hi im 94 kgs and looking for a new race board as living in europe i wont be able to demo im looking at either the starboard race 14 x 27 or the ace 14 x 25 is the new ace much more stable than previous years models ? and any feedback on the race ?
regards Dean
Haven't tried the 2015 Ace but from what I've read about it it's probably similar in stability to the older model. The main difference is that they've slightly reduced the rocker in the new model. I think they've also added the slight thinning of the side walls on the bottom inside so you can place your feet a bit wider. This should make a small improvement in stability. I've got the older Ace.
I've tested the 14x27 Race for a out 2 hours in flat and bumpy conditions. The 14x25 Ace is clearly faster in all conditions as long as you're comfortable on it.
I also have the All Star and I think the Race is very slightly faster than the All Star in flat and small chop. Once it gets bigger, the All Star is more comfortable and faster. The All Star is more stable than the Race.
I'd you're comfortable with the balance on the Ace, it's the faster board, unless you're doing BOP races or have lots of buoy turns.
I think it very depends on the conditions you paddle.
In holland our flatwater races are all on lakes and canals and in the very flat water the Sprints (24 nr 1 and 2 in Holland) and Allstars smoke the Aces.We rarely ee them anymore in the comps.
I paddled this year a Sprint14x26 and won,t be able to race next year, but otherwise the Race 14x25 would be my choice for our conditions.
Yes, conditions are critical in determining which board is faster. But so is board width. The 14x25 Ace will be faster than the 14x27 Race in all conditions including flat water. If it was the 14x25 Ace vs the 14x25 Race, then I'm not so sure.
I have the All Star 14x25 and the Ace 14x23.5 and find my Ace faster in all conditions. I used to have the Ace 14x25.
Starboard's descriptions of which boards are suited to which conditions seem pretty accurate. i.e., Sprint for flat water, Race for bit more chop but not too much, and the All Star for even rougher water and bigger bumps.
The only problem is that they don't compare the Ace with the other race boards. I've tried all 4 of the race boards (2015 Race and older models for the others). I find the Ace is very fast for mixed chop and small to moderate downwind conditions - the fastest in my opinion. Not so good for surfing and buoy turns though. The Ace also takes a bit longer to get used to since it has lower primary stability but very good secondary stability.
The local races are 50 % beach bop races and 50 % river local conditions can be from flat water to quite choppy to 3 ft surf with either down wind but mainly up wind sections.
My previous board was a k 15 but has been sold but I still have a coast runner.
Cheers Dean
Beau rates the all star 12'6 x 24 faster than the ace 12'6.
watching him he flies on it..
Dean, if you're doing lots of BOP races in the surf, then you may want to consider the All Star. The All Star should be a better surfing board than the Race or Ace. I also wouldn't get the Ace if you have lots of buoy turns in your races. At your weight, the 14x25 Ace will be tricky to turn fast. Maybe you should consider the 14x25 All Star, which should be more stable than the 14x25 Ace, but probably not as stable as the 14x27 Race. If you were considering the 14x25 Ace, you must have pretty good balance.
Impressive that guys the size of Beau and Trevor fly on the All Star 12'6"x24". Looking forward to hearing more about the 2015 All Star. Initial reports are very positive. Makes we wonder how stable the 14x23 All Star will be.
