So i still need to get another good downwind board. The Jamie Mitchell board i just bought is better in mild downwind conditions, but it cannot compete with my SIC F14. My son and i did a 6 mile dw run 2 weeks ago. First half i was easily outfront of my son and 2 others. Switched boards with my son half way and he smoked us the rest of the way... absolutely effortless glides and amazing speed.

So, i decided that i want another SIC F14 in the stable, but they appear hard to get. I always liked the Coreban Dart, but never really considered it because i thought it was even more expensive than my SIC. Well, i found a leftover Dart for a really attractive price.

My main question here is, does anyone on Seabreeze have one, or has anyone paddled one on flat to choppy water. Not downwinding... just paddling around? My SIC is a great flatwater board as well as downwinding. Will the Coreban be similar. Might even look harder at Naish if the SIC is not available. My searches are all coming up empty in the U.S. Many places have them listed, but when I try to order, they come up "unavailable".

I am 225lbs and 6'4" and my son is 205 and 6'3"

Thanks

Dart would work for you big lads*. With the width it's very stable (more so than the SIC 14s), nice in chop and runs very smooth and nice downwind. It IS designed as a DW board and is relatively wide up front with a decent bit of rocker but IME it's not a slug in the flat.

(*I'm a good bit bigger and have paddled the dart a handful of times, mostly in light-moderate chop and slop, I quite like it)

Hi I have the Dart. It’s 3 or 4 year old the red one . Construction excellent .Some one described the Dart as the Cadillac of DW boards .To me that means not the fastest board but very stable . Surfs very well I use it to bay surf some times. I did change the fin to a windsurfer fin it turns a bit better with this fin in. Its stable I find I have a lot of area to move around from in front of the handle to way back on the board. Fine for plat water just not the fastest board . For me very happy with board. Lot of volume for the bigger guy. 6 Ft 85 kg 60 young

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HumanCartoon said...
Dart would work for you big lads*. With the width it's very stable (more so than the SIC 14s), nice in chop and runs very smooth and nice downwind. It IS designed as a DW board and is relatively wide up front with a decent bit of rocker but IME it's not a slug in the flat.

(*I'm a good bit bigger and have paddled the dart a handful of times, mostly in light-moderate chop and slop, I quite like it)

Thanks for the reply HumanCartoon. Am i understanding you correctly that you DO NOT think the Coreban is slo on flat water?
I am looking for a versatile board, like my SIC F14. Not the fastest, but i does EVERYTHING well. I have a 404 Zeedonk Green Label for going out on flat water.

I read some reviews where the Dart and Naish Glide (14x30) were compared. The reviewer felt that the Naish was better in all conditions, and up to 25mph wind. Above 25mph, the Dart was the better board.
I don't know anyone with either board. And I'd have to order a Dart from Boston, Massachusetts or the Naish Glide from Wisconsin.

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excav8ter said..

HumanCartoon said...
Dart would work for you big lads*. With the width it's very stable (more so than the SIC 14s), nice in chop and runs very smooth and nice downwind. It IS designed as a DW board and is relatively wide up front with a decent bit of rocker but IME it's not a slug in the flat.

(*I'm a good bit bigger and have paddled the dart a handful of times, mostly in light-moderate chop and slop, I quite like it)

Thanks for the reply HumanCartoon. Am i understanding you correctly that you DO NOT think the Coreban is slo on flat water?
I am looking for a versatile board, like my SIC F14. Not the fastest, but i does EVERYTHING well. I have a 404 Zeedonk Green Label for going out on flat water.

I meant like GTDS said - it goes fine on flat water, just not the fastest.

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HumanCartoon said...

excav8ter said..

HumanCartoon said...
Dart would work for you big lads*. With the width it's very stable (more so than the SIC 14s), nice in chop and runs very smooth and nice downwind. It IS designed as a DW board and is relatively wide up front with a decent bit of rocker but IME it's not a slug in the flat.

(*I'm a good bit bigger and have paddled the dart a handful of times, mostly in light-moderate chop and slop, I quite like it)

Thanks for the reply HumanCartoon. Am i understanding you correctly that you DO NOT think the Coreban is slo on flat water?
I am looking for a versatile board, like my SIC F14. Not the fastest, but i does EVERYTHING well. I have a 404 Zeedonk Green Label for going out on flat water.

