Author Topic: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race  (Read 259443 times)

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #15 on: May 17, 2017, 12:47:28 AM »
Yes. We've been here before. Making a board that is fast in a straight line in flat water is easy. Even I could do it. But making a board that is fast under real world racing conditions, and is also affordable and durable enough is very hard. You HAVE to have feedback from people who actually race, and as we agree, you need to understand how the boards are used. 99.9% of SUP races are not flat water sprints in lanes like sprint canoe.

But we will see, I hope. Maybe I'm wrong. I suspect that the feedback from potential riders will be instant. You'd have to persuade one of the top guys to use this. The general trend these days is towards boards that handle well, draft well, and are adaptable, rather than towards ever increasing specialisation.

Incidentally, that Naish looks a bit too low in the water too, and pretty tippy also. I can see now why you don't often see team riders on one.

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #16 on: May 17, 2017, 01:24:38 AM »
With the board, Peter Weidert has finished third on Lake Caldaro last weekend. He is a team rider for lightboard since this year.
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ukgm

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #17 on: May 17, 2017, 01:26:35 AM »
Yes. We've been here before. Making a board that is fast in a straight line in flat water is easy. Even I could do it. But making a board that is fast under real world racing conditions, and is also affordable and durable enough is very hard. You HAVE to have feedback from people who actually race, and as we agree, you need to understand how the boards are used. 99.9% of SUP races are not flat water sprints in lanes like sprint canoe.

But we will see, I hope. Maybe I'm wrong. I suspect that the feedback from potential riders will be instant. You'd have to persuade one of the top guys to use this. The general trend these days is towards boards that handle well, draft well, and are adaptable, rather than towards ever increasing specialisation.

Incidentally, that Naish looks a bit too low in the water too, and pretty tippy also. I can see now why you don't often see team riders on one.

[team ride bias in play here] The Naish is low in volume and profile so always looks deceptively low in the water. The rumours I heard was that pretty much most team riders (including all of us (bar 2) in the UK) have opted for the Maliko for most races as we've found it pretty much nearly as fast as the Javelin but the Maliko is more versatile. Endurance supremo Jo Hamilton Vale I know likes the Javelin 14x24 as the low volume suits her very well. Our other team paddler has been going well on his 14x26 but I personally think it would be a faster board for more paddlers if they added some more volume to the tail.

As for the Nelo, we should know more soon as they are apparently going to have riders on them at the Lost Mills.

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2017, 02:16:55 AM »
That will be interesting. I hope they do well. New brands tend to bring some new idea or version to the table that we can all learn from.

How many truly flatwater world ranking events are there? There's the Lost Mills and 11 cities etc in Europe, but it would be interesting to know what proportion of the bigger events worldwide are true flat water ones.

ukgm

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2017, 03:09:22 AM »
That will be interesting. I hope they do well. New brands tend to bring some new idea or version to the table that we can all learn from.

How many truly flatwater world ranking events are there? There's the Lost Mills and 11 cities etc in Europe, but it would be interesting to know what proportion of the bigger events worldwide are true flat water ones.

I would argue that the increasing rise of large number draft trains makes even those type of events truly 'flatwater'. If you're going to see clear water or gaps - great. If not, a pure flatwater board might not be always the best option. Its a bit like the difference in road cycling between riders selecting general road bikes or using aero road bikes instead. You'll often see breakaway specialists or sprinters using the aero road bikes but for those in the pack or on domestique duties, comfort, handling or other factors may well be more important.

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #20 on: May 17, 2017, 08:32:49 AM »
I emailed them a few questions regarding some of the points raised in this thread. I'll let you know if I get an answer.....

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #21 on: May 17, 2017, 11:10:28 AM »
I'm hoping it succeeds. Nelo are a good company and if they design a K1 in a certain way, it is because it makes sense to.

The Chalupsky/Nelo Surfski focus has been interesting and I think they will grow from strength to strength in this regard where speed in all conditions is a requirement - I have not been on their surfski's yet but they look like they will succeed and have brought some nice innovations that are practical.

I SUP (downwind and wannabe surfer) and surfski and can't wait for the surfski construction to find its way to SUP. Surfskiers will complain about carbon boards being fragile, but they have no idea how tough the construction is compared to the epoxy/foam SUP construction. An 18-19ft ski weighs 10kg in carbon, and I suspect even with extra internals for the deck a 14ft SUP would be <10kg and stronger than the normal epoxy/foam (can't even compare it to carbon epoxy construction).
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ukgm

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2017, 12:41:31 PM »
I'm hoping it succeeds. Nelo are a good company and if they design a K1 in a certain way, it is because it makes sense to.

The Chalupsky/Nelo Surfski focus has been interesting and I think they will grow from strength to strength in this regard where speed in all conditions is a requirement - I have not been on their surfski's yet but they look like they will succeed and have brought some nice innovations that are practical.

I SUP (downwind and wannabe surfer) and surfski and can't wait for the surfski construction to find its way to SUP. Surfskiers will complain about carbon boards being fragile, but they have no idea how tough the construction is compared to the epoxy/foam SUP construction. An 18-19ft ski weighs 10kg in carbon, and I suspect even with extra internals for the deck a 14ft SUP would be <10kg and stronger than the normal epoxy/foam (can't even compare it to carbon epoxy construction).

