I previously owned the 2011 14' Ace 25" AST construction and loved this board for flat water, but decided to change and bought the 2011 14' Ace 27" to use both in the ocean and flat water.
Immediately I noticed the weight, 17kg which means it's an effort to lift off the car and hoist onto a shoulder is the easiest way to carry it. On the water it needs a bit more effort to get onto a runner but the weight on the water isn't too critical for me. The carry handles are not set for balanced carrying. A good feature on the handles is you could easily flip it over and let a wave pass over you if getting smashed at a bar crossing.
This board has a huge volume ( 391L versus the 308L of the 25") and is very stable in the waves or cross chop. With the wind behind you and good conditions it easily jumps onto runners and it flies... When on a runner stepping back about six" helps, but mostly I'm paddling up forward with toes in front of the forward drainholes. The cockpit / deck grip area is very dry and if any water gets in, drains very quickly. Built for the bigger paddlers, at 80kg I am probably on the lighter side for the board. In the flat, it runs about slower than the 25" Ace, my best time around Lake Kawana on the 25" was a minute quicker than this 27" board over 4.3Km.
I'd love the brushed carbon version, but the AST is very solid and well built.
Coming in over a bar like the Maroocydore river, it surfs only in a straight line, you need to crouch down at the back bracing your back foot against the cockpit wall and use your paddle to stabilise and stop the nose from swinging and throwing you out.
This Ace is faster in the ocean and flat than the Coastrunner, but the Coastrunner would be better in bigger seas.

Nice review John, but where you say if surfs only in a straight line, do you mean straight ahead with the wave face perpendicular to the board? In the limited time I've spent on this board, I've found it possible to surf the board across the face of the wave. It's a delicate balance because you don't want the tail to be turned around too far.

More like straight ahead rather than across the face, but then these are fairly big waves that we get coming into the Maroocydore river mouth when the outgoing tide hits the ocean swell. It's probably more that you can't get as far back over the fin.

Oh right, yeah I agree with you, definitely hard to get back over the fin and especially in big swell.

Hi PT
What's the weight of your carbon 27" Ace please?
How do you rate it against the 25" and interested when would you use either for?

Just back from a quick downwinders. Can't get over how stable this board is and how easily it catches runners. Side swell does rock the board but you just let roll and it rights itself easily.
Recommend a test run for anyone looking for a great all rounder board.