G'day Guys and girls,

Fairly new to the SUP scene (last 6months) and am really getting sick of flat water in little wind on my first board (cruiser). I'm relatively competitive by nature and want to start recreational racing, fitness, off shore long distance and possibly some touring. In short I'm after an all round board more suited to the racing design. To start off I've been looking at the following boards (narrowed down):

BIC Tracer 14 x 29
Slingshot Nitro 14 x 29
Naish Glide 14 x 28/29

The minister for war and finance has approved up to $2200, but not mentioned accessories so as far as I'm concerned that is on top of board price. I had looked at the starboard touring model and the fanatic Falcon, but both are a little too specialised. I need something that is more a jack of all trades, something I can race on, but also spend the day on with her. I'm 170cm and 76kgs.

Id be interested to hear peoples thoughts or alternatives.

Appreciate the time and comments.

Cheers

Rosey

Naish Glide 14 x 28/29..

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Rosey3008 said..
G'day Guys and girls,

Fairly new to the SUP scene (last 6months) and am really getting sick of flat water in little wind on my first board (cruiser). I'm relatively competitive by nature and want to start recreational racing, fitness, off shore long distance and possibly some touring. In short I'm after an all round board more suited to the racing design. To start off I've been looking at the following boards (narrowed down):

BIC Tracer 14 x 29
Slingshot Nitro 14 x 29
Naish Glide 14 x 28/29

The minister for war and finance has approved up to $2200, but not mentioned accessories so as far as I'm concerned that is on top of board price. I had looked at the starboard touring model and the fanatic Falcon, but both are a little too specialised. I need something that is more a jack of all trades, something I can race on, but also spend the day on with her. I'm 170cm and 76kgs.

Id be interested to hear peoples thoughts or alternatives.

Appreciate the time and comments.

Cheers

Rosey

I've got a 14 X 29 Glide and I love it. I am quite a bit heavier than you though (107 kg) and 6'4. Even at a my previous weight of 112-114 kg, I found the Glide to be very stable so you might want to look at a 14 X 27 Glide or even the 14 X 24 Glide. I haven't been on either of the other two you mentioned. If possible, demo demo demo.

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DavidJohn said..
Naish Glide 14 x 28/29..

Ditto

Javelin 28 GX although I dont know what price it is out there. I have got a 26 and it is as stable as a much wider board I am 87kg

Rosey at your height and weight you should consider a 12'6.
At 76kg, 14' x29" is a lot of board for you.
Naish have the GLide 12'6 x 30" at $1799 but 30" could still be a bit wide for you.

A lighter narrower 12'6 will be faster than a wide heavy 14' at your weight.
Lahuik Kai Have a 12'6 x 26" Carbon team race or 12'6 x 27 3/4" Race board for $2200

Where are you located Rosey? What sort of conditions will you be racing on?

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PTWoody said..
Where are you located Rosey? What sort of conditions will you be racing on?

I'm currently in SA, but move around every couple of years due to work. Its likely my next locations is going to be Canberra, but it could be Newcastle or Brisbane. Whilst in SA they do some flat water racing, but I also want to do some downwinders and touring off the coast and on the Murray. Canberra will be the lakes and down near Bateman's Bay. I like the idea of jumping on the board and paddling down along the coast and get picked up at the end of the day.

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AA said..
Rosey at your height and weight you should consider a 12'6.
At 76kg, 14' x29" is a lot of board for you.
Naish have the GLide 12'6 x 30" at $1799 but 30" could still be a bit wide for you.

A lighter narrower 12'6 will be faster than a wide heavy 14' at your weight.
Lahuik Kai Have a 12'6 x 26" Carbon team race or 12'6 x 27 3/4" Race board for $2200

Thanks, I was originally looking at a 12'6 but a lot of guys i've spoken to down here in SA suggest a 14' as a more all round board. I'd love to get a race specific board, but I 'm under instructions to only have one board due to my other toys. One of the down sides is the naish does not have tie down plugs at the front like the others do (selling point with the MFWAF), so you have any idea how hard it is to get them put in?

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Rosey3008 said..

AA said..
Rosey at your height and weight you should consider a 12'6.
At 76kg, 14' x29" is a lot of board for you.
Naish have the GLide 12'6 x 30" at $1799 but 30" could still be a bit wide for you.

