Is it just me or have board companies lost the plot. Who in there right mind is going to pay $4000 dollars for a race board in 2016. Just seen Fanatic and JP's pricing on race boards, do they think everyone is paid a politicians wage. Welcome to the beginning of the end for this sport if these companies don't start waking up. Recommend all aussie suppers start supporting local manufacturers like Deep & DC, etc. Disappointed
On the plus side there is so many gullible people with no idea who believe the marketing hype and have to have the latest an greatest, bargin price last year models to come.
Yeah, it's not only the prices that are crazy, but the relative lack of boards that are of designs and widths that will be suitable for most people, as well. This year, above all others, looks to be the year when the big brands anticipated that we'd want highly specialised, tippy, uber-light and very expensive boards. Funny thing is that most people I know are going the other way. After trying some racing and having learned that to get on the podium basically you have to have no life, and having been caught up by the advertising hype and bought a board that turned out to be an expensive mistake because it only worked in conditions that came along once a month, they have decided that they just want a sensibly-priced, stable and adaptable board that isn't a barge. In other words they are looking for an "ex-racers' board": good enough for people who are experienced paddlers, but not so extreme as to turn paddling into a painful trial and you can only use in ideal conditions.
But maybe it's just the people I know. They like paddling - a lot. But they are just average working guys, not semi-pro athlete stockbrokers.
But I guess maybe there are more people currently caught up in the "life cycle of SUP" I've described than have completed it. And they will sell their own granny for a perceived advantage of 0.01% speed advantage, and the brand marketers have told them that this years' model is 10% faster than last year's. Again... Soon these boards will be so fast we'll be overtaking jetskis. Apparently.
Maybe when a critical mass of people have completed the "life cycle of SUP" , the brands will have to concentrate on things like durability and value-for-money instead.
I reckon people will hold into their 2015 boards, mostly. So the used market will not yield too many bargains, unfortunately.
Great for local shapers though, and that's got to be a good thing.
Go Area 10,
You make a lot of sense and I'm sure the.majority of people who read this forum agree with you.
Prices are out of touch but I honestly think 2016 race boards over all are the best shapes yet from The big brands. Last two years I think most boards were slightly missing something each and this year I think the brands have nailed it. I couldn't see myself with any 2015 model race board out of the big 3/4 brands and be satisfied though from the 2016 ranges I would be happy to hold onto them for a couple years.
Fanatic had a great down wind board but to much volume in the nose unless it was
Dead straight winds and swells Now that's slimmed down could be the perfect shape if you want pin tail full nose ocean down wind board. And 12"6 I reckon fanatic have the pic for best BOP board with that nose and a wide stable tail.
Starboard all star 2015 and older models were average good at nothing. The 2016 model looks quick in flat an is ticking the box for down winding with a better nose. I love the look of the 28 wide and just wish that shape was 26/27 wide instead to be real competitive. Of course the sprint and the ace in the stable rounds out a top range if you could ever afford 3 boards.
Naish Jav was a good all round race board, the changes should make it even better all round race board. The new down wind model is something they were missing in the market and they have nailed it besides not having a 28 wide option?
SIC's bullets from 12"6 14 unlimiteds have all tick The right boxes for a year or two now from bop to down winding and their flat water board is a weapon.
DC is coming up with some new shapes I'm seing around and the new NSP models will be his best yet. His customs of course are unreal ocean and bop boards. With a dedicated flat water board that ticks all the boxes for me.
Go Area 10,
You make a lot of sense and I'm sure the.majority of people who read this forum agree with you.
Yeah, it's not only the prices that are crazy, but the relative lack of boards that are of designs and widths that will be suitable for most people, as well. This year, above all others, looks to be the year when the big brands anticipated that we'd want highly specialised, tippy, uber-light and very expensive boards. Funny thing is that most people I know are going the other way. After trying some racing and having learned that to get on the podium basically you have to have no life, and having been caught up by the advertising hype and bought a board that turned out to be an expensive mistake because it only worked in conditions that came along once a month, they have decided that they just want a sensibly-priced, stable and adaptable board that isn't a barge. In other words they are looking for an "ex-racers' board": good enough for people who are experienced paddlers, but not so extreme as to turn paddling into a painful trial and you can only use in ideal conditions.
But maybe it's just the people I know. They like paddling - a lot. But they are just average working guys, not semi-pro athlete stockbrokers.
But I guess maybe there are more people currently caught up in the "life cycle of SUP" I've described than have completed it. And they will sell their own granny for a perceived advantage of 0.01% speed advantage, and the brand marketers have told them that this years' model is 10% faster than last year's. Again... Soon these boards will be so fast we'll be overtaking jetskis. Apparently.
Maybe when a critical mass of people have completed the "life cycle of SUP" , the brands will have to concentrate on things like durability and value-for-money instead.
I reckon people will hold into their 2015 boards, mostly. So the used market will not yield too many bargains, unfortunately.
Great for local shapers though, and that's got to be a good thing.
Well said, right on the money Area 10, as most of your posts are..... Here in San Diego County it's a similar phenom.. one if which it continues will bring a new meaning to the word "custom".... and a well earned payday to the shapers who'll be there when the madness finally plays out...
