Big Winds at Hood River did a great video on five different downwind boards. I understand they are also going to kick out further details on the test:

This was already posted under the SIC FX thread. It's good that they arranged this. I would like to have seen a bit more of the boards. But one thing I've learnt from downwinding in a place that has lots of different conditions, and owning 5 different 14ft downwind boards (and having tried many more) is that different boards work in different conditions. So all we can really say here is that this is the opinion of one group of people who have used them in one location.

The test also mixes board types. The Imagine and the Bullet for instance are specialised downwind boards, whereas the FX and the All Star are hybrids. It's a shame that they didn't have the Bark Vapor - it's a fantastic downwind board and I'd like to know how it goes in gorge conditions. It's also much cheaper (in most markets) than most of the boards here.

But in general it's another vote for the All Star. I need to demo this board. I just wish that Starboard would make their boards look nicer. My Starboard Ace, when stacked up with my other boards, is remarkably tatty and cheap-looking, even though it was far more expensive that many of the others. My wife has even asked that it be moved from where I had put it, so it isn't visible from the kitchen window! The 2016 boards look a tiny bit better, but, really, how do you possibly make a blue board look so crap? Get a grip please Starboard - please hire someone with a bit of visual panache to design you a classy new colour way and graphics.

I reckon out of those ones the Glide looks the least appealing and then the Imagine.......v2 nicest looking.

But I would ride the ugliest board on the planet no probs if it felt the best to me.

what we need is an independent expert DW blogger to do a test on a wider range.....the first person to do that will break the SUP Internet.

But, I think the Big Winds vids are pretty decent....look forward to the fuller write ups.

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Slab said...
I reckon out of those ones the Glide looks the least appealing and then the Imagine.......v2 nicest looking.

Ha.. I was thinking the Glide looked the best..

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DavidJohn said..

Slab said...
I reckon out of those ones the Glide looks the least appealing and then the Imagine.......v2 nicest looking.

Ha.. I was thinking the Glide looked the best..

no surprise there DJ . Good if they have shed some weight off the 29.

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Slab said...
I reckon out of those ones the Glide looks the least appealing and then the Imagine.......v2 nicest looking.

But I would ride the ugliest board on the planet no probs if it felt the best to me.

what we need is an independent expert DW blogger to do a test on a wider range.....the first person to do that will break the SUP Internet.

But, I think the Big Winds vids are pretty decent....look forward to the fuller write ups.

Anyone good enough to call themselves an expert isn't going to be independent. And anyway, the opinions of an expert aren't much use to the average person. Their skills mean that what is good for them might be disastrous for another person.

Instead I listen more to the opinions of groups of amateur paddlers who are similar in ability to myself. Everyone has their favourites but usually there tends to be a thread of agreement about certain key points about a board that runs through the collective remarks.

But yeah, the Bullet V2 is a beautiful looking board. I can just sit and look at mine for hours.

I think you guys are overthinking this. Its not the board its the rider! A good rider will make the board work in any condition. I think I'm actually the opposite of you Area10 ( no offence) . I test lots of boards when I get the opportunity. I own one board ( SIC bulletv2) that I know like the back of my hand, I have spend tons of time on that board and know how it work in a wide range of conditions . Having more downwind boars I would constantly be worrying that I picked the wrong board.
Becoming faster going downwind its not about picking the newest board IMO

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SurfNiels said..
I think you guys are overthinking this. Its not the board its the rider! A good rider will make the board work in any condition. I think I'm actually the opposite of you Area10 ( no offence) . I test lots of boards when I get the opportunity. I own one board ( SIC bulletv2) that I know like the back of my hand, I have spend tons of time on that board and know how it work in a wide range of conditions . Having more downwind boars I would constantly be worrying that I picked the wrong board.
Becoming faster going downwind its not about picking the newest board IMO

Yup agree, probably 85 per cent rider and 15 per cent board.......or thereabouts.

i keep coming back to that......but hey....boys and their toys....you can't ever change that

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SurfNiels said...
I think you guys are overthinking this. Its not the board its the rider! A good rider will make the board work in any condition. I think I'm actually the opposite of you Area10 ( no offence) . I test lots of boards when I get the opportunity. I own one board ( SIC bulletv2) that I know like the back of my hand, I have spend tons of time on that board and know how it work in a wide range of conditions . Having more downwind boars I would constantly be worrying that I picked the wrong board.
Becoming faster going downwind its not about picking the newest board IMO

I don't disagree. Except that what I'm looking for in a downwind board is more enjoyment not speed. A board that fits you (and the conditions) well is a glorious thing. And one that doesn't can be hell. So, I'm quite sure that if I took my Ace 14x25 on a Maliko, I'd have a nightmare. But if I took my Bullet V1 I'd probably have a great time in the same conditions.

