S.I.C. Bullet-14 V3 SUP Race Board – First Look
Here’s a first look at the SIC Bullet 14 v3. There hasn’t been much in the form of trade winds lately so I was lucky to get one day of downwind conditions between all the Kona weather and vog. I picked up the SIC Bullet v3 from Young Brothers, took it out of the shipping wrap and got ready to get it wet. Right from the start I noticed a pretty big difference in the outline and rocker.
The v3 has a lot less nose rocker than the Bullet v2 and v1. The tail is also quite a bit narrower. I noticed right when I picked it up to put on the car that the v3 feels really light in weight. That seemed to translate when I got it wet and started to paddle it. All of the updates that Mark did really makes this board feel “slippery” in the water. That’s the best way that I can explain it. It glides a bit better than the v2 but it is way easier to get up to speed.
My brother and I were about to test the SIC Bullet 14 v3 and v2 side by side and there are some noticeable differences. The v3 felt much more “high performance”. It turns quicker, is more responsive and feels more “slippery” though the water. It enters bumps easier and tends to keep its glide a little longer vs the v2. The v2 (at least for my weight which is now 220 lbs after injuries…ugh) felt much more stable although it lacked the race car feel of the v3. The peaks of the bumps that day were really close together so the added nose rocker and volume of the v2 made it “fit” better in the trough without poking the front bump as much and just felt really comfortable. It didn’t feel as fast but it was easier to stand on.
Unfortunately for us, the wind really wasn’t very good. It was supposed to be nuking at 25+ mph but ended up being more like 15 mph. It was better than nothing but definitely wasn’t epic by a long shot. Actually, it was a decent amount of work in these conditions. I find that when the wind is over 20-25 mph the Bullet 14 is the most fun size to ride because it’s nimble enough to surf and fits nicely in the trough. The wind can be blazing and you can just ride it from bump to bump. This wasn’t one of those days as you can see in the video below.
I think for a skilled rider or rider under 190 lbs, the v3 can add some definite performance and speed advantages in the right conditions. It was interesting to watch my brother try it out because he’s 50 lbs lighter than me. Yes, we have the same parents but he eats less. Lol.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
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