new Fanatic strike

[GlideMarko]

https://www.fanatic.com/product/strike/

[FloridaWindSUP]

So I guess the question is: Strike or Sprint- which is faster, more stable, more affordable, etc?

[gone_foiling]

one trick pony - useless for most people

[Luc Benac]

So I guess the question is: Strike or Sprint- which is faster, more stable, more affordable, etc?

You mean that people actually buy these boards :-) :-) :-)

[JEG]

I like to test ride both size and see what the fuss is all about and goes with the sprint board.

[Area 10]

Well, at least it’s not another f**king inflatable.

All you get round here is people asking for the relative merits of one 250 dollar inflatable board from Amazon vs. another 250 dollar iSUP from eBay.

So it’s nice to see a brand coming up with something aimed at the more serious end of the market.

If it works well, the 21.5” wide Strike might be popular for the 11 cities race. The question is whether Fanatic have got the rocker and volume distribution correct. It would be good to see the board actually being paddled.

Maybe when and if SUP becomes an Olympic sport, the race boards will mostly look like (even thinner) versions of this. Good for lane racing on a lake.

[Eagle]

Actually yesterday was considering getting a 21.5 Sprint that has come up for sale.  But thought about how much use we could get from a board like that in the variable ocean conditions we have.  Came to the conclusion that the AS23 is narrow enough when conditions get challenging.  The low rocker would spear the nose way too much upwind and DW for our use.

Would def hop on a 21.5 to try out if you have chance however.  Provides a super efficient paddling experience.  Best board that I have ever paddled for glide.  The second best for glide would be the discontinued log SB Race 25.  But that board was much harder to get full power down consistently.  Then AS23 out of the boards tested.

The price of a new Strike is exorbitant in these parts.  Over 5K new $3200 used.  Comparably can get the 21.5 Sprint for $1750 used right now.

Probably both the Strike and Sprint have similar efficiency and glide.

[TallDude]

Come on you guys... Sub-20 is just around the corner

[yugi]

...
 The question is whether Fanatic have got the rocker and volume distribution correct. It would be good to see the board actually being paddled.

Maybe when and if SUP becomes an Olympic sport, the race boards will mostly look like (even thinner) versions of this. Good for lane racing on a lake.

I preferred the look of what must have been the prototype before this. With the open back. Obviously some down sides to that. I'm guessing tricky to kick turn.

Arthur Arutkin was on one early season. Interestingly Arthur was on his allwater model the last few races including Bilbao. Which is a slow moving river in town.

Also interesting is that lots of other riders were on boards rather than in clogs. Including Lincoln Dews on a flattop Deep.

One thing I've noticed is that few women use clogs. If clogs were easy and fast I'd expect lots more to be on them.

Boothy has taken some spills on his sprint and lost valuable time. He's cutting it real close sometimes using his Sprint in tricky conditions. When you see someone like him struggle you know it's harder for us mortals. He's super used to his Sprint.

[Area 10]

Yes. My position on blogs is well-known: I’m not a fan. But this new Strike isn’t really a (full-blown) clog, and having a mildly sunken deck (like the RS etc) seems like a good compromise to me.

I think the tendency towards the elite riders using all-waters type boards rather than full displacent bows is because most of the races these days are draft processions. But Michael Booth prefers to get in front and go it alone. So I think he’s always going to favour a board that will allow him to sprint to the front and then pull ahead. And a narrow sharp-bowed board will do that best. But if you know that you aren’t going to be pulling away from the pack and going it alone, you’d want a board that drafts well, like the more boof-nosed all-waters boards do. And then, to boot, the flat(ish)-deck all-waters boards are generally better for buoy turns, beach starts, downwind and surf. That’s a pretty big set of advantages.

[Eagle]

This how the 2019 Strike underside at the tail compares to the past Sprint iterations.  The huge single concave with tippy rounded edges of the 2016 gave way to the more stable 2017 triple concave.  Then was flattened a bunch in 2018 to make it more stable.  Will be interesting to see what SB brings to the masses for 2019.

With Boothy and Connor leading the charge -> they have super talented guys at the top.  Would not expect many average joes to race a 21.5 Sprint in the harsh conditions they do -> and finish standing.  When young top elite with alien balance fall off their boards -> you know board width vs speed are reaching their limits.

A number of Brands are now dropping widths and selling production boards 23 and under.  So long as Boothy or Connor etc finish in first with falls and all -> they will have done their primary job.  Fanatic have made radical changes to the Strike over the years.  But the 2019 iteration looks the goods to compete against the Sprint.  Back in 2016 the rounded tail underside looked even tipper than the SB Race 25.  Moving towards the Sprint design for 2019 -> would expect the 21.5 Strike to be very competitive.

[Area 10]

Competitive for who, and in what race, Eagle? ukgm for instance is a self-confessed “training robot” and a highly competitive individual who is fitter than either of us ever will be. But even he won’t be able to use the 21.5”.

I’ve got one adult friend who could use a board like that in real racing conditions. ONE. Good luck with those sales - this is just a loss-leader built for marketing purposes (and elite team riders). They might sell a few of the 25s. But 25 is a strange width - most keen racers can go 23/24, and the ocean/downwind/fitness/occasional racer crew that make up the rest of the demographic for a board like this tend to want a 26 or more.

Maybe with the 21.5” Fanatic are aiming mainly at the kids who are coming into SUP racing - get a bit of brand loyalty early on.

[ukgm]

Boothy has taken some spills on his sprint and lost valuable time. He's cutting it real close sometimes using his Sprint in tricky conditions. When you see someone like him struggle you know it's harder for us mortals. He's super used to his Sprint.

Things are changing though - two of the podium of our recent Icon Classic (which is a full on ocean race for surfski's, SUP's and OC1's) were on Starboard 21.5's. One of those is a teenager who has been on narrow boards from day one.

[ukgm]

Competitive for who, and in what race, Eagle? ukgm for instance is a self-confessed “training robot” and a highly competitive individual who is fitter than either of us ever will be. But even he won’t be able to use the 21.5”.

Yep I agree. I'd been keeping an eye on this brand (thinking ahead for 2019) but the 25 is too wide and the 21.5 far too narrow for me. I don't know why a board so specialized was made so relatively wide or narrow without something between the two sizes. A 23 or 24 would seem to be an obvious choice.

[Eagle]

The 21.5 Strike would be very competitive for those racers that would be going up against riders on 21.5 Sprint or other narrow boards similar.

Obviously you and ukgm are not the target market.  The Brand simply missed out bringing something forward like a 23.  But for flat water -> that board would be ok for me or a few other racers I know.  There are a number of racers here on 23 and 21.5 wide boards.  21.5 is not too narrow for flat water use.

Point was the fully rounded 2016 Strike at 24 wide looked less stable than the 2019 version at 21.5 with hard edges.  In that way Fanatic has kinda brought forward a Sprint clone.