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Forums > Stand Up Paddle   Board Talk & Reviews

Board Shopping - What's your vote?

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Created by Rideordie > 9 months ago, 15 May 2020
Rideordie
159 posts
19 Mar 2021 10:35PM
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Burchas,
Thanks! It is roughly 11.5 - 12.0 inches wide and about 4.5 inches tall. The width tapers down toward the end. That measurement is at the end, the most narrow point.

burchas
338 posts
20 Mar 2021 5:39AM
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Select to expand quote
Rideordie said..
Burchas,
Thanks! It is roughly 11.5 - 12.0 inches wide and about 4.5 inches tall. The width tapers down toward the end. That measurement is at the end, the most narrow point.


Rideordie, I measured it and unfortunately your board won't fit inside. Good luck with your search.

Rideordie
159 posts
20 Mar 2021 8:45AM
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Well, thanks for looking. I think I am getting self conscious about my boards big tail. I feel body shamed somehow. Hah!

burchas
338 posts
21 Mar 2021 1:07AM
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Select to expand quote
Rideordie said..
Well, thanks for looking. I think I am getting self conscious about my boards big tail. I feel body shamed somehow. Hah!


You might feel better about the big ass when you'll feel how much pitch resistant it is when you're hammering

Rideordie
159 posts
21 Mar 2021 2:37AM
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Burchas,
I like the sounds of that! It was challenging to cut out the two drain hole in each side of the RSP tape. I started to slip in an FCS fin for the maiden voyage, but the fin box is SUPER narrow. Could not get any aftermarket fin to fit. So, I had to use the stock SIC 8.3, but it was very tight to even get that on in the box. Afterwards, I worked on the FCS, taking out the pin and sanding it down a bit with an electric sander and filing the pin down some by hand. I have not tried to put the FCS back in yet, because it is such a hassle. My click in fin Larry Allison fin is to fat and you can't sand the base.

Whoever is making the decision to put these cheap ass, tight fin boxes in should be fired. Ruins the user experience to save what? A dollar maybe? I am going to take her out later today or tomorrow for a quick shakedown. Hopefully will go OK with the stock fin.

Rideordie
159 posts
21 Mar 2021 10:46PM
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Finally got to take her out yesterday for a nine mile paddle. Conditions fairly flat, but wind was 15-20 mph on the lake and gusting higher. Stock fin. Accidentally pick up my wife's Konihi 95, which is a bit shorter than my Mana 90 paddle. Wearing boots, which limited my mobility on the board. Stepped off the dock and noticed the initial tip is significantly greater than my 27 Blackfish, which was super stable. There was a good bit of chop and reverb in that area. After a few strokes, the secondary stability kicked in and I immediately began to trust it. It is still a little rolly with balance checks side to side being somewhat frequent in side wind. I am sure some of that is just the wind, unfamiliar board and first paddle of the year legs. But some of it is just due to the nose profile and relatively narrow width for me.

As I turned into the wind, I noticed the benefit of the slipperiness of the shape. Wow, does it go nicely upwind! Effort is greatly reduced and speed is much increased. Sorry. my watch was dead, so nothing to measure here. After I make it to the wind side of the lake, I can find a bit of sheltered water and notice some real speed and glide. Wow, the acceleration is super easy and it maintains glide so between strokes, where my Blackfish would decelerate. Really easy to reach and maintain a high cadence. Just what I was looking for. Put in some miles and turned her downwind. So fast downwind! The Blackfish was very slow downwind.

One gripe is that the footwell does hold a bit of water that never really goes away. Another is that it is more challenging getting the board onto the rack pads and off the pads when loading. Just not much surface area to work with when tying it down. It is so light though. Love all the handles and the tiedown netting for a bottle of water. The tail is amazing. I never noticed the tail dipping on acceleration. Very easy to find happy balance moving forward and aft. Should be very easy to kick turn. I suspect that this will be the fastest board that I have owned. Overall, I am really happy with my choice here. The RS is a great board and suits my needs really well. Cheers!!

