Bullet and F-20

[JustPaddle]

Some of the newer boards.

SIC Bullet - http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/2010/07/31/new-s-i-c-bullet-174-sup-racing-board/

Custom F-20 - http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/2010/07/25/s-i-c-custom-f-20-sup-stand-up-paddle-board/

[PonoBill]

Yeah, when I grow a set of guns like Junya I'll get one of those F20s.

[SSE]

surprised not much more comments about the bullet.  What do the new F16 V2 owners think about this ?

[Pureadrenalin]

surprised not much more comments about the bullet.  What do the new F16 V2 owners think about this ?

Not much b/c the V2 is in a nice comfortable class of its own. I my consider the bullet for one for next year. Lets see if they make any refinements to it in the next few months. I would like to also give this one some time to see what the end users think of it.

[PonoBill]

the bullet looks like a bit of a handful. might be good for moose's like me.

[DavidJohn]

I think comparing the Bullet with the F16 is a bit like comparing the Naish 17 and the 14.. (in shape and performance).

DJ

[warped]

surprised not much more comments about the bullet.  What do the new F16 V2 owners think about this ?

The Bullet is not meant to be an upgrade or newer version of the F16v2.  They're two different boards designed with two different purposes in mind.

[SSE]

Two different purpose? I thought both were for rough and channel crossing type conditions.

MTA - I guess the bullet is for more sloppy water. Must be nice to be able to choose which board to take on race day.

[DavidJohn]

Two different purpose? I thought both were for rough and channel crossing type conditions.

Like Mark says.. The F16 is more suited for going straight down wind in more perfect DW conditions.

The Bullet would be not quite as good in these conditions.. IMO.. but it would be a better board in not-so-perfect DW conditions where you don't have as much wind or not going in the same direction as the swells.

It's the same thing with the Naish 14 vs the 17.. IMO

DJ

[lazymodo]

I got to use that bullet (the red one) in the maliko race and an f 16 in the molokai, and in my limited experience it makes sense. i wish i had used them the other way around; bullet molokai,f 16 maliko.
 i got my ass handed to me at maliko on that board. very flat, very fast and much more sensitive than the F16 . i could instantly feel the width difference. I was able to make up a bit of the time i spent swimming down the coast when i could get it up to speed by just paddle power. I must also point out that these were my first runs in Hawaiin waters but i know the F 16 well and i could see that longer water line and lower rocker of the bullet angling along swells(kaiwi) better than dropping strait in(maliko). thats where the F16's rocker really shines. In the Channel it seemed like my best glides were along the faces of bumps going right ,towards oahu and i bet that bullet would have gone that much better than the F 16.
I think they are very similar as far as purpose and style of craft goes.it would be more like choosing between a high performance long board and a flat old style log, same job, just a differnet approach for slightly different conditions. they will both work, but one will perform better than the other in a given set of conditions and vis versa.

[1paddle2paddle]

surprised not much more comments about the bullet.  What do the new F16 V2 owners think about this ?

I don't own a V2 but with the 20 footer the boards are starting to look more and more like surfskis (and almost as long).  Its a lot of board, and it would require a strong paddler to be able to handle it.

[wadadli_waterman]

Ohhhh man.  I want the Bullet!

To me the Bullet looks like a natural progression from the F16 if you wanna go as fast as you can (with a higher average speed) over the full length of a run.  I think the fastest down wind SUB designs have got to marry some of the aspects of the fastest prone paddleboards if you want fastest runs from start to finish.  Its just always a compromise between speed and stability.  Stability being much more important on a SUB.

It looks like with the Bullet SIC has found (or is getting closer) to the ultimate downwind racer disign.  I have been on the F16 v1 for the last two years and never thought the board could use more nose rocker.  Early on I used to be too quick to stand back and not let the nose poke but now I have learned that in many situations driving it through and then shooting out into the next trough results in the best (longest) runners I have ever had.  So with this new technique a lesser rockered nose with a "neutral" characteristic (no side to side sheering [which incidentally the v1 is pretty good at]) seems like the next step in the progression.

Same goes for the back end of the F16.  I find it gets sticky in less than ideal (plus 15 knots) conditions with its hard rails and minimal tuck.  Even when these boards are planing they arent doing 20 knots.  I think the hard edged rails are a bit overkill, so the Bullet's more rounded rails back aft (and flatter rocker) will sustain that glide for longer as the board slows down again.

Yeah, the Bullet is slightly narrower and along with the more rounded rails its gonna be less stable so its gonna feel more tippy but if you want more speed your gonna have to go in that direction.

I notice Livio has been riding a Bullet like or inspired shape in the videos for a long time, and in appreantly ideal straight down wind conditions too.  So to me the Bullet is more significant than just another board for another very specific condition.

Its gonna be a mission, but I wanna get one  

[Pureadrenalin]

Hey waterman,

I think what your looking for is a Naish 17' because that is what you just explained. Not to mention the naish is about 1000. Bucks cheaper and a foam core.

[Scotty Mac]

naish 17 is a great board except for the weight. its a full race shape in a durable shell. too durable thats all, wish is was 3kg lighter.

[1paddle2paddle]

naish 17 is a great board except for the weight. its a full race shape in a durable shell. too durable thats all, wish is was 3kg lighter.

Ditto.  The 17 is a bit of a handful but since Danny Ching won the BOP on it I can't criticize the board for my slow times...