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

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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.

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-01 Newly shaped S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

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

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-02 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.

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-06 Very smooth rails

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

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-20 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.

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-21 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.

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-08 Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 1

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-09 Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 2

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-11 Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 3

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-12 Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 4

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-14 Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 5

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-15 Applying the Cloth on S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board – 6

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

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-18 Carbon layer on Standing Area of S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement SUP Race Board

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-19 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.

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-22 Made For Me

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-23 Slick New Paint Job

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-24

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-26 Putting on Decals – 1

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-27 Putting on Decals – 2

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-28 Adding the Finishing Touch – 1

 

birth-of-the-new-sic-f-14-displacement-race-sup-29 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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12 Responses to “Birth of The New S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement Race SUP”


  1. DW 1DW

    Very nice. I love the construction photos.

  2. randy 2randy

    hey Ev. is it being plumbed for regular or goofy?

  3. Evan Leong 3evan

    Regular foot

  4. Dennis Judson 4Dennis Judson

    If you guys are interested, we put on the largest paddle powered promotional in the world called the Santa Cruz Kayak Surf Festival. Look on our web and get back to me if this seems feasible.

  5. Diesel 5Diesel

    That is so cool that you are making a SIC F-14 displacement hull. Is this the first F-14 displacement or has Mark made some others? I wonder if it is similar to a Bark 14 diplacement. Keep us posted on the performance when you start doing runs on it. Thanks for your help on Standupzone. I ended up getting a Vortice XP for a good deal but am always curious about all the new designs coming out. I read your site a lot for all the new stuff. Mahalo.

  6. Robert 6Robert

    Sweet, looks like a nice ride. Thank you, Evan, for keeping us posted on the latest in SUP racing design. I’m still undecided if a displacement hull is faster than a planing hull, it really depends on the conditions. I’m excited to try the 17′6 SIC board that Ekolu Kalama won the Molokai race on this weekend (a planing hull). Will keep you posted.
    Aloha,
    Robert Stehlik

  7. Evan Leong 7evan

    Thanks Diesel. I think this is the first full displacement F-14 from SIC. It’s not that similar to the Bark 14. The Bark has a wide square tail and a planing hull shape for 2/3 of the board. The FW-14 is more like a paddleboard or canoe shape. Thanks for reading and for your comments!

  8. Evan Leong 8evan

    Robert – I just got it from Young Brothers today. At first glance, the board looks really sweet. The steering pedal is redesigned and very slick. It looks thin at 5″ but hard to tell until I ride it. Will keep you posted.

    Let us know how the you like the 17′6″. I tried it once with Ekolu for a few minutes and it felt really big to me. My personal preference with a board that long will be full displacement so I can get the glide.

  9. Dan 9Dan

    Killer board!!

    Evan – After you get out on it I’m curious which model would you take out if you were going to paddle flatwater, F-18 or Fw-14?

    Enjoy the new ride.

    Respect

  10. Evan Leong 10evan

    Dan – I’d most likely paddle the F-18 in flat water. My thought on the FW-14 was that it will give more agility in the open ocean swells and fit in the trough better than the F-18. The F-18 should maintain a higher average speed on flat water due to the longer waterline.

  11. Rob P. 11Rob P.

    The board looks super. Is this going into production or was this a special order? Also, how much $$ (ballpark)? I can’t wait to hear how it works for you.

    -R

  12. Evan Leong 12evan

    Rob – This was a special order, however I think Mark is going to add it into his line now. I think it’s somewhere around $2700 depending on what features you want or don’t want.

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