Hi,
I'm 6'6 tall and weigh 106kg's. I currently ride a Bic tracer 14 x 28 mostly on flat but also chop on windy days.
I find it very stable and easy to ride although side chop is a handful.
I'm now looking to upgrade to either a Starboard Allstar 14 x 26 or an Infinity Downtown flat deck 14 x 25.
Just wondering at my height and weight will either of these boards be too narrow and if anyone has tried both, which one is more stable.
Also looking to downwind with it.
Any advice much appreciated.

14x26 all-star, best size I recomend as a all water board at your weight

Thanks Foam,
I've read some reviews that claim the 2018 14x26 is more stable than the 2017 14x27 or 28
can anyone back this up?

Select to expand quote

Balou said..
Thanks Foam,
I've read some reviews that claim the 2018 14x26 is more stable than the 2017 14x27 or 28
can anyone back this up?

A friend that had both did not think so and preferred his 2017 27" to the 2018 26". He really hates the high sides of the 2018 and did not not find it any faster. He is now trying to sell it to get a SIC RS or Naish Maliko instead.

I've been reading the reviews on the SIC RS, I reckon they might be worth a closer look.
I haven't got any feedback on the Infinity Downtown, I think its a new model so doesn't look like anyone has tried it out yet.

Select to expand quote

LucBenac said..

Balou said..
Thanks Foam,
I've read some reviews that claim the 2018 14x26 is more stable than the 2017 14x27 or 28
can anyone back this up?

A friend that had both did not think so and preferred his 2017 27" to the 2018 26". He really hates the high sides of the 2018 and did not not find it any faster. He is now trying to sell it to get a SIC RS or Naish Maliko instead.

Select to expand quote

Balou said..
I've been reading the reviews on the SIC RS, I reckon they might be worth a closer look.
I haven't got any feedback on the Infinity Downtown, I think its a new model so doesn't look like anyone has tried it out yet.

LucBenac said..

Balou said..
Thanks Foam,
I've read some reviews that claim the 2018 14x26 is more stable than the 2017 14x27 or 28
can anyone back this up?

A friend that had both did not think so and preferred his 2017 27" to the 2018 26". He really hates the high sides of the 2018 and did not not find it any faster. He is now trying to sell it to get a SIC RS or Naish Maliko instead.

Demo a RS for sure. They are extremely stable and very pleasant to use - as well as fast, of course. It was SUPConnect raceboard of the year for good reason.

Select to expand quote

Balou said..
Hi,
I'm 6'6 tall and weigh 106kg's. I currently ride a Bic tracer 14 x 28 mostly on flat but also chop on windy days.
I find it very stable and easy to ride although side chop is a handful.
I'm now looking to upgrade to either a Starboard Allstar 14 x 26 or an Infinity Downtown flat deck 14 x 25.
Just wondering at my height and weight will either of these boards be too narrow and if anyone has tried both, which one is more stable.
Also looking to downwind with it.
Any advice much appreciated.

I haven't tried one, but the narrow tail and width of the Downtown will probably make it quite a bit less stable than the All Star. I didn't find the Blackfish 14x25 particularly stable in chop, and that is likely to be more stable than the Downtown, I should think.

The Infinity boards are however better built than the Starboard ones, IMO.

At your size I'd be looking at a 14x27 Infinity.

Although, really, a guy your size should be on an UL board. Big guys need big boards, and 14ft boards are best for medium sized people, really, and will often hold back a big guy. At your weight and size you'll probably never win a race on a 14. If you don't race, then IMO get an Unlimited board - you'll enjoy paddling it much more.

Select to expand quote

Balou said..
Hi,
I'm 6'6 tall and weigh 106kg's. I currently ride a Bic tracer 14 x 28 mostly on flat but also chop on windy days.
I find it very stable and easy to ride although side chop is a handful.
I'm now looking to upgrade to either a Starboard Allstar 14 x 26 or an Infinity Downtown flat deck 14 x 25.
Just wondering at my height and weight will either of these boards be too narrow and if anyone has tried both, which one is more stable.
Also looking to downwind with it.
Any advice much appreciated.