A lighter narrower 12'6 will be faster than a wide heavy 14' at your weight.
Lahuik Kai Have a 12'6 x 26" Carbon team race or 12'6 x 27 3/4" Race board for $2200

Thanks, I was originally looking at a 12'6 but a lot of guys i've spoken to down here in SA suggest a 14' as a more all round board. I'd love to get a race specific board, but I 'm under instructions to only have one board due to my other toys. One of the down sides is the naish does not have tie down plugs at the front like the others do (selling point with the MFWAF), so you have any idea how hard it is to get them put in?

You can have the tie down points installed in a Naish or any other board for that matter by a surfboard shaper. However it's going to be a whole lot cheaper just to use stick on tie downs that use 3M peel off adhesive. These are well and truly strong enough to hold gear with bungee cord. There are a couple of brands available. One is called EZ plug, and you can get them from most SUP retailers (or they will be able to order them in). The other brand is a local invention and they were made from carbon fibre and looked really good on the board. I can't remember the name but DJ knows about them so I will get him to come on here to let you know.

As for board length, from all you've said, I think 14' is the go for you. There are some parts of the country where all the locals are gung-ho for 12'6" boards, but mostly that's isolated to spots where you are going in and out through surf. Everywhere else, people seem to prefer 14' for flat water and for downwinders. If you are only getting one board, and you are not based on a surf beach, there's no good reason why you would want a 12'6" instead of a 14' in my opinion.

The Naish Glide is a very good board, although I prefer the Starboard All Star - I should acknowledge that I am a team rider so you can take that with a grain of salt.

Rosey, before you commit, not sure if you realize the 2014 GX 14' x 29-1/4" is the same as the GS, but partially made from carbon and weighs about 29 lbs (13.2 kg), significantly lighter than the GS at 35lbs (15.9 kg).
Problem is they aren't making it anymore; you'd have to find a dealer that has access to the leftovers from 2014 or a used one.
I bought mine about a month ago here in So Calif on sale for $2499 US.
For someone your size, you might want to look for one...

I am 85 kgs and have just bought the Bicsup 14x 28 tracer. I am loving it so far. I haven't paddled the Glide but have heard it is a winner too. The Bic has a fantastic glide but not much of a rocker. The nose pierces chop like a hot knife through butter. I would be unsure as to it's off shore long distance capabilities though. From what I read in this forum that is a fairly specialised type of SUP'ing. There is a near new tracer just appeared on the buy and sell page for $1750. It might pay to email the seller as he is an experienced paddler for more info on the Bic. I don't think you could really go wrong with any of your choices. The Bic is 13.5 kgs but I find it easy to carry - good ergonomic handle. It also has 4 tie down inserts built in. I am looking forward to touring on it this summer.

Rosey, I am in SA and have a GX glide you are welcome to have a spin on sometime, I am about to put it up for sale too if you like it!
The carbon tie down points are made by a guy here in SA - stic-it.com/paddle-boards/index.html

Rosey,
if you come to Canberra we have a very active recreational and competitive flat water paddling group. Almost the entire group be it male or female are on 14 foot boards so I would suggest you stay on that class. We also get some good downwind lake conditions as well as getting down to the coast for surfing and proper downwind stuff.
There is a wide variety of boards being used by our paddlers from SB sprints, All-Stars, Race's, Fanatic Falcons, Naish Javs and NSP's. Everyone has their preference.
The Glide will be a lot of board for here but the 14 x 28 Jav will be really good, as with the SB Allstar and the Falcon.
like everyone always mentions, demo, demo and more demos.
if you do get Canberra drop us a line on The SUP'ing Caveman Facebook page or the Capital SUP Facebook page.

Scotty

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Rosey3008 said..
I had looked at the starboard touring model and the fanatic Falcon, but both are a little too specialised. I need something that is more a jack of all trades, something I can race on, but also spend the day on with her. I'm 170cm and 76kgs.

Hey Rosey just curious what you meant by the Falcon being "too specialised". I'm only new to SUP having had some lessons on a Fanatic Fly and was lucky enough to demo the Fanatic Falcon 14x30 in a couple of local SUP 5.0 races. For me at 6'0/105kg (and very uncoordinated) it was super stable. I feel as though I could easily put my kid on the front or even some small supplies and just paddle all day long. One of my fellow club members let me have a try on his Falcon 14x27 and although it was a bit tippier I think it would be something I could get used to with just a little time & practice. It felt faster too.

I'm torn at the moment between the Fanatic Falcon or Naish Glide. I would like to progress on to downwinders when/if my skills ever improve...


p.s. It sounds like you and I may have a similar employer. I'm currently in Newcastle and moving to Adelaide in the New Year.

