Well if you are wanting to race BOP-style and have the skills, then the FX is probably aimed straight at you.

The Bullet 12-6 would probably be easier (and therefore maybe quicker) if you are an average Joe. But the flat water speed of the Bullets (any of them) is not their forte, so you'd lose out to the FX on the straights (assuming you have the balance to stay on the FX).

But as I've said before, no-one really knows much about the FX yet, outside the SIC inner circle.

Pick up my new SIC bullet 12'6 on Wednesday, stoked to be taking it to Noosa for the festival of surfing

Here's an update. Dealer wrote me yesterday and said the container shipment will not arrive until 3/11/16, another delay. Then wrote me today and said there is a 20 foot container on the way and will arrive on Monday. Not sure of contents, but expects it to be SIC with my board in it. Should know on Monday. Wish me luck!!

Good luck mate. Your enthusiasm is infectious.

Stoked for you Rideordie! that's great news. Just remember... Pics or it didn't happen... (Even though it hasn't, yet)

I promise to post pics and a full review. I'm like kid waiting for Christmas Day so I can play with my new toys. Glad to have something that gets me excited!! I love this sport!!

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Rideordie said..
Here's an update. Dealer wrote me yesterday and said the container shipment will not arrive until 3/11/16, another delay. Then wrote me today and said there is a 20 foot container on the way and will arrive on Monday. Not sure of contents, but expects it to be SIC with my board in it. Should know on Monday. Wish me luck!!

This must be a world-wide phenomenon that mystifies me.

Shipping from Asia to Aus is about 3 weeks, to US about the same, and probably for Europe too (they have a canal these days to get things quicker than in Drake's day).

So to get the container on the ship and cleared there has to be a packing list, Bill of Lading, Commercial Invoice, Custom's documents, ship's voyage number, ship's ETD & ETA, any number of documents that detail the shipment before it leaves and whilst it is on it's way.
Add the online nature of shipping companies and clearance houses that can tell you exactly where any given shipment is at any time of the day, and ya gotta wonder why we the customer are still left scratching our heads wondering if and when the next container is coming, and indeed whether our ordered boards are going to be in any particular container...

It shouldn't be that hard for the distributors of any of the brands to get off their arses and provide some decent customer service!!

I could continue the rant, but I'll leave it for others (I think I know who will pick this up...)

Oh, and good luck Rideordie! Full report and photo's required. Don't forget the photo of the board dimensions!!

"I could continue the rant, but I'll leave it for others (I think I know who will pick this up...)"

I wonder who you could possibly mean, Helmy?

Personally, I think the fact that you never know when your board is going to turn up- give or take about 6 months - is absolutely wonderful. It all adds to the sense that you have entered outlaw land, having handed over large wads of cash for something that might not actually even exist, and it gives a "will-it, or won't'-it arrive today" frisson to your working week. Why would anyone possibly want to give that up? Anyone who would even consider demanding a higher standard of service just needs to take a chill pill. "All good things come to he or she who waits". Eventually. Maybe. Even if sometimes it does arrive all banged up and with manufacturing flaws. But that just adds to the excitement when you do finally get a board that is OK, so it's all good ;)

Ah yes, as predicted...thank you two nutters for your valuable insights once again. I shall contemplate the possible delivery of a board that possibly resembles the board I demo'd at some time in the future!
Until then I shall do a couple of late night laps in the pool - wich is currently siiting at 30 c / overnight air temp 25c in Melbourne tonight.
You should make a trip down sometime!

Hell, I'd love to come to Melbourne. I'm hoping I can wrangle a work trip there sometime and stay on a few days. It's too expensive and too far to bring my wife and kids. We've got intermittent sleet and hail here at the moment with icy northerly winds, and the whole country is feeling battered from this winter's rain, storms, crazy high winds and flooding. Lots of snow for large parts of the UK today. I think maybe this weather is affecting all of our moods and this might sometimes leak through in the various posts from the UK guys, including mine!