You make some really valid points AndyR. Some of the 2016 designs look amazing but unfortunately the pricing of the boards is going to limit their use to the privileged few who can afford them.
Area10,
Great points, but please allow me to play devil's advocate:
Racers need to be at the cutting edge of performance. Recreational paddlers don't. Thus even if racers constitute 5% of the customers, they'll get 90% of the shapes: Diff race shapes for diff conditions, diff paddlers, diff capabilities.
Conversely, 90% of rec paddlers can ride the same 14x28/29 shape. There's less need to offer an extensive quiver of incremental sizes and shapes.
This is the same reason why windsurfing died in the bum. Companies catering for the 'elite few' rather than the greasy public. IMHO
Very true, remember it well in the UK when I lived there, $3,000 plus for a wave sup is a joke but amt least it shows how good our home grown sup manufacturers are.
out of pure interest I picked up a carbon 7/11 Evoke from SBWH, great quality, love the shape, tough quality construction paid $700 in the sale BOOM ??
go figure
phil
Area10,
Great points, but please allow me to play devil's advocate:
Racers need to be at the cutting edge of performance. Recreational paddlers don't. Thus even if racers constitute 5% of the customers, they'll get 90% of the shapes: Diff race shapes for diff conditions, diff paddlers, diff capabilities.
Conversely, 90% of rec paddlers can ride the same 14x28/29 shape. There's less need to offer an extensive quiver of incremental sizes and shapes.
I'm very happy for anyone to play devil's advocate.
So here's a thought for you in return. Why do you make the assumption that recreational paddlers are happy with second-rate shapes, or have any less demanding a set of criteria than "racers"? I don't accept that at all. A good shape is a good shape, and so-called recreational paddlers (who in reality are usually occasional racers) often paddle in a WIDER variety of conditions than racers. Racing is in fact awfully limiting if a variety of paddling experiences is your aim. A typical paddling week of a semi-serious racer will involve huge amounts of repetition of the same activity and the issue for racers is often of finding ways of making all the drills exciting. Most races are held in a pretty narrow set of conditions. But a typical semi-serious or serious rec paddler (by which I mean someone who will paddle eg. 3-7 times a week) will typically deliberately aim for variety because fun is their aim, not beating other people, and variety is fun. Most of the people I paddle with are rec paddlers. We will paddle perfectly flat water one session, surf the next, downwind the next day, go on a river the next, take out newbies the day after that etc. All of us have multiple boards to allow us to do this huge variety of activities. We don't want crap boards. We want cutting-edge designs too, just like the racers. But we want them at a sensible price and we will pay for adaptability, and we don't want something so tippy, fragile, or specialised that it will limit our ability to do what we want.
DJ is what I think of when I think of a prototypical rec paddler. We are addicted. We care about our equipment deeply: often the gear is part of the fun. We will have multiple boards if they allow us to do more, or do more comfortably or safely. The enjoyment of the experience of paddling is the aim (rather than the experience of beating someone else). And you can't enjoy paddling something that is a dire design or is unsuited to the conditions.
In fact in many ways I think the rec paddler (and I distinguish between rec paddlers and occasional or casual ones) is MORE discerning than their racing counterparts, because racers are willing to put up with any manner of torture or ownership/financial woes just as long as they feel the board is "fast". In other words they have a narrower and less exacting set of criteria than the keen recreational paddler.
Overall, what I am highlighting here is that there is a new demographic of paddler that is occurring in our sport, and I don't think they are being well-catered for. These are people who are addicted to the sport, and may paddle as many hours a week as keen racers (in fact, often they paddle more, since racing is quite limiting in terms of recovery days etc) and are very knowledgeable and experienced, but they don't race often - or at all. This group of people probably represents the majority of people who contribute to these sorts of forums I reckon, and probably the majority of people who will be in the market for a 12-6 or (especially) a 14 or UL. But I think that the designers are mostly not listening to us, only a tiny number of elite racers.
You bunch of idiots !!!! Have you looked at the the AUS dollar against the Euro and U.S Down 20% . That's where your price rise comes from !!!
Stop your bloody whinging, buy a superseded model or cheaper construction or second hand. Bloody trolls !!!!!
PubMenace, although I admire the clarity of your expression, and the solutions you offer are useful, I can't help thinking that you may have missed a nuance or two along the way.
The points being made here are chiefly two: (a) brands are making a bad situation (ie. because of the poor exchange rate) worse by not offering the latest designs in affordable constructions, and (b) mostly the latest designs are also only being offered in widths that are unlikely to appeal to a large proportion of paddlers.
But the argument as regards cost still holds for eg. the UK, where the exchange rate is hugely better than in Australia. The latest and greatest designs are mainly being offered in constructions that mean the boards are around 10% of an average person's yearly salary. We think that is too much. You might not - and you are entitled to that opinion. But we want a better cost/construction compromise for the latest shapes so that we might have at least some chance of being able to afford one, rather than buying a 37lb barge or else someone else's cast-offs. I don't think that makes us idiots. But again, you are entitled to your opinion.
