Jonathan put his new Starboard K15 into the water today for the first time and Paul had his Starboard 12'6" Pin.. They looked like twins.
Here's my pictures.
DJ
Jonathan's new this, Jonathan's new that!
DJ, you keep posting SB pix and people will start to think you've changed teams!
Looks FAST but sooooooooo different to the Surf Race.
edit....after having another look it looks wide through the middle, from the bottom shot.
Could have something to do with the camera angle.
Thanks DJ, so nice to be able to "delegate" forum photo responsibility to the "master"!
Well the K15 sure is different to the Surf Race and a beautiful smooth cruiser, similar in some ways to the Penetrator but way way more stable and much more directionally stable with the fin way back. The fin I put in is just a little bigger than the super fine little pointer that came with the board, it's actually the alternative fixed fin that came with the F14 and seems perfect in the K15 so far. The board certainly feels big, I'm sure for my weight a 27" or 28" version would have been fine if such a thing existed but it is nice - particularly in winter to just be able to relax and cruise.
It has this feeling when you paddle it that there is no "top end" speed, like the faster you paddle the faster it will go. It has the same press on the rail to steer effect that the Pin and the Penetrator had - that is depress left rail go right, but because it is so stable you need to focus more on retaining the tilt of the board to effectively steer it.
The deck is so sunken it's amazing, I'm guessing that I'm only standing about a cm off the water
Dave and I paddled upwind for an hour last night then did a very gentle down-winder on tiny tiny waves, very tricky to catch but every so often I got a little insight into how good it's going to be for light wind down-winders. Two awesome new boards in a row....feeling very spoilt right now!
Carl Barron, certainly makes a pleasant change to Paul Kelly, always felt bad about that one because I'm such a crap singer
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looks quick jc. that deck is deep inside all right, just wonder where the oar mounts are.
just kidding. must get on one of these recessed deck boards to feel the difference with stability
cheers
Don't worry Lacey, had a friend call around last night when it was still on the van - he asked if I was still doing stand-up!!
.. It's getting harder to bluff the authorities who want to make us wear PFD's by saying.. It's just a surfboard..
I wonder how long before Jonathan gets one of these new Starboard foot-spa boards..
DJ
Hey Johnathon I'll organise a battery and pump so you can fire up the floating spa during the downwinders. (wifes idea)
Is the splash guard optional? Looks like an afterthought perhaps to handle rougher conditions. I imagine in some half frozen lake in Sweden they probably choose to leave it off. It is just E.V.A?
Love the venturi drains in the bottom. That's Ski, Kayak, OC1 tech coming into play.
Is it just me or does anyone else think this is more like Stand Up Paddle Canoeing.. Dont get me wrong im sure its great for what ever its designed for but 
Sorry excuse the negativity.. Is this a flat water board ??? Cant see it being great in open water..
Belly
How much does it weigh ?
Have you tested it to see how quickly it empties a known quantity of water from the foot well, lets say 20lt.
I had a go yesterday, thanks JC, it was awesome!
I reckon from my estimates, it weighs about 15-16kgs.
Mick
Forgive my negativity too ... but I would get pissed off paddling in a couple of sandy puddles. Hopefully the venturi drains can suck out the water and sand that would accumulate in the foot wells.
Sups started out looking like enlarged surfboards, but a few years on the newer funkier models are looking more like canoes. I remember I used to giggle at JohnDavid when he would paddle his canoe like a sup. Something in the pics just doesn't resonate with me.
Let me put it this way - it's like a silent lawnmower. Lawnmowers all make a lot of noise - they have to cause they are used mainly by males to control the wilderness. Silent lawnmowers don't sell.
I can't see this board being a big seller.
Interesting to see that video of the New, both the K15 and the Surf Race have sunken decks but you are never standing in water like the New. Must admit that doesn't look too appealing, particularly if the water was cold. I found there was a little bit of water in the back of the K15 as I was paddling it but just nothing where I was standing. Even with a full on wave coming over the bow the water is just gone before you notice it, the little raised foam section around the sunken section is very effective at stopping a lot of the water washing in too. Bit suss about how the foam will survive roof rack and straps, time will tell, probably end up making a big foam block to sit inside to protect the foam on the racks.
It will be really interesting to do back to back tests with the K15 and the Surf Race and the Javelin and the 17 Glide, swapping paddlers and trying to be as scientific as we can.
Pretty sure the flat water speedsters will be the Javelin and the K15, nice thing about the K15 so far is the stability - so relaxing and you can really focus on putting the power in without worrying about falling off. Would be awesome for distance river or open water cruising with a dry bag in front of your feet.
To be honest.. that vid was his first ever paddle on the new "New" Starboard and he had his feet tight against the drain holes in the standing area.
When he noticed the water build up around his feet he moved them slightly away from the holes and 90% of the water drained away.
But still.. it's a funny looking boat.. I mean board..
DJ
Johnathon you were saying you feel like your standing level with the water. Are you going to shorten your paddle length or is it not that noticable?
I'm just off to pick up my new K15 in about 30 minutes, here in the uk they seem to win all the flat water races.
Hi Luke, yes that is what I meant about being level with the water, when I'm on the board and look down into the drains the water level is about 1cm below the deck level! I'm on a bit of a "long paddle thing" right now so I actually quite like it. Got a new Kialoa Pipes when I was on Maui and cut it 16" over my height but I was using it with thick downwind boards, it makes such a huge difference to your reach forward and I think really helps you catch runners. So my current paddle length of 13" overhead actually feels fine in the K15
