Hi everyone,

I've been SUPing for about six months now and keen to move up to a 14ft all round board that I can take out in any conditions and also to learn how to downwind a bit. I'm mostly on Sydney Harbour which can be choppy at the best of times but I'm also keen to pop out the heads and bash into a stiff nor-easter every now and again. Also keen on the glassy stuff so I figure all round might be the best.

The question is what board and what width? I've been reading here about the following but open to any ideas:

Maliko 28 inch x 14ft
Glide 29 inch x 14ft
Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 27 inch x 14ft

I got keen on the Jimmy Lewis because of the weight factor initially. I keep my boards on the wall in the hallway (promotes some interesting discussion on the way in!) and that means negotiating through a couple of doorways to get out, all of which is doable but light makes it easier. This is what turned me off the Glide although I read it might be the most stable of the lot. Any thoughts on the stability comparison of these three boards?

Maybe 27 inch is pushing it? I'm 85 kgs, 6ft and 58 yo. Up until now I've been on a Naish One 30 inch x 12.5 ft inflatable which I can handle in small chop and most wave wash, but only just!

Thanks

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Reddo said..
Hi everyone,

I've been SUPing for about six months now and keen to move up to a 14ft all round board that I can take out in any conditions and also to learn how to downwind a bit. I'm mostly on Sydney Harbour which can be choppy at the best of times but I'm also keen to pop out the heads and bash into a stiff nor-easter every now and again. Also keen on the glassy stuff so I figure all round might be the best.

The question is what board and what width? I've been reading here about the following but open to any ideas:

Maliko 28 inch x 14ft
Glide 29 inch x 14ft
Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 27 inch x 14ft

I got keen on the Jimmy Lewis because of the weight factor initially. I keep my boards on the wall in the hallway (promotes some interesting discussion on the way in!) and that means negotiating through a couple of doorways to get out, all of which is doable but light makes it easier. This is what turned me off the Glide although I read it might be the most stable of the lot. Any thoughts on the stability comparison of these three boards?

Maybe 27 inch is pushing it? I'm 85 kgs, 6ft and 58 yo. Up until now I've been on a Naish One 30 inch x 12.5 ft inflatable which I can handle in small chop and most wave wash, but only just!

Thanks

Hey mate

Just going to throw this one into the mix as well as it sounds perfect for what you are wanting to do ONE EVO 2.0 14 x 28 and we made this board to do pretty much what you are asking to do.

Construction to price is unmatched and i would say you would be looking for the full carbon Full PVC board as these are nice and light and crazy strong.

Very stable board which is nice enough to paddle in the flat but really comes alive when the water gets a bit of bump and unreal DW.

Feel free to shoot me any questions you have as i am more than happy to help where i can.

www.oneoceansportsaustralia.com/shop/evo-20

Cheers Jacko

Maliko 28 inch x 14ft ... This one gets my vote..

Make sure you demo before you buy if possible.

I am your age and a little lighter and I had a Glide and now own a JL Sidewinder 14x27. Yes the Glide is more stable and yes it is a hell of a lot heavier, it took me awhile but now the JL is just as stable, although the Sidewinder has better recovery stability if you get thrown around by the chop.
The rocker on the Glide is flatter so it's a bit quicker on the flat but not as good for a DW run, the JL is better for DW runs and catching smaller waves so it's more versatile.
Sidwinder all the way in my opinion, it's, light and tougher than the rest!

as above list either Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 14x27 or ONE EVO 2.0 14 x 28 both nice boards, well build and light.

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paul.j said..

Reddo said..
Hi everyone,

I've been SUPing for about six months now and keen to move up to a 14ft all round board that I can take out in any conditions and also to learn how to downwind a bit. I'm mostly on Sydney Harbour which can be choppy at the best of times but I'm also keen to pop out the heads and bash into a stiff nor-easter every now and again. Also keen on the glassy stuff so I figure all round might be the best.

The question is what board and what width? I've been reading here about the following but open to any ideas:

Maliko 28 inch x 14ft
Glide 29 inch x 14ft
Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 27 inch x 14ft

I got keen on the Jimmy Lewis because of the weight factor initially. I keep my boards on the wall in the hallway (promotes some interesting discussion on the way in!) and that means negotiating through a couple of doorways to get out, all of which is doable but light makes it easier. This is what turned me off the Glide although I read it might be the most stable of the lot. Any thoughts on the stability comparison of these three boards?

Maybe 27 inch is pushing it? I'm 85 kgs, 6ft and 58 yo. Up until now I've been on a Naish One 30 inch x 12.5 ft inflatable which I can handle in small chop and most wave wash, but only just!