Another vote for the Glide - i'm 6'9" and about 110kgs (pre-christmas…) with hopeless balance and the board is incredible. It's a 2014 GS by the way, you should be able to pick one of these up - or indeed the 2015 version - for well under your budget. They're not very light (understatement) but they're as tough as old boots.

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WobblyDave said..

Rosey3008 said..
I had looked at the starboard touring model and the fanatic Falcon, but both are a little too specialised. I need something that is more a jack of all trades, something I can race on, but also spend the day on with her. I'm 170cm and 76kgs.

Hey Rosey just curious what you meant by the Falcon being "too specialised". I'm only new to SUP having had some lessons on a Fanatic Fly and was lucky enough to demo the Fanatic Falcon 14x30 in a couple of local SUP 5.0 races. For me at 6'0/105kg (and very uncoordinated) it was super stable. I feel as though I could easily put my kid on the front or even some small supplies and just paddle all day long. One of my fellow club members let me have a try on his Falcon 14x27 and although it was a bit tippier I think it would be something I could get used to with just a little time & practice. It felt faster too.

I'm torn at the moment between the Fanatic Falcon or Naish Glide. I would like to progress on to downwinders when/if my skills ever improve...


p.s. It sounds like you and I may have a similar employer. I'm currently in Newcastle and moving to Adelaide in the New Year.

WobblyDave, sounds very much like we have a similar employer, good luck with the move. I'm only relatively new myself, so if you're looking for anyone to go with, let me know.

As the for the Falcon being too specialised, I've ridden one and I just felt that they were just pure race machines, had a ball going fast…….. Probably shouldn't have ridden it and lived in the dark………. When I spoke to a guy who owned one about it and asked about what my intended uses were, I got reasons for not doing it. That said if I found one at the right price as a Brand new one is out of the budget, I probably would do it.

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Rosey3008 said..

As the for the Falcon being too specialised, I've ridden one and I just felt that they were just pure race machines, had a ball going fast…….. Probably shouldn't have ridden it and lived in the dark………. When I spoke to a guy who owned one about it and asked about what my intended uses were, I got reasons for not doing it. That said if I found one at the right price as a Brand new one is out of the budget, I probably would do it.

Hi Rosey, probably depends which width Falcon you paddle. I have the 2014, 27.5" which is an awesome all round board and is available for sale at well below your budget! You would have more than enough $ left to buy a quality carbon paddle which is equally as important as your board choice

Rosey, Captflathead has just posted a short video of the Tracer.

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Rosey3008 said..

WobblyDave, sounds very much like we have a similar employer, good luck with the move. I'm only relatively new myself, so if you're looking for anyone to go with, let me know.

Hey Rosey,
For sure when I get down there I'd be keen to hook up for a paddle. I apologise in advance for being very slow and constantly falling in

Good news on the board front. A local SUP school gave me a very good deal on a 2nd hand Starboard Allstar 14x28 carbon. It seems quite fast and is so light for it's size.

Now I'm hoping if I get up early every morning and go for a paddle it might just stop all that plum pudding and egg nog from going straight to my waist...

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Rosey3008 said..
G'day Guys and girls,

Fairly new to the SUP scene (last 6months) and am really getting sick of flat water in little wind on my first board (cruiser). I'm relatively competitive by nature and want to start recreational racing, fitness, off shore long distance and possibly some touring. In short I'm after an all round board more suited to the racing design. To start off I've been looking at the following boards (narrowed down):

BIC Tracer 14 x 29
Slingshot Nitro 14 x 29
Naish Glide 14 x 28/29

The minister for war and finance has approved up to $2200, but not mentioned accessories so as far as I'm concerned that is on top of board price. I had looked at the starboard touring model and the fanatic Falcon, but both are a little too specialised. I need something that is more a jack of all trades, something I can race on, but also spend the day on with her. I'm 170cm and 76kgs.

Id be interested to hear peoples thoughts or alternatives.

Appreciate the time and comments.

Cheers

Rosey

Hi rosey I think the Naish 14 x 30 or the fanatic 14' tourer would be your best choices. They are very stable but having said that !

I haven't tried any other brands other than naish and fanatic and starboard in the race/tourer models !

for some regular fun competitions and casual paddles come down to Seacliff/Brighton yacht club (the carpark at the end of the Esplande) on a Wednesday nights around 5-5:30 pm with SASUPCREW club. And or for some Sat. morning bootcamp style lessons with Matwindsup on west lakes at Terarra way I think it is.