Rideordie
159 posts
22 Mar 2021 12:13PM
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Another thing I wanted to mention is the incredible tracking. This board is locked on target. The little chines on the bottom really do work, not only on flat water, but in the wind too. That reduces your need to change sides and should contribute to more forward speed. Less time spent on course correction. It is really amazing. Now that I think about it, you could easily use a shallower fin. Less drag and even more speed. The 7.0 SIC fin should do nicely. I used to have one and can't find it anywhere. I loved that fin. Oh well.

burchas
338 posts
23 Mar 2021 7:55AM
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Sounds really good Rideordie. Congrats!
Which one of Allison's fin do you have. If it's the 7" Stinger I would give another try to sanding the base.
This is the kind of board this fin might really work well with.

Rideordie
159 posts
24 Mar 2021 5:05AM
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Burchas,
So, the L.A. fin is 6.5 inches tall with a 7 in base. I think it is call the stinger, but not 100% sure. The pin is at the front of the fin with two pressure points at the rear. The only way I could sand it down would be to remove the pressure points. Thus making it an SIC only fin. Which is OK I guess. I have never done that before and I am not sure how to remove them without causing damage. My guess is that they are pressed in like a pin. So I would have to press them or punch them out somehow. Would have to be careful not to "oversand' the base to ensure a good tight fit. Thoughts?

burchas
338 posts
24 Mar 2021 10:40AM
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I had few cases where I sanded the base with the ball bearings (pressure points) in place. Few light passes with he sander and got a good fit.

If you really need to, you could punch the ball bearings out with a hammer and a screwdriver if you can clamp the fin but I would try with
first. It is very, very hard to damage the base of this fin. I hammered it many times to remove and install the roll pin.

Would not try it on those carbon race fins but fiberglass fins are super solid.

Rideordie
159 posts
24 Mar 2021 10:54AM
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Burchas,
Thanks!! Sounds like good advice. I'll see what I can do. The SIC carbon fin is so light compared to the LA fiberglass fin. I really do like the LA fin though. The Stinger was my favorite fin on the Blackfish.

Rideordie
159 posts
26 Mar 2021 8:32PM
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Just took her out for a quick 4 mile run on some flat water with almost no wind. Wow!! The board has such easy speed and glides forever!! Paddling effort is greatly reduced and I can really get the paddle vertical for a properly aligned stroke. I had a concern that I might be a bit heavy at 205 pounds given the relatively narrow width. However, the nose and tail are really happy and the board feels properly buoyant under my feet. It is sooo rewarding to paddle. I don't mean to gush here, but Mark Raaphorst did one heck of a job shaping this board. After 9 SUP boards, I will say that this one is my immediate favorite of all!!

burchas
338 posts
26 Mar 2021 8:54PM
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It's still a part of the board review so gush away. You hit a point which I feel is very pertinent.
It may not be for some but for me to get motivated to paddle when conditions are flat I need to feel rewarded.

When you say the board is so rewarding to paddle, given the context of riding 9 sups prior, that means something.

Rideordie
159 posts
27 Mar 2021 8:23PM
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You are right. That does mean something. Next, I need a bag. FCS bag fits the tail but too wide on sides, I think. Guess I will have to go with the pricey SIC bag, unless there is a better suggestion.

Rideordie
159 posts
1 Apr 2021 7:53PM
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Went with the FCS bag. Decision made.

Rideordie
159 posts
10 Apr 2021 10:05PM
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Received my FCS bag. Looks really well made. However, the zipper does not open fully. Which leaves the nose partially closed. So, you have to slip the nose into a "pocket". This process may take so getting used to, but was awkward on the first go. Once in, the nose and tail fit nicely, but it was waaay too big on the sides. I was afraid of that. When I first zipped it up, I was pretty convinced I had made a bad purchase and it would be flopping around on my roof and the board would be sliding around in the bag. However, the bag has 4 cinch straps on each side. l tightened the side cinch straps and voila!! Problems solved. It is amazing how the cinch straps transformed the fit of the bag.

So, now I have my new board and a new bag. I smile when I walk through my garage and I look forward to my next paddle. I can't really rationalize how much I have spent on equipment in this sport, but I do know that it has brought me joy. So, if you are on the fence about new equipment, then remember these words of Hunter S. Thompson, "Buy the ticket. Take the ride."



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"Board Shopping - What's your vote?" started by Rideordie