Bluwave Carbon Race 12 27" SUP review

I was able to do a lengthy trial of a Bluwave 12 foot Carbon Race board right after spending a lot of time on the 14 foot version. This has allowed me to do a direct comparison of the difference between a 12.6 and 14 foot paddle board.

I can tell you three things about the difference right from the start. The 12.6 is not as stable it is not as fast and it is more work to stay at the same pace compared to the same board in 14. I believe that the reason the 12.6 is not as stable is the widest points on a 14 foot board is longer as the arc is more drawn out over 14 feet instead of 12.6. For the overall speed I saw a much larger bow and tail wave from the 12.6 board. I am thinking that one part of this is the angle of the piercing nose is greater on the shorter board as there is less length to get to the widest point. Second it has less volume so it sits lower. Lastly the shorter waterline has more drag so I had to do more work to keep the speed up and i definitely saw an decreased glide between strokes.

The construction and other features of the board are exactly the same. Essentially it is 3k carbon weave over an EPS core with some light paint which is sanded to make it lighter and faster on the water. It is light but not extremely light which may be due to the stated fibreglass layers as those are not as light as just carbon. I did not have issues with durability but I am very light on my equipment.

I was out in all the same conditions as the 14 and found that most of the performance is about the same. One difference was in downwinds as the shorter board seemed to pearl a little more often. I also found that the shorter board was more upset by side chop.

Overall the board had much of the same performance and attributes to the longer board which I also reviewed and the differences in speed was detectable but only about 10 % at most. If you do not have room for a 14 then definitely do not go lower than a 12.6 but if you can fit a 14 then get one as they will help you go faster and/or farther.


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