I finally got to take out the Vec today in a little wind and swell. So much fun. Wind was about 10 kts onshore, I paddled out 2 miles, very pleased with how easy she made it seem. Then turned and went with the flow. There wasn’t much to the wind swell so it was hard to get many glides at 1st but every shoal I passed over caused some face to appear and she would just pick up and go.
At dead low tide the wind swell starts developing peaks about 100-200 yards from shore. I figured that would be a fun place to play and start getting a feel for the board. It’s ridiculously easy to get on even the tiniest peak. It was great as the tide came in and the swell picked up a bit. The board surfs like a dream…very easy to turn and cut across the swells. I can’t wait for a real downwinder. What a great addition to the quiver. It opens up a whole new way to enjoy the water.
I put on a new Maxfield Provisions pad on her just yesterday. Very comfortable, great grip, and a great feel for the board. It’s going to make those long runs much easier on the feet too. I was paddling for almost 5 hours straight today and was very comfortable.
She looks fast just sitting on the beach.
I can’t believe the good fortune I’ve had lately, from winning the sweet Kalaoa paddle, the amazing generosity of friends getting me the Vec as a get well gift, and getting an email from Shawn Maxfield that he wanted to send me a pad for her. Has to be a serious karmic imbalance going on. I better play the lottery quick.
Zoom Zoom.
Gotta love the red, white, and blue. Perfect with the Vec star.
Perfect rocker for our conditions.
I’ll post a better review once I get her into a good downwinder…I know she’s going to fly! Going to be fun taking her across in CCBC 2010.
downwind, standup paddlesurfing, Vec, standup, SUP
Newenglandsup's Blog 
I am going to have to come on over and give that a test glide! Looks great. I hope the harbor master does not have a radar gun and begins to issue you speeding tickets.
By: Shawn Maxfield on September 1, 2009
at 1:03 pm
Bob,
The board looks fabulous. It looks FAST. I just finished my first race yesterday, a 6.5 miler in Santa Cruz that was held during double overhead NW swell conditions. I finished in 1:40 so I was pretty stoked, but was amazed at how fast some of the guys were. It was a mixed race with both prone and SUP paddlers, and the unlimited paddleboard guys just smoked it. There was a SUP paddler in the top two or three finishers on a wild custom carbon fiber machine that he shaped and built himself. I was on a borrowed Bark 14 Expedition (Surftech) which is a nice, stable board that I am now convinced is rather slow. I think it was built more for down winders and touring than racing, but it was lot faster than either of my surf oriented boards so I was glad to have it. Enjoy the new Vec, looks like a winner!
By: Andy Gere on September 14, 2009
at 10:24 am
Hi Andy,
She is fast. Can’t believe the glide. Had her out on glass last week on a lake and she was smoking…until I ran her into a just submerged rock….no major damage but it took off about 6″ of the hotcoat and my knee left a dent when I hit the deck hard. Easily repaired.
I’ll be comparing her to that Bark soon…my buddy Mike got one a few months back.
You’re going to need another board if you start getting into racing and downwinders…whole new way to enjoy the water.
By: newenglandsup on September 15, 2009
at 8:47 pm
On the market 2 buy a new 14 foot downwind board.
By: Eugene Ancheta on December 2, 2010
at 5:08 pm
Hi Eugene…where are you located. Availability on the east coast is starting to pick up and my Vec is a great board. So much to choose from these days.
By: newenglandsup on December 2, 2010
at 8:41 pm