I am looking at buying a second board. I have a 12' 6 for flat conditions. I need something for allround rougher days and want to start downwinding.
I am in France and they seem to have caught up with the 14' rage now. This means there are a few good deals on recent 12'6 boards. I am really limited in choice for 14'. I am looking second hand with a limited budget.
Opinions if I would be better off with a new model 12'6 or an old 14.
I can get a 2018(the 2017 model) Fanatic Falcon 12'6X26.75 at a great price or 2017 Starboard Allstar12 6x 25 wide. In the 14 range its old models 2014-15, javelins not maliko (good dw but not great allround I think). All the older 14s seem to be 26-28 wide as well.
I am 80kgs and been paddling for a few years now. Have pretty good balance. I am not looking at racing just want to be able to get out on rougher days and start some dw runs.

If you already have a 12'6" and wish to do more DW then 14' would be the better choice. It's unfortunate if your choices are limited but hopefully something suitable comes up. An old 14' DW board is still better than a new 12'6" for DWing.

14 for sure.. especially at your weight.. and I wouldn't recommend going less than 26 wide if you are new to downwinding.

Wait for the right 14ft board and use the 12'6 for other runs, I started on a 29 wide board and have just gone to a 27 after 18months. Still took getting use to but all good now and I would doubt I would go any narrower into the future.

Do you notice much speed difference in 27 vs 29 wide? Vs the stability loss?

Select to expand quote

benjl said..
Do you notice much speed difference in 27 vs 29 wide? Vs the stability loss?

Good question! Stability was noticeable in some ways but in others it was more stable, depends on the shape of the board I think. Speed wise in choppy water it's quicker at 27 wide, have had no chance to see what it's like in glassy conditions and a lack of good wind is stopping me from getting an impression of the new narrower board. It has to be quicker as its Carbon and 7kg lighter than my 29 wide board in a stiff wind so logic would suggest it will do much better.
My old board gave me a good chance to learn how to balance in rough conditions and push through chop and was a great board but I had to upgrade it was too good an offer to not go with and my skill level is changing, slowly but changing and long term I will need this board.

I know 14 is the answer but I am struggling to find one. There are a few Oxbow racers but 24-5 wide. Even the guys selling them say not a good board to learn on. A few Bic tracer WS , same thing, mainly 24-5. The odd 28 comes up but not near me. I just thought a new 12'6 might have similar handling to an old 14. As they are getting faster and better each year according to the companies making them a new 12'6 should be as fast as an old 14!!!!!!
I am really leaning towards the Fanatic Falcon because of the price and it's close. Difficult to find many reviews,in French or English and they are very mixed. Some people like it some hate it.
For the RS fans it looks like a 22 will be coming out next year. There is a shop selling some demo Oxbow boards( owned buy Bic as well) 14x22 that look like an RS. He said they are protos for next years model. Definitely not a board to learn to DW on.

Select to expand quote

DaveSandan said..

benjl said..
Do you notice much speed difference in 27 vs 29 wide? Vs the stability loss?

Good question! Stability was noticeable in some ways but in others it was more stable, depends on the shape of the board I think. Speed wise in choppy water it's quicker at 27 wide, have had no chance to see what it's like in glassy conditions and a lack of good wind is stopping me from getting an impression of the new narrower board. It has to be quicker as its Carbon and 7kg lighter than my 29 wide board in a stiff wind so logic would suggest it will do much better.
My old board gave me a good chance to learn how to balance in rough conditions and push through chop and was a great board but I had to upgrade it was too good an offer to not go with and my skill level is changing, slowly but changing and long term I will need this board.

7 kgs lighter!!!!
What was your old board, or how light is your new board!

Here is a great site that has a massive amount of info on all sorts of boards. It's in French sorry.
Rechercher is search in French. In the middle of the screen on the homepage there is a light grey box labeled Rechercher, just type in the board you are interested in and all the info and pics and reviews from people are there.
www.standup-guide.fr/recherche/?q=Sic+rs&marque=

Select to expand quote

tarquin1 said..
Here is a great site that has a massive amount of info on all sorts of boards. It's in French sorry.

A warning: Just for the record, Gong (and maybe other brands) have refused to be on this site, and asked them (by legal means) to remove all mention of Gong boards.

