I am not an elite paddler just Joe average at best so pretty much a laymans point of view.
I got my 1st coast run on the SIC Bullet 14 this morning at 183cm 6ft, 115kg,a short paddle, a 3ft shorey and 7000 of my closest holiday friends it was going to be an interesting exercise getting out.
1st thing I noticed was the handle in the 14 is in perfect balance, I know its a small thing but with 14ft of board its a nice change for it to be balanced.
The weight of the 14ft DCC was great and is easily handled in one hand again the handle is a big factor here. The 150m walk to the water was done with ease. The real test would of course be the lug up the ramp on the way back.
I wasn't confident enough to paddle straight out through the 3ft dumping break at low tide with all the kids around in case i lost the board so time to take a few on the head and walk it out. The handle again was a hugh factor I could easily control the board and stop it from broaching and taking people out. Have I said I love the handle!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Once out the back up to the feet, my experience on the SIC 17.4 bullet made me think this would be a walk in the park and that was only 26.25 wide but with 3 ft less board and 75-80l less volume it was more of a challenge. Once i got my head around it and found the sweet spot all was good and very comfortable but not as forgiving as the 17.4
Time to paddled the SIC 14 Bullet from the boat ramp down to the reef to catch a few ground swells on the way. The conditions were pretty flat with the occasional ground swell rolling under me and it paddle deceptively fast considering the rocker it even picked up a few swells that i really didn't see at first.
Now the test back through the break and the part then the part I hate walking up the ramp with a big board.Take into account there wasn't any wind, but frankly it was a walk in the park I was totally surprised.
Summary:
I fell in love with the handle for perfect balance,lifting, loading, transporting and controlling the board in the surf, even with a previous back issue its the shizz.
Stability was less than the 17.4 as you would expect, I would suggest the bigger board for bigger units especially in rough conditions.
The 14 is deceptively fast but as a bigger unit I missed the insane glide of the 17.4.
I want to take it out in some serious wind and see how it goes with my weight on a down winder.
Phill
