Yeah I have to work.. Wot a bugger.. But some how I've gotta make the money to pay for my Naish boards and Kialoa paddles..
Sorry to keep you guys in suspenders about which board was faster but the result was a surprise to us both because the 14' Bark looks so fast and racey.. But like Dave said at the end of almost one and a half hours there was nothing in it.. we crossed the finish almost side by side.
I would have bet fifty bucks that the Bark would win on a day like this.
This is only the first of more down-winders and it may take a few more to know for sure which is the faster board.
The two boards are very different to paddle..The Glide suddenly gets on the plane and takes off like a rocket..almost like someone pulling the rug out from underneath you.
The Bark doesn't do that.. It seems to slowly get on the plane and then cruises along almost effortlessly.
Both boards had nose dive issues and the Bark seemed the worst.. It would bog down and take ages to resurface.. The Glide seemed to recover quicker but you had to be careful on the Glide to keep it going straight because the rails would catch and sort of turn and high-side you.
I found the Bark the tail would want to come around sometimes and I wonder if the fin was further forward it would help stop that..even though you would think it would make it worse.
I found the Bark a little more tippy but when it tips it's a bit like the Pene were it slows so you can recover due to the long rail length (I think) .. The Bark seems to be about 4" thick and the Glide is about 6" thick.. This made the Glide a bit more stable (IMO ) but also raises you center of gravity and makes the board feel a little corky.
It will be interesting to see how they both compare on flat glassy water.
I hope to have a waterproof camera soon so I'll try and get some action shot of these boards planing and catching runners.
Yeah Stuey.. I also reckon your new 14' Pene would whip the arses of both these boards.. I'd love to try on one in good down-wind conditions one day.
We had some serous wind behind us today with some gusts over 40 knots and the rough conditions caused me to fall many times and I even saw Dave fall a couple of times.. I should have taken a picture because that's a rare sight (Dave falling)...
DJ
as I was wrapping it up, but unfortunately something had to go from the garage - it was the PENE or one of the kids. I did think about it for just a moment.....
