Is it worth getting a 17 foot board for downwinding vers the 14 footers and if so what would be a good board to start with
Thanks in advance

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oldsup said..

Is it worth getting a 17 foot board for downwinding vers the 14 footers and if so what would be a good board to start with
Thanks in advance

Good question..

Depends on the conditions you paddle in....Maui yes, Cape Town no, Oz - don't know....

P

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PeterP said..

Depends on the conditions you paddle in....Maui yes, Cape Town no, Oz - don't know....

peterp
Small conditions compared to most one and a half meter swell with confused chop. Was thinking extra length and stability might make catching small swell easier?
Cheers

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oldsup said..

P

PeterP said..

Depends on the conditions you paddle in....Maui yes, Cape Town no, Oz - don't know....

peterp
Small conditions compared to most one and a half meter swell with confused chop. Was thinking extra length and stability might make catching small swell easier?
Cheers

Sometimes the small swell also comes with shorter period intervals between waves and the longer board can't actually fit in between the peaks. Best to ask an expert in your area about this. Guys like Laceys Lane, Downwinder, Mikeman and Dale Chapman have the most experience with Unlimited boards and downwinding in QLD.

I live on a large lake that gets some pretty decent wind. 20-25MPH is not uncommon. I have found that my 14' board is better than my 17'6 for the reason mentioned above. The smaller sized bumps I see ( 1-2ft) aren't far enough apart for the longer board. It ends up piercing the wave in front and slowing down. My friend William, noticed this too and had a 16' built, with more of a turned up nose, and he says it works really well. Great compromise between getting the extra length but not being too long. Not sure how this compares to your conditions.

The Naish 17 - it's pretty fun when you going flat out, and you jam the pointy nose into the back of the wave in front... You get back on the tail, and that long nose keeps you going straight, and sheds the water well... and lifts up quickly... But yes, 17 feet can be too long sometimes... But it's still plenty of fun!

14's are a great length...

But, one of the best DW runs I ever had, was on an older Fanatic 12'6 x 30 Carbon... Low flat rocker, and plenty of planing area... The sharp front end acts like a front fin, and provides "artificial nose rocker"... The nose tip is thin, and sort of gives you nose rocker...