Thanks

Hey mate

Just going to throw this one into the mix as well as it sounds perfect for what you are wanting to do ONE EVO 2.0 14 x 28 and we made this board to do pretty much what you are asking to do.

Construction to price is unmatched and i would say you would be looking for the full carbon Full PVC board as these are nice and light and crazy strong.

Very stable board which is nice enough to paddle in the flat but really comes alive when the water gets a bit of bump and unreal DW.

Feel free to shoot me any questions you have as i am more than happy to help where i can.

www.oneoceansportsaustralia.com/shop/evo-20

Cheers Jacko

loving my new EVO 2.0, great fun in the surf as well

Geez, voting is hotting up. Two for Jimmy, two for the Evo and one for the Maliko.

To be honest I'm dying to get my hands on any of them. Looking forward to poking the nose around the heads in a NEaster and heading toward NZ for a spell, then DW afterwards although that could be a way off. Please keep the thoughts coming though.

Thanks Dave, I guess trying a couple will be the acid test. Similar conditions would be even better.

Is there any perceivable difference in resale between them? I imagine Naish would be easy to resell because it's such a well known name?

Reddo, when and where are you heading in nz? Will you be taking the board wth you?

Hi Benjl, haha....I meant only poking out around Sydney Harbour heads and heading in that direction for a tad!

Resale on all would be pretty equal I reckon, all good boards but yes you need to demo all of them and decide from there. But the JL is prettier!!!

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DavidJohn said..
Maliko 28 inch x 14ft ... This one gets my vote..

Make sure you demo before you buy if possible.

Yes, my vote too. Great board for what you want and where you want to do it.

I'm surprised no one has said an starboard all star? They're the most common over here

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Area10 said..

DavidJohn said..
Maliko 28 inch x 14ft ... This one gets my vote..

Make sure you demo before you buy if possible.

Yes, my vote too. Great board for what you want and where you want to do it.

uhmm, I have/had both JL Sidewinder 25 wide and Maliko (2018 & 19) 26 wide (not the latest 2020) and I can tell you the JL is better quality & fun in my opinion.

Reddo get off the harbour and get down to Botany Bay for all your downwinding needs!

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JEG said..

Area10 said..

DavidJohn said..
Maliko 28 inch x 14ft ... This one gets my vote..

Make sure you demo before you buy if possible.

Yes, my vote too. Great board for what you want and where you want to do it.

uhmm, I have/had both JL Sidewinder 25 wide and Maliko (2018 & 19) 26 wide (not the latest 2020) and I can tell you the JL is better quality & fun in my opinion.

I wouldn't necessarily argue with this - and there is no doubt at all in my mind that the Sidewinder is better made than the Maliko. But the 28" wide version of the Maliko is pretty much unique in the field for this kind of board, in the degree to which it melds really good stability with all-round durability. That extra inch over the widest Sidewinder is pretty useful.

its a lot heavier though... (well, the 2019 one was, anyway).

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Area10 said..

JEG said..

Area10 said..

DavidJohn said..
Maliko 28 inch x 14ft ... This one gets my vote..

Make sure you demo before you buy if possible.

Yes, my vote too. Great board for what you want and where you want to do it.

uhmm, I have/had both JL Sidewinder 25 wide and Maliko (2018 & 19) 26 wide (not the latest 2020) and I can tell you the JL is better quality & fun in my opinion.

I wouldn't necessarily argue with this - and there is no doubt at all in my mind that the Sidewinder is better made than the Maliko. But the 28" wide version of the Maliko is pretty much unique in the field for this kind of board, in the degree to which it melds really good stability with all-round durability. That extra inch over the widest Sidewinder is pretty useful.

its a lot heavier though... (well, the 2019 one was, anyway).

The new 2020 Maliko is much lighter and also has a much better handle than the past Maliko's. I think the new shape looks awesome.

That's all great info, thanks.
I have to say that extra inch the Maliko has could be the game changer. I'm not from a surfing background so my balance is still pretty crap! It'll be interesting to see what weight the new Maliko comes in at.

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Reddo said..
That's all great info, thanks.
I have to say that extra inch the Maliko has could be the game changer. I'm not from a surfing background so my balance is still pretty crap! It'll be interesting to see what weight the new Maliko comes in at.

Where are you?

I hear that Naish (Sydney) have a 14x 28 demo.. That's the size I'm after once I sell my old Maliko.

