burchas said..
In other words an RS Dugout. Great, now they have given Area10 something to complain about...

The drain hole in the middle does work very well. at least on my board it does and it's not as good as this one looks.

I have to concede that I am not that excited about it...at least not as a downwind board.....I have come to love a rounded tail and only a slightly recessed deck. WHich is not to say that it might not be a great board.

Looks great. I had an RS for about 5 minutes and didn't like it at all. But I like the ideas behind this one.

DaveL1963 said..
Which year model RS did you have, and why didn't you like it?

Must have been a 2018 I think. It was the first one that came out. I found it to be a sturdy board but it did nothing exceptionally well. It was a little sluggish in flat water, it didn't surf as well as I'd hoped and it didn't excel in downwind conditions. And this is not an anti SIC opinion - I have 2x Bullets and 2x Bayonets at the moment and I love them. I just don't love the RS. It feels like SIC trying to make a Starboard All Star, which is another board I never rated despite owning 3 or 4 of them at one time or another.

Area10 said..
Well, they had to do something, I guess: the 2020 onwards RS is pretty bad at downwinding and surf- significantly worse than the previous model. In improving the flat water speed very slightly they stuffed it's rough water versatility. The Bayonet is by all accounts too tippy and/or technical for most in rough water principally because you stand too high above the waterline. The Bullet is too wide for serious racers in elite competitions. So the SIC team riders would have trouble in the ocean races without the Atlantis. This looks a bit like the original RS design with a more sunken deck to me?

I guess the question is whether the pandemic has killed SUP racing. It was dying anyway. Many or even most people I know who were avid ocean SUPers a couple of years ago are now winging or foiling instead. So is this board too much of a niche product, a bit like the Bayonet is? I'm actually quite interested in this board, but although no doubt it will be fast in the right hands downwind, how much fun will it be for the average paddler? How many downwind races will there be once the pandemic subsides? Am I likely to part with a big wedge of money for this board without being able to try it (which I'd have to)? Nope, because it could be a board that only suits a handful of people in a handful of conditions. I'd be more interested in a Bayonet that had thinner rails and a slightly wider tail. I presume this will replace the Bayonet though?

Maybe it will replace the 14' Bayonet but not the unlimited, which will surely stay in the line up as it has replaced the unlimited Bullet at that one is no longer available. SIC's marketing is a little confusing though. They say the Bayonet is for light downwind conditions whereas the Atlantis is for heavier conditions. You'd think a narrow Atlantis would be pretty similar to an Ace in light downwind but maybe not.

Area10,
It sounds like the 2020 RS14 honeymoon is over! I thought that you were in love with that board, but it now sounds like you are ready to kick her to the curb. Do you now prefer the Mk1 over Mk2 RS? Sounds like you have pegged the 2020-21 RS as a flat water race board. I have not ridden either board, but I am considering an RS-14 purchase right now. After watching several vids it does appear that the M-1 does pick up small bumps very well and seems to wobble less underfoot. I suppose that the slightly greater rocker on Mk1 accounts for both. The ride that you are describing on the Mk2 reminds me of how my SIC X 14 Pro handled. Fast on flats, but it was a bit too flat for me to do anything on short period downwind and more of a handful in cross chop. That kept the board in the rack for me for more days than I wanted.

My current Blackfish is a bit too wide and slow for me at 27 inches, but I can take that board out in bigger conditions that were previously unthinkable. And, I Never fall off of it, so I can take it out in cold weather, when I would not want to risk falling in. In fact, it is so stable that I fly fish off of it. Bonus! Here I am talking myself into keeping it and the funny thing is that I have it listed for sale on Paddle Monster right now. I kind of hope no one buys it! Hah! Maybe I will keep it and just find room in the garage for a third board.

This Atlantis board looks and sounds interesting. I would love to hear some testing feedback on it.

Area10 said..

I have no idea why more brands aren't making boards that are more like the Naish Maliko: fairly low volume, rails that aren't too thick, and is generally user-friendly and versatile in most conditions. Racing is dead: give us enthusiasts boards we can enjoy owning and paddling: we don't need that last 0.1% of speed that comes at such a high price in terms of paddling and ownership pleasure. But nor do we want to paddle big barges either.

Naish has tweaked the Maliko in its latest iteration, or so I've heard, so it's starting to lose those attributes that you describe.

