Huge developments in SUP race boards are emerging in the 2011 Race Season. Perhaps none larger than the debut of the Surftech 14' Joe Bark Dominator. The 14' Bark Dominator promises to be *the* board in the 14' class in 2011. We've had the opportunity to test paddle the board in a variety of flat water and ocean conditions and can tell you - - this board moves!
The Dominator provides remarkable glide, especially noticeable was the sustained glide between the exit and catch paddling phases, due to the extremely slender displacement nose and efficient transition into nearly perfectly flat bottom rocker. Yet the Dominator exhibits the same high stability that made the 12'6 Bark Competitor the sport's most popular race board last summer. We suspect that the influence of the Dominator is going to really grow the numbers of people racing in the 14' class. Those who have raced in the 12'6 stock class have all experienced the frustrating feeling of watching the 14' class rather quickly pull away from the pack in the first mile or two of the race. Its only natural that more people are progressing to the fourteens - especially for longer races and point-to-point races.
The Dominator is constructed in Surftech's new Pro-Elite technology. Pro-Elite is composed of:
- 1-pound, fused-cell EPS core (no stringer and no air pockets to absorb water)
- Deck: Two layers of fiberglass, reinforced with high density sheet foam in heavy impact areas
- Bottom: One layer fiberglass combined with a full layer of biaxial/carbon
- Board is hand sanded, the graphic design is airbrushed on then the board is hand polished
As a result, the Pro-Elite Dominator is very light for a 14' racer at about 26 pounds (including fin and traction pad), however are more fragile as compared to Surftech's bulletproof Turflite construction. Both the 12'6" Competitor and the 14' Dominator will be available in Pro-Elite in 2011.
Covewater is one of the few shops that has access to stock on this board. In addition, we can ship the board anywhere in the US and Canada. If you have any questions about this board or race boards in general, please call the shop at (831) 600-7230.
