Stand Up Paddle Surfing in Hawaii – StandUpPaddleSurf.net

Birth of The New S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement Race SUP

November 22nd, 2009 by evan

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My goal for this board was to get the glide of the S.I.C. F-18 with the agility and transportation advantages of the F-14. I’ve been paddling the S.I.C. F-18 for a few months now and feel fairly comfortable riding it now. The F-18 takes a bit longer to dial in since the riding dynamics are so different than the F-14. The board has no sharp edges so to turn it, you really need to use the rudder. It tends to roll and slide more than surf although the glide is so addictive that it’s what I’m riding on days with under 15 mph winds.

My average time on the F-18 is roughly 5 to 8 minutes faster than on my F-14 in conditions with small swell and wind under 15 mph. My thought on this board was to have something more lively and a length that will fit better in the trough for our Hawaii Kai run. At 14′, it should also be lighter and carrying and transporting it should be easier. I still like the molded F-14 but after riding the F-18, I wanted more glide and volume. So enter the Fw-14.

Here are some pictures of the board being made. It should arrive in the next week or so and I can’t wait to give it a test run. Mark Raaphorst, the shaper, told me that in his demo test of the board he was surprised how well it rode and the glide it had. That makes me even more excited to test it out.

This board is hand shaped although I’m not sure if it was cut by their CNC machine. I wanted a slightly concave deck and the option for the steering pedal to be on both sides.

Newly shaped S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

 
We went with a pin tail, similar to the F-18.

Tail of S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

 
There are no sharp edges on this Fw-14, just like the F-18. Hopefully this will make it faster.

Very smooth rails

 
The displacement nose is a bit thicker than the one on the F-18.

Nose on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

 
Mark made the top front section a bit convex so water won’t stay on the deck.

Convex Front on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

 
I thought it may be interesting to show the glassing of this board. Here are some pictures of the cloth being measured and cut.

Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 1

Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 2

Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 3

Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 4

Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 5

Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 6

 
And here’s the carbon layer under the standing area.

Carbon layer on Standing Area of S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

Side View of S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

 
Here’s how it looks after it was painted. Initially, we were going to leave the bottom unpainted and just black carbon but the black heats up to fast in the sun. Then we were going to leave it with a gray primer to save a little on weight but I’d rather it look nice so we painted it white on the bottom. The top was always going to be orange to match its older brother the F-18.

Made For Me

Slick New Paint Job

Putting on Decals – 1

Putting on Decals – 2

Adding the Finishing Touch – 1

Adding the Finishing Touch – 2

 
I’ll shoot more pictures and post an update once I get to ride the new Fw-14.

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