SIC Maui Releases New Downwind Board

SAN CLEMENTE, California - SIC Maui announces the release of their all new competitive downwind race board, the Bayonet. Developed through ongoing collaboration between SIC Shaper Mark Raaphorst and the SIC team athletes, the Bayonet offers experienced paddlers a high performance downwind board like none other before. 

The new Bayonet Series is an extension and derivative of its world-class kin, the Bullet. With the Bayonet Series, Raaphorst designed a board geared specifically towards competitive downwind racing in light wind areas. After countless hours of research and design, the Bayonet was tweaked and tuned to meet the needs of the SIC team and elite downwind paddlers around the world.

“In Maui we’re blessed with strong trade winds, ocean swells -- luxury conditions. Not everybody in the world has those conditions. It’s often lighter wind so we needed something to answer to these light wind downwind race areas. We did that with the Bayonet,” explains Raaphorst.

The Bayonet has an increased rail volume and nose thickness. This rail shape prevents water from coming onto the deck, keeping the deck dryer and maintaining less weight on the board, which is helpful in lighter wind conditions. In the front third of the board, unlike the SIC F and Bullet Series boards which have an accentuated nose lift, the Bayonet Series has a more gradual curve which helps to maintain a glide in lighter wind. The thickness in the bow will make the board poke out of water easily in swell periods without bucking paddlers left or right.

Miguel Beltran training in Hood River on the Bayonet 14.0. | Photo courtesy: SIC Maui

The longer model, the Bayonet 17.1 features F.A.S.T. (Foot Actuated Steering Technology), a revolutionizing control and navigation system designed and patented by SIC. FAST provides paddlers convenient, reliable, and flexible steering assistance on the water that is durable and safe. Along with F.A.S.T., the Bayonet 17.1 also features a built-in GoPro mount. 

All around, the Bayonet is a sleek, narrow, and super-fast downwind board that performs strongest in sub-twenty knot conditions and increases top end speed in all conditions. 

“The Bayonet 14 and 17 are for experienced paddlers in lighter wind conditions. I’m proud of this board. It’s done well in the M2O and the M2M. Thanks to all the guys that have made this board look great already in the 2017 series. That’s how we evolved into the 2018 line.”

For the 2018 lineup, SIC was focused on designing boards that would help paddlers ascend to the top of the podium. SIC pushed the boundaries with the Bayonet and RS models, creating boards that offer top-notch paddle experience and performance excellence. From the beginning stages, designs were challenged, ideas were tested, and execution perfected to deliver boards with the optimal combination of speed, stability, acceleration, and maneuverability. And the outcome was just that. SIC is proud to present the 2018 Bayonet and RS, two boards that will make riders feel and paddle like champions.

About SIC Maui
SIC is the stand up paddling industry’s premiere manufacturer of high quality, race proven stand up paddleboards and accessories. Founded on the island of Maui and cultivated on a legacy of world class open ocean racing, SIC is an authentic stand up paddleboard maker proud to lay claim to a heritage of designing the most winning board. Share together with our team of elite athletes, brand ambassadors and customers around the globe. Five Star Performance is our motto and we wear it with pride each day through our commitment to extending the SIC experience on and off the water to our growing family. SIC is committed to delivering the very best paddling can offer; for any condition, discipline or ability level. For more information please visit www.sicmaui.com