Don't worry too much about weight, usually the 14ft carbons come in around 12kg with the Sidewinders at 9k which as far as I know is the lowest. But when you are out paddling that weight is no big deal, when you walk to the car or up a long beach it's different again. The extra inch will make a difference just ask your wife?????? Oops sorry that's bad, but funny!!! I mean out on the water, the stability is different to a 27 wide but the shape and other factors also affect the stability. Yes my 29 wide Glide was more stable and when I was falling off I was off, the Sidewinder feels less stable but I don't fall as much, the shape allows me to have secondary balance and bring it back.
You really need to try both boards, JL is North of Sydney up Terrigal way and you can demo Naish as well, both great boards but you need to see what suits you!

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riverider said..

paul.j said..

Reddo said..
Hi everyone,

I've been SUPing for about six months now and keen to move up to a 14ft all round board that I can take out in any conditions and also to learn how to downwind a bit. I'm mostly on Sydney Harbour which can be choppy at the best of times but I'm also keen to pop out the heads and bash into a stiff nor-easter every now and again. Also keen on the glassy stuff so I figure all round might be the best.

The question is what board and what width? I've been reading here about the following but open to any ideas:

Maliko 28 inch x 14ft
Glide 29 inch x 14ft
Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 27 inch x 14ft

I got keen on the Jimmy Lewis because of the weight factor initially. I keep my boards on the wall in the hallway (promotes some interesting discussion on the way in!) and that means negotiating through a couple of doorways to get out, all of which is doable but light makes it easier. This is what turned me off the Glide although I read it might be the most stable of the lot. Any thoughts on the stability comparison of these three boards?

Maybe 27 inch is pushing it? I'm 85 kgs, 6ft and 58 yo. Up until now I've been on a Naish One 30 inch x 12.5 ft inflatable which I can handle in small chop and most wave wash, but only just!

Thanks

Hey mate

Just going to throw this one into the mix as well as it sounds perfect for what you are wanting to do ONE EVO 2.0 14 x 28 and we made this board to do pretty much what you are asking to do.

Construction to price is unmatched and i would say you would be looking for the full carbon Full PVC board as these are nice and light and crazy strong.

Very stable board which is nice enough to paddle in the flat but really comes alive when the water gets a bit of bump and unreal DW.

Feel free to shoot me any questions you have as i am more than happy to help where i can.

www.oneoceansportsaustralia.com/shop/evo-20

Cheers Jacko

loving my new EVO 2.0, great fun in the surf as well

Definitely check out the EVO 2.0. I have purchased a 14 x 26 in the 'Dynamic' construction. Super light and stable in the surf/bumps. The 14 x 28 would be rock solid.

Love it!!

Thanks guys,
DavidJohn - I'm in Sydney's eastern suburbs so to head to Naish would be a cinch, cheers. I might wait till the JL board comes in as well and do them close to each other, that way I'll get a good comparison.
Chuck - hopefully I'll see you down there one day. I used to sail out of Yarra Bay so I know the area well, although it might be a while before I can downwind the full length of the bay!! Rubbish balance.
DaveSandan - Yeah, it's amazing what difference an inch makes haha!! I understand that Jimmy makes a 14 x 29 sidewinder for other markets (US I think?) it would be great if they brought a couple over to Aus as well, I wonder if they have any plans?

Hey Reddo
you could always ask for a custom built 14x28?

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Reddo said..
Thanks guys,
DavidJohn - I'm in Sydney's eastern suburbs so to head to Naish would be a cinch, cheers. I might wait till the JL board comes in as well and do them close to each other, that way I'll get a good comparison.
Chuck - hopefully I'll see you down there one day. I used to sail out of Yarra Bay so I know the area well, although it might be a while before I can downwind the full length of the bay!! Rubbish balance.
DaveSandan - Yeah, it's amazing what difference an inch makes haha!! I understand that Jimmy makes a 14 x 29 sidewinder for other markets (US I think?) it would be great if they brought a couple over to Aus as well, I wonder if they have any plans?

I was very interested in the Sidewinder in the 29" width in 14' but it's not actually in production in the second version. I talked to Jimmy myself about this because I was trying to source either a version 1 or 2, 14 x 29 Sidewinder for touring and he confirmed the 29" wide is not made in the factory in the 14 foot length.

I think the suggestions are good on here and I'm really looking forward to paddling the Evo 2.0 and Maliko in 28 from last year and the latest version.

For what it's worth, I recently got a Sunova Expedition 14 x 28.5 and it seems like a very good all conditions board so far. I have had it out in turbulent river conditions, in swirling currents, and light whitewater, and in open water with cliff back wash, good chop and it's quite stable. Especially with a Larry Allison Spartan fin on it.

Beautiful Wood construction and a nice rocker line, with tie down points front and back.

In this paddling age of dugouts, partially scooped decks and hull concaves, the Expedition is somewhat of a throwback but it is very comfortable to paddle and handles well in varied conditions, and the price is basically unbeatable for the construction and how nice it is overall.