Hi there, I'm 82kgs, 184cm, and have a Naish Mana 9'5" as my surf SUP. I'm looking for a lake, river, and DW board for fun & fitness, not really interested in racing as I've had years of that in my previous endurance sports, I'm 50 something but still reasonably fit. I want to focus on fun, core fitness, and paddling.
This w/e I have tee'd up viewings of the following SUPs:
1) Corban Edge 14' in kevlar/carbon in bag ex demo near new (pretty much the same price as 3 below);
2) Naish Glide 17' 3 yo ($500 cheaper than 3);
3) Naish Glide GX 14' ex demo ($400 off RRP);
4) Naish Glide GS a bit more knocked up could be quite cheap;
5) SIC 17' Bullet - 2 yo, about the same price as 3;
6) SIC F16 - near new, $600 more than 3 & the most expensive option.
This is going to be a keeper so I'll probably knock out 4 (unless it is just too cheap to pass up).
The Corban Egde is very light. I know how good the GX is from reviews and vids. The Glide 17' would make a good river/lake paddler which is where I'll be spending 90% of my time.
I don't think the displacement bow of the Corban Edge or 14' Glide is a huge issue, in the vids the riders move back and lift the bow when necessary, a good skill too develop I reckon.
At the rear of the board, the Corban and Glide 14's have a square tail to promote lift. The 17' Glide and SICs have the extra length and floation to do that but I'm sure they would be as steerable from the rear.
So I'm leaning toward 1, 3, or 6. Decision time Sat night over a few brain lubricating ales, payment and pick-up will occur Sunday.
Any thoughts to make my decision harder/easier, please post away!
#3.. and get yourself a good paddle (if you don't already have one)
Btw a brand new GS 14' Glide would be worth considering.
DJ
Not tempted by any of the longer options? Care to elaborate?
I have a long vehicle and dont have to worry about the extended overhang of a longer board when transporting ;) !
Out of your list for me it would be a toss up between the 14' Coreban Edge and the 14' Naish Glide.. I know the Glide is aimed more towards downwinders (and it's one of the best at that) but it also paddles flat water very well and one of the best do it all type boards.. Even though it's only 27 1/4" wide it feels very stable without the need to use secondary stability like most flat water boards do.. I think it handles choppy conditions better than most cutting nose type boards like the Edge.. If your paddling conditions are glassy or very calm I'd go for the Edge.. But if you get chop or confused water I think the Glide is your better option.. The bigger boards are nice and better suited for the open ocean conditions.. Paddling them on lakes and rivers still works quite well but that extra length and weight put more load on your paddle.. and joints.. and are also heavy to load and unload on the car roof and when storing.. You should demo them all and see what you think.
DJ
You live in the ACT and you are looking at downwind boards WTH???
I might be out of line but a flat water board would be a way better option.
DC, Fanatic, Hobie, etc one with no rocker and a cutter nose.
Only DJ thinks the Naish 14 is the best board in the world. It is average on flat water (not that good DW either IMO but I am 105kg)
If you are paddling in no wind get a flat water board not a SIC or Naish 14/17.
But if ACT has good DW conditions I am wrong.
I don't think you should get a flatwater board - they are designed for speed and always sacrifice stability.
My pick of the bunch would be the 17' Naish - its as quick as any 14' flatwater board as it has endless glide - you would have to get a fixed finbox put in and chuck the steering though - as you'd want to stand further forward in flat conditions.
It's probably the most stable out of the lot you mentioned and easily the fastest for your intended use.
I sell Naish and have not had access to try out a SIC....
Hi SSSimon
I recently brought my Coreban Edge with similar motivations. I am not really a racer but just wanted something fast and fun for 15km plus paddles along the coast in mild conditions <15not
I have had a few weeks with it now and learning its subtleties. It's most at home in flat water. It has lots of glide and tracks straight as an arrow. Last weekend was glassy and a boat was cruising about 10m to my left going just a little faster than me. I could ride it's wake for little 10 second bursts. Maybe this is called no winding
I am finding foot placement is very important to keep it all working when the winds get up though. I find the wind wants to push the nose around so I move a little forward and lower the nose to keep it going straight. When dealing with wind and paddling across the chop I have started standing well back to free up the nose otherwise I end up doing 100% paddling on one side. Still trying to figure all this out as it's my first displacement board. I would welcome suggestions from anyone with more experience with displacement hulls.
