After countless wins in major races such as Molokai Joe has blended the winning design into his new Vapor.

Roar has one in Qld and Briskites has the demo for now if you want to try it out.

Looks great. I understand that Area10 has one and will be doing a review shortly? Looking forward to his opinion.

Yep, review to come shortly. I'm still testing - I think I have to measure it's performance in all situations that people are going to use it. So far I've surfed it, used it for medium distance flatwater, and for upwind/crosswind and some downwind in 15-20knots. At the weekend I'm going to take it out in some bigger downwind conditions (25-40 knots) and I also want to do some flat water sprint trials against a couple of reference boards. Should get that done in the next few days. So far though, although obviously there is the usual marketing going on in these sorts of videos (and the others that are out there at the moment), I do kinda agree with what they are saying. It's a remarkably well-handling board, and an absolute delight to paddle in chop. Demo it if you can, it might just be exactly what you are looking for, if you want all-waters board. You'll see what I mean.

Thanks for the update - appreciated. Will read your review with great interest. Looking for a one board compromise to be used for flat water to chop fitness paddling, odd race, and some DW mostly 15-25kts. I paddle on Port Philip Bay in Melb so chop handling and cross wind behaviour important as well as ability to pick up small stuff DW.

Looks so sweet

Darn if the price in Canada had not been hiked so much because of the exchange rate, I would have this one on pre-order.

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LucBenac said..
Darn if the price in Canada had not been hiked so much because of the exchange rate, I would have this one on pre-order.

Sounds like it could be a quiver killer, Luc. So maybe you only need one board.. (Just kidding )

I was more thinking Vapor on Saturday and Downwinder on Sunday. Eradicator with twin fins on statutory :-)

Ahh, one for each day of a long weekend? Why stop there? 7 boards!

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SUPerD said..
Ahh, one for each day of a long weekend? Why stop there? 7 boards!

The other four days have to work to pay for the boards....

My Bark Dominator is one of may favourite boards. The Vapor looks sweet

We really got hit this year in Canada. Even the Hybrid Allstar which is supposed to be a bargain is pushing 3500 bucks after taxes up here now. Might hold off or sell some gear if I want a new board. Still a couple of Bark Downwinders on a good price close by. Not quite what I'm after though but it would still be a fun board.

Dunno what you are complaining about - in the UK (and most of Europe) we've been paying the same prices as you for a long time now. A carbon Starboard, Fanatic, or SIC etc 14ft board will cost the equivalent of around 5400 Canadian Dollars. RRP for a Bark Vapor here is 3600 Canadian.

Paying these prices makes you appreciate a board that is well thought-out and refined, has an enduring design, and is built to last. It can be cheaper here to go custom from a local shaper than buy a big brand production board.

Really like the look of the board and what it can do, perhaps a good alternative to the Naish Glide I will buy later this year but only if I get to demo, who sells the Bark here in Melbourne?

Rumors are this board is going good. I am going to have to drop into Briskites for a demo of it next week for a down winder test.
I like the look of it.

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Area10 said..
Dunno what you are complaining about - in the UK (and most of Europe) we've been paying the same prices as you for a long time now. A carbon Starboard, Fanatic, or SIC etc 14ft board will cost the equivalent of around 5400 Canadian Dollars. RRP for a Bark Vapor here is 3600 Canadian.

Paying these prices makes you appreciate a board that is well thought-out and refined, has an enduring design, and is built to last. It can be cheaper here to go custom from a local shaper than buy a big brand production board.

Those are insane prices. Anyone paying must realise that they are just not that much better. Those companies seriously need to be boycotted in those countries. Surely you have local alternatives i.e. Gong, BIC, etc.

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DaveSandan said...
Really like the look of the board and what it can do, perhaps a good alternative to the Naish Glide I will buy later this year but only if I get to demo, who sells the Bark here in Melbourne?

No one that I know of..

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Leroy13 said...

Area10 said..
Dunno what you are complaining about - in the UK (and most of Europe) we've been paying the same prices as you for a long time now. A carbon Starboard, Fanatic, or SIC etc 14ft board will cost the equivalent of around 5400 Canadian Dollars. RRP for a Bark Vapor here is 3600 Canadian.

Paying these prices makes you appreciate a board that is well thought-out and refined, has an enduring design, and is built to last. It can be cheaper here to go custom from a local shaper than buy a big brand production board.

Those are insane prices. Anyone paying must realise that they are just not that much better. Those companies seriously need to be boycotted in those countries. Surely you have local alternatives i.e. Gong, BIC, etc.

BIC are no cheaper, really. In fact the top construction BICs are very expensive. Gong are cheaper, but here in the UK we had some bad experiences with the constructions of early Gongs and delivery problems, so the brand will take a while to recover here, I think. There are some local UK brands selling China made boards a bit cheaper, but they are mostly still around the 2500-3000 Canadian dollar mark for something of acceptable weight in a 12-6 or 14ft and resale value is weak.

The result is that not many hard boards are sold here. 10x as many inflatables are sold as hard boards.

