Simcoe SUP Reviews

  I was not able to budget for a new board this year so I decided to build my own. I found that Clearwood boards had an actual race board available so I ordered the frame kit in Dec 2017. It took a bit to get to me and had some shipping damage so Randy of Clearwood sent more parts free of charge. I had to build a flat table to build the kit so I started with this which took a full weekend. After test fitting the the kit's ribs I decided that I wanted a little more deck in front of the balance point so I modified the frame to have another 10 inches of forward deck. This added another weekend to the build. I was originally going to build the kit out of Cedar as it is easy to find but after a lot of research and calls to local exotic wood providers I found some Palownia. It took me some time to get to the supplier but it is a lot of work to actually put the frame together and make sure it is strait so I went to work doing that. Well it took months to cut, router, plane, fit and glue t...

  I have been paddling the 2020 Starboard Sprint 14 *20.75 for about a year now and decided I wanted a new challenge so I was able to purchase the 2021 14 *19.75 Carbon a few weeks ago. In the last few weeks I have been gaining more confidence on the board and comparing it to my 2020 Sprint. The summary below will be comparing this to my 2020 Sprint and I have a review of that board on this forum already. Dimensions which really make a difference are as follows:  Internal Standing area is only about a 1CM difference at most. The rails are considerably higher with the 2021 at over 27cm high in the standing area and the 2020 is a little less than 24 cm. The thickness below your feet on the 2021 is 12.5 cm thick and the 2020 is 11cm thick in the standing area. The deck at the front of the dugout  is 33 cm high on the 2021 and the 2020 is 30cm high. The tail on the 2021 is 14cm tall and the 2020 is also 14cm tall. The total rocker, measured at tail with the nose on the ground...

  I purchased an inflatable to allow me to take a board on vacations or other treks that I do not have a car. Stability: This board is incredibly stable. I have not tried to see how far the primary goes until the board flips but I will get this soon. Pitch: The board is very stable not only in rolling but front to back pitch stability. The board does flex a little but it still does not have issues with 2-3 foot waves. I took this out in a upwinder/downwinder on my first day and had no issues. Flatwater Speed: In my latest flat water trial I had a load of gear on the front but I was still able to hold 5mph going into the wind and a good 5.3-5.6mph with the wind or no wind. I did start to do race pace near the end of my paddle and the board responded well. Race pace is 60-65 spm and a lot of up down motion which did not cause the board to go into spasms like some other inflatables I have tried. The speed I was able to hit was 6.3 mph. Upwinding: It is not a hard board but still punch...

  I have been paddling with stronger paddlers lately and have found that my present boards were holding me back from keeping up with the pack. My present boards are a self built paulownia wood hollow wooden board which is a slightly modified Clearwood VLZ 14*23 which is the first version which has a flat deck. My other board is a 2018 Infinity Whiplash 14*25 dugout. The VLZ is pretty fast and very durable but heavy at 39lbs and tippy due to the slight V in the front half of the bottom and very tucked in and rounded rails which limit the stability and have very little secondary stability.   The Infinity is incredibly stable but the top speed is limited by the width of the board. I have been trying many boards lately but settled on the Starboard Sprint 14*20.75. The reasons for this are as follows: Stability: This board is almost as stable as my Infinity primary stability but the secondary stability feels like i am hitting a wall when the board rolls past 15-20 degrees. I a...

  I am definitely a gear junkie when it comes to Paddles as I feel that the paddle is the most important part of your connection to the water. Recently the local Black Project rep has had one of the new Hydro Flow X paddles and I was able to pry it away from him for a few hours. Fortunately it was a great day for testing as I had areas with flat, headwinds and downwinds on my 15km route. As I first started the paddle I found that there was a difference and as I continued to paddle I found that the paddle is more stable so the difference I found was not having to do anything but push down and pull back. This is not just hype and as I continued I hit headwinds and chop which created more troubled water. I usually will hit the side of my board at least once in these conditions but never had a single hit the entire session. As I rounded the next corner I hit the headwind strait on. There were quite a few strong gusts at 30kph so I decided it was a good time to try choking down the padd...

  Finally got to try some Nelo Lightboard Corp Signature 2 boards. Tried both the 24.5 and 23. Tried the 24.5 first and found primary stability to be pretty well non existent and secondary to be pretty good. The lightness was instantly felt with the first strokes and acceleration is incredible. It was the fastest sprinting board I have ever been on. The light weight also makes steering ver6 easy as a quick draw with the paddle will quickly move the nose to the side. I could paddle on one side all day on the board. Top speed average was pretty good at around 5.8 mph. Felt good enough on this board to go into one meter waves within 10 minutes.   Going upwind was interesting as the light front would get pushed around a bit and the feel and sounds from the hollow construction were odd. It was not bad on the waves but I would need more work to be able to catch the Bumps as I was still rolling to much to put the power down to catch the waves. Overall I like the board but it was...

  I was not intending to get a new board but my wife was testing the Whiplash dugout that the rep had so she could tell if she wanted the flatdeck version and I spent a lot of time also testing the board. The first impression was it is nice and quiet on the water, compared to my JL Rail and the Blackfish we also borrowed. The board is also very stable and as you move back the stability only seems to increase. the secondary stability seems endless but the water is too cold to find the limits comfortably so perhaps next year. Pivot Turns are insanely fast as I can usually do a full turn in 2 strokes as long as the wind is not pushing from the side too much. It is almost too fast as I often find myself having to run forwards to get the turn to stop before I've gone to far. Speed upwind or no wind- in the flat this is not as fast as my 23 inch wide wood board but it is still about .5-.7mph  faster than my Rail. As the chop increases this board excels as it cuts though with ease an...