Stability on the Coreban is extremely good, I still haven't taken a swim. I was caught out badly one day by not believing the weather forecast (stupid I know, but it looked so good in the morning). Wind was over 20 knots and the wind vs tide vs reef made the chop real big and messy. It got me home dry but really sore from paddling on one side trying to keep the nose points away from the rocks.
I think if you are looking to do any serious downwinding the other boards are a much better choice. The Coreban will do small stuff as it doesn't bury it's nose like you might expect but the Naish and SIC will cane it on a proper run. If you are paddling the lakes and rivers the Coreban is going to have an advantage as it's very efficient through the water specially upwind into chop.
As boring as it sounds the soft flat deckpad that doesn't put your feet to sleep and the nice handle and bag should be given weight. It just makes the board easy to live with.
Hope that helps a little, Let me know if you have any specific questions about it.
You can't really go wrong with any of those boards. The SIC boards sound tempting. I would love to have a custom SIC one day. I think I am turning into a gear head
Thanks all for the thoughts.
I said 90% lake & rivers - cause I live 90% of the time in the ACT.
I get down to the NSW South Coast the rest of the time and would be doing some coastal stuff then. So I'd snooker myself if I got a purely flat water board and ended up not having fun, cause of lack of directional control, while paddling the swells in Batemans Bay and further south!
Good points about loading/unloading.
I'm tending to discount the F16 now as it would be just too DW focused.
That still leaves 1, 2, 3 & 5 to think about for 2 more days.
In my opinion, a 17' Glide in flat water is a 14' board with a whole lot of extra weight at the front that never touches the water and is therefore a bit useless. Great DW board but not the best choice for flat water. The F16 is similar. The Bullets are a little different in that some seem to really work in flat water. Having said that, I am far from an expert on SIC boards so happy to be corrected.
The 14' Glide in its current incarnation is pretty good in flat water but the previous shape had way too much rocker to really work outside of downwind. I haven't spent enough time on the Coreban to really know how well it would work for you.
No such thing as a lake, river and DW board and most of your options favour the DW when you want to spend 90% of your time on flatwater. Either buy a board for each, perhaps a 12'6" for the DWing, or get an all rounder in the 27" width bracket.
But if you're going to choose from one of the ones listed anyway, IMHO 14' Glide is the closest.
Thanks all.
I think it will be down to the 2 17'ers or the Glide 14' GX now - I do paddle a fair bit in windy condtions, like again today, and so are discounting to Edge to a certain extent now.
The G17 is looking attractive, good buying low price, fin/steering system easily modified.
The SIC Bullet 17 does come with a steering blank off plate.
I'm going to take a strap and spring scale and weigh the boards.
If the 17's end up being just too big/heavy to handle it'll be the G14 GX.
Hi Simon, on a separate note of you haven't already jump on the High Country SUP Public Facebook page and check out the activities we do in Canberra and down the coast. There is also a private page on Facebook and all you need to do for that is send a friend request to one of the admins and they will give you access.
We go for a social paddle on Sunday mornings at 0800 from Molongolo Reach to the Carillion for a coffee. Good chance to try some different boards also.
Hope to see you sometime.
Matt
Hi Scotty, we've already had a chat at Molonglo! Funnily enough I'm not a subscriber to FB.Thanks for the info though.
THE RESULT
14' COREBAN EDGE
I could not resist the fact that the Coreban Edge is a 90% flat water and 10% downwind board. The quality of the design, finish, heavy duty bag with 4 handles, shoulder strap, vent inspection flap, double zipper, UV reflective bottom, and price for an ex-team rider board, EPS-carbon weighs in at just over 13kgs. Also the slightly sunken deck which sinks further as you go back.
1st paddle did not disappoint either, on the harbour in a strengthing sea breeze. OK there is a bit of windage at the front, but I'm sure I'll develop the skills to handle it. It does not feel corky, and when you drop a rail, the bouyancy on the side seems to increase to resist the downward pressure. So I found it very stable, no swims yet.
I'm now looking forward to more paddling tomorrow and Monday (PH is the ACT, & Vic & SA),
Haha Simon I actually thought that might be the case. Make sure you come down with the new weapon tomorrow then. Pretty keen to see one of these in the flesh.
Don't blame you re the FB thing. If it wasn't for SUP I would have cut it away long ago.
Scotty
Spent today (Sunday 10th) paddling in Narrabeen Lake in a light NE wind blowing down the lake.
Will wash the salt of in LBG on Monday!
Thanks for that. Time will tell I guess.
So far so good, but I haven't been out in the open ocean yet.