The retailers argue that people will pay £5000 for a bike, so they will pay that for a board. But you can see value in a bike in a way that you can't with a board. And there is a good secondhand market for them, whereas used SUP prices are very soft: the serious racers want the latest gear, and this years' race gear is too specialised for beginners.

It's a real problem for the development of SUP in this country IMO. If you want to race, or do downwind, you have to have a lot of money behind you - or have a parent who has, or is in the Watersports business. So the age profile of racers/DWers in the UK is mainly oriented towards the more mature paddler.

It's all relative when it comes to recreational sports equipment, have you looked at the price range of decent full sus MTBs lately.. it doesn't matter what the monetary unit is, it's crazy. Makes the price of even a carbon board palatable..

Is the price issue with the boards? Or with the political/social programs/tax structure within the affected countries?

That's a fine distinction to make. The problem is that the boards are so expensive that a lot of people won't buy them. Whatever the reasons - and there are many (the chief one probably being shipping costs) - that is not a good situation for the SUP businesses, unless you happen to be a local shaper.

And as I've said before, you can see the value in a full sus mtb in a way you can't with a SUP. And you'll be able to sell it easily when you want to get a new one. With some of these top race boards, if you race them hard for one season they look like they belong in a dumpster. I can easily get two 50" top-spec curved screen TVs for the price of one carbon race SUP. Or a one-year-old car. When people look at the money they have for their leisure time, these are the sorts of judgements they are making.

It's not the brands' or retailers' fault. It's just global economics and the realities of creating large delicate objects in small quantities a long way away from the marketplace.

Fortunately in most countries there are one or two local shapers who are starting to build up enough experience to compete with the big names. It will be great to know that most of your money is going to support local business, and lots of new smaller custom outfits popping up might lead to more rapid design and build development.

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rghdc said..
Is the price issue with the boards? Or with the political/social programs/tax structure within the affected countries?

Price of oil cratered and the Canadian dollar went with it. Prices for many things have gone up as a result and dealers importing boards in Canada have raised their prices. Gas is about the only thing that has come down in price since our dollar fell.

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Area10 said..
Dunno what you are complaining about - in the UK (and most of Europe) we've been paying the same prices as you for a long time now. A carbon Starboard, Fanatic, or SIC etc 14ft board will cost the equivalent of around 5400 Canadian Dollars. RRP for a Bark Vapor here is 3600 Canadian.

Paying these prices makes you appreciate a board that is well thought-out and refined, has an enduring design, and is built to last. It can be cheaper here to go custom from a local shaper than buy a big brand production board.

The Vapor is retailing in a shop down east here in Canada for 3699 plus tax right now. It's always been expensive for boards here, but the gap has increased dramatically this year. I found one shop in the States selling the Vapor for 2649 including a board bag and free shipping. Good deal if you are dealing in American frog skins.

The oil price drop has me a bit confused...from the point of view as an individual consumer I have considerably more to spend now that I am paying $1.65 per gallon as opposed to $3.50 to $4.00 a gallon. I'm paying almost half of what I was paying....and in a full size 4x4 truck that's a lot. Logic would say we should be paying proportionatly less for everything not more.
Any product made from oil should be cheaper (resin for instance)... The cost of manufacturing should be cheaper.... cost to transport should be cheaper. So what gives?

Yes, but you live in the right place. The decrease in the dollar is so bad that it costs much more to import goods. Canada is selling and producing much less oil right now, which means our dollar drops in response. Mass layoffs in oil producing provinces.

Well, whatever the reason, compared with other boards made in the Cobra factory (ie. just about all the main brands except Jimmy Lewis, and a few smaller outfits like Sunova) the Bark Vapor price is entirely comparable if you match like with like in terms of construction. For instance the Vapor in Europe is a pretty similar price to a 2016 hybrid carbon All Star, yet the Bark has PVC sandwich where the All Star has wood (score one to Surftech), the Vapor core is a better quality closed cell one (score two), and the Bark has more carbon (score three).

So, the prices of ALL the brands may have gone up, but the Bark Vapor prices are no worse than any others, at least in most markets, I think.

My Vapor seems pretty tough, and the quality of the finish is excellent.

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Area10 said..
Well, whatever the reason, compared with other boards made in the Cobra factory (ie. just about all the main brands except Jimmy Lewis, and a few smaller outfits like Sunova) the Bark Vapor price is entirely comparable if you match like with like in terms of construction. For instance the Vapor in Europe is a pretty similar price to a 2016 hybrid carbon All Star, yet the Bark has PVC sandwich where the All Star has wood (score one to Surftech), the Vapor core is a better quality closed cell one (score two), and the Bark has more carbon (score three).

So, the prices of ALL the brands may have gone up, but the Bark Vapor prices are no worse than any others, at least in most markets, I think.

My Vapor seems pretty tough, and the quality of the finish is excellent.

Here the Vapor is at a (small) premium $3.7K compared to similar offers i.e. the FX is at $3,2K pre-order I think or to other Surftech boards D2 and Downwinder $3.4K.

