Finally got the new 14' Glide GS out on a downwinder yesterday in the northerly. Actually got two runs in.
1st one was pretty sedate, but got some really long runners.
My 2nd run in the afternoon was pretty heavy duty - launching from Boulders. The wind graph shows gusting at 30knts, but it seemed to be constantly hammering 30 the whole way. Lots of rogue waves and a bit of a haul to get out enough to clear the headlands prior to heading downwind. I think this wind was about my limit from this launch spot, 40 knots would be life and death I reckon. Such good fun though 
My impressions on the Glide for open coast downwinding:
- Definitely more stable than the old 27" Glide. Only fell a couple of times and it was way more hectic than I've ever experienced before
- Like the guys have been saying, the new glide is very responsive to stepping forward for a bit of acceleration and I was certainly holding runners for a lot longer than previously. Others previously have said that this board has quite a large sweet spot, but for me it seemed very sensitive to where I was standing.
- It was very very easy to pick up runners standing forward, but you have to be quick to get back to stop the nose going in, very quick. I had a few where I had the nose buried deeper than my GoPro (about 3 or 4") and still recovered and stayed on the runner - so it's quite forgiving. Standing just back from the handle it was possible to catch and glide a lot of smaller runners without moving much, but that's not getting the best out of the board.
- a lot of water runs over the deck. It seems laughable that this would be the case with 280L, but looking at the gopro footage, it was awash a lot of the time. Didn't seem an issue, though - just saying. I noticed the same in one of DJ's latest vids.
Speeds from the afternoon run, I think is probably my fastest on average yet:
Haven't put together a video, but here's a photo. Check out the wind spray around the paddle
Nice work - does seem to be a winner that board from all accounts.
Thanks for sharing - great shot too.
thanks guys. In terms of the board - a few other comments:
- the yellow paint job is prone to scratching - so if you just whack a sandy board straight on your roof racks, then you will get some marks (mine doesn't sit on the deckpad).
- the longer deck pad (than the 2012/13 version) is way better. It was always a bit disconcerting stepping back onto the relatively smooth deck on the old board.
- the board isn't a magical solution for successful downwinding. I still have all the flaws I had before
Although the board is quite forgiving and stable, I think the flat rocker makes it a more technical board to ride in sucky surf or downwinding. I think this is good because it means you can have heaps of fun on it without experience, but there is still a lot of challenge to get the best out of the board in demanding conditions.
I had some other comments here: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/2014-Glide-14-GS-first-impressions/
Probably should've just added to that thread.
hi mate
just wondering what sort of gps watch, program etc you are using to get print outs like that, as i am looking for something to do something like this
thanks
Jarryd
Nice video keep them coming! 25-30kts, wow you must have been flying. Most I've had in 6 runs since 28/12 has been 18-25kts (measured) and that was a lot of fun (on new Glide14).
thanks guys.
Jarryd, I just use my iphone running Motion-X. After a run, you can get the app to email a GPX file to you. I know that Motion-X does not have the data frequency that dedicated GPS's can put out, and maybe not as accurate (not sure about this - it's pretty spot on), so if you're serious about it or you're uploading competition times, etc. then it may not do the job.
Those outputs came from a program called GPS Action Replay (GPSAR) which PeterP put me onto. See towards the end of this thread: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Naish-14-LE-x26-downwind-machine/
I've only played with GPSAR a few times, but it looks quite good. It's just a curiosity for me, so it's a bit expensive ($50). I'm just using the trial version for the next month or so. The free version didn't seem to be able to open up the motion-x GPX files. I'm not aware of anything that gives a similar output.
Looks like it goes nicely for you there Foamballer.
Your looking more capable now as well.
Seems to pick up the little runners with ease too.
I am probably getting one soon, can't wait!
In the mean time I'll look fwd to your reports and vids.
Thanks,
Ken.
Select to expand quoteKennyK said..
Looks like it goes nicely for you there Foamballer.
Your looking more capable now as well.
Seems to pick up the little runners with ease too.
I am probably getting one soon, can't wait!
In the mean time I'll look fwd to your reports and vids.
Thanks,
Ken.
Thanks Ken, yeah I like the board... Seeing the differences with this board, it makes me even more curious about how the other boards perform in DW conditions. I would've liked to have the opportunity to try one of the fanatics. Probably should have had another go on the DC/NSP Cocomat again too... but then again the price of the Glide GS is pretty good - hard to ignore. All of a sudden I've got 3 stand up boards in my garage and it hasn't been 12 months since I first stood on one... so price is definitely a consideration.
Select to expand quotefoamballer said..
Finally got the new 14' Glide GS out on a downwinder yesterday in the northerly. Actually got two runs in.
1st one was pretty sedate, but got some really long runners.
My 2nd run in the afternoon was pretty heavy duty - launching from Boulders. The wind graph shows gusting at 30knts, but it seemed to be constantly hammering 30 the whole way. Lots of rogue waves and a bit of a haul to get out enough to clear the headlands prior to heading downwind. I think this wind was about my limit from this launch spot, 40 knots would be life and death I reckon. Such good fun though
My impressions on the Glide for open coast downwinding:
- Definitely more stable than the old 27" Glide. Only fell a couple of times and it was way more hectic than I've ever experienced before
- Like the guys have been saying, the new glide is very responsive to stepping forward for a bit of acceleration and I was certainly holding runners for a lot longer than previously. Others previously have said that this board has quite a large sweet spot, but for me it seemed very sensitive to where I was standing.
- It was very very easy to pick up runners standing forward, but you have to be quick to get back to stop the nose going in, very quick. I had a few where I had the nose buried deeper than my GoPro (about 3 or 4") and still recovered and stayed on the runner - so it's quite forgiving. Standing just back from the handle it was possible to catch and glide a lot of smaller runners without moving much, but that's not getting the best out of the board.
- a lot of water runs over the deck. It seems laughable that this would be the case with 280L, but looking at the gopro footage, it was awash a lot of the time. Didn't seem an issue, though - just saying. I noticed the same in one of DJ's latest vids.
Speeds from the afternoon run, I think is probably my fastest on average yet:
Haven't put together a video, but here's a photo. Check out the wind spray around the paddle
Thats a cheshire cat grin on the face of one pretty happy dude!
Thanks for the review, interesting to hear about the need for stepping and deck getting washed. Could you state your height and weight for some context please?
Select to expand quoteLobes said..
Thanks for the review, interesting to hear about the need for stepping and deck getting washed. Could you state your height and weight for some context please?
Hi, yeah I'm 6'1" and about 100Kg (actually probably a fair bit more since I ate about 800Kg of food over Christmas)Select to expand quoteOG SUP said..Thats a cheshire cat grin on the face of one pretty happy dude!
Pretty hard not to smile when I'm out on the water