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Area10 said..
I think maybe this weather is affecting all of our moods and this might sometimes leak through in the various posts from the UK guys, including mine!

Ok a little board porn to cheer you up!!

OMG! What can I say? That's a helluva pic. Gorgeous boards. Thanks, I feel happier already :)

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Rideordie said..
Ok a little board porn to cheer you up!!

Wow! Not just porn, but redhead porn... !

The container with the SIC FX 14 x 25 boards reached the US shores this morning. Just got a note from my dealer. Asked him if he was going keep one for a demo and could he please test and provide a comparison to the Allstar, put a watch on the flat water speed and weigh it. Will let you know how he responds. Stoked!!

Getting our wish....Just got a call from my dealer. He said that the delearship General Manager has been paddling the SIC FX 14 x 26 and he is excited to take out the 14 x 25 for a test. He will give me a call to discuss. So, we should be able to get a comparison of the 25 to the 26 and beyond to the Allstar.

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Rideordie said..Just got a call from my dealer.

Junky....

I just got off the phone with the General Manager. He had just gotten off the water testing the new FX and he was even more excited than me!! He said that like me he was a little concerned that the changes from the 26 to the 25 might make the board less stable. However, he said that the primary stability on the board is GREAT and it goes really well in choppy confused water and on the flats. It was a short test, but they did put a Velocitek on it and confirmed how FAST it is. He said maybe a tenth per mile slower than the 2015 Allstar, which would put it about dead even, or maybe faster than the 2016 Allstar. He loved the handling of the board and expects it to be really great downwind too. He liked the board so much that he is claiming the board for himself and taking it home to be his race board for the season. That is a high compliment because he can ride anything he wants!!! He said that besides his, I should have the first one in North America. It ships out to me tomorrow and I should it in less than a week. He said that I definitely made the right call waiting for this fantastic board!! Bam!!

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Rideordie said..
I just got off the phone with the General Manager. He had just gotten off the water testing the new FX and he was even more excited than me!! He said that like me he was a little concerned that the changes from the 26 to the 25 might make the board less stable. However, he said that the primary stability on the board is GREAT and it goes really well in choppy confused water and on the flats. It was a short test, but they did put a Velocitek on it and confirmed how FAST it is. He said maybe a tenth per mile slower than the 2015 Allstar, which would put it about dead even, or maybe faster than the 2016 Allstar. He loved the handling of the board and expects it to be really great downwind too. He liked the board so much that he is claiming the board for himself and taking it home to be his race board for the season. That is a high compliment because he can ride anything he wants!!! He said that besides his, I should have the first one in North America. It ships out to me tomorrow and I should it in less than a week. He said that I definitely made the right call waiting for this fantastic board!! Bam!!

How big a man is the GM?
Size and weight might make a difference in the appreciation of one model over the other.
i..e the 266L 26" great for a 165 pounder but the 290L 25" better for a 200 pounder

It is likely a moot point anyway since the 26" will not be offered.

It will be interesting to see the board in person. I have seen some of the pics, read the dimensions, but I'm just not seeing 290 litres in a board that narrow that doesn't have a more rounded boof type nose where a lot of volume comes from. The FX must keep full thickness all the way to the tail to have that much volume, but that's still a lot of volume for a 25" wide board without a full on boof nose.

Did the General Manager say anything about needing a slightly longer paddle for the FX? Most boards these days have a sunken deck, but this looks to be flat, and at 290L for a 14x25 you are presumably standing a fair bit above the waterline. I find quite a difference in paddle length requirement going from my sunken deck boards to some of my flat deck ones.

Sorry, I did not ask his weight or question paddle length. I have an adjustable Ke Nalu so I can tweak the length if needed. I think I saw this guy in video and I would guess he is about 170 or so. I can't emphasize enough how excited he was about this board. He loves it!!

FX 14 x 25 has same volume as similar sized Allstar.

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Rideordie said...