Well the SIC FX is great value where you are then because it is a more expensive construction than the Vapor. Or the Vapor is inexplicably expensive. The Vapor should be quite a bit less expensive than the FX, so those prices would be worth checking.

After all, a cheaper construction board coming out of the same factory should be cheaper. The SIC FX is full carbon with innegra reinforcements, and is a lot lighter than the Vapor, which has carbon only on the bottom. The Bark Vapor is supposed to be a medium construction board (roughly akin to the Starboard hybrid carbon) not a premium one like the Starboard full carbon, SIC SCC etc. So if the Vapor is as expensive as these other full carbon boards, maybe your retailer or distributor has not calculated the RRPs properly.

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Area10 said..

Leroy13 said...

Area10 said..
Dunno what you are complaining about - in the UK (and most of Europe) we've been paying the same prices as you for a long time now. A carbon Starboard, Fanatic, or SIC etc 14ft board will cost the equivalent of around 5400 Canadian Dollars. RRP for a Bark Vapor here is 3600 Canadian.

Paying these prices makes you appreciate a board that is well thought-out and refined, has an enduring design, and is built to last. It can be cheaper here to go custom from a local shaper than buy a big brand production board.

Those are insane prices. Anyone paying must realise that they are just not that much better. Those companies seriously need to be boycotted in those countries. Surely you have local alternatives i.e. Gong, BIC, etc.

BIC are no cheaper, really. In fact the top construction BICs are very expensive. Gong are cheaper, but here in the UK we had some bad experiences with the constructions of early Gongs and delivery problems, so the brand will take a while to recover here, I think. There are some local UK brands selling China made boards a bit cheaper, but they are mostly still around the 2500-3000 Canadian dollar mark for something of acceptable weight in a 12-6 or 14ft and resale value is weak.

The result is that not many hard boards are sold here. 10x as many inflatables are sold as hard boards.

The retailers argue that people will pay £5000 for a bike, so they will pay that for a board. But you can see value in a bike in a way that you can't with a board. And there is a good secondhand market for them, whereas used SUP prices are very soft: the serious racers want the latest gear, and this years' race gear is too specialised for beginners.

It's a real problem for the development of SUP in this country IMO. If you want to race, or do downwind, you have to have a lot of money behind you - or have a parent who has, or is in the Watersports business. So the age profile of racers/DWers in the UK is mainly oriented towards the more mature paddler.

SUPerD said..
It's all relative when it comes to recreational sports equipment, have you looked at the price range of decent full sus MTBs lately.. it doesn't matter what the monetary unit is, it's crazy. Makes the price of even a carbon board palatable..

Bics are significantly cheaper in North America than almost all of the other big players. Unless there is a new construction or board that I'm unaware of that Bic has put out this year. You can get a new 2015 C-Tec Tracer 14 x 28 for 1695.00 right now in the states. New Retail was 1995.00. Lahui Kai is another brand that offers a pretty big savings for a quality board, which would be more in line of what I'm looking compared to the C-Tec series by Bic. The Lahui Kai 14 X 27.25 has developed a good reputation as a capable all conditions board that is light with good durability, and it has a retail price much lower than most of the other players as well. 26 pounds for 2185.00 and free shipping. That's much cheaper than SIC, Starboard, and Bark offerings for an all conditions board in these parts.

Got my Vapour a week ago, but today was first chance I had to get it out on the water. Have to say board was heavier than I was. expecting. Conditions today were 18/19knt onshore wind so it was paddle out 1/2 mile and back in again, there was some good lumps and it was messy so a really good test for the board. Board slaps a bit paddling out but goes out and into the wind well. It rolls a bit but doesnt tip you off and allowed me to recover from my wobbly foot work without falling off. picks up bumps well and on the inside it surfs really well. Tomorrow the wind should be good for our short DW run so I will give this a go instead of the V2. will have to wait a while to try it on the flat as we seem to have windy bumpy water forecast for a while. Certainly doesnt cut the water as well as my D2 or Prolite but there again it's not designed to.
As to the finish, I have always found the finish on Barks chip quite easily and this seems to be the same which is a shame as all of the Barks I have paddle really well

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Area10 said..
Well the SIC FX is great value where you are then because it is a more expensive construction than the Vapor. Or the Vapor is inexplicably expensive. The Vapor should be quite a bit less expensive than the FX, so those prices would be worth checking.

After all, a cheaper construction board coming out of the same factory should be cheaper. The SIC FX is full carbon with innegra reinforcements, and is a lot lighter than the Vapor, which has carbon only on the bottom. The Bark Vapor is supposed to be a medium construction board (roughly akin to the Starboard hybrid carbon) not a premium one like the Starboard full carbon, SIC SCC etc. So if the Vapor is as expensive as these other full carbon boards, maybe your retailer or distributor has not calculated the RRPs properly.

Hence my regrets that the production FX14 is not the 14x26 266L model.....
Based on the quality and durability of the construction specially the finish and the softish bottom and for the weight I thing that the Vapor/D2 and Downwidner should still be at the $2.7K level. The Vapor at $3.7K seems vastly overpriced in my books.
At $2.7K I would have one on order.