Has any body had a go on one of the racing sup,s like the c4 vortice or similar,just wanted to get an idea on how they would paddle compared to a normall 11 12 ft sup.

they look like they would fly , my 11.6 is o.k for distance but i wouldnt say it was fast.I could see myself having a large quiver just have to find the way of getting the doh!

I tried the Starboard 14'6 (ish) on Maui - had a speed race with John Hibbard to compare with the 12'6 for relative speed - it wasnt alot faster (we also swapped boards to validate the test) - definitely a small marginal increase in speed (and i mean small) for total sacrifice of surfing and ease ease of transport.

However this test was done in glass. I suspect in a following sea the 14'6 would pick up runs easier and run for longer - i think that is where you will see the speed advantage.

The 14'6 was a lot less stable.

The foot steering system on the 14'6 is cool - you can paddle on one side and compensate the offset with some use of the foot operated "steering wheel".

Looks like at this point these long racers are pretty specialised boards - i would encourage most people to stick with a Starboard (or similar - check the rocker - bent dont glide) 12'6 or 12'0 if they want glide, speed AND to be able to surf. I would say only the dedicated racer would go for one of these longer models - for the majority of the market - the 12'6 - 11'2 sizes have you covered.

JohnDavid said...


DJ, how do you post pics on to the forum?

John...I'll start another thread about how to post a pic because others might also like to know.

DJ

Yep they look fast and quite thin. Can you let us know some more of the specs and explain the rudder system?

That dongle thing at the back must have something to do with it

DC= Dale Chapman
They did look quite fast but to be fair the next 2 stand ups that finished the race were on 11,6 boards, i'm pretty sure. I think a lot has to do with the engine that's powering the boards there was a a couple of vortex boards and a couple of other 16footers that finished way back. Its all about paddling fast enough to stay on the runners as soon as you drop of that pace you won't get them.
Paul

Yer they are fast boards, They aren't the actual boards that won the race but are pretty much the same. I was on a 12ft Infront stand up and i beat both the guys on the C4 Vortices and came just behind another guy on a DC16.
It was pretty rough conditions but thats wat made it so fun

teatrea said...

i didnt know infront made stand up boards , i might have to look at them for my next board , what did you think about it!

Yer i thought i was great, it was the first time i used it and it was so fast.
I think they only made stand ups for racing. Just my guess cuz i havent seen a infront board being surfed before.

DJ ...... check the Stand Up section in the Photo Gallery. Ben Dover is carrying the board down on his shoulder ... it's the big orange one

For the guys and gals that competed ... they got 25 - 30 knots of south east / east wind .... getting out at Snapper swell was 4 - 6ft on an approaching low tide ..... absolutely huge sweep to the north which pretty much dragged everyone at least 500 metres down from the start line .... of the 70 odd starters 11 didn't even make it out through the break at Snapper without breaking equipment (total carnage) ...... then there was the paddle itself and getting in at one very sketchy Alley break .... saw one poor bugger come in at the Alley with his SUP but no paddle (lost it when he got massacred coming in), but it seems all that went had a fantastic time.

koka waterman we want to see the xp's!!!!
You are right, the engine is the main drive and we know that both them are at full speed all the time!
The red board is mine and unfortunately was not ready for the race...had no rudder system and did not want to damage it paddling out at $napper. Had to borrow a 12ft'r and time i got out was down past greenmount so just kept on paddling. Leaders caught me at the desal. rig and I was just behind the F16 at the finish. Good paddle and had fun!

heard next year will be a beach start.

DavidJohn, boards are 16ft x 27 3/4" wide, not sure about the thickness. They look thinner than what they are due to the angle of the pic.

alls good


paddle race at manly this weekend, limited to 12ft boards only. race is 3km sprint

I rode a virgin DC12 which is the blue board in the pic above with the C4 waterman 14ft Vortice and the C4 12ft holoholo. Thinking back i should've claimed 3rd spot in the stock but too honest....pity about the honesty of those who used a jetski to get them out thru snapper........

alls good

Hi lagoongarage and welcome to the Breeze....Can you tell me if Robert Teritehau is into SUP now.?

That sure is a nice looking board...and the 12'er looks pretty good also..(see my pic below)

We're still waiting for JB to fill us in on the new 12' Naish distance board.

Did any of you WA guys talk to JB about it?

DJ

ww1.barkocean.com

Thanks.

New Caledonia must be a great place for stand up paddling...Please post some pics if you can.

Just wondering..Are you from New Caledonia or France.?

You will have to let us know what those Joe Bark boards are like if you get to try one..

DJ

Hey guys, looks like there is a bit of interest in the Ocean going boards!
This is another branch of this sport which is going to have its own cult following. If you are addicted to SUPaddle surfing then this takes it to a whole new level.

For those in Sydney there is a 16' Laguna Bay Penetrator for Demo.
http://www.balmoralboards.com.au/templates/bal/page/page_standard.php?secID=352

This is the board that Woogee won the Noosa 22k SUP Marathon on, by about 9 mins!



They have less rocker than the Vortice and are very fast (and tippy) and are happy picking up ocean going swells.

Every time we take it out to do some distance we end up playing in the waves.
YOu can surf it quite easily in small waves - just don't expect any cutbacks
I can see myself taking it out to secluded point breaks on smaller days - its an absolute hoot!

Laguna Bay Penetrator. 16' x 26". RR $3000. S glass Epoxy with Carbon frame rails.


Chris DeB playing on the Penetrator in Noosa

Andrew Allen

Waterloo said...

As the racing scene is growing do we have an open class and a 12'6'' class?

If so, do the smaller distance boards really catch ocean/bay swells or is that just for the specialist 14-16 footers?

I would be interested in peoples opinions on boards in this 12'6'' range.

I currently have a Mistral Pacifico 11'4'' and *board 9'8'' fish as windsurfing/SUP crossover boards and are both fantastic for their intended purpose but am interested in some dedicated speed.

Mike

In most races its 12 ft and under and then a Open Class.

I raced a 12ft in the Honolua Stand Up race and u can pick up runners the whole time.

Even on the Naish 11'6 u can.

In a local surf mag Gold Coast Surf Dale Chapman talks about on runners his boards get up to 17km/h