Board Comparison Starts to Gel
Oct 30th, 2007 by billb
I sent an email to C4 asking if they’d like to participate in the board comparison. I got a nearly immediate response from Greg Wunderlich saying that they’d be happy to participate and they’ll hook us up with their newest high performance boards. I’m almost certain that Jimmy Lewis will participate, though I probably shouldn’t say that before pinging him. But I know he’s well aware that this blog is widely read, it gets several hundred readers per day, bumping up to a thousand or so every so often. That’s probably as good as some magazines.
I’m going to ask all the other SUP builders I know of to participate, and the paddle builders too. If I get the level of participation I expect it’s going to be a big job. I’m going to need volunteers. I’m pretty sure I can recruit a few folks in Maui that I know, but if you’re going to be in or close to maui in early february, leave me a comment and tell me what you consider your level of expertise to be. I need some absolute beginners, some intermediate and experts. I’d also like to find a good longboard surfer that has never done standup.
We’ll do some video, a lot of still shots, and a fairly comprehensive checklist of likes and dislikes. It will take a lot of time, but I expect it will be a lot of fun and a learning experience.
I’d also like to know if there is anything specific that you want us to consider in these board tests. Remeber that I am at best an intermediate SUP surfer, I don’t pretend some deep level of expertise. If there is a characteristic of these boards you’d like to know about, then I’m all ears.
I’m also wondering what we should do about fins? Go with the board maker’s recommendation or try one or two “magic” fins as well. I’ve been real impressed with a few specific fins that seem to wrok on most boards. I’d like to know your opinion. I want to make this as comprehensive and useful a test as I can.
I think you have to test the manufacturers fins first. It is fair to them. Then if a tester feels the board would be better with something else, try it. I would hope that more often than not, a board is fine with the stock fin for all but the most picky rider.
I suggest you talk to Blane Chambers about including his boards. I know he is working towards wide distribution of his machine shaped/hand glassed customs through his San Diego factory. Probably by the time the test results are posted he will be able to meet demand.
There is one specific board feature important to me, but not often thought about. I surf east coast sloppy chop and waves. Therefore, when I choose to surf in these conditions on a board with a straight nose (low nose scoop), it catches and slop washes over the nose a lot. The JL 11 ft is prone to this. The JL 10 is not.
Bill – Sounds like a lot of fun. If I can swing it I’ll be there w/ you guys and if Super Ferry is running I’ll bring my boards too.
As a long time long boarder but beginner to SUP, I am realizing, although I am very familiar with what I like in a surfboard, those likes don’t necessarily translate into good SUP specifications. One thing I’m noticing the SUP community seldom mentioning is nose and tail rocker. An 11’6” board with a lot of nose rocker can be more difficult to balance on than a 10’ 6” board with relatively flat rocker dimensions. Less rocker seems to glide better too.
Some of the comparison elements we’ll definitely look at are:
Initial stability
Glide
turning ability
All of which I believe are affected by rocker. I’ve been amazed lately at the amount of glide the 12′6″ starboard has. I don’t really know how well it surfs yet.
I also want to take some measurements of the boards assuming the manufacturers don’t mind (I can’t imagine they would). What I plan to do is measure the point of greatest width, the amount of rocker, the balance point (where you stand) and confirm the manufacturer’s measurements with our own.
I’m sending off a bunch of request for loaner boards to all the manufacturers I know of or that have been recommended. I’ll post the list later today so I can get additions from you folks.
Maybe speed and or acceleration should be compared.
Since switching to a smaller board and feeling true speed and acceleration, I no longer consider glide important when choosing my next board. The smaller boards with these charateristics catch waves easier for me, and once on the wave they blaze down the line.
A large board with good glide feels bad to me now. They feel like hard work.
Different strokes for different folks maybe. I wonder if anyone else feels the same.
This could turn into hard work for those doing the testing. Wish I could be there.
Have you completed this comparison? Would love to see who was included and the results.
The showcase is Feb 15, we’ll have all the results in Ke Nalu (www.kenalu.com) on the 25th