Ok for all the lightweights out there who have paddled the Naish le 23" wide and/or the Starboard Ace 23.5" wide what are the pros and cons of each model and which one would you recommend?
I have paddled both boards the naish le 12'6 23 wide is a quick flatwater board easy to turn and fast in sprints however allot more unstable then the starboard ace 23.5 due to the higher center of gravity on the naish. the starboard is really quick upwind in chop and downwind it is easier to handle when the chop is a bit smaller and closer together due to the higher volume nose making it harder to nosedive. Another thing to consider is the starboard can be quite hard to handle when paddling crosswind as the nose tends to veer off course more then the naish. Overall the starboard 12'6 by 23.5 is my favourite race board due to better stability and a better all round design.
Give Warwick a call at RPS.. He's spent more time on both than most people..
RPS.. 03 9525 6475
DJ
Agree David or Sam at Surf/Wind/Snow in Sydney is a gun paddler and would know both boards very well.
both are too narrow for 99'9 % of people.
starby crew seem to prefer last years ace.
lots of le's for sale around the traps. thats got to say something. mind you the .1 % are really fast on them.
will be interesting if naish can maintain that good speed on more user friendly widths
As far as new versus old aces the2013 ace 14 x 25 is the same shape as the 2012 14 x 25 with the only difference being in the standing area of which I preferred the new version.
The 2013 x 23.5 was a new shape but I thought the wider 25" version was faster for me on flat water or in bumps. Just thought it flowed better.
Compared to the Naish I'd say flat water speed would be about the same with the ace getting an edge in tricky, random chop type of paddling. Haven't seen any board that can compare with the ace for that though.
As chop gets more linear and predictable the Naish comes back in to the mix, with it becoming the better bet in full on style downwind conditions.
For week in week out racing I would choose the ace. For fun downwinding maybe the Naish but both are challenging.
Sam.
Hi Guys,
I've got the Naish LE, so I can only really comment on that board. And I've only really ridden other Naish boards. (couple of swaps onto an ace or two but nothing to comment on excessively) But a couple of boys I paddle with ride them. I'm 75kg and 5'4. Flat water the LE is quick but has allot of nose rocker, so you have to get forward on it to get a decent waterline length. The ace seems similar, pushes a bit of water with the wider nose. The Naish Javelin is still a bit quicker in dead flats from my experience. Once you get into the ocean with the LE its a different board to the Javelin. For the LE, if the wind is coming from behind it go's really well especially in the 10 to 15 knot range. If the wind has a bit of an angle or the runs are coming across you a bit the aces seem to have the advantage. I use a smaller fin and move it right forward in the fin box on the LE to help with this and I seem to be able to stick with them.
Once the wind gets up a bit and if it is reasonably from the behind the LE I feel becomes more manageable, especially compared to the Javelin. But even so compared to the aces, as it still has a good amount of surface area in the tail, but that changes with the riders ability to move around the board and trim forward and back on the runners. Correct me if I'm wrong but the aces seem to be a bit More of a stand and deliver style of board where as to maximise the LE you need to be hot footing all over a bit more.
I rate my LE and for a 23" wide board it feels allot more like a 25" once you get it on a run, Its Quick enough in the flat and can handle a fair bit of wind from behind. It ticks all the boxes from me.