Bear in mind, its not actually Nelo. They designed it and built on behalf of the company that owns it and wants to get it out there.

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #23 on: May 17, 2017, 12:56:07 PM »
As discussed before -> the Signature boards look fast but depend on the pilot.  Good balance will be important for good speed in ocean conditions.  The Strike and SB Race were a step too tippy - so will be interesting to see how these fare.  Think SUP also still have surfski inspired boards -> but are wider due to their rounded bottom profiles.  Other boat builders have introduced boat inspired designs with very low drag -> but have not gained much traction.  My guess is that the low dropped standing area is key -> and will be interesting to see how these boards compare to the race proven 23 and 21.5 Sprint shapes.  The 23 Signature should go ok on flat though.
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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #24 on: May 17, 2017, 02:44:30 PM »
As discussed before -> the Signature boards look fast but depend on the pilot.  Good balance will be important for good speed in ocean conditions.  The Strike and SB Race were a step too tippy - so will be interesting to see how these fare.  Think SUP also still have surfski inspired boards -> but are wider due to their rounded bottom profiles.  Other boat builders have introduced boat inspired designs with very low drag -> but have not gained much traction.  My guess is that the low dropped standing area is key -> and will be interesting to see how these boards compare to the race proven 23 and 21.5 Sprint shapes.  The 23 Signature should go ok on flat though.

They sent me back a really nice and detailed email this evening telling me more about the design. It's a rounded rail and mildly convex bottom. It sounds fast but I wonder if it's too rolling for most of us. Looks amazing and being out of Nelo's factory, it's bound to be well made.

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NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #25 on: May 17, 2017, 09:04:07 PM »
They sent me back a really nice and detailed email this evening telling me more about the design. It's a rounded rail and mildly convex bottom. It sounds fast but I wonder if it's too rolling for most of us. Looks amazing and being out of Nelo's factory, it's bound to be well made.
Rider in video is a sup racer and avid downwinder. Not an Olympic paddler. He also sells the board in his store at www.supshop24-7.com
Told you its a dug out canoe with low recessed deck. But did they mention about weight? I think it might be something ridiculous if it's hollow.
Only a matter of time that regulations on minimum weight will be implemented on 14'0 flatwater boards as production  technique improves. 21'5 inch is as skinny as it gets for now.
If they are in Lost Mills for the 200m time trial with Olympiads, then it gets interesting to see it contend against new Mistral, SIC, AquaInc and Sprint. Heck I'd wanna see them side by side! They've already recorded under 60 sec timing for 200m on this board. Maybe the 53.12 sec record from Connor might not hold for long? Only time will tell.


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« Last Edit: May 17, 2017, 09:06:01 PM by SG50SUP »
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ukgm

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #26 on: May 17, 2017, 11:57:14 PM »
They sent me back a really nice and detailed email this evening telling me more about the design. It's a rounded rail and mildly convex bottom. It sounds fast but I wonder if it's too rolling for most of us. Looks amazing and being out of Nelo's factory, it's bound to be well made.
Rider in video is a sup racer and avid downwinder. Not an Olympic paddler. He also sells the board in his store at www.supshop24-7.com
Told you its a dug out canoe with low recessed deck. But did they mention about weight? I think it might be something ridiculous if it's hollow.
Only a matter of time that regulations on minimum weight will be implemented on 14'0 flatwater boards as production  technique improves. 21'5 inch is as skinny as it gets for now.
If they are in Lost Mills for the 200m time trial with Olympiads, then it gets interesting to see it contend against new Mistral, SIC, AquaInc and Sprint. Heck I'd wanna see them side by side! They've already recorded under 60 sec timing for 200m on this board. Maybe the 53.12 sec record from Connor might not hold for long? Only time will tell.


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There won't be a minimum weight restriction. We don't really have an active governing body as it is to be interested and if the ISA is in charge nothing will change. You'd expect width restrictions first. If the canoe organisation was in charge internationally (as it is at the Lost Mills) it might be different. The weight is low but seems to have been conservatively set at 10kg but they said they could easily go lighter. Durability should be excellent.

I've been given the chance to demo one if I can get to the British leg of the Euro tour but that's sadly looking unlikely at the moment for me. Either way, even in the 24.75 wider width, that's probably too much board balancing for the likes of me. In my view it would be mega fast in the right hands but they'll need to get a world class paddler on board and it's an elitist design.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2017, 11:59:34 PM by ukgm »

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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #27 on: May 20, 2017, 06:02:05 PM »
"It's a rounded rail and mildly convex bottom. It sounds fast but I wonder if it's too rolling for most of us."

Sounds tippy if compared to the no hard edges 2015 Race 25 with a big single concave.  Rounded rail with a convex bottom should roll vs plant and go with a flatter design.  Would expect that Signature to require a pilot with good balance even with the dropped standing area.  Would be nice to try though.  The 24.5 might be doable -> but the 23 Hmmm?!?
« Last Edit: May 20, 2017, 06:03:37 PM by Eagle »
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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #28 on: May 21, 2017, 01:31:37 AM »


Good visibility of the drainingholes.

Interesting Design. For me Kind of too expensive.


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Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race
« Reply #29 on: May 21, 2017, 08:59:23 AM »
Wow, yes - $4000+ dollars US (around £3100 GBP) in Europe...

 


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