Reservations for me would be at your size I think the Allstar is still going to be twitchy compared to the tracer, the nose for 2018 is narrower and the initial stability is less than 2017 IMHO. On the plus side the Allstar seems to handle side chop extremely well, and has enough volume for your size. I think for multi purpose the Allstar is hard to beat and I don't want to corrupt this thread with other board recommendations unless you are open to them. On that note are you ruling out dugouts?

Highly recommend the downtown. It's an awesome board. I've got the 14x25 dugout, which is perfect for me (85kg). A mate recently bought the 27" version and is really enjoying it.
Great glide on the flat and is awesome in the bumps and downwind. It's only downside is buoy turns, but who really wants to do those anyway. I preferred the dugout over the flat deck. In fact I have now become a total dugout convert.
Well worth a demo.

Balou, at your height and weight i'd seriously be looking at Unlimiteds... I'm 6'9" and, ahem, a touch heavier... and I find that a good Unlimited is just a better board for people of our proportions - seriously if you compare someone of more 'normal' proportions on a 14', and then scale that ratio up to our heights, you end up with an Unlimited.

They're not without their limitations, mind. Storage being a bit of an issue for most. Some of the more full-on DW oriented ones are a beast to paddle in anything flatter... And there's occasionally issues with some of the races sometimes not allowing anything other than 14's, but that's changing quite quickly... Overall though, that extra length and volume for guys like us makes the world of difference
There are a few options to look at in the Classifieds - you can pick up some proper bargains for under $2k...

Select to expand quote

Yardsale said..

Balou said..
Hi,
I'm 6'6 tall and weigh 106kg's. I currently ride a Bic tracer 14 x 28 mostly on flat but also chop on windy days.
I find it very stable and easy to ride although side chop is a handful.
I'm now looking to upgrade to either a Starboard Allstar 14 x 26 or an Infinity Downtown flat deck 14 x 25.
Just wondering at my height and weight will either of these boards be too narrow and if anyone has tried both, which one is more stable.
Also looking to downwind with it.
Any advice much appreciated.

Reservations for me would be at your size I think the Allstar is still going to be twitchy compared to the tracer, the nose for 2018 is narrower and the initial stability is less than 2017 IMHO. On the plus side the Allstar seems to handle side chop extremely well, and has enough volume for your size. I think for multi purpose the Allstar is hard to beat and I don't want to corrupt this thread with other board recommendations unless you are open to them. On that note are you ruling out dugouts?

To be honest I haven't considered the dugouts, that's only because I haven't yet tried one out! I need to get to a demo day and try one. What are they like getting back on after falling off?

Select to expand quote

Stingersup said..
Highly recommend the downtown. It's an awesome board. I've got the 14x25 dugout, which is perfect for me (85kg). A mate recently bought the 27" version and is really enjoying it.
Great glide on the flat and is awesome in the bumps and downwind. It's only downside is buoy turns, but who really wants to do those anyway. I preferred the dugout over the flat deck. In fact I have now become a total dugout convert.
Well worth a demo.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm on the Mid North Coast NSW so a demo will be hard to get to, the nearest dealer is 5 hrs away. Do you think the dugouts are harder for doing buoy turns or just the shape in general?

Select to expand quote

Area10 said..

Balou said..
Hi,
I'm 6'6 tall and weigh 106kg's. I currently ride a Bic tracer 14 x 28 mostly on flat but also chop on windy days.
I find it very stable and easy to ride although side chop is a handful.
I'm now looking to upgrade to either a Starboard Allstar 14 x 26 or an Infinity Downtown flat deck 14 x 25.
Just wondering at my height and weight will either of these boards be too narrow and if anyone has tried both, which one is more stable.
Also looking to downwind with it.
Any advice much appreciated.

