Carbon Kevlar Racing SUP by Coreban - Alpha 14'

As is becoming common on stand up racing boards, the nose of this board features a deep V Surfski design and a high volume front deck to cut thru (and float over) the chop. About two-thirds the way back on the deck, the thickness steps down to a standing area with a lower center of gravity for increased stability and control. There is a gutter in the top deck to facilitate water run-off, which is designed for downwinding in open ocean swells. Sharp rails and a sharp tail in the rear minimize drag and increase water flow. The bottom deck of this racing SUP features a double concave profile, which enhances early planning and speed.

About Coreban

The Coreban company has been making high-quality, high-performance stand up paddle surfing boards since 2005, longer than most every brand of SUP on the market. Their primary focus is on stand up paddle surfing performance. Their secondary focus is on high-quality, durable boards. They’re not the cheapest boards on the market. In reality, they may very well be some of the most expensive stand up paddle boards on the market but they make a product that is widely hailed by those who do “EPS board repairs” as some of the best made boards out there. And when you spend $1000+ on a piece of sports equipment, it’s not really supposed to be a disposable product. It’s a product that you will take to the repair shop if you get a major ding or puncture. Coreban gets this, and they design their boards for long term durability in addition to performance.

To bring this concept of quality and durability home to you, here is a personal experience I had while attending a board retailer’s seminar at a recent ASR (Action Sports Retailers) tradeshow. During the lunch break I had the fortune of sitting at a lunch table with a couple of well known surf shop owners from Southern California. These are guys that have been in the surf industry for decades and each own several major surf shops. Funny, for as much perceived tension as there is between surfers and stand up paddle surfers, it seems all of the shop owners are huge SUP fanatics. That’s what they do in their off time. I actually learned to SUP from a local San Diego shop owner. Anyways, at lunch they were discussing SUPs and I asked them what they thought of Coreban boards. The consensus was that they were some of the best boards out there. They commented that while many of the high-end board brands are all made in the same factory overseas, the Coreban ones seem to do something differently and the result is a board that can take abuse and show virtually no signs. While almost every other board out there (no matter how big the brand, or how expensive) seems to get the rails dinged up over time, the Coreban’s just don’t. From that conversation, my mind was made up about which high-end board to carry in addition to our own Tower stand up paddle boards. Coreban’s may not be the best priced board out there, but if you’re the type of person who is much more concerned with getting the “absolute best there is” versus getting the “best price”, you can’t go wrong with a Coreban.

• Weight: (Carbon Kevlar Construction) 27.6 lbs
• Dimensions: 14’ length by 28” width by 6.5” thickness
• Volume: 280 Liters
• Fin Configuration: Single longboard fin configuration
• Onboard Accessories: Double leash plugs and standard hand slide carrying handle
• Included External Accessories: A single 8” carbon reinforced wood center fin, a white “Coreban” branded deck pad, and a Coreban board bag.
• Construction: Depends on Series
• Core/Pro Series: This standard series features a high-gloss epoxy finish painted board with wood veneer sandwich construction around a 20g EPS foam core. There are two layers of inner epoxy biaxial glassing and two layers of outer epoxy biaxial glassing. This series represents the origins of the Coreban name, and the boards are extremely durable with a beautifully polished finish.
• Wood Series: This classic, throw-back style wood series construction represents the high-end of the Coreban SUP quiver, and they are quite striking. This is an enviable board to own. These boards feature a 0.6mm “full wrap” wood veneer sandwich construction (sandwich entails two layers of inner epoxy biaxial glass and two layers of outer reinforced glass) over 14g EPS foam core, completed by an outer high gloss epoxy clear finish. Additionally noteworthy are the reinforced rails, nose and tails areas and various carbon reinforcements. Compared to the Core/Pro series, choosing wood construction adds about 15-16% to the price tag.
• Pure Series: The Pure series, while also the most economical choice in the Coreban line-up, is also quite a striking board from a design prospective. The Pure series features a visible wood veneer on the top deck, with high-gloss epoxy painted white finish on the sides and bottom deck. It’s a sandwich construction similar to the Coreban wood series with a 14g EPS foam core, but the board does not feature the expensive full wood wrap. Compared to the Core/Pro series, choosing Coreban’s Pure construction will save you about 7% on the price tag.