Coldwater said..
Hi everyone. I'm currently looking for a new flatwater board for racing and SIC is my only real option at the moment. The X 14 Pro and the X 14 Pro-lite seem to be the way to go but I haven't been able to figure out which one would suite a paddler of my size. The Pro-lite has only 226 L of volume whereas the X Pro has 253 L. I'm around 75 kg. There is no way I can have a test paddle in my part of the world before making a purchase so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

The X Pro that I tested performed very well both in flat and choppy waters. I tried a 14 x 26 though. For your weight, 253 L should be the minimum (The new RS model are even higher in L, reaching the 280-305 L range). That particular model compared to a Starboard feels a little bit tippier (I felt it specifically when I was dealing with side waves on open ocean).

The nose tends to keep below the waterline, so It force you go a little bit behind the handle. But once you identify your sweet spot, you will feel how easy is to speed up with this board.

Hope this helps.

The X 14 Pro-lite would be the way to go at your weight. It is a great board and I'm surprised we don't see more around. I've had mine for a few years( 2015 model?) and are very happy with the construction. The board is super light and has the best handle of any board I've picked up. It is fast and the stability for a 24" is very good. I happily paddle mine in the ocean in moderate conditions. Would definitely buy a SIC board again.

Two important factors here are how tall you are and how old you are. Personally, if in doubt I'd go for the wider board, especially if you are tall or not in the first flush of youth. You can't be consistently fast if you are wobbly. 226L and 24" wide is not very much board, and at 75kg you aren't a flyweight. But maybe you are 20 years old, 5ft 8" tall, an expert athlete, and willing to suffer for speed. In which case you can probably go as narrow as you dare.

I have a 23" wide board (not a SIC), and I'm definitely faster on the 25" wide version of it, and I'm not much heavier than you. The 23" wide version sits a little too low in the water to be efficient, and the constant micro-wobbles with me on board disturb the flow of water and stroke rhythm. But I'm just a wobbly old man, so you may be different.

I used to ride my 14' prolite on the sea as we don't have any rivers or lakes here and had no problem with swell and chop head or tail on, it got a little tricky with it on the side though. I am short but weight 85kg and I'm well into my 50s

Coldwater said..
Hi everyone. I'm currently looking for a new flatwater board for racing and SIC is my only real option at the moment. The X 14 Pro and the X 14 Pro-lite seem to be the way to go but I haven't been able to figure out which one would suite a paddler of my size. The Pro-lite has only 226 L of volume whereas the X Pro has 253 L. I'm around 75 kg. There is no way I can have a test paddle in my part of the world before making a purchase so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Coldwater, hope I'm not too late to jump in with my thoughts about the X-Pro or Pro-Lite boards. I've paddled both boards at the 220km SUP11City race in Holland and I have to say the Pro-Lite is one I would go for again for any flatwater race. And when I say flatwater, it is never really flat in Holland for its races. Winds blowing up to 6kn on day 1 last ultra race in 2017 that you have to make ammends with techniques you've hopefully learnt for such distances. As comparison between the two boards, I shaved more than an hours time, faster and less taxing on your overall body to get the miles in. Smaller lighter board compared to the 26" wide X-Pro also mean I can get away with a smaller paddle to pull the same race pace with lesser effort. I weight 75 and will be hitting 50 soon. I average at 44 spm for distance paddling with Trifecta 86 blade and make average of 7.5kph. Average for an old cat on water. This skinnier boards only means we need to pick up that old skill set called balance. It is something that you can get used to if coordination and motorskill's intact. Better to fall out of balance in water than in life while practising! And when you finally get hold of that into equilibrium, the rest is for you to grab. I have my Pro-Lite for sale if anyone here in interested as I have the RS 23 coming. If you think the 226L volume is dragging you, then try the FX or the RS which is meatier to keep us all afloat and have fun! Aloha!

Coldwater said..

SUPmission said..

Coldwater said..
Hi everyone. I'm currently looking for a new flatwater board for racing and SIC is my only real option at the moment. The X 14 Pro and the X 14 Pro-lite seem to be the way to go but I haven't been able to figure out which one would suite a paddler of my size. The Pro-lite has only 226 L of volume whereas the X Pro has 253 L. I'm around 75 kg. There is no way I can have a test paddle in my part of the world before making a purchase so any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Coldwater, hope I'm not too late to jump in with my thoughts about the X-Pro or Pro-Lite boards. I've paddled both boards at the 220km SUP11City race in Holland and I have to say the Pro-Lite is one I would go for again for any flatwater race. And when I say flatwater, it is never really flat in Holland for its races. Winds blowing up to 6kn on day 1 last ultra race in 2017 that you have to make ammends with techniques you've hopefully learnt for such distances. As comparison between the two boards, I shaved more than an hours time, faster and less taxing on your overall body to get the miles in. Smaller lighter board compared to the 26" wide X-Pro also mean I can get away with a smaller paddle to pull the same race pace with lesser effort. I weight 75 and will be hitting 50 soon. I average at 44 spm for distance paddling with Trifecta 86 blade and make average of 7.5kph. Average for an old cat on water. This skinnier boards only means we need to pick up that old skill set called balance. It is something that you can get used to if coordination and motorskill's intact. Better to fall out of balance in water than in life while practising! And when you finally get hold of that into equilibrium, the rest is for you to grab. I have my Pro-Lite for sale if anyone here in interested as I have the RS 23 coming. If you think the 226L volume is dragging you, then try the FX or the RS which is meatier to keep us all afloat and have fun! Aloha!

Thank you SUPmission for your comments. As it happens, I'm having an RS 23 heading my way as well! Sort of a compromise as it, of course, is not a pure flatwater board but I reckon it will be faster on flat than my Maliko 24 2017. Hope you'll enjoy your RS, SUPmission!

I think you can pretty much guarantee that the 23 RS will be usefully faster in the flat than the 24 2017 Maliko.