NSP 14' Downwind VS. SIC V2

Hey all.... I'm looking for input and comparisons between the 14' NSP Open Ocean downwind board and the SIC Bullet V2. I bought a V2 late fall and had a few good DW runs with it. Mostly 5 mile long, inland lake runs, where conditions were really lined up. Also 2 on Lake Michigan that were in late December. Those were a lot more challenging to me, as I struggled a bit to stay on the board. Lake Michigan is always so choppy for our DW runs.
I have liked the NSP boards, but no one carries them in my area. I am wondering I'd anyone here has experience on both of those boards? Are their handling characteristics similar? Or TOTALLY different? How do they compare on flat water as well as choppy water?
My "go to" board has been an SIC F14 for nearly 2 years. The Bullet V2 was just a good deal I couldn't pass up. I am wondering if the NSP may be a bit faster than the F14, without giving up too much stability?

Thanks.

Me: 6'4" tall and 225lbs.

Hi mate you might want to clarify whether you are after more speed or stability.

I had my first paddle on the V2 yesterday out to Middle head, fairly choppy without much wind, a bit of a swell running. Very confused chop with the swell bouncing off the cliffs so you literally have chop running both ways in some parts. Board felt great. Looking forward to some windy days to try downwinding on it.

If you are going to keep the F14 for big conditions (good idea), then you might want to consider the Bark Downwinder for smaller ones. It is a bit more stable than the Bullet V2 and is faster in flat water.

Another board to consider would be the All Star 14x28. Or maybe the Naish Glide 14x29.

and I got to touch Shires brand new V2 today, I might have even rubbed it inappropriately for a little while. I am a recent SIC guy and have the 12'6 Bullet 2 and paddled the 14 V2 today, absolutely outstanding board when it was super ****ty conditions. I now really want a lined up DW day to do a couple of runs on one.

I haven't checked out the new NSP yet, but given that it's narrower, lighter, and has a nose shape that works better upwind, I don't see why it wouldn't be faster than the F-14 on flat water, and it would still obviously be really capable in DW/choppy conditions. The areas where I prefer the more rounded/boofy hull shape compared to standard planing hulls is definitely upwind, and this design lends itself well to being stable in quartering swell and cross chop. A lot of it comes down to personal preference in rough conditions as some just don't like the higher volume nose shape for downwind and some love it. For upwind, I really think it's the higher volume hull shape up front that wins hands down compared to the slap happy planing hulls.

Sounds like you have the rough conditions covered though, and I agree with a suggestion like the Bark Downwinder as a faster flat water shape. The name is a misnomer as the Downwinder really is more of an all conditions shape than a core DW board, and it will definitely be quicker than a standard planing shape on flatwater without giving up a lot of stability. The Allstar 14 X 27 or 28 would work well for your size, with the 27" still being DW capable but a bit more suited to flatwater than the 28. Both are highly rated as being really stable and capable in all conditions.

6-8 ft? So the bumps were well over head high? The V2 isn't really designed for those conditions. You want the V1 in conditions that big. Few boards are designed for bumps that big, which normally happen in the ocean.

I doubt that the NSP would be the answer. I've never paddled one, but I understand that they tend to have a slightly rolled bottom. This tends to make a board feel a bit unstable for it's width, and tends to be preferred by people with good balance.

In the conditions you describe I tend to use a Coreban Dart. Plenty of rocker and super stable. I've got the very light all carbon one that they don't make any more. But their carbon-Kevlar is still pretty light, and makes downwinding in big conditions about as easy as it can be. It isn't as fast as a Bullet V1 below 30 knots, but it really comes into it's own above that wind speed in messy stuff and bumps over waist-high.

But in general, and I hope you don't mind me saying this, it sounds like you might just need a bit more experience. You've got two great boards there, and if you are comfortable on the F14 in big stuff then use that then. And use the V2 for smaller stuff. For medium-size downwind (bumps thigh to waist high, and wind up to 30, with short period swell like tends to happen inland, a Bullet V1 is a much better choice for most people. Ocean race-boards are fast if you have the skills to use them, but tend to be more technical to use than dedicated downwind boards. It takes a long time to build up good downwind skills. I've been doing it now for 5 or 6 years, living in a very windy place that allows a lot of practice, and yet I still regard myself as essentially a beginner. So stick at it. It's a hard thing to do well unless conditions are small and perfect, and it is physically very demanding. If you want to go fast, it's by far the most physically demanding of all the various SUP activities you can do, and regularly reduces highly competent flat water specialist racers to their knees well inside one hour.

Well, that just goes to show how subjective stability is, I guess. My friend, who is a little heavier than me, finds his Bark Downwinder more stable than my Bullet V2, and I use my Vapor in bigger, not smaller, conditions than my Bullet V2. I prefer the V1 to the V2 unless it's really quite small. I find the Bark Downwinder is faster upwind than the V2, and in flat water, but there is little doubt that for me it doesn't get on a plane as well as the V2 downwind. But a friend of mine who is quite a bit bigger than me tried the Bark Downwinder in downbreeze conditions and found it faster than his Naish Glide Mk2, which really surprised me - I was faster on the Naish. The interaction between person, board and conditions is a complex one for sure.

^ interesting

Can you describe the 14' x25 and x26 bottoms and their ride?

Congrats - It will be great to hear your views. It could be just the board you want. The Bullet V2 does have a low volume tail, so heavier riders will need to be quite precise with their footwork.

I think for most people and most conditions, a rudder is more trouble than it's worth on a 14.

The 14' DW board is on the left. Just got delivered yesterday. Hoping to try it out this week.

I don't have a scale to weigh it on, but I'll try to find one. It feels slightly heavier than the V2.
I went out with a friend who was on a Bark Vapor 14', we switched boards and he said he could not believe how fast the NSP DC felt for a DW board. I am not a speed paddler, but i held my own against him, which surprised me.
Looks like we're going to have some DW conditions this weekend. Hopefully it come true. They're calling for 15-25mph winds from the south, which works pretty well for us.