Select to expand quote
SDCounty said..
I live in Carlsbad California. I am in a similar situation. Brian S lives and works in nearby Encinitas, SUPATX has a 10,000 sq.ft facility 20 miles from our home.... this is SUP race country here in San Diego. I demoed the 14x27.25 Lahui Kai Race board yesterday. I was quite impressed. And especially the rock solid feel and stability, particularly in the tail section. I tried a couple of buoy turns and was amazed at the rear stability the tail block offers.
There is a fair amount of nose rocker in the LK, which will do you well in the open ocean and perhaps be a small compromise in the flats.
The only other board I have demoed recently is the Hobie Apex 14x 27.50 The Hobie is lighter by lbs. With nothing other than feel, it seems a little faster. There are more inserts for BOP style handles on the sides than LK Race. In contrast, LK has forward inserts for a GoPro, Speed coach, or a leach. And yes, a few racers, including most notably Annabelle Anderson are forward positioning leaches now for easier removal in beach entry finish type races.
If I had to choose today I would buy LK race 14. Especially if your paddling will include open ocean and beach entry and exits. And as the Starboard Allstar was originally designed by Brian S you'd do yourself good by giving it a go as well. You'll pay less, at least here in the US for the LK and still have a triple carbon finish and about the same weight as the carbon All Star. The LK race is showing up a lot more at the local paddle spots and in races here in San Diego county all the time.
Hi, the Lahui Kai and the AllStar are on my shortlist for my next board, but I was wondering how you found the stability of the Hobie Apex? The Hobie R series are a pretty good bargain and still very light. Tough decision with so many good boards in this range.