So that's what it's about as far as I'm concerned: Finding a good fit between rider, board and conditions. And that's why the viewpoint of an "expert", especially if they don't paddle in the same conditions as I do, is of limited value to me.

And I don't worry about having the wrong board. I have so many options to choose from that it's quite easy to select the best one :)

Spat my coffee out when he said the Naish was for a beginner

Great to see a review of a quality line up like this. Agree V2 is the looker of the lot. Biased me....?

I totally agree with you Area 10. You have to find the board that fits you. The Bullet V2 works best for me while the 2014 Naish Javelin LE 14 isn't as fun and in some conditions slower. I will be going down to the gorge in a couple of weeks and demo the new Starboard Allstar and the FX along with my V2. Looking forward to the final write up.

That guy in the vid is the first person outside of sponsored starboard riders that I have heard say the all star is a great down wind board.
A couple that own them and nothing else say they are good as they would but every other person I know with experiance and some with a great deal of experiance in boards/down winding have not rated them as a down wind board or an all round race board at all.

Its a pitty they didn't have the ace the falcon and nsp's down wind board in that review day i rate personally those 3 higher than all of the boards in that vid above.

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AndyR said..
That guy in the vid is the first person outside of sponsored starboard riders that I have heard say the all star is a great down wind board.
A couple that own them and nothing else say they are good as they would but every other person I know with experiance and some with a great deal of experiance in boards/down winding have not rated them as a down wind board or an all round race board at all.

Its a pitty they didn't have the ace the falcon and nsp's down wind board in that review day i rate personally those 3 higher than all of the boards in that vid above.

Ha haaa......I have had two sponsored riders for OTHER teams telling me on the QT that they really liked the new Allstar for milder DW. I have also had very experienced folks tell me that other boards rated on here in great depth don't do it for them too.

.So, I think from that you can take it that it is very much a personal thing and probably very dependent on where they ride.

I will give my own views on the Allstar when I have had it out a good few times......a viewpoint from a total Non-expert with no ties and intermediate skills. Will be a while though and I haven't paddled lots of 14 ft boards...i surf SUP mostly.

Crazy enough in hood river the guys are pretty fast on the starboad allstar and i really did not rate the ace when i took it there. I rode the new Fanatic in hood river as well and thought it was too twichy and did not really rate it. Its a funny place and some of the fastest guys ride different boards compared to what we ride here. You would be hard pressed to find a full nose board in hood river!! I also rode the sic v2 and the FX maybe a early virson and thought they were two of the worst boards i have ridden for that place. The FX was like a submarine and i just could not keep the nose out of the water and the V2 was just sssoooo slow i just had no possible way of going over a bump. I'm sure i many will disagree but these were my findings and last time i was there i tryed most boards on the market.some were ok and some i was glad to get of.

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paul.j said..
Crazy enough in hood river the guys are pretty fast on the starboad allstar and i really did not rate the ace when i took it there. I rode the new Fanatic in hood river as well and thought it was too twichy and did not really rate it. Its a funny place and some of the fastest guys ride different boards compared to what we ride here. You would be hard pressed to find a full nose board in hood river!! I also rode the sic v2 and the FX maybe a early virson and thought they were two of the worst boards i have ridden for that place. The FX was like a submarine and i just could not keep the nose out of the water and the V2 was just sssoooo slow i just had no possible way of going over a bump. I'm sure i many will disagree but these were my findings and last time i was there i tryed most boards on the market.some were ok and some i was glad to get of.

Well, I think that sums it up nicely.....we could talk forever and still come up with diff views. Great discussion starter that video though.

I've never paddled Hood River, but judging by the videos, if was going to be downwinding (25 knots or above) there I'd take a Bark Vapor.

Hi Paul J. - which board do you prefer? I will see if I can demo it at Hood River. Also - would like to try the Bark Vapor.

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Slab said..

paul.j said..
...i really did not rate the ace when i took it there.

... I rode the new Fanatic in hood river as well and thought it was too twichy and did not really rate it.

...You would be hard pressed to find a full nose board in hood river!!

...I also rode the sic v2 and the FX and thought they were two of the worst boards i have ridden for that place. The FX was like a submarine and i just
could not keep the nose out of the water and the V2 was just sssoooo slow i just had no possible way of going over a bump.

...i tryed most boards on the market.some were ok and some i was glad to get of.

Well, I think that sums it up nicely.....we could talk forever and still come up with diff views. Great discussion starter that video though.

