tomo77 said...

Hi guys,
Im after some wisdom on which board you would recommend for a beginner who wants to get into racing. Im interested in buying a 12'6 LH but after reading a few reviews it sounds like it may be a little tippy for me. Maybe the Glide 12?? My question is-- What board would you recommend for a first timer looking to get into doing a few downwinders and other flatwater racing?? I would also like to use same board for recreational flatwater riding and crosstraining..
Thanks Heaps in advance.
Tomo.

Heh Tomo welcome to the Breeze.

For your situation I would go the Naish Glide good all round board. Have not tried the Lahui Kai 12'6 but may be a bit more race orientated than casual cruiser/fitness/race.

One of the downsides with the glide is that for racing it is not the quickest out there as it tends IMO to push a lot of water compared to other boards.

But saying that it has a great construction and great for your situation.

Hmmm!!

very interesteing.. what do you guys think about the C4 switchblade??. From what i have red so far it looks like it could be right down my alley

Hey Tomo, I know nothing about this stuff, but the guys that do are raving about the Fanatic 12'6". One of the breezers on here Kissa, regularly smashes guys on 17 footers on his and apparently it is very stable also.

goatman said...

Hey Tomo, I know nothing about this stuff, but the guys that do are raving about the Fanatic 12'6". One of the breezers on here Kissa, regularly smashes guys on 17 footers on his and apparently it is very stable also.

Most of the 17's are Down Wind Boards, with rocker, so they push a little bit of water in flat water, and due to the rocker, you are often left with 15 feet of effective water line.

The Fanatic 12'6 is a "Cutter" built for flat water. Naish Javelin 14 is also a "Flat Water Cutter", and quite unstable for top heavy riders, compared to other boards (like Glide 17, and Glide 14, and 12'6 Fanatic).

In flat water, a "brilliant powerful engine" on a 12'6 Cutter will often beat a "less finely tuned engine" on a 17 DW board!

PS - forget the Glide 12 unless you are a Light Weight!

Can someone (DJ) put up the links to Seabreeze Board Reviews (the two Naish 14's). Naish website is not very good at showing the difference. But when you see a dozen photos of each, you can see the two 14's are actually vastly different, but actually share a relatively similar template (plan shape). But rocker and rails etc are radically different to each other.

Simondo said...

The Fanatic 12'6 is a "Cutter" built for flat water.

I think Dave Kissane and Sam might disagree. You should have seen Dave smash it in 40 knots, keeping up with Andy Davies on a 17 foot Naish and surfing back and forth across the runners!!

goatman said...

Simondo said...

The Fanatic 12'6 is a "Cutter" built for flat water.

I think Dave Kissane and Sam might disagree. You should have seen Dave smash it in 40 knots, keeping up with Andy Davies on a 17 foot Naish and surfing back and forth across the runners!!

Yes, I read about that DW Run !!
But nah, it is a "cutter" built for flat water. Yes, they work quite well in DW conditions, but that is not what they were primarily built for.
I already said a good engine on a 12'6 will keep up with a 17. 17's come into their own in about 10-15 knots+. At 10 knots, they will latch onto little bumps/runners with power assistance, and glide 1-2 foot further on each runner, compared to the shorter boards.

goatman said...

Simondo said...


I already said a good engine on a 12'6 will keep up with a 17. 17's come into their own in about 10-15 knots+. At 10 knots, they will latch onto little bumps/runners with power assistance, and glide 1-2 foot further on each runner, compared to the shorter boards.

Using that logic for the Fanatic 12'6", Andy should have smashed Dave in 30 - 40 knots on a 17! (Andy just got 3rd overall at the Doctor race so is no slouch)

Too technical !!?? Yes, as it get windier, up around 25+ knots, then the advantage of the 17 is diminished. Smaller boards are able to catch long runner like the big boards. As per the Photo in the other post... there is a pretty big runner actually breaking quite strongly!

Over a 3km course in the following conditions, with Like for Like Paddlers...;
Naish 17 v's Fanatic 12'6
River Conditions, no wind - 17 will probably still win, but not by much (from memory this was the result from testing day)
DW Ocean, 5-15 knots - 17 should smash it !
DW Ocean, 20-35 knots - 17 will probably win, but not by too much.

Keep in mind that the boards are effectively 2 classes apart.... 12'6, 14, Unlimited (17's)....

I AGREE Goaty, there is nothing wrong with the 12'6 !!

Those slicing / cutting / cutter noses are awesome, but when the wind starts to pick up a little, the nose can get a bit "catchy" in cross chop.

That DC looks sweet too !!

Cutting to the chase...

I think this F-16 would be great.... This board is orientated to DW & touring. But also a competent race board in cross chop, but won't be as fast as the F-18 (F-16's big brother!).

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Stand%20Up%20Paddle/~rs4ze/2008-F16-Sic-Sandwich-Island-Composites-F16-16-0.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pVmLaT%2fQ5QGqg%3d%3d
http://www.sicmaui.com/f16.htm

This DC would also be nice....

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Stand%20Up%20Paddle/~btisf/2009-Dale-Chapman-Race-Board-Full-Carbon-Wrap-16-0.aspx?search=uQNVTXNc1pVmLaT%2fQ5QGqg%3d%3d

What do you weight "tomo77"?

get a DC hands down custom is good!

Saw it trailed against other boards especially the Luikai and DC. Much faster
When you can leave Travis Grant behind you know its fast.

Used and won at Perth (the Doctor race) by Jacko.

sue d said...


When you can leave Travis Grant behind you know its fast.

I would like to see that