I just picked up a 2014 14' X 27.25" Fanatic Falcon carbon model. Super lite and awesome performer. Had it out in Sydney Harbour (Clontarf/Castle Rock side) this morning and it held its own!!

"14' Surftech Bark Explorer"? Do you mean the Expedition?

There aren't many boards in the 28-30 range these days because race boards have got much narrower, and touring boards have got more aimed at load-lugging in flat water. So the middle ground has tended to disappear. There are some Starboard touring boards you could look at (if you can find them). Or the Naish 14x29 Glide, which is an obvious choice. It's a bit heavy though. Maybe one of the bigger Surftech Barks, or even the Bark Downwinder, depending in how heavy your daughter is and the conditions you paddle in. You might find a Fanatic 14x30 secondhand, which is a nice stable and flat big platform for general mucking about on. You'd find that all these options provide a lot more flotation than your Expedition, and more stability than your 26" wide Dart.

Area10 the 4 big brands have a board in the 28-30 range. Plenty to choose from in that width range.
Naish glide 29 and 30 naish one is 30
Naish jav 28
Fanatic falcon 29/30
Starboard all star 28 plus their touring boards have wide widths.
Nsp surf race comes in 28 and 29.

Or even the SIC F14.

Or Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 14x29.

How big are you, surfanimal? The Jav 14x28 is quite a bulky board, best for bigger guys IMO.

Some of the new hybrid designs are extremely stable for their width, so you might be able to go narrower than you think. A case in point might be eg. the 2016 All Star 14x27.

But it's a shame that some of the designs that might otherwise be perfect ocean all-rounders (eg. Mistral Equinox; SIC FX, Naish Maliko, Bark Vapor, jimmy Lewis Rail etc) only come in narrow widths.

Lots of new boards about to hit the market. Don't buy anything unless you can demo it. A good retailer will have demos of most boards if they're prepared to stand by what they sell.

Hi AA,
The Faast boards look great!! Are they available in the wider widths similar to what surfanimal is after? I have only seen one Sunova race board in the flesh at (different to the Faast) but it was only around 24" wide from memory....

I am also after a 14' but need the width to counteract the 'vertical ballast'...

Paul

Emeboy said...
Hi AA,
The Faast boards look great!! Are they available in the wider widths similar to what surfanimal is after? I have only seen one Sunova race board in the flesh at (different to the Faast) but it was only around 24" wide from memory....

I am also after a 14' but need the width to counteract the 'vertical ballast'...

Paul

Hi emeboy, the FAAST's come in every width (1" increments) from 23"-30" in the FAAST and 24"-30" in the FAAST ocean. We will focus on the wider models 26"+ with narrower boards made to order. RR $2800