I can't emphasize enough how excited he was about this board. He loves it!!

Of corse he does..

DJ, This dealer represents 9 SUP brands, including Starboard, Nash, Bark and Infinity. Each of these top manufacturers have some fine boards, but he chose the SIC FX 14 as his personal board for the season. He was already sold on the pre-production 26 and he likes the 25 even better. He was not trying to pimp the most expensive boards to me. I believe that he was honest and sincere. I am sure that there will be comparisons made to other boards and opinions may differ. However, I have placed my bet that I will be happy with this one. Others, who have put down more money on more expensive boards, may have regrets. I expect none. Time will tell. I have been wrong before, but experience has led me to make better decisions about what I really want. I have a really good feeling about this one!!

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Rideordie said..
FX 14 x 25 has same volume as similar sized Allstar.

Same listed volumes, but the 14 x 25 Allstar has much more volume in the nose, and definitely seems to retain more thickness in the tail though. Granted, the Allstar has a slightly cut out deck and concaves underneath. I'm not sure how some of these companies measure displacement. Seems to be all over the map. I just don't see 290 litres compared to other boards that are up to three or four inches wider, with a similar thickness throughout that have 290L of volume. It doesn't matter if it floats you well, but i'm not seeing a board of that volume from the pics.

Robon, I tend to agree with your thoughts on volume. Who knows if it is correct. I would base it on what you measure, see and feel. Will let you know when I get mine.

The only thing about the FX that would give me pause in terms of buying one is the height above the water that you'll be standing. I can see that a perfectly flat deck is an advantage if you are racing seriously, especially in races with beach starts or beach run sections like the PPG or ISA worlds. I saw the problems that racers had with using an Ace in those conditions last year - jumping onto the board after a transition was difficult and painful. Flat decks also will shed water better. However, if you aren't a serious racer, these aspects might not matter so much, and the extra stability that a sunken deck gives is very substantial. I also rather like mildly sunken decks in chop because you can feel where the rail is, and use the lip to aid rail steer. So the first thing I'm hoping to learn about the FX is how far above the waterline you stand, and whether the board feels a bit tippy in side chop because of corkiness. It wouldn't matter maybe for a gun paddler, but it would for a fat old wobbly git like me.

One of the things I particularly like about the Vapor is that the rails are only 5" or so thick at the standing area, and then there is quite a sunken deck, which together means you are standing not far above the water and don't have a big side rail to catch wind and chop when quartering the prevailing conditions.

But Mark Raaphorst is a wizard so I'm sure that the FX will be finely tuned to it's expected user base.

OK folks, here is a posted just now video link sent to me by my dealer that compares the FX to the Allstar. Enjoy!! You may need to copy and paste to your browser.

I am not sure that a single speed run comparison by one person on flat water is that valid, but there you have it. Allstar wins. Notice more flex discussion in the video. Even so, the FX is pretty darn fast with a sweet amount of rocker and what appears to be Very good stability. I doubt that I will be ever able to get either board close to 6.7-6.9 MPH as the tester does. Rails do look thick, but again I am having difficulty seeing 290 liters.

Question for the group: Is top speed in a short sprint really a relevant test of speed? How would you test? My favorite way to test is to trade off with a familiar training partner and go for a much longer vigorous paddle. After a few miles, it becomes readily apparent which equipment is better. I have done this with both paddles and boards. Perhaps the best way is to go for your typical training run on your home water and compare your GPS speed and time (Garmin 310 XT for me) to your recent experience. That's what I am looking forward to.

In buying this FX board, I was hoping to accomplish a few things: 1) Improve stability some over my X 14 PRO, which reduces effort over longer runs. 2)Better in side wind and side chop. 3)Improve short period down breeze/wind capability and upwind capability 4) Reduce the tendency to "catch" the displacement nose, which made it difficult to adjust direction in side wind and drafting 5) Not lose any sustained speed. Faster overall. Will let you know how this works out.