I meant like GTDS said - it goes fine on flat water, just not the fastest.

That's what i figured. Thanks.

The Coreban Dart is an awesome board and when I first made this vid and called the vid 'Not the Dart' and some people took offence..

Some me people thought I was suggesting 'not the Dart' (don't buy the Dart) because I didn't like it or because it wasn't yellow but in fact it was a joke because of the famous Aussie TV add by Shannon's Car a Insurance where a Guy is on the phone saying "not the Dart".. It's a common Aussie joke even now if you mention the word Dart in a group of people someone is sure to yell out "not the Dart"..

I then said it was like a big old Cadillac and still more people took offence to that comment also thinking I meant at handled badly like an old Cadillac car where if fact I was giving it a complement about how comfortable it was.. and coming from the old original 27" wide Glide the 30" wide Dart was super duper stable.. and very cruisy like a big old Cadie..

Because if it's extra width and stability the stronger and rougher the conditions got the better this board feels.. This extra width makes the board feel slower than other narrower boards and the non piercing nose shape feels awful when it pearls bringing the board almost to a complete stop when it goes under.. Pearling at speed is very common on downwinders and almost imposssble to avoid.. Watch my recent vids you will see my Jav speeding along with the nose slightly under the water without any slowing down.. The new V2 Bullit also does this and IMO its a very important thing for a DW board..

There is a new Dart.. Narrower.. and a slightly different nose shape.. I'm sure it's much better but not paddled it myself yet..

Hi There,
I've got a Dart & a Bullet, so not exactly what your looking for, but here goes.

The Dart is definitely more stable, having said that, I found the Bullet surprisingly stable for its width too.

On flat/choppy I find the Bullet faster. However, I didn't buy either for their flat water performance, for me that's just training.

With DWing, the Dart needs more wind to really start flying, but 20 knts + it's amazing.

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excav8ter said..
So i still need to get another good downwind board. The Jamie Mitchell board i just bought is better in mild downwind conditions, but it cannot compete with my SIC F14. My son and i did a 6 mile dw run 2 weeks ago. First half i was easily outfront of my son and 2 others. Switched boards with my son half way and he smoked us the rest of the way... absolutely effortless glides and amazing speed.

So, i decided that i want another SIC F14 in the stable, but they appear hard to get. I always liked the Coreban Dart, but never really considered it because i thought it was even more expensive than my SIC. Well, i found a leftover Dart for a really attractive price.

My main question here is, does anyone on Seabreeze have one, or has anyone paddled one on flat to choppy water. Not downwinding... just paddling around? My SIC is a great flatwater board as well as downwinding. Will the Coreban be similar. Might even look harder at Naish if the SIC is not available. My searches are all coming up empty in the U.S. Many places have them listed, but when I try to order, they come up "unavailable".

I am 225lbs and 6'4" and my son is 205 and 6'3"

Thanks

I had the dart for about 18 months, it is a great board and is fast on the flat water as well, i have since had 2 x DC boards and recently got on the Jimmy Lewis M14 which i felt is even better.

worth a look if you are in the states.

Thanks so much for letting me know how the Dart works! I am hoping to hear on Monday whether another F14 is available. I have a credit at my local SUP store, and they carry SIC, Surftech and Riviera. I think the F14 is my first choice. They also have a prototype of a Riviera Downwind board too. 14'x28" i believe. Haven't been on it yet, but i do plan to take my son out and demo it. I also called on a 2014, Naish Glide today. A leftover 14'x30" for $1,099.00.

