I am looking around for help in purchasing my 1st downwinder board for Perth area. I know zero about SUP's above 9 ft in length so need a little help.

weight 87 kg,
only for the ocean,
no plans to race at this point,
need a little nose rocker and width I guess.

Been looking at picking up a 2013 Naish, Fanatic, JM etc

Any help greatly received

Thanks

phil

I'd be choosing between the 2013 Glide and the SIC 14.

Also concider the new 2014 fanatic and NSP/DC boards.

DJ

the gerry lopez surftech 14'er. has got the litres and stability that anyone would need and flies dw ing. i put nearly 5 mins from the alley to currumbin against a mate on a 17'4 bullet in nice small bumps but low wind. and in good wind its even better- couldn't do that on any other 14 i've owned and i've had a few

hugely underrated board for some reason. i have the 14 and 12'6 versions and couldn't be happier. they are both 28' wide.



cheers

There's lots to like about The Lopez 14.

Whats the JM 14' NAVIGATOR SUP PRO-ELITE like , there's one knocking about here in Perth 2nd hand for $1500

Phil

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Rossall said..

Whats the JM 14' NAVIGATOR SUP PRO-ELITE like , there's one knocking about here in Perth 2nd hand for $1500

Phil

it's not a dw board, its a hybrid. displacement noses don't dw that well. you want the nose to float in the bump ahead. not drop into. they also have a tendancy to pearl because the nose tracks the board


displacement noses work well on skis and oc1 for dw ing because they are narrow enough to do it and they have rudders and are sitting down. no sup that some one can stand on will go through a bump - they are just to wide. sups effectively have to go over bumps

So I am guessing nose rocker is a must ?

Hi gents
I have a JM 14 and it is for sale.
I would disagree with the above to a certain extent, the board is a great downwinder but you need to be able to move up and down the board and surf the runners.
It takes practice but I have found the board fast and more than capable in a big breeze and JM does tend to win a few races on his own boards.

Try a few boards out and see how you go.

Cheers

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hoppy said..

Hi gents
I have a JM 14 and it is for sale.
I would disagree with the above to a certain extent, the board is a great downwinder but you need to be able to move up and down the board and surf the runners.
It takes practice but I have found the board fast and more than capable in a big breeze and JM does tend to win a few races on his own boards.

Try a few boards out and see how you go.

Cheers

jm wins races on it, but not many others.

if you look at what all the major brands are doing now- its not 'displacement noses' for dw ing or choppy water. give some are semi displacement, but most are going for bullish dishy noses for the reasons as i stated above. i understand you are selling a board, but for a pacific dw board its not the best fit

however jm is a very good all round board.

besides the gl, there's the new fanatics, the new dc's, the new naish glides sound good. and the lahui kai are very close to being the best all round board out there.

not sure about the new starbies- we haven't seen much

Hi Lacey ,
All good mate
Everybody enjoys something a little differently.
I have really enjoyed the JM as a downwind board and we will have to agree to disagree.
I am only selling as family is about to get a little larger and I prefer surf to downwinding
You are right though there is a lot of boards out there and I say try them them all to find your fit and price - $2000-3000 is a lot to pay for a first time down wind board.
Cheers

I could show you the SIC 17 & 14' bullets if you wanted but I'm pretty sure they aren't stocked in any shops in Perth. PM me if you want to. You would get a similar ride from a Lahui, Lopez, or Glide and a wide Allstar would be another option not mentioned yet. A 12'6" bullet I tried in Sydney was fun off the beach too.

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Snowie said..

I could show you the SIC 17 & 14' bullets if you wanted but I'm pretty sure they aren't stocked in any shops in Perth. PM me if you want to. You would get a similar ride from a Lahui, Lopez, or Glide and a wide Allstar would be another option not mentioned yet. A 12'6" bullet I tried in Sydney was fun off the beach too.

yes the bullets too. 14 bullet would be a reasonably priced option. i was really impressed with the 12'6 bullet until i did a big run on one. when you have to stand back they are really narrow and get tippy. that was a hard day granted. they do surf really well. the 17'4 on its day is unbelievably good, but its a bit hit and miss in our conditions. as for the all star i don't think they filled expectations and lots of them for sale. interested to see how the 2014 models go. hoppy all good.

cheers

La

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laceys lane said..

hoppy said..

Hi gents
I have a JM 14 and it is for sale.
I would disagree with the above to a certain extent, the board is a great downwinder but you need to be able to move up and down the board and surf the runners.
It takes practice but I have found the board fast and more than capable in a big breeze and JM does tend to win a few races on his own boards.

Try a few boards out and see how you go.

Cheers

jm wins races on it, but not many others.

if you look at what all the major brands are doing now- its not 'displacement noses' for dw ing or choppy water. give some are semi displacement, but most are going for bullish dishy noses for the reasons as i stated above. i understand you are selling a board, but for a pacific dw board its not the best fit

however jm is a very good all round board.

besides the gl, there's the new fanatics, the new dc's, the new naish glides sound good. and the lahui kai are very close to being the best all round board out there.

not sure about the new starbies- we haven't seen much

Lacey,
Which Lahui Kai are you refering too? The 12'6" or the old 14' Orca?

the dvs designed mantra's. they've been sticking with this design for a while with on going fine tuning and is now internationally available through sup atx


i think i saw kelly post something about them being around $1500 with paddle. these boards work and as stated come close to being the best all rounder out there. fast in the flats. handles chop very well, choice bop board and dws very well too. one board quiver if your inclined that way.

theses are the crews bop race boards i believe

Look great any idea if they are available in WA

Also nose rocker looks flat compared to others out there, will they be really suitable as a ocean dw board

Phil

I am no expert in any way!!! I had the pleasure to own this same model for 12 months while learning to DW. I found it to be a good board for learning on as the width makes it reasonably stable. In moderate down wind conditions it performed well. The construction is also bullet proof which I found important as a learner. I'd have no hesitation in recommending this board to a learner. Yes there are better DW boards but this is a good compromise for a person starting out. In 90 percent of all DW conditions in Perth I found it ok as a beginner.

When you start wanting to tackle more extreme wind & swell combinations then that's when I would say the newer nose profiles allow a smoother transition to ride steep swells sideways. That said I did the Doctor race on it after 2 months practice and survived.

You would have to consider if you are in fact a beginner at this point anymore? If you could buy the latest design, light & the indestructible at the same price I think this would be an easy choice. Wind, 14 ft boards, rocks, paddles etc all take there toll on a board so durability could be you friend.

Hopefully that's a fair assessment of owning this board for 12 months as a beginner?

I have a DC now & you can't go wrong with these boards but it will cost you more $ and what it will look like in 12 months as a learner I don't know. I agree with Hoppy that price is a key factor and the other experts comments about design as well.

Hope that helps

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Rossall said..

Look great any idea if they are available in WA

Also nose rocker looks flat compared to others out there, will they be really suitable as a ocean dw board

Phil

if you look at one of the board to the top of the photo you will see the manta's actually hav a fair amount of rocker thrrough out. the reverse nose makes the boards seem flatter then it is.


i personally don't go of the theory of the noses going under the water, but this one is the cleanest thought water out of the lot