In the Gong view, you cannot be a site pretending to offer unbiased reviews of SUP gear and at the same time have advertisements from SUP brands, and promoting these brands in search results in hidden ways. Just like Gong has always refused to buy advertisements in magazines or sites in exchange for reviews.

More details (in French) www.gong-galaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3477

Select to expand quote

tarquin1 said..

DaveSandan said..

benjl said..
Do you notice much speed difference in 27 vs 29 wide? Vs the stability loss?

Good question! Stability was noticeable in some ways but in others it was more stable, depends on the shape of the board I think. Speed wise in choppy water it's quicker at 27 wide, have had no chance to see what it's like in glassy conditions and a lack of good wind is stopping me from getting an impression of the new narrower board. It has to be quicker as its Carbon and 7kg lighter than my 29 wide board in a stiff wind so logic would suggest it will do much better.
My old board gave me a good chance to learn how to balance in rough conditions and push through chop and was a great board but I had to upgrade it was too good an offer to not go with and my skill level is changing, slowly but changing and long term I will need this board.

7 kgs lighter!!!!
What was your old board, or how light is your new board!

My old board which was only 2 years old was a Naish Glide 14x29.9 which was 16kg, my new one is a Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 14x27 Carbon and weighs in at 9kg, huge difference. Just need a day when I'm not working and a strong wind and see what top speed I can get if I can stay upright.
Speed is about the same across the board and the rocker is different so a DW run should be a bit easier, the biggest difference I find is the drop in physical stress on the body after a 10-13km run between the two due to less weight being pulled through the water.

Thanks Colas.
I have been looking at this site long enough to know who is shall we say connected to which brand. It's quite obvious and they are honest enough about it. It's called advertising and that's the way the internet works. Do you think all these free sites are really free. It's the internet,don't believe anything you read.
I think there is still good info and thanks to the people that take there time to post pics etc.
Dave 9kgs for a 14' seems really light. I am hoping even a new 12'6 will be a massive weight difference and as you said be easier over long distances. I really notice coming off the back of a runner slowing down which then becomes unstable and at that moment you need to paddle hard it being difficult. That's when I normally fall.My current board is 14.5 kgs.

Select to expand quote

tarquin1 said..
Thanks Colas.
I have been looking at this site long enough to know who is shall we say connected to which brand. It's quite obvious and they are honest enough about it. It's called advertising and that's the way the internet works. Do you think all these free sites are really free. It's the internet,don't believe anything you read.
I think there is still good info and thanks to the people that take there time to post pics etc.
Dave 9kgs for a 14' seems really light. I am hoping even a new 12'6 will be a massive weight difference and as you said be easier over long distances. I really notice coming off the back of a runner slowing down which then becomes unstable and at that moment you need to paddle hard it being difficult. That's when I normally fall.My current board is 14.5 kgs.

Yes 9kg is light for a 14ft board I think it's the lightest on the marker, the courier company had the weight printed on the manifest at 10kg which included all cardboard and protective packaging.

as you described, I would go with the 14' if you can and width is matter of skill and conditions your in and that includes water temp from falling into ;)

If you are not racing I'd suggest getting a specialist downwind board. They are much more fun to paddle in chop, and give a nice surfy feel when downwinding.

Look for eg. a Jimmy Lewis M14 or Rail, or SIC Bullets.

The Bark Vapor also downwinds well, and is very pleasant to paddle.

You might also be able to find one of the older Starboard 14x28 All Stars that were downwind-specific, and a different shape than the usual All Stars.

Or even one of the very old Naish Glide mk2 (or even Mk1for that matter) 14x27. In steep short period stuff they are still very quick compared to the more recent offerings, and they were built solidly too.

A lot depends on the conditions you are DWing in, and what kind of paddling experience you are looking for. Many of the newer raceboards these days are undeniably fast in small DW conditions, but they aren't much fun to paddle in chop, and can be quite irritating to use as they roll and bounce and get pushed all over the place - even when they are quite fast.

Thanks for all the advice.
I bought the Falcon. 12'6x26.75. I am going to be upset if it's not exactly 26.75"wide.
It was a great deal.
There is just nothing in the 14 range in my budget or area. Winter is coming and I want to get some hrs in on a board before the water gets cold.
If I bought a 14' now how could I justify a new board next year to my wife.
I will post pics etc when I get it.