Agree with DJ. I used to own a Dart and it was very stable and dependable. Construction pretty good too. Felt a bit sluggish in light downwinders (I guess its a big board) and don't expect it to compete head on with newer, dedicated downwind boards, but if you are getting it for a steal, then go for it. I guess the thing with buying clearance boards though is.... what is coming in to replace it ;-)

you have your answer above.
however, there is value in consensus & numbers count so for what it's worth:
I have paddled the SIC bullet & the new Dart pro (brushed carbon), I have owned (& loved) a V2 Naish glide in gs construction, I currently have a Dart (pure=heavy) & SIC bullet 17'4 (so not part of this conversation). I don't like the new V3 Naish glide. I am 43 years old, 5'10", 70kg, surfing 35 yrs, SUP 3yrs
IMO
for ocean & dw conditions the SIC bullet is probably the best all-rounder - however, not by much & it shares the field with a lot of class...
my Dart is heavy & pushes water. on a 10k paddle with some bump (often from the side) it feels sluggish compared to other boards. but it is stable & I almost never fall.
you do need to "walk" the board in dw conditions, you can't "find the spot" & stand there. above 40kts, dw with any sea it is THE SHIZ. after >2years hard use it still has not needed a patch!
I loved the glide V2 & regret parting with it. a great alround board, lots of fun to surf/dw, my go-to board 80% of the time I had it. I am REALLY regretting selling it.
the Dart pro felt amazing (only 1 session = dw millers run, 25kts, 2m seas, coming off the SIC bullet 17'4), VERY fast & stability didn't seem to be a problem (I was expecting it to be at 26" wide). I was really surprised how I just seemed able to catch anything & everything I paddled for!
IMO the pro is fastest board here BUT maybe not with me on top when it gets rough... when the wind goes force 9 I want my Dart!
for most conditions, most of the time the bullet & the glide (v2) are great dw boards.
if you are very big or very small, very athletic or NOT, then the above may not apply to you...

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komsup said...
you have your answer above.
however, there is value in consensus & numbers count so for what it's worth:
I have paddled the SIC bullet & the new Dart pro (brushed carbon), I have owned (& loved) a V2 Naish glide in gs construction, I currently have a Dart (pure=heavy) & SIC bullet 17'4 (so not part of this conversation). I don't like the new V3 Naish glide. I am 43 years old, 5'10", 70kg, surfing 35 yrs, SUP 3yrs
IMO
for ocean & dw conditions the SIC bullet is probably the best all-rounder - however, not by much & it shares the field with a lot of class...
my Dart is heavy & pushes water. on a 10k paddle with some bump (often from the side) it feels sluggish compared to other boards. but it is stable & I almost never fall.
you do need to "walk" the board in dw conditions, you can't "find the spot" & stand there. above 40kts, dw with any sea it is THE SHIZ. after >2years hard use it still has not needed a patch!
I loved the glide V2 & regret parting with it. a great alround board, lots of fun to surf/dw, my go-to board 80% of the time I had it. I am REALLY regretting selling it.
the Dart pro felt amazing (only 1 session = dw millers run, 25kts, 2m seas, coming off the SIC bullet 17'4), VERY fast & stability didn't seem to be a problem (I was expecting it to be at 26" wide). I was really surprised how I just seemed able to catch anything & everything I paddled for!
IMO the pro is fastest board here BUT maybe not with me on top when it gets rough... when the wind goes force 9 I want my Dart!
for most conditions, most of the time the bullet & the glide (v2) are great dw boards.
if you are very big or very small, very athletic or NOT, then the above may not apply to you...

Thanks Komsup..... what year are the V2 and V3 Naish Glides? I know of 2 - 14' SIC Bullets that are for sale by me, but i feel they are a bit too narrow. Stability is crucial where i paddle because we have pretty messy conditions. Especially downwinding from port to port, where we come i to the channel. The channel walls cause a LOT of wave reflection which is extremely difficult to navigate.

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Shippies37 said...
Agree with DJ. I used to own a Dart and it was very stable and dependable. Construction pretty good too. Felt a bit sluggish in light downwinders (I guess its a big board) and don't expect it to compete head on with newer, dedicated downwind boards, but if you are getting it for a steal, then go for it. I guess the thing with buying clearance boards though is.... what is coming in to replace it ;-)

That exactly part of my dilemma..... what's coming NEXT. As i said earlier, Riviera has a downwind board forthcoming. I should get the prototype from my local shop and give it a try.

All downwind boards are pretty sluggish in flat water. They make comfortable cruisers but it's pointless trying to race them in flat water - that's not what they were designed to do. They tend to be about 5-10% slower than an equivalent length and width flat water board.

