can anyone in the know, tell all the differences- pro's and con's, with 16,17,18,19 foot open class down winders.does wave shape and still water have a bearing?

Sorry Lacey I have no clue,but at least its a response
Tip,why not pick up the phone and talk to Jacko and or Dale
Those guy's know

mac

I'm no expert but I've read that longer is faster.. But shorter is cheaper..

DJ

Lacey went for a paddle on my 17ft board Sat and on the way in paddling up currumbin creek i tried to keep pace with a couple of older ladies on skis ,and i had to work my but off just to stay in touch and they where not paddling hard.
Slight head wind mind you .But i was a bit dissapointed in its flat water speed , but compared to a surf sup it flies.I think these down wind boards have still a long way to go before the perfect design is realized.But obvioulsey there is a masssive difference to flat water paddling and paddling in windy chop.Must say though with the ultra small surf of late it has been fun surfing the 17ft board.

teatrea said...

Lacey went for a paddle on my 17ft board Sat and on the way in paddling up currumbin creek i tried to keep pace with a couple of older ladies on skis ,and i had to work my but off just to stay in touch and they where not paddling hard.
Slight head wind mind you .But i was a bit dissapointed in its flat water speed , but compared to a surf sup it flies.I think these down wind boards have still a long way to go before the perfect design is realized.But obvioulsey there is a masssive difference to flat water paddling and paddling in windy chop.Must say though with the ultra small surf of late it has been fun surfing the 17ft board.

you know, i'm more impressed with paddling speed off shore than still water, hence the questions put forward
cheers

lacey said...

62mac said...

Sorry Lacey I have no clue,but at least its a response
Tip,why not pick up the phone and talk to Jacko and or Dale
Those guy's know

mac

yeah mac, i really respect those guys and what they say. at the end of the day their advice is what i'll follow. just thought it might be an interesting topic for all
cheers

No worries Lacey looks like the topic has interest now btw I know you respect J & D. mac

DavidJohn said...

lacey said...

DavidJohn said...

I'm no expert but I've read that longer is faster.. But shorter is cheaper..

DJ

hi dj, i've read about you waiting a naish 14 ft-er. why did you settle for that lenght?
what's your ratio - still water to off shore, if you don't mine me asking
cheers

Yes I do have a new Naish 14' Glide on order.

I don't think my small car could handle any longer than 14'.

I love the look and size of Jonathan's new 14' Pene.

I think the new 14' Naish Glide will cost about $2,500.. and the 17' Naish about $3,000 and the Penetrator about $4,000.. and I'm not a rich person.

I think Naish have chosen 18' for their new flat water board so there must be something in this 'Longer is faster' thing.

I will be paddling my Glide on the Yarra river and there's parts that you could not turn a 17'er around because the river is pretty narrow.

It's looking like it's confirmed that there will be 12'6" and under, 14' and 14' and over for racing.. I think if you are going over 14' you need to go 17/18/19' or as long as you can to be competitive.. Unless you're a light person.

I know Sue went for a 16' (F16).. It would be interesting why she chose that size.

DJ

thxs, i have a 16 fter, but i think later on i'll have to drop down to get into a class. 14 ft and over looks like being super elite stuff
cheers

teatrea said...

what board did you end up buying Lacey or are you still undecided?Gee you would have to have a thick wallet to keep up with trends in this sport.Im keen to drop down from my 10.6 to a around the 9ft mark , but ill need to rack up the browny points for a while.

i got kelly's dc16 and my custom dc 8 10 which is soooooooooooo good.
i'm a long time board junkie, it just that sups are dearer
cheers

teatrea said...

To slow already answered 16ft , i agree the unlimited will be for the pros but at least you will probaly get home before the 12ft class.But i think the fun factor will be better on the longer boards.I personally didnt buy the dc17 so i can win races , it just seemed the better option for downwind runs.

yeah, heaps of fun fun fun. great views, you need those so you don't think of what might be following you. ha ha
cheers

Lacey
I know the cost prevents most people from getting hold of these large vessels so it is hard to find out for oneself, or anyone for that matter.
I build them so I offer you this advise.
Flat water has definite shape advantages,ie boat nose or bow shaped being popular, but with the cost and few people having the room to make these things in Australia at least, most try and shape craft suited to surf and flat water.
All I can offer is the experience I have on my 14fter built for surf and flat water.
Getting to the water is a challenge at 14ft. Mine is built heavy for big surf. And I live close to the water.
Flat water, I don,t believe any of those lengths you listed would be any thing but the best fun to paddle. My 14fter glides with the slightest paddle and if a small swell rolls past it is on it immediately. I can't wait to try 16 , 17 and longer. But only on Ocean swells not breaking waves.
To build these longer boards I will use EPS foam in one piece and they would be real light and 8 inches thick.
I bought a machine to cut up longer ones I just can't wait to get into the lengths you mentioned. From past experience factory seconds will be put to good use for the likes of yourself to find out just what is the difference with all that length. Keep in touch with this forum when these boards pop up for a try out. CT

I have heard genral rule of thumb is longer the board( in the flat to a point eg.19ft) the faster it will go. Like surf club ski's 19fters get flogged by the 21ft epic racing skis.

But If board is in runners you need to be able to keep control while catching runners. So a bigger 19ft board would be easier to loose control of before a 16-17ft board. and it all depends on the size of runners and how close together they are.

sam

62mac said...

Hey Lacey was that you heading south along the Highway at Palmy,white ute with canopy and blue down winder in toe

mac

yep, my non suping mates are always saying- saw your standup board with your car underneath it. big sucker hey. unfortunately with building game down the gurgler and a few big bills that came in, i''m going to have to sell it, but i'll get another one later on for sure
cheers
ps

lacey said...

62mac said...

Selling the car or sup?

mac

sup you sa, ha ha

62mac said...

That's a bummer Lacey,didn't you just buy it and it sounds as if your having a blast on it

mac

yeah it's heartbreaking, put on and took it off 2 times in the buy and sell section, but has to be done