Topics

1

Hawaii / Any hookups on Big Island - Hawaii?

« on: April 20, 2014, 01:17:53 PM »

I will be returning back to the big island for a few months over the summer. 

Looking for any possible hook ups you could offer.

I would be interested in renting one of your boards, big or small for surfing or cruising.  If not for rent maybe I will look to buy then try to sell before I leave.

I'd also love to do some long distance or downwind if there are any DW'ers.  You name it, I'm game for some fun.

Thanks!

2

Downwind and Racing / Blade size and racing?

« on: August 17, 2013, 03:45:10 PM »

So i've been a stand up surf addict for many years now and am just really starting to enjoy some of the coastal distance training.  I'm 5'8" and 160ish pounds.  I've been using the KeNalu Wiki blade and am thinking of trying out one size larger.  The wiki is 84 sq. inches and the Maliko is 95 sq. inches.

What are your thoughts on blade size for races in the 5 - 10 mile range based off my size?  I can feel a little bit of slipping with the Wiki which tells me I may be pulling to hard for the blade.  In the racing world have you seen a trend like we have in surfing where smaller is sometimes more efficient (being able to pick up cadence).

Thanks

3

Training, Diet, and Fitness / How do you train for a race?

« on: August 16, 2013, 02:14:52 PM »

So I am not a racer, just a regular that likes to do the BOP once a year.  Usually my training occurs 4-5 weeks prior to BOP.  This year I got a little jump start on things and have started my training 2 months prior hoping for some better results.  I'm actually enjoying a little more this time around.
Question I have is how do you train at just 80% some of the time?  From my understanding when you train, you don't want to go nearly 100% every time you train.  Every time I get out in the ocean to train, I try to beat my best time.  While I know it's not the best method of training, I just can't help it.  Mentally it worries me if I train some of the time at 80%.  It worries because I think my body will get used to that pace.  On the other hand on a day like today, my body felt worn out and while I wanted to quite, I still pushed it as hard as I could, knowing that is not the most efficient way of training.
Surely there are some of you out there that race on a regular basis and follow strict training schedules.  I'd love to hear your strategies and reasoning behind it.
Thanks guys and gals!

4

Downwind and Racing / looking for gps distance data on BOP 2012

« on: July 13, 2013, 10:44:08 AM »

Looking for GPS distance (not distance proposed by the event) data on all the races for the 2012 BOP Doheny event.

I don't race except once a year which is the BOP event.  I just enjoy stand up surfing but usually will do the BOP event because the racing part is exciting, not so much the actually going through the pain of paddling my butt off during the race just to get smoked by everyone. 
It's always good to see where peoples times line up with the correct distance.  I know that there will be a range depending on the lines chosen and buoy turns made but still a good benchmark.
So anyone with data, please share.

Elite Race: 

Distance Race:

Open Race:  3.45 - 3.58 miles

5

SUP General / The Pavones Experience - It's the Real Deal

« on: July 03, 2013, 12:22:13 PM »

I missed the swell but did not miss the fun.

I will try to summarize and make this as short as possible.  I supposed to be in Costa Rica for 2 months.  1 of the months in Pavones near Shawn (PilonSUP).  We only spent 2.5 weeks in Costa Rica (6 days in Pavones).  Had several issues with work that made it difficult to stay so I had to cut the trip short.  Only surfed 4 days the entire trip, all in Pavones.

Unfortunately when I arrived, it was between swells and the waves were small.  Yes I was a bit bummed about that but once you are on the wave, it was all good.  Last Tuesday morning I arrived at Shawn's house and he took me to his secret spot.

Tuesday:  Shoulder high waves and 100% glass.  I grab some waves, cut back and miss the section.  Figured out that top to bottom turns are all good and you can make all the sections you want.  Do a full on cutback and you risk taking super long lefts.  Even though it was only shoulder high it still felt like the rides were endless.  It's a different point break than I expected.  Different in a good way.  These waves even though small, were flawless.  They do not have a mushy feel.  Lots of push and energy and very much like a skatepark on a perfect day.

Wednesday:  Shoulder to some head high waves.  A little more size and once you start pumping on the wave, don't look back and keep going.  You'd get about 6 top to bottom turns with lots of pumping before and after the turns.  When sections would start to build you can easily float over those sections to continue connecting the wave.  Felt like about 1/3 of a mile ride.  Once you are off the wave, you are so far away that the surfers looked like ants out there.  By the way the crowd was very easy going and only about an average of 6 at most.  Many times it was just us for a bit.  Waves constantly coming with no lulls to speak of.  Wave after wave and your back leg starts to burn as you pump through those long sections.  The wave has such good shape to it and never really falls apart, just keeps building, allowing you to charge the wave and do stuff you normally can't do.  WOW!  What an amazing day.

Thursday:  Choppy conditions as we were setting up for a small tropical storm.  The chop really wasn't that bad but bad enough for Shawn (PilonSUP) to not show up.  It was shoulder high but still some very long sections.  Because it was a bit choppy, it would create these mini sections that were a blast to float over and re-connect.

Friday:  Rained out with some flooded streets.  No Surf.  Water got really