in the types of conditions I'll usually be seeing in our bay. But I am concerned about buying a board that's not really being made anymore from a company that seems to have disappeared into another company.

Thanks for all the knowledge...it's such a great thing to get the input everyone here is so generous with.

[gone_foiling]

Make sure that demo still carries factory warranty if you end up buying it.

[Area 10]

Demo the 14 and the NSP in the conditions you most often paddle, and then pick the one you like best.

NSP are a very well-known and respected brand. Their boards did extremely well at the recent Pacific Paddle Games, and Dale Chapman is a gifted shaper. I wouldn't worry too much about things like brand mergers - the NSP brand is very much alive and well (under the Surftech banner), and they are all made in the same factory anyway. No-one cares much about things like that. All that matters is if it's a board you like, that is well-made, and at a decent price. NSP construction tends to be very good.

Quite a few people here have commented that the All a Star 14 isn't that great at dealing with side winds. But it sounds like you might like the glide of a 14 (most of is here do too). In which case, it might be better to buy a 14 than a 12-6, even if it means waiting a bit.

But as I've already said, just try the two boards in your typical conditions and you'll probably know straight away which feels better for you. There's no advice anyone can give you that would be as useful as that.

[Stefan]

Hi everyone:
I posted several days ago about finding my first board. I spent two hours today with my very patient local shop demoing:

12'6x26 Starboard Hybrid Carbon
14'X27 Starboard Hybrid Carbon
12'6x24.5 Starboard Carbon
12'6x26 NSP/DC Ocean Race

I liked the 14' a lot, but I was paddling in very calm water The guys said if I want a 14, I need to go much lower volume or I will get pushed around in windy conditions and have no fun. They said they'd sell it to me but they wouldn't recommend it at all. I will have to wait until Spring to demo a narrower 14'.

I really liked the 12'6" NSP/DC, and they said they'd take me out to demo sometime this weekend or next week when the weather gives me the usual chop/wind conditions.

Here's my question: the NSP is $1700 (MSRP $2500); it's not used, but is a demo and does have a cosmetic scratch. I don't mind that...saves me the agony of a first scratch. But I can't find any information on the board - is this a 2014 board? Is that ok? If I'm spending this much, am I better off just saving a few more pennies and waiting til Spring? Or should I not worry about the model year of the board if I like it? I did find a couple of 2013 threads here discussing this board favorably with respect to its performance in the types of conditions I'll usually be seeing in our bay. But I am concerned about buying a board that's not really being made anymore from a company that seems to have disappeared into another company.

Thanks for all the knowledge...it's such a great thing to get the input everyone here is so generous with.

NSP is a great company, their boards don't change radically year to year and they are extremely well made. My question would be how big are you and what type of paddling are you doing?... how many miles, are you doing down wind runs? etc etc. It's hard to generalize without more info. I can relate to your process, I have demoed a shit ton of boards (I'm lucky enough to have access) including Starboard, NSP, Bark, Riviera, 404, Kings and SIC.

[striveseeksup]

Make sure that demo still carries factory warranty if you end up buying it.

You know, I am an experienced consumer...and I would never buy anything else without insuring it was still under warranty, but I am so blinded by my need to get a board because all the rental places are closing down that I didn't even THINK of that issue. Thank you for the reminder!! I will confirm that today when I stop by their big sale.

[striveseeksup]

But as I've already said, just try the two boards in your typical conditions and you'll probably know straight away which feels better for you. There's no advice anyone can give you that would be as useful as that.

Thank you - great advice, and so well put.

[striveseeksup]

NSP is a great company, their boards don't change radically year to year and they are extremely well made. My question would be how big are you and what type of paddling are you doing?... how many miles, are you doing down wind runs? etc etc. It's hard to generalize without more info.

Stefan:

I'm 5'10" and around 140, and a healthy, strong, but 55 year old woman if that makes a difference in terms of stamina/strength.

On the Starboard 14x27, the board wasn't "in" the water at all - it was literally floating on top. And I don't know if I'm going to be downwinding, as I haven't even tried it. Though it sounds like I'd enjoy it. What I do know is that I started this in August on Lake Tahoe, on a huge planing rental paddle, and I moved from that to now being on a windy bay in Rhode Island looking wistfully past the breakwater, thinking that's where I want to be going.

