Exocet Marlin AST 14' on the Land

Note: I wrote this initially for the StandupZone form, www.standupzone.com, where I post as Ichabod Spoonbill. As well, while this board is a good shape, I have found it's construction unsuitable for where I paddle.

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This is my new Exocet Marlin 14’. I had gone through a year-long search for a new flatwater board to replace the NSP 11’ that I’ve been paddling. I outgrew that board on the flats over a year ago, but unfortunately a new board wasn’t going to come soon. I’m a public school teacher so it’s hard to slip a new board into the budget on a regular basis.

I needed a board for the Hudson River. The Hudson is an odd place to paddle. It’s brackish for much of it’s length and very rocky. Any river board was going to have to be tough. The board was also going to have to be good in chop. The tides plus current plus winds can create some weird local conditions. It can be perfectly flat, then 100 yards away you have foot-high chop. The winds can also be very variable. I’ve seen five mph go close to twenty in minutes. It also had to have tie-downs for distance paddling and just carrying gear.

I went around with a few ideas, originally thinking about a 12’6” board, mostly because of the price, until I saw the Exocet Marlin. At $1,299 the price was right and very competitive. It seemed to fit all of my criteria too. Plus, it was made by Exocet, which is a company I like. I come from a windsurfing background, and my remaining two boards are Exocets. I’m especially fond of my Exocet Kona One, which is a great, tough, versatile longboard, the perfect board for the variable Hudson.

The Marlin comes in a carbon as well as an AST version. I went with the AST version -- mostly for price -- but there was also the durability factor. I don’t mind a little extra weight if that means extra strength.

I’m going to talk about the board with little experience with boards of this type. If I miss something or are inaccurate about a description, that’s where I’m coming from. As well, this is a virgin, never-ridden board, so I can’t talk about paddling it yet. That will come, but even when I do discuss the board on the water, I won’t have the experience to compare it to other boards of this type.

The board has a very nice shape. Looking from the top, it’s quite concave at the nose but that shape gradually changes to be completely convex at the tail. I assume this is to get the rider lower on the board but to also allow drainage at the tail. The deck is padded with a waffle pattern which seems fine for feet, giving maybe a little extra friction than a flat pad. That waffle pattern is probably good for drainage too.

The Marlin has a standard handle plus it’s tapped for a windsurfing mast or camera mount, which is nice. I could actually use one of my sails on it. The tie-downs are integrated into the board and there are fourteen of them, nine in the front and five in the rear. The rear tie-downs are nice, because I could mount a kayak seat there and take my nine year-old son on some of my longer expeditions. I’m going to be teaching him  how to kayak this year, so this might be a great way to give him a chance to learn paddling under my supervision. (Note to self: some rail tape might be a smart purchase.) The tie downs in front are enough for a bag plus some netting, or a PFD.

The nose is rounded with some rocker. I don’t know enough to tell whether that’s a lot or not, but there’s a definite curve to the board in general. It looks like it will pierce through chop pretty effectively, at least compared to the all-around board I’m used to. The bottom is pretty flat and the rails are reasonably sharp.

I rather like the green color. I would have preferred the all-green look of the carbon board, but that’s the choice I made. There’s a pretty peach-colored hibiscus pattern near the nose, reminding me of the pattern on my Kona One. The specs of the board are printed below the flowers. Above the model name “Marlin” is a... flying fish. Why is it not a Marlin since that is the name of the board? Flying fish are certainly pretty, but it seems a bit odd to have one on a board named for a completely different species, one that actually preys on flying fish! And it’s not like a marlin is an ugly fish either; they’re quite beautiful, so why not put the right fish on the board? Same with the wing pattern on the footpad. What does that have to do with the board’s name?

The fin is an Exocet model, and it seems a little small for such a big flatwater board. I made a comparison shot with two other surf-style fins, and it’s the smallest of the three. It’s also very translucent. The trailing edge almost seems to disappear. Those of you with more experience than myself with fins can tell me how well-matched this fin is to a 14’ board.

The board came with two accessories: a carbon Epic paddle and a long black “sock”. The Epic paddle seems like a standard low-end paddle. It felt an ounce or two lighter than my workhorse Kialoa Pupu. I wasn’t sure what to make of the sock. It’s a little short for the Marlin’s fourteen feet, and it’s a strange shape. I wonder if it was made for something else. Is the odd shape to accommodate the board’s rocker? I also got an Epic bag to protect the board on the road.