G'day all,
First post - thought I'd get involved a bit more!
I've been riding an ECS 11'2" X 35" board, which is great as a beginners board and a family cruiser. My son, my dog, my daughter all love coming paddling with me on it! Not necessarily at the same time!
I'm looking to move to a 14'er and am deciding between a Hybrid Allstar 2017 or a Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder in classic construction. The two boards sound like they'll both do the job nicely, but I'm leaning at the moment toward the Sidewinder. It will be used in flat and choppy river conditions, out along the coastline where it gets choppy and bumpy, and have a crack at a few downbreezers/winders. An actual do it all board - 25% flat, 25% chop, 25% downwind, 25% whatever else can be thrown at it!
The key question though - I'm 6'4" and 85kg (yeah, bit of a bean pole!). I've been looking at the 27" width in the two boards, but am wondering if going the 25" width would be OK? Being 85kg I 'fit' the weight range, but being 6'4 does that impact at all? Also, coming down from 35" wide will it be too big a jump to a 25" board? I guess I'm trying to ensure longevity in the board, especially as I plan to have a crack at a few races with it. I get out for a paddle 3-4 times per week, so my learning curve may be enhanced, but still I'll be very much a beginner on this type of board.
Thanks heaps!
Out of the two boards you have mentioned i would go the JL sidewinder in 27 wide few reasons.
The wider outline will give you better stability and i think it will be a better board for you in the bumps the Allstar might win over in the flat water but then any board can paddle in the flatwater but not ever board is so easy to ride in the bumps.
Construction of the JL IMO is far better as well and from what i know lighter.
So lighter,stronger and better in the bumpier water IMO the JL gets it.
On the width i think you answer your own question, 25 will be ok in the flat but in the ocean you will be hating life for a while so i say 27 all the way.
I am not connected to either brand as i do my own brand ONE SUP.
I'm a tad taller (and, ahem, a lot heavier...) and i would definitely go for the wider board - you will probably be able to ride the 25 in most of those conditions but it stops being fun pretty quickly if you're constantly falling in or struggling to paddle due to being so unstable. The 27 will allow you to forget about a lot of the bumps and just get on with paddling. That's extra handy in races as any speed advantage you gain on the 25 will be wiped pretty much as soon as you fall in. I race with a lot of very experienced paddlers who manage to still be exceptionally quick on 27's...
As far as those two boards go i've no experience with either, but if you can - and i'm sure you've heard this a lot already - demo, demo, demo...
Thanks for the replies guys. I think you've confirmed what I've been leaning towards. In regards to demoing - there's not a huge opportunity down in Tassie to demo boards! There's a couple of guys on the North West that are really having a crack distribution wise and a fella down south that is also excellent. I can get on an Allstar but not the Sidewinder, so I'm kind of thinking don't try either and simply take a punt!
Paul.j, I did look at the One Sup website, but couldn't for the life of me figure out where to inquire about purchasing - i.e. a shop, nor see any prices. A couple of the links to distributors had webstores that didn't advertise One Sup as being stocked. Not sure if I missed a trick there. I do love the green on the noses of them!
The 27 will be a better choice. People are now realizing that in real world conditions with regular guys, you are often faster on a board where your energy is spent paddling rather than not falling.