I am so new to this that I don't know what I don't know. Except I have learned not to shake my head "no" to the local guys when they've pushed me beyond the 10'6" planing boards I was looking at. I would have been quickly bored. I fell in love with this in the same way I fell in love with downhill skiing when I was 7. I'm in this for life, and will be out there at least twice a week in the Fall and hopefully into the Winter. And then daily in the summer. So I need a board that I can handle now but that I'll enjoy for the next two years.
Does that make sense? Thanks for the help -

[Dusk Patrol]

Stefan:

I'm 5'10" and around 140, and a healthy, strong, but 55 year old woman if that makes a difference in terms of stamina/strength.

On the Starboard 14x27, the board wasn't "in" the water at all - it was literally floating on top. And I don't know if I'm going to be downwinding, as I haven't even tried it. Though it sounds like I'd enjoy it. What I do know is that I started this in August on Lake Tahoe, on a huge planing rental paddle, and I moved from that to now being on a windy bay in Rhode Island looking wistfully past the breakwater, thinking that's where I want to be going.

I am so new to this that I don't know what I don't know. Except I have learned not to shake my head "no" to the local guys when they've pushed me beyond the 10'6" planing boards I was looking at. I would have been quickly bored. I fell in love with this in the same way I fell in love with downhill skiing when I was 7. I'm in this for life, and will be out there at least twice a week in the Fall and hopefully into the Winter. And then daily in the summer. So I need a board that I can handle now but that I'll enjoy for the next two years.
Does that make sense? Thanks for the help -

It's an interesting issue... what the calculus is (and limitations are) re: rider size vs board size. I have some smaller friends that prefer even shorter than 12'6".   But I think at 5'10" a 14' board would work (and you would prefer). The boards you're looking at are all pretty light weight... that's another thing that one starts to appreciate... so you might as well start there...
Take a look at a SIC Bullet V2. Demo if you can. It's 14', relatively low profile, and in my experience doesn't get affected much by side chop or wind and is FUN. (But I weigh 185.)
In any event, shopping for a board is fun in itself 

[Area 10]

Yep, if you aren't racing, and you paddle in windy conditions, a planing hull type board like the SIC Bullet V2 can give you a lot more enjoyment. They are more stable, so you can go narrower, which is much nicer to paddle, especially if you don't have broad shoulders.

In your position I'd demo the Naish Maliko too. I haven't tried one yet (but am very keen to do so because I paddle windy crappy conditions a lot) but from what people are saying, it could fit what you want well. The only problem is cost... And getting to demo one.

[Quickbeam]

Not sure if it is a consideration for you, but if you ever wanted to get into racing, even in a casual way, I believe the women’s racing class is for 12’ 6” boards. I don’t think you would be able to participate, at least in the women’s class, on a 14’ board. Someone could correct me on that if I’m mistaken. And maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but it is something to think about.

[SaMoSUP]

I have the NSP/DC 12'6 you're looking at for sale for $1300(see link below). I love this board in the ocean and performs well when windy and choppy. I weigh 150 lbs and the board feels stable for me. It does have a rounded hull and has a tippy feeling at first but is actually very stable once you adjust to it. It rolls smoothly with the chop and bumps. Where are you located?

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,30654.0.html

I have another board for sale that may be good for you as well, the Naish 14' x 23" Javelin for $1400 (see link below). It's very fast and light board. Stability is similar as the NSP/DC but has a flatter full so it doesn't have that tippy feel to it. Excellent in upwind and downwind but not as good in the side chop as the NSP/DC.

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,30138.0.html

[Area 10]

Here in the UK we (usually) have both 12-6 and 14ft classes for both genders.

[Quickbeam]

Here in the UK we (usually) have both 12-6 and 14ft classes for both genders.

Thanks Area 10. Didn't realize that. Maybe it's just in Canada and the U.S. that women are restricted to the 12' 6" boards???

[SaMoSUP]

There are no restrictions in the US for women in races regarding board size. This is entirely up to the race organizers to determine what classes are recognized for which gender. Some races have a 14' womens class but most don't because there are very few women with 14' boards who participate. I know a few women with 14' boards who race. They either enter the 12'6 womens division or the 14' mens just to get a time.

[striveseeksup]

I have the NSP/DC 12'6 you're looking at for sale for $1300(see link below). I love this board in the ocean and performs well when windy and choppy. I weigh 150 lbs and the board feels stable for me. It does have a rounded hull and has a tippy feeling at first but is actually very stable once you adjust to it. It rolls smoothly with the chop and bumps. Where are you located?

SaMoSup: I'm thinking you must live in Santa Monica. My son is in Dana Point, but I'm across the country in Rhode Island. So shipping would be prohibitive I think. Both great boards - I had been looking online at that Naish.