I used to think about cars (like Kia and Hyundai) and wonder why all the cheap cars look like crap when it costs the same to make a car no matter what outside shape it is.. Well Kia and Hyundai now have great looking cars.. and they are still pretty cheap.. (I'm talking about looks not quality)
Anyway.. If brands like Naish can make an 11'6" Nalu at reasonable price surely they should be able to make a 14' Maliko Jav for around the same price.. even if it is the same cheaper construction and weight as the 11'6" Nalu... Just a thought and wishful thinking..
The retail prices of the major SUP brands have all increased not only due to the exchange rate but to the increase wages costs for Chinese factories by some 20%. I would assume these brands would like to maintain last years prices even with the current currency fluctuations.
People can spend over $10,000 for a mountain or triathlon bikes, thousands for snow skis, golf clubs etc etc. Surf ski are over $4,000 plus paddle. Like these sports, there is cheap equipment, but people like buying the best they can afford. which unfortunately Area 10 doesn't suit everyone.
You get what you pay for - buy quality and you won't be disappointed...
Dont forget it is not the price of just the boards that go up, it is every single process that is affected by the us dollar against the euro, aus or any market be it Fuel, wages, shipping, materials, production, energy to make them, advertising and promotional bits and pieces to market it. But i have to agree it does maybe slide it back into the hands of Australian Made, but the australian made guys, just remember dont have the massive marketing budgets and team riders...
Made in USA race boards can be had custom made for you, $2800...
I'd think Chinese boards would be cheaper.
Do Not Forget STARBOARD are making the new All Star in a Hybrid Carbon glass construction to Retail at $2799 for a 12"6 or $2999 for a !4" they are a little bit heavier than the Brushed Carbon construction but not much.. The 14" x 28 is a nice stable fast Down Wind board and the small weight difference is not as noticeable in DW conditions..
I will have 2 with me on the Demo Tour starting next month 27th Sept come and take one for a paddle..
standuppaddlesports.com.au/
I love it that the Evoke is getting so much positive feedback in the wake of plus $3000 2016 boards from the big names. I could buy three for the same price of a Starboard and too honest the locals that have tried by 7/11 are ordering Evokes. Getting out in all all sorts of WA conditions now and running a thruster setup with 7" centre fin, really drives the bottom turn with loads of grip.
Here are the basic facts
7/11 Evoke
8 kg
carbon lay up
great shape, slight double winger and thinned out tail
5 fin set up ( Futures)
bomb proof so far
Grips on the bottom turn like a Ferrari
throw the centre fin away and buy a 7" futures
keeps getting better
RRP $899
How can SBWH do it and the others are so far of the mark
go figure ??????
Phil
I love it that the Evoke is getting so much positive feedback in the wake of plus $3000 2016 boards from the big names. I could buy three for the same price of a Starboard and too honest the locals that have tried by 7/11 are ordering Evokes. Getting out in all all sorts of WA conditions now and running a thruster setup with 7" centre fin, really drives the bottom turn with loads of grip.
Here are the basic facts
7/11 Evoke
8 kg
carbon lay up
great shape, slight double winger and thinned out tail
5 fin set up ( Futures)
bomb proof so far
Grips on the bottom turn like a Ferrari
throw the centre fin away and buy a 7" futures
keeps getting better
RRP $899
How can SBWH do it and the others are so far of the mark
go figure ??????
Phil
Hear, Hear!! All the excuses from other companies are just like the petrol pricing, absolute Bull Sh#t!! The SBWH still has to deal with au$ changes, but they build a QUALITY product, stand by their warranty if needed and then sell for a third to half the price of their competitors and are a Aussie family owned company!
I know where I will continue to spend my hard earned $$ and feel very happy about it!
All good LL.. I don't agree but all good..
I was kinda hoping the new Naish DW board called the Jav Maliko would be like an F16..
If this is their DW spacific board why did Kai use it yesterday in a flat water race..
Or do they need to use the same board in tonights DWer..
Or do they need to use the same board in tonights DWer..
I vaguely recall that being a rule of Hood River, yeah.
Or do they need to use the same board in tonights DWer..
I vaguely recall that being a rule of Hood River, yeah.
No you can use any board.
good to get that off my chest. I was going to delete because ill probably get into a bit of trouble but maybe it time to say something in light of the price hikes
Go for it, mate. I learnt a lot from what you wrote, and I appreciate the honesty. Thanks for posting.
good to get that off my chest. I was going to delete because ill probably get into a bit of trouble but maybe it time to say something in light of the price hikes
Go for it, mate. I learnt a lot from what you wrote, and I appreciate the honesty. Thanks for posting.
Ive always liked the fanatic nose shape and the sb all star 28 " nose just looks awesome
good to get that off my chest. I was going to delete because ill probably get into a bit of trouble but maybe it time to say something in light of the price hikes
Go for it, mate. I learnt a lot from what you wrote, and I appreciate the honesty. Thanks for posting.
Ive always liked the fanatic nose shape and the sb all star 28 " nose just looks awesome
I think now after seeing it the 28 SB nose is the best ocean nose I've seen on a production board.. Just not sure about the other features.