There's already been
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Laird-Puma-2 a bit
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/LairdPuma-Here-come-the-big-brands/ of talk
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/puma-sup/ about the Laird/PUMA board. Most wondered if it'd ever go into production or if it was just a marketing gimmick.

Now Surftech says it's getting a retail release in January 2012 as a limited-edition 14 footer.

...and it's priced at a mere $6,500 according to this video
bcove.me/x4j21wgc .

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Here's the boat that it's based on:

www.dubib.com/default.php
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I reckon it's pretty cool to see high end designs coming in to the sport. Even if 99% of paddlers can't afford the thing, it still pushes SUP racing forward. And it's not like this is the everyday board you'd leave on the roof of your car anyway, it's more of a collector's item.

But either way, is $6,500 too much for a SUP board?

Discuss.

I don't think you get the sail with it though

Scotty88 said...

If the Design is so fast then why did'nt Laird come up with it before he signed up. He is a such a pioneer in so many ways that I am sure if it was that good then he would have designed it beforehand.
It looks like they chopped a 28ft Sup in 1/2.
Then again, the winged keel looked a bit strange. Remember when the yanks 'lost' the America Cup in 83 ?

Who knows if it's even any good... but a world champion yacht designer is gonna have a different perspective than a surfer, no matter how good that surfer is.

Though if it was crap I don't reckon Surftech would've had the balls to sell it for $6.5k, so surely it's got something going for it (apart from the pure novelty value).

"Hamilton teamed with renowned boat designer Juan Kouyoumdjian (Juan K), of Juan Yacht Design, to create the unique SUP. The board features the same Volvo 70 boat hull design – both ergonomically and through the use of the same ultra-lightweight materials – seen in PUMA's Mar Mostro, the yacht set to compete in the nine-month around the world Volvo Ocean Race.

Juan K is the mastermind behind PUMA's Mar Mostro as well as the designer for the two previous winning Volvo Ocean Race boats – ABM-AMRO ONE and Ericsson 4. Kouyoumdijian is also the principal designer with Artemis Racing Team for the 34th America's Cup. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his passion for sailing inspired him to study naval architecture, and he earned a degree in yacht and in small craft design. Today, his company, Juan Yacht Design, based in Valencia, Spain, is composed of a multicultural team specialized in the design of high performance racing yachts."

DavidJohn said...

Any pics of the bottom yet.. I heard it's a twin fin.

DJ

No pics, but that makes sense - I know nothing about yachts, but the one it's based on kinda looks like it's got a twin fin...



Here's the closest thing to seeing the bottom:

Till he starts winning races on it, its overpriced ****......

Tux said...

Till he starts winning races on it, its overpriced ****......

Here's a bit on performance...

"The result has been a performance board that looks as fanciful as its monstrous octopus paint job. One expert found it fast and maneuverable in flat water. Laird said that until it is tested in open water and waves, it is impossible to know whether it is heavy enough to perform well in endurance events."

Doesn't sound like Laird even knows

You can demo them at each of the Volvo Ocean Racing ports
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_Volvo_Ocean_Race . No stops in Australia though :-/

Billy Hamilton helped Laird choose the colours too.
www.billhamiltonsurfboards.com

supanimal said...

Laird is in it all huh ?

A Surftech Bark / Laird combo looking like a Laird tweaked 'Dominator'.

Came across it yesterday - that's Joe with him in the shot.

chrisparker said...
...is $6,500 too much for a SUP board?

Discuss.

still about half the price of a high-end Colnago?

just sayin'

13000 grand for the whole board,just got to get the other half out off cash converters first

k4s said...
Are the real good SUPers out there on a plane while paddling without the aid of a wave

No, humans can't do it. Planing speeds can only be achieved by the aid of a wave, or a sail, or a motor etc.

IMO, it's a fancy trophy for rich people, not a serious racing board. I can't begin to imagine how a person would turn that... thing.

I'm glad to hear of the super light technology, hope it trickles down to us commoners someday.

When does form not follow function?
When the marketing department is calling the shots!

What ever way you look at this so good will come out of it , some serious R&D $$'s have been sunk into the design. Yatchs do sail flat going down wind and this is what this board is all about .Agree on the drag with 2 fins but this might help the paddler transfer all his energy to the paddle and not to the legs to keep the board flat and maintain speed. The cant on the 2 fins may push the water to the centre of the board producing extra lift in the tail and negating the drag effect ...???

Plenty of race boards have been built too narrow sucking the life out of the paddlers to stay upright.