Differing views?, maybe not. Horse for the course, for sure, but clearly some boards have a better range of conditions then others. Regarding the Ace if I'm reading this right was it was clearly wrong for the conditions(?) and I think everyone will agree, a quirky beast at best.

Too twitchy on the Fanatic says it all.

The Bullet V2 we should all know is not fast and designed for open ocean swells and not the close(?) intervals and dumpy Hood river style downwinders.

Clearly the FX was not designed to cope with Hood conditions; designed as a do it all crossover flatwater race and surf race board and not designed for downwinding. So my opinion based on forum reports, pure speculation and what Mark has actually said about this board; if you're looking for a downwind board, the FX is not it.

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Macaha said...
Spat my coffee out when he said the Naish was for a beginner

Ha.. It is a great board for a 'DW' beginner.. because it works so well..

Some DW boards may be faster but with more speed they often need greater DW skills..

Naish offer faster boards but the big easy 14x 29" Glide is plenty fast enough..

Easy = Fun..

OH Hood River, my favourite place. I can't wait to go over for all of August again this year. Got a good bunch of aussies coming with us this time, fun fun. Got a massive house booked already!

As far as good boards go over there, well it's a strange place but like jacko said we tested out a bunch there over the few years, some boards worked and some are terrible.

I can tell you my ONE 12'6 is a machine over there in the bumps and can't wait to get back over there again.

Fiona is untouchable on her Allstar but yet l couldn't stand it!

The SIC was extremely hard to work out and didn't work at all.

The ACE was average too which is so strange as the ace works so well downwind here in OZ.

Anyways horses for courses but l can't wait to spend august there again :)

X angie

Different boards work for different wave patterns. What works on the Hood River may not work in Hawaii and vice versa. What may be ideal on the Gold Coast may not work in Perth and vice versa.

Some board will love a certain wave pattern and some won't. It's just how things are...

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magillamelb said...
Different boards work for different wave patterns. What works on the Hood River may not work in Hawaii and vice versa. What may be ideal on the Gold Coast may not work in Perth and vice versa.

Some board will love a certain wave pattern and some won't. It's just how things are...

This is absolutely right. I live in a place that has a wide variety of DW conditions, and they are also highly changeable even at the same spot. It is absolutely amazing how one board will be SO much better than another at one place, or one time, and then the other will be SO much better than the first at another place or time. The difference can be HUGE - like, that one board is almost unusable at one location and then it totally rules at another.

You'd probably be better off on a Bullet V1 in Hood River than the V2 once the wind gets to 25 knots and above, IMO. The V2 works best in marginal conditions - it's speciality is getting up on the plane when nothing else will, and making smallish downwind conditions highly accessible to all. I don't think it's really aimed at elite riders racing each other in nuking conditions.

So the conclusion is that different boards work for different people in different locations and/or different conditions?

My question is who should do a board review,I mean is the author of this thread a pro paddler with years of results behind him or your average Joe
Please don't take offence Bing I'm just asking a question you could be world champ for all I know but I think one should be careful when one reads reviews.

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Hawaiiheke said..
So the conclusion is that different boards work for different people in different locations and/or different conditions?

You've nailed it bro!

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Macaha said..
My question is who should do a board review,I mean is the author of this thread a pro paddler with years of results behind him or your average Joe
Please don't take offence Bing I'm just asking a question you could be world champ for all I know but I think one should be careful when one reads reviews.

The primary issue with pro's of any sport is that there are often commercial relationships in place, so you have to wonder how objective they can be in the review.

Everyone is going to paint their own product in the best light. It's what they're often paid or endorsed to do.

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magillamelb said..

Macaha said..
My question is who should do a board review,I mean is the author of this thread a pro paddler with years of results behind him or your average Joe
Please don't take offence Bing I'm just asking a question you could be world champ for all I know but I think one should be careful when one reads reviews.

The primary issue with pro's of any sport is that there are often commercial relationships in place, so you have to wonder how objective they can be in the review.

Everyone is going to paint their own product in the best light. It's what they're often paid or endorsed to do.

Agree

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magillamelb said..

Hawaiiheke said..
So the conclusion is that different boards work for different people in different locations and/or different conditions?

You've nailed it bro!

Yeah man!! Like a hammer! ..............but perhaps depending on the type of material being nailed and type of nail though I guess?

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Hawaiiheke said..

magillamelb said..

Hawaiiheke said..
So the conclusion is that different boards work for different people in different locations and/or different conditions?

You've nailed it bro!

Yeah man!! Like a hammer! ..............but perhaps depending on the type of material being nailed and type of nail though I guess?

Liquid Nails perhaps

Does anyone notice that the Riviera DW board is not mentioned here very often? Or am I just missing the posts abut it?