I haven't tried one, but the narrow tail and width of the Downtown will probably make it quite a bit less stable than the All Star. I didn't find the Blackfish 14x25 particularly stable in chop, and that is likely to be more stable than the Downtown, I should think.

The Infinity boards are however better built than the Starboard ones, IMO.

At your size I'd be looking at a 14x27 Infinity.

Although, really, a guy your size should be on an UL board. Big guys need big boards, and 14ft boards are best for medium sized people, really, and will often hold back a big guy. At your weight and size you'll probably never win a race on a 14. If you don't race, then IMO get an Unlimited board - you'll enjoy paddling it much more.

Thanks Area10, so what sort of volume should I be looking for? I'm more than comfortable on a 14x28 but I'm looking for more speed. At 50 I'm not banking on winning any races, but I still want to find improvement whenever I'm paddling.

It's not so much about volume as making the scale of the board match the scale of your body, and the power you will be able to generate. You wouldn't put a 8 litre V12 engine in a 2-seater Smart Car, would you?

If I were you I'd be buying one of the ONE Unlimited series boards. Probably the 26" wide flat water, assuming you aren't a keen downwinder. You'd probably be leaving everyone waaaay behind on that, and your paddling pleasure would skyrocket.

Further to what Area10 suggested, I'd have a look at the ONE Unlimited ocean boards - they're pretty handy on the flat, plus they'll help you to scratch the DW itch you mention in your original post...!!!

Talk to Sam at Wind Surf and Snow as I'm pretty sure he's got a few of the flat decks around - good prices too...

Another very similar option to the ONE's would be the Sunova boards - they're Unlimited Faast Pro is a nice board, although arguably it's more DW orientated so not super easy to paddle on the flatter stuff...

Select to expand quote

Area10 said..
It's not so much about volume as making the scale of the board match the scale of your body, and the power you will be able to generate. You wouldn't put a 8 litre V12 engine in a 2-seater Smart Car, would you?

If I were you I'd be buying one of the ONE Unlimited series boards. Probably the 26" wide flat water, assuming you aren't a keen downwinder. You'd probably be leaving everyone waaaay behind on that, and your paddling pleasure would skyrocket.

It's not quite a V-12, or a Smart car for that matter.... but it's pretty damn close!!!!

Yeah, various additional ideas for UL boards in this thread:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/SUP/Flat-water-unlimiteds-?page=1

The ONE ocean flat deck board is my favourite. But then again, I paddle heavy ocean chop and downwind a lot. It sounds like you might do more flat water, perhaps?

Listen to Todzilla: I think it takes a really big buy to really appreciate the problems another big guy has when they are using a board designed for someone 5ft 10" and 75kg.

Pretty much ANYONE will usually enjoy paddling an UL board more. They are just more fun (once they are in the water, anyway....). But this is especially true of big units.

Select to expand quote

Todzilla said..

Area10 said..
It's not so much about volume as making the scale of the board match the scale of your body, and the power you will be able to generate. You wouldn't put a 8 litre V12 engine in a 2-seater Smart Car, would you?

If I were you I'd be buying one of the ONE Unlimited series boards. Probably the 26" wide flat water, assuming you aren't a keen downwinder. You'd probably be leaving everyone waaaay behind on that, and your paddling pleasure would skyrocket.

It's not quite a V-12, or a Smart car for that matter.... but it's pretty damn close!!!!

That made me laugh - cheers! It's funny that in that clip they mention a lot of pitching. Because that is exactly what happens when you put a big powerful guy on a 14 and ask them to dig deep...pitching galore.

Select to expand quote

Balou
Thanks for the feedback. I'm on the Mid North Coast NSW so a demo will be hard to get to, the nearest dealer is 5 hrs away. Do you think the dugouts are harder for doing buoy turns or just the shape in general?

Wouldn't say it's harder to buoy turn because it's a dugout. It's due to the pintail shape making it less stable and the fact that with my foot up against the back of the dugout, I can't sink the tail enough to make it turn nicely.
It turns ok, but not as well as flatdecks.
The rest of the boards performance more than makes up for that though..