Light DW <25 knots contenders

[burchas]

get a clog Luc Benac anything around 25" & 26" 

The dude already has the perfect board in the ACE GT...
I guess he's concerned about damaging it during transport? I can't blame him.

[Eagle]

Yeah but for light DW a narrow clog like the Sunova 24 has gained traction up in HS.  A buddy sold his SIC boards for this.  Still getting used to the board but likes the efficiency and low drag of 24 vs 27.  A couple others more elite also like Sunova as well.

27 in light air is quite sluggish.

http://www.supracer.com/2018-lina-augaitis-joins-team-sunova/

[Luc Benac]

get a clog Luc Benac anything around 25" & 26" 

The dude already has the perfect board in the ACE GT...
I guess he's concerned about damaging it during transport? I can't blame him.

Yuval is right. I kind of feel bad showing up with our gang of friends with a dugout to shuttle and on top a long one.
As you know stacking of a clog is done at your own risk and is not the friendlier move for the rest.
Last thing I want is damage to a board that I would be hard-press to be able to replace and I really like that design.
When I simply get picked-up by my wife at the end of the run :-) then...... so Unlimited can turn into a somewhat solitary pleasure.

[Area 10]

Yeah, transport is one of the many shortcomings of clogs. And I don’t think that in real-world conditions the shortcomings of a clog are worth putting up with for the benefits, compared to the latest breed of race boards which have lowered deck but without going to full dugout. It’s mostly these lightly lowered deck boards we are seeing at the pointy end of races right now, not full-blown dugouts. The Starboard Sprint for instance is getting chosen by the elite paddlers over the Ace, even for the kind of conditions that the Ace is supposed to be ideal for.

[Eagle]

The 24 clog is a PITA a number of ways.  The sharp sidewalls and sandpaper standing area etc.  Even the number of DW falls it takes to get used to the board.  But for light air it does scoot along very well.  Insofar as loading it is what it is.

24.5 or 24 or 23 are fine for light air DW.  But as noted before -> 26 seems to be the width that sells the most.  Anything less becomes more and more niche.

Could be the flattened underside at the Sprint tail is making that narrow board ok with the elite racers.  Would expect a flattish underside to be more stable.  Maybe SB realized that it needed to make that board a bit more versatile. 

[burchas]

Maybe SB realized that it needed to make that board a bit more versatile. 

They sure did. You're going to see a major shift in their design in the not so distant future...

[warmuth]

  You already have a vapor. That board is outstanding at pretty much any non racing activity. That's the one board I won't sell.

[Luc Benac]

  You already have a vapor. That board is outstanding at pretty much any non racing activity. That's the one board I won't sell.

Agreed. Neither of my Ace-GT nor my Bark Vapor would go for sale anytime soon.
It might just be a case of trying another board and coming back to the Vapor anyway.
Or just the lust for more boards that we all have from time to time and just need an excuse to flourish.

[yugi]

But, as I say, that big butt becomes its Achilles heel when conditions get bigger because in combination with the fairly flat rocker it means a lot of footwork is required to prevent pearling and also to be in the right spot for take-off. So for proper downwinding there are easier boards available.

Talking about rocker you might want to consider the differences between the RS models in
terms of rocker line. Specifically the RS 14x23 where the rocker is quite more pronounced.

I'm pretty sure that's not by chance. If there is one thing that Mark understand better than
most, in terms of downwind, is rocker. One can speculate that the 14x23 was designed with
the pros in mind and therefor given a more healthy downwind chops, but most consumers are
not even aware of this fact.

It's quite the opposite approach to other brands who chose to put more nose rocker in the
wider models so they can market it as more "downwind compatible" for the regular Joes who
just want to have one board.

Talking to Mark made me realize how much importance he puts on getting the rocker right.
I believe that's what makes the Bayonet a superior downwind board to the Downtown.
That's also what makes the RS 14x23 a good performer in downwind conditions when used
by a capable rider.

I got the chance to ride the RS 23 in a decent downwind settings and though this board is
quite undersized for my 180 ass in these conditions, I could recognize how capable it was,
especially when used by the capable 145LBS rider I went with.

So that's one other thing for you to consider Luc, in the off-chance you were looking at the 23

Very interesting. Thanks for this insight.

I'll check it out once back on the water.

[Luc Benac]

It might also explain the longevity of his designs. Outside of the FX "faux-pas" the Bullet(s) and related X series have had quite a healthy lifespan.
Joe Bark is likely another one.

[JEG]

get a clog Luc Benac anything around 25" & 26" 

The dude already has the perfect board in the ACE GT...
I guess he's concerned about damaging it during transport? I can't blame him.

I'm talking about the new generation clog board. I'm sure the GT is good enough but the new ones are a lot better.

[Luc Benac]

I'm talking about the new generation clog board. I'm sure the GT is good enough but the new ones are a lot better.

Not in my books :-)
*Lower sidewall
*Easy to go back onto (or I guess into)
*Low volume
*Reasonably manœuvrable
*Light weight
*Strong construction

If anything I would like a second one a little bit narrower and with a little bit less rocker in the nose that I would use for "flat" water.
Or failing that a custom Deep UL for similar purpose.

The new ones are just too deep, too narrow and too heavy for me.

[Eagle]

Yeah the new boards are sleeker and faster than the tubby up front 23.5 Ace design.  But like most anything horses for courses.  My preference would be the 24 Sunova vs 23.5 Ace if had to choose.

Trick is to stay in vs bail out. 

[Area 10]

get a clog Luc Benac anything around 25" & 26" 

The dude already has the perfect board in the ACE GT...
I guess he's concerned about damaging it during transport? I can't blame him.

I'm talking about the new generation clog board. I'm sure the GT is good enough but the new ones are a lot better.

Better for what?

The ownership and use downsides of clogs are very significant, and full-on clogs are mostly not being favoured by the top racers for international races. Michael Booth seems to be crushing just about everyone in every condition on a Starboard Sprint, not an Ace.

But I’m sure the ICF love them.

[Luc Benac]

Following on my original post, I had the opportunity on a used 2018 Naish Maliko 14x26 within my budget, and I took it :-)
This should cover me for flattish days and the few odd races. Still have my Vapor for DW and my Ace-GT for (Grand) Touring