2016 Downwind Board Test

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Macaha said..

Hawaiiheke said..

magillamelb said..

Hawaiiheke said..
So the conclusion is that different boards work for different people in different locations and/or different conditions?

You've nailed it bro!

Yeah man!! Like a hammer! ..............but perhaps depending on the type of material being nailed and type of nail though I guess?

Liquid Nails perhaps

Liquid Nails - AKA No More Skills...

I have been paddling for 8 years and place myself as above average downwind paddler and have a quiver of eight boards ranging from two Naish Javelins LE's (23 inch and 26 inch), SIC's, Barks and a beginner training board (surftech coast runner). I paddle on Puget Sound 3-5 days a week and Hood River in the summer. I find the SIC V2 as a fun board. Not the fastest but has a surfy feel to it as Area 10 mentioned. For side chop in the downwind direction, it catches bumps easily. On really big days on the sound (40knot to 50knot winds) the SIC V2 works fine (however requires a lot of walking). Since there are not many reviews available on SUP boards, I think Big Winds has done a decent job. I am looking forward to the detailed results. To make a great test, having various skill levels and size of testers providing comments on each board would hit a broader range of folks. I believe DJ did something similar to that on flat water boards several years ago.

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Bing said..
I have been paddling for 8 years and place myself as above average downwind paddler and have a quiver of eight boards ranging from two Naish Javelins LE's (23 inch and 26 inch), SIC's, Barks and a beginner training board (surftech coast runner). I paddle on Puget Sound 3-5 days a week and Hood River in the summer. I find the SIC V2 as a fun board. Not the fastest but has a surfy feel to it as Area 10 mentioned. For side chop in the downwind direction, it catches bumps easily. On really big days on the sound (40knot to 50knot winds) the SIC V2 works fine (however requires a lot of walking). Since there are not many reviews available on SUP boards, I think Big Winds has done a decent job. I am looking forward to the detailed results. To make a great test, having various skill levels and size of testers providing comments on each board would hit a broader range of folks. I believe DJ did something similar to that on flat water boards several years ago.

I completly agree with your evaluation of the v2. For myself I would love a 25'-26' wide version

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2222222 said... I love the ACE too and absolutely hated the Bark Vapour everytime I used it as did the other guys who paddled it.

Wow - you are clearly someone who has very definite opinions about boards. I own both the Ace and the Vapor, and like them both for different things. Taking the Ace out in the bigger downwind conditions we have here would be pretty much irresponsible unless (and perhaps even if) you are one of the world's best paddlers. It is a lot of fun in smaller stuff though, as long as your balance is good. The Vapor works in just about anything round here and is very fast and makes life surprisingly easy for a 26" wide board.

What didn't you like about the Vapor? I'm actually dumbfounded by your statement. It's such a friendly board, and if you like the SIC V2 so much, I'm surprised you didn't like the Vapor because the two of them share a lot of similarities. The only thing I don't like about the Vapor as a downwind/choppy ocean board is that it is heavier than eg. the SIC. But then again it is MUCH cheaper.

Whatever, I think this pretty much confirms exactly the point I was making earlier about different boards working in different locations. Where I live, the Ace is definitely a very acquired taste. Some people (mainly serious racers) swear by it, but many absolutely loathe it. Whereas the Vapor has been liked by everyone who has tried it here. So this is the exact OPPPOSITE of the opinions of you and your friends. Maybe you paddle mainly mild chop and do downbreezers rather than full-on downwinders?

It really is extraordinary that when it comes to downwind boards, different people can have such wildly differing views.

Demo, demo, demo...

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Area10 said...

excav8ter said...
Does anyone notice that the Riviera DW board is not mentioned here very often? Or am I just missing the posts abut it?

I didn't even know they did one. Is it in this video?

I think people tend to discuss boards that are available to them. We don't see Riviera much here in Europe. Do they have a big presence in Australia?

Yeah, it's the green one that Taylor Rambo is paddling.

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Hawaiiheke said..

so funny and so real!

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Area10 said...
Yeah. I can't imagine anyone on this forum saying "X board is the best surf SUP". Best in what way? Best longboard? Best shortboard? Best for beach breaks, or for point breaks, or for Waikkiki, for Mavericks, best at turning or best for speed down the line, best for a 250lb guy or for a 100lb girl etc etc?

The factors and variables at work for "downwind surfing" as Jeremy Riggs calls it, are no less complex than for surfing. Maybe they are even more so. So it makes little sense to expect one board to be the best for everyone in all conditions. It would be nice if life was that simple. But it isn't.

Well said Area.

Yes, couple of stats errors I spotted too. The wrong width on the V2 and on the Allstars one of the rides says he would stick with the 27 when he means the 25 wide as that is the one he tested.

one the of the earlier vids showed the Allstar and FX in the water....with FX having more rocker nose and tail.

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fishetc said...
guess nobody likes the orange board?

More likely that no-one here knows anything about it. They were very positive about it at Big Winds.

I love my 2015 V2
www.facebook.com/nielsloenborg/videos/10154042050460185/