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Report - SIC Recon 11'11"

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Created by excav8ter > 9 months ago, 27 Nov 2015
excav8ter
536 posts
27 Nov 2015 10:09PM
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So there was a thread on here a while back where someone was looking for info on the 11'11" Recon. I chimed in that i was interested too, because i had ordered ine, but never had been on one. I forgot about the thread until i did a search this morning for some SIC Recon info. That thread is too old to reply to, so here is what i think of it...
I got my 11'11" Recon in late August i believe. I picked it up in Traverse City Michigan when i was visiting a buddy up there. I didn't bother to take my go to board, which is my SIC F14, because I was excited to get the Recon on the water. I got to my friends place, threw my boardies on and walked the board down to the water and set it down to get a look at it. What a beautiful board. Great lines, nice rocker line and the fit and finish was beautiful too. I put it on the water and headed out for a 2.5 mile shoreline paddle in small 12"-18" waves. The board felt a bit unstable at first, but that feeling immediately went away. It seems to move along on flat water pretty well, with decent glide and good stability. I took the board home and couldn't wait until i could get it on some waves. Now, i had almost ZERO SUP surfing experience when i bought this board. First wave experience. ... small 2' waves, very clean with minimal chop. I paddled out and got ready to try and ride some waves. Picked a wave and was immediately SUP surfing, only in a straight line, but hey, i was doing it! I rode wave after wave until the sun went down. I had many evenings like that. This fall, the waves were a bit bigger, 3-4' and a bit choppy. Again, paddled out and was immediately riding waves, with ease. Because i am still unsure of myself, I was still just going in basically a straight line. I did about 5 different sessions on it until my most recent and BEST day of SUP surfing. It was Sunday, November 14. Air temp was 55 degrees and sunny, water was 52 degrees and very comfortable in my 4/3 Excel wetsuit. I got to the beach and saw the BEST waves I've ever seen for surfing. Probably about 3-5' waves and very clean. There was 4 proners and 1 SUP surfer out when i hit the water. I got the LONGEST rides I've ever experienced on that day. Mostly staight lines, but i was actually finding myself stepping back and turning down the line a bit, and making the ride even longer. The Recon is so much fun to SUP surf. It's really quite stable when waiting for a wave, and even more stable once on a wave. I'm pretty sure that as i get better, i will be able to use the board more to its potential and actually be able to turn it some more. My FAVORITE feature by far is the SIC handle. It makes carrying the board SOO easy. Can't wait to get out and ride some more little 4' peelers again, but since we're approaching winter, it may be awhile.

Location - Holland, Michigan
Rider - 6'4" tall, 215 pounds.
Stoke level - HIGH

DavidJohn
VIC, 17408 posts
28 Nov 2015 7:32AM
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Thanks for your review.. Sounds like a great board.. It's great that manufactures are no longer locked into that stupid 12'6" and 14' class thing.. 11'11" sounds like a good size.. How wide is it?

excav8ter
536 posts
29 Nov 2015 12:09PM
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I lucked out on Black Friday here in Michigan again.... while others battled the crowds and each other at stores to save a buck or two, i hit the surf with a good friend of mine. Waist to chest high surf greeted us at 1pm. The shoreline basically runs north/south, and with the 16 mph Northeast wind, we had some pretty smooth waves. The shorebreak was tough, due to how it gets shallow very quickly. But there are 2 sand bar breaks farther out off shore.
Being a "longboard", the Recon seems to get up and go very easy on waves that seem to "take their time" getting ready to break. Waves that "stand-up" and break quickly tend to make the nose dive under and end the ride very quickly. I need to work on the "timing" of my paddle strokes and when i switch to my strong side to actually ride the wave. But I'm learning.

@David John.... i checked the specs and found the Recon to be 11'11" long, 32" wide and 200 liters. I am already anxious to try and find a Naish Mana GS 10' to add to my quiver. At 10' long x 33" wide and 190 liters, i think the Mana would be another good board to have.



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"Report - SIC Recon 11'11"" started by excav8ter