Starboard K15 SUP Review
I had a chance to take the new Starboard K15 out for a test run Friday morning. (Thanks BellinghamSUP!) As I hit Lake Whatcom long before sunrise, my first impressions were that the board tracks incredibly well and glides nicely without losing much momentum when I switch sides with my paddle. The K15, with its rounded displacement hull – as compared to the planing hulls I’m used to — rocks easily side-to-side on the surface of the water, which may give the feel that it isn’t stable… but, in reality it is quite stable, and when I rocked the board with my feet, I found the secondary stability to be bomber.
I had about a 10MPH south wind on the lake. My route took me around Reveille Island, where wind and waves refract off the back side of the island. The board easily absorbed the washing machine action. Starboard has also lowered the deck with a ‘cockpit’ where you stand, which gives the paddler a lower standing position, adding further to the stability.
This is my first experience with a displacement hull, and found I needed to be more aggressive with my maneuvering strokes to get the response I was after. But, at the same time, occasional checks of my GPS showed my cruising speed was as much as ½ mph faster than my C4 Waterman Vortice.
Starboard also thought to add attachment points to allow you to tie down gear, and water ventilation plugs so any water that gets in the cockpit can drain. These plugs can also be closed if you are paddling flat-water.
All-in-all, a fun board, perfect for its intended purpose as an “efficient, friendly and fast” touring board.
Brandon has also had a chance to demo the K15. I am 5’6” and 130 pounds, Brandon is 6’6” and 240 pounds. Keep reading to see what kind of difference 110 pounds makes, and read what Brandon has to say about the board…..
The Starboard K15 was my first experience on a displacement hull SUP. Keep in mind I’m 110 pounds heavier than Heather and a foot taller. That said, here are some notes from my experience paddling flat water on Lake Whatcom:
1) I didn’t have tracking/steering issues with the board. It definitely tracks better than the Vortice or any surfing-style board I’ve been on, but I was still switching sides every 8 or 10 strokes to keep it basically on line. I had fearful visions of it being like a surfski with no rudder, but it was nothing like that. More like a fast sea kayak with no rudder.
2) When I tried a pivot turn, it responded well for me. I just dropped into a surfer stance, weighted my back foot a bit and did a wide sweep stroke, and the nose came around a good 60 degrees. A couple more stroke and I was 180’d.
3) I swam a couple times, but probably didn’t have to. I was breaking Laird’s rule of “Don’t fall off before you fall off.” By the time I’d gotten wet (actually a nice cool down – it was wicked balmy this morning), I was more comfortable pushing the secondary stability curve of the board and figured out to just stay on top of it. With the dished out cockpit sides to stand on, the board can heel WAY over without a swim happening. It’s kind of fun. After I’d dialed that in, no more swims, just the occasional major heel-over.
4) Speed-wise, the board wanted to cruise for me at about 5 to 5.2 mph. I could push it up to about 5.7 or so by going hard but not a full blown, all out sprint (I was too hot for that). That was into a very light headwind, by now only 5 mph tops.
5) The rounded bottom is a different sensation from the flat or double-concave bottoms I’m used to. It’s not “tippier” if you define “tippy” as “likely to fall off.” Like Heather said, the secondary stability is insane. It’s just “rollier” in that there’s more of a loose, side to side rocking tendency. You’re going to spend less time just locked flat on the water’s surface like on a surf-style board.
My bottom line: I really enjoyed paddling this board, and I think it absolutely nails the mark as capable race board and a touring board. Being a displacement hull with super soft rails, you’re not going to shred wave faces, but it will catch swell that shorter boards wouldn’t stand a chance on. My ideal vision for this board would be to load it up with a couple drybags full of camping gear, turn up the iPod, and cruise a beautiful coastline with occasional small breaks to stop at.
Here’s a video showing the K15 in action:
Here’s a video with a narrated overview of the board and all its design features:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdBxWZm2WXk
Happy paddling…
Does B'hamSUP have The Point? I've been really interested in a comparison b/t K15 and The Point. Thanks for the review!
The Point would be an awesome boat to have up here… looks fast and fun to do downwinders. But, no. They only make them in the carbon lay-up, making it too expensive to buy as a demo.