Just get yourself an AST 14' Naish Glide.. and you can thank me later..

DJ

Mate, there are plenty of other choices out there other than these.

Where are you located as this could help determine what might be best for you? The Australian shapers are making really good DW boards at the moment so you do not have to buy something that's imported.

Another thing to consider is what you think you will be getting into. Do you want to do close inshore downwinders or deeper offshore ones? Are you a racer or more of a cruiser?

Try demo a few brands and check out what's available 2nd hand first.

mikeman said...

Mate, there are plenty of other choices out there other than these.

Where are you located as this could help determine what might be best for you? The Australian shapers are making really good DW boards at the moment so you do not have to buy something that's imported.

Another thing to consider is what you think you will be getting into. Do you want to do close inshore downwinders or deeper offshore ones? Are you a racer or more of a cruiser?

Try demo a few brands and check out what's available 2nd hand first.

Mate
There's a few good boards out there but the Naish are good and awesome durabilty and they are try'd and tested shapes that work they are not proto types and they hold there value very well if you decide to up grade down the track. At the salt water event Naish filled most of the top places. Mikes right on one point get a board for what you want to do. Naish have a good range SIC are about to bring out some very good boards at very good prices and all these boards are TRY'D and TESTED.
Jacko
and yes i am sponsored by naish.

The 17 is good as well and fast with the wind behind it it also has a rudder but it is a big board and a bit harder to get around the place but if you have the room and dont mind lugging around a big board i would go for it.

The 14 is a great DW board its fast and easy, as its very hard to put the nose under water so more time to enjoy the paddle..

Both great boards

What about JL they are in margret river and do some race boards dont they??

Hi Mark

Every comment above is spot on.

From a WA perspective and in your region you should contact Courtney Gray (AKA Courts) at SUP Surf Australia. They are the WA agents for Jimmy Lewis and the 12'6 Albatross is a great board for South West Conditions and what you are looking for.

If you come up to Perth the guys at Auswind have a good selection of Starboard, Naish and PSH (Paddle Surf Hawaii). I would recommend the Starboard Cruiser or Naish 12 glide.

Scarborough Longboards also do Naish and some other brands as well.


Disclaimer - no affiliations whatsoever with any boards or shops.

dtm said...

hey guys what would be the best down winder for ocean stuff no flatwater paddling just open ocean in the 12 to 12'6" range any help would be great as i dont wanna be steered towards a flat water board and be spewing
cheers

Just got the 14 glide very happy as a downwinder. Best proddy one about IMHO. Bellies DC16 looks good for ruddered board his JL Albatross honks along downwind as well

The 14 Glide does have versatility. Quite fast on flat water, great downwinder, and it actually a nice board to surf in small waves, and even handles head high waves without fuss (*).

* it probably helps if you are already a competent surfer, and you understand the boards limitations - message me if you like, and I can explain over the phone how to ride it in surf, if you are interested... the do's and don'ts !!! But Skype would be even better, with the help of the hands during conversation !! I'm on skype...

dtm said...

hey guys what would be the best down winder for ocean stuff no flatwater paddling just open ocean in the 12 to 12'6" range any help would be great as i dont wanna be steered towards a flat water board and be spewing
cheers

i got a look at the new starboard surf. very impressive and would have to be the bench mark in the 12'6 bop /moderate conditions style class board and would love to try one. having said that, i don't understand why any body would willing paddle a 12'6 board out in the ocean
cheers

well guys 12'6" for me is a big board i have many reasons for this size
1. my normal board is 8'8" and could go shorter its also super thin under 100litres
as i weight in around 71 to 74 kgs and 5'6" tall
2. storage is an issue with boards over 12'6" as i rent
3. sydney paddle club limit is 12'6" for there races not that i really care about that as i will never compete with the likes of sam with an bung elbow that i cant straighten.
so is the glide a down wind specific design? or is it more of an all rounder? flatwater?

dtm said...

so is the glide a down wind specific design? or is it more of an all rounder? flatwater?

My 2c worth? Both the 12' and 14' Glides are downwinders with some very good all rounder capabilities. But there are many faster and better options for flat water.

Hey DTM,

Come steel my DC for a bit. Fast but also surfs nice when it's big, full and fun.

Sam.

Sam has a Naish glide 12 (an all white one - AST ?)

If it's all white including the rails and on the bottom but with a little wooden tip on the bow, then that's the lightweight carbon wood construction. The cheaper AST version has a yellow bottom and rails.

dtm said...

hey guys what would be the best down winder for ocean stuff no flatwater paddling just open ocean in the 12 to 12'6" range any help would be great as i dont wanna be steered towards a flat water board and be spewing
cheers

The 12'0" PSH goes unreal in a downwinder - so stable and surfs runners really well. Not the fastest in that class but maybe the most fun (becuase it's so easy to stay upright on).

If you are looking for something with a little more speed, the DC 12'6" is a great option. A lot trickier to balanace on when it's bumpy but I'm calling it the fastest ocean going board in the 12'6" class.

mikeman said...

Casso said...

dtm said...

hey guys what would be the best down winder for ocean stuff no flatwater paddling just open ocean in the 12 to 12'6" range any help would be great as i dont wanna be steered towards a flat water board and be spewing
cheers

The 12'0" PSH goes unreal in a downwinder - so stable and surfs runners really well. Not the fastest in that class but maybe the most fun (becuase it's so easy to stay upright on).

If you are looking for something with a little more speed, the DC 12'6" is a great option. A lot trickier to balanace on when it's bumpy but I'm calling it the fastest ocean going board in the 12'6" class.

You need to remember that the DC boards can either be built for additional stability, whether DC12'6", DC14, DC16 or DC17. The DC12'6" that Casso has is a little more unstable than other boards.

Another example is Lacey's DC14 (the Rocket) - it is very quick but also rather unstable. It is more designed for flatter water than rougher waters. My new DC14 (the Orange) is both very quick and very stable as it was designed for very long ocean paddles. Being custom designed they can be made to suit the users requirements.

i did a paddle from the alley to greenmount and back today.i've got a good fin right back in the slot and as an experiment we put some 30mm footwells in the board which has made a difference. it still easy to surf in on- not the trouble i thought it might be with the foot wells. yes, it's a difficult board, but with this board you just about don't need wind, just some lumps and it will catch them. i use this board for training and light dw er's,so when i get on just about any other board it's going to be easy. train on a hard board, race on an easy one. paddling this board in the ocean is teaching me new things every time
cheers

dtm said...

yeah the dc sounds good .
lacey how many boards do u have mate? enough so u can train on one board and race on another? lucky guy! Im just after one down winder and struggle to get that as ive already got me two 8'8" now ,

hi, i 've got a 14' flatwater/ light down winder and a 17' er being made. the main part is out of the machine and the tail gets machined on monday- the foam gets joined. looks amazing, the dihedral is at the nose is 8' deep, but the main standing part will be about 51/4.it's the same breed of board as the rocket, the mango, mikes new board and casso's, but at 17'. also should be reasonably stable. this board is pretty exiting and dale has decided to do one for himself for the 100k paddle. so yeah, i will have 2 dw boards that will just about cover anything i will be doing
any, back to the topic
cheers