The Dart is similar in flat water speed to most other DW boards. I don't have a F14 but I have a Bullet 14v2 which is similar but narrower, and although it is a bit faster than the Dart in flat water neither is anywhere near as fast as as dedicated flat water board if you are really going for it. They just seem to reach a top speed early in flat water that it's hard to battle against.

So, I guess what I am saying is that the F14 will probably be a tiny bit faster than the Dart in flat water. The Dart has more rocker, and rocker pushes water in flat water. But the difference in speed will probably not be so much that you'd notice when just cruising around. And if instead you are racing either the Dart or the F14 in flat water then you've brought the wrong board.

The Dart is proper fast when it's really blowing a hoolie. It totally comes into it's own in those conditions and can hold it's own against much narrower boards. The rocker makes a lot of sense then. It's a very flattering board when the wind gets blowing, it's so forgiving and well-mannered.

In mild DW conditions of say 15-20 knots (downbreezers rather than downwinders) many flat water boards will be faster than dedicated DW boards. From 20-25 knots they tend to be similar for a given width and it will depend on the bump size (the bigger the bumps the more advantage the DW board has). Then from 25 knots, DW boards tend to have a clear advantage. Above 35 knots most displacement hull flatwater boards become a liability, unless perhaps you have mad skills. This is when that wide stable rockered DW board that felt so sluggish on pure flat water suddenly comes alive and puts a huge smile on your face, and you leave your mates on their narrow flat water raceboards far behind in your wake, falling all over the place and cursing with frustration.

Thank you Area10. I don't race at all, even though I have a 14' 404 Zeedonk Green Label. That's my go to board for speed. But i tried it for downwinders and it's pretty much useless to me. So when i am asking about "speed" i should have been more clear that i am not expecting race board speed from a DW board. I'm looking for something similar to my F14, which is surprisingly "fast". I did get the feeling that the Dart may be a bit slower than the F14, but it would be tolerable i think. After all the great input and opinions here, my list of boards is #1 - F14, #2 - Naish Glide 14'x30" and #3 Coreban Dart.

I am still curious to know which year of the Naish Glide is considered V2 and V3?

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excav8ter said..


I am still curious to know which year of the Naish Glide is considered V2 and V3?

Pretty sure the first version [V1] of the 14' Glide was about 2010-2011 and was about 27'' wide and lots of nose rocker.

The second version [V2] of the 14' Glide was in 2013 was still about 27'' wide and similar outline but less nose rocker and slightly different deck shape.

The third version [V3] of the 14' Glide was in 2014 and it's a very different board with a different outline [not so pointy nose and slightly wider tail] and about 29'' wide and with a very different rocker.

In your position I'd be considering the Naish 14x29 not the 14x30. The latter board is huge and heavy. I'm no expert on these Naishes but if you want a speedy all-rounder I'd have thought the 14x29 is the one I'd put up against the F14. Similar weights too. I'd like to own either one of them but the 14x30 is meant for much bigger guys than me I think and is perhaps a bit more flat water oriented? The 14x29 and 14x30 are completely different boards, not just different widths in the same design I think (I'm sure DJ will correct me if I'm wrong).

The new 2015 14'x30'' [V4] Glide is a very different shape to the 29'' width board with the most noticable difference being the slightly scooped out deck in the standing area making it super-dooper stable..

So which would you put up against the F14 in terms of all-round performance, DJ, the 14x29 or the 14x30?

The 14x30 weighs 37lbs!

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Area10 said..
So which would you put up against the F14 in terms of all-round performance, DJ, the 14x29 or the 14x30?

The 14x30 weighs 37lbs!

IMO the 29 in the GX.. if you can get one..

That new 30'' wide Glide is a big heavy board but like the 30'' wide Dart it should be awesome in strong winds and that extra weight can actually have an advantage..

Well, i did it. I Made a decision finally. Given the type of paddling my son and i do, between touring paddles of 5 to 18 miles, and the type of downwind conditions we see, i decided to order another SIC F14. I love the Dart as well as the Naish Glide, but i decided to go with what i knew would work for us. If my 404 Zeedonk ends up selling, i may try and get a Naish yet too... but for now i am happy to have made a decision.
Thanks to EVERYONE who gave their input and advice.