New Production F16 V2 Demo

Sandwich Island Composites builds the F-series of downwind and flatwater racing boards, probably the winningest boards in Stand Up Paddle Surfboard racing. Until now these boards were individually built by hand at the SIC company on Maui. While several construction methods are used in the F-series, the mainstay of series is the hollow carbon fiber F16, and it is built using wet layup and vaccum bagging in a mold. Since there is only one mold the output is low and the demand for these boards greatly outstrips supply. Purchasers wait as much as six months for an SIC board.

Over the past year Mark Raaphorst, the owner of SIC has been working with a company that builds high quality ocean racing canoes in China to reduce the wait time by building a production version of the F16 in china, using advanced construction methods. The first shipment of production F16s reached Maui and was sold out immediately. We had an opportunity to test a board SIC reserved as a demo for several days in various conditions.

The new F16 V2 is hollow molded in prepreg carbon fiber and autoclaved, which reduces the resin to fiber ratio and provides a stiffer structure. Mark says the first group were overbuilt since they were the first ones the Chinese company had built, and so they weigh approximately 32 pounds. Later boards will have less internal bracing and lighter construction, bringing the weight down to approximately 28 pounds. The structure will still be highly rigid–the first boards don’t feel like hollow boards at all–they are so rigid that they feel solid.

According to SIC:

• Hull: The mid section has a slight single concave for stability and extended planing time. The tail has some V for surfing qualities and we added some double concave for speed once you are on a swell and need to connect to the next trough. The nose has a small flip to prevent sticking the nose on late drops or short wave periods and the nose has enough rocker to deal with swells and bumps. The mid section is fairly flat for ease of glide and the tail exit has a natural curve.



• Deck: The bow section has a “V” to expel water in case you do poke into an upcoming swell. The deck area where you mainly stand has a 3/4” contoured deck for standing and bracing comfort.



• Rails: Soft rails in the front for displacing water like a lay-down paddle board. The hard edge in the tail gives good water release while planing and enhances turning. A good amount of under-tuck makes for ease of surfing once on a swell.
• Full rail volume allows for plenty of buoyancy for riders up to 270 pounds.



• Pad: Comes with a 2 mm. x 7’ long pad.
• Construction: F16 V2 is built with lots of carbon for stiffness. All lay up is vacuum bagged, autoclave, prepreg. Core material is high density PVC foam stringers. Boards simply cannot sink and if it does leak all water can be drained out.



• Steering: The Active Steering System (ASS) can be positioned for regular or goofy foot which enhances resale value. It has a 4” telescopic foot pedal for stance adjustment. It comes with a spring loaded fiberglass batten so when you step back and surf, the rudder returns to the straight position. The rudder is a molded 9 1/4” spitfire type (straight up and down) design. It has a foil for medium speed (5 to 15 MPH) efficiency. Cables are tension adjustable with a turn buckle. All hardware is stainless steel, and molded carbon. Cables are spectra.
• Cost: $2800

We picked the F16 V2 up at SIC and the wind immediately died. the first two days of our five day demo were almost completely windless. So we went down to Kahalui Harbor for a couple of hours of fllatwater paddling and general impressions. This version lacked a handle, but it was still easy to carry and felt light. In the water, the board rides with the tip of the nose very high due to the nose kick. The mold parting line rides parallel to the water and the nose rocker lifts the nose clear at about 14′ 5″ with 200 pounds on the board, leaving plenty of waterline.

The board felt very stable, at least as stable as a flush-deck F18 planer. The volume in the rails probably contributes to that. It doesn’t accelerate as fast as a Foote Maliko 14, but it maintains glide better. Probably a direct effect of the weight: 32 pounds vs. 22 pounds, with some bottom differences contributing. A brisk paddle out through the shorebreak confirmed the impression of stability and the wave-punching ability of the nose shape. The board punched through the knee high swells and whitewater without drama. Once outside the board had a fine sensation of speed. We easily hit and exceeded 6mph in bursts and maintained 5 to 5.5 for long distances. Side winds and chop had very little effect on the board, the steering was very responsive and easy to manage. The board tracked straight and true under neutral rudder. It was easy to move around the deck–the slight recess enabled unfettered movement and gave good grip.

Now we just needed some wind.

Two days later we finally had some. A blustery SE wind with strong gusts blowing slightly offshore. I hooked up with Scott Mercier to do a Kihei Wharf to Makena Landing run–about 9.5 miles. Scott paddles an F14 and is quite fast. He’s light, in good shape and has good paddling form. He usually runs away from me on my much-abused and waterlogged F18.

In the small swells typical in the first mile of a South Side run (there isn’t any fetch to form larger swells until a mile or so from the beach) the board felt light, stable and could catch little swells easily. I could stay in them and angle or pick up speed and railroad over the next swell. The wind started blowing hard and the swells quickly increased in size. The kicked nose was excellent in the short period swells, enabling me to run up the back of swells in front, or kiss the backs while turning without stalling the board. The rudder felt light and responsive.

At the midpoint the swells grew substantially and I could turn the board and surf the face of the swells. The board turned easily, the rails at the rear of the board gripped the swell face, gaining speed easily. I was able to stay close to Scott well past Sorrentos.

As we passed the Four Seasons hotel in Wailea the wind dropped suddenly and the swells turned oily and sullen. The little “money swells”–the small, slower swells that help downwind paddlers get into the bigger swells–disappeared and I had to work hard to get into any swell. I moved forward on the board and the second benefit of the kick showed itself. Most boards pearl or plunge from a far forward position. The V2 didn’t. It allowed me to step far forwards of the rudder control, stroke hard to drop into a swell, and still have plenty of time to step back and control the board.

I caught far more swells than I usually would in these conditions, and had a good time all the way to Maliko. Scott was in position to finish well ahead of me, but I cut the corner at Makena while he paddled outside of the rocky point. I slid into the bay a few minutes behind him, and finished up the run completely impressed with capabilities of this board.