Just wondering, with your downwind group in the UK, do you swap and share boards in the middle of a session to get a broader experience and understanding of what all the brands are doing? I remember we used to do that here in Melbourne back in the old days and it was great. These days, you suggest something like that to more recent downwind enthusiasts and they look at you like you're from another planet.

WaveScience said..

Naish has tweaked the Maliko in its latest iteration, or so I've heard, so it's starting to lose those attributes that you describe.

Not in the least, if everything the 2020 design is improved on all aspect (but strength of the construction) on the 2018/2019 design. I know I have both.

Area10 said..
If you've got a board that does everything you want it to do, then hold onto it.

And possibly do a 3D scan of it so when it goes under you'll have a way to recreate it

Rideordie said..
Funny! Just got a call today about the Blackfish and it is sold pending pick up this weekend. I might regret it, but my replacement search is now on ! Might be hijacking the thread, but will tie this back into the Atlantis.

I was planning replacing my 27 Blackfish with the Mk2 2020/21 SIC RS 14 x 24.5, but I am now beginning to question whether I should be looking at a MK1 version based on some of the comments on this thread. By coincidence, I just found a Pristine(!) 24.5 RS MK1 version for sale. Or, should I hold out for the Atlantis 14 x 24?

I want my next board to be fast on flats with decent stability and a bit of rocker. I do occasional small downwinders, but mostly just flat water paddling/training on lakes and rivers. Which should I choose?

If my main activity was flat water paddling I would focus on the best board for that job. I had many downwind runs on proper race boards
and while little more work still super fun especially in small downwinders. The Atlantis does look like a good choice if you can find one but
I can name dozen other boards that will work just as well.

My Naish Maliko is considered a race board but it functions really well in many downwind conditions.

Rideordie said..
Burchas,
Thanks for the thoughts and great video! I really like the shape and performance of the Maliko. My main concern with that board is the quality of construction.

There are better boards for flat water speed for sure unless you're into sprints where the Maliko is a killer and the construction and finish is
subpar in comparison to my other boards but not as bad as I first thought it was. The point of the video was to show the board being handled
in decent downwind by regular Joe since it looks like the Atlantis covers similar category meaning much better all-around performance rather than pure flat water.
For flat water I would get the RS before the Atlantis but realistically go with even more specialized board just to maximize my
main activity experience, even in my case where upwind/downwind is mostly what I do my next board would be a more specialize flat water
board as they are much better going upwind than the all-around boards. In small downwind conditions pretty much any board would work.

Rideordie said..
Burchas, Thanks for the reply. I see your point on selecting the RS vs Atlantis. So Mk1 or Mk2? I am also struggling with that choice.

I put some miles on the RS MK1 and I wasn't blown away by it's speed specifically in context riding along and switching with a Starboard Sprint. The past year was super strange to put it mildly so I didn't have the luxury of putting miles on 5 different new boards as I usually do
So didn't have the pleasure of riding the MK2 but everything suggests it is a faster board so if my heart was set on an SIC and flat water
was my main activity I wouldn't even think twice and get the MK2.

It looks like availability is mostly the challenge these days. My friend, an SIC dealer went by their warehouse yesterday (East Coast US)
trying to score some boards only to find a lonely older Bullet model ditched in the corner so pretty sad. I was hoping he could score one of
the new Bullets so I can get to work on it but nope

Rideordie said..
Makes sense to me. I am about 205 lbs with average or better balance, so I am thinking I can handle it the width OK and it would float me OK at 297 liters. I previous had an SIC FX at 25 wide and 290 volume and i was fine with it. I am seeing availability of the 24.5 RS at Big Winds and Paddleboard Specialists.

The 24.5 sounds like a good match. Shouldn't take long to get to the Carolinas

Rideordie said..
I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a new SIC RS 14x 24.5 from Big Winds yesterday!! Should arrive by 3/17 or so. I am so stoked!!

I have that exact board, which I use as my flat water or calm sea conditions board. It is very good and nice to own and paddle. The deck pad shows the dirt and the paintwork is fairly easily scratched but otherwise it is solid and light, and performs well.

Rideordie said..
I finally pulled the trigger and ordered a new SIC RS 14x 24.5 from Big Winds yesterday!! Should arrive by 3/17 or so. I am so stoked!!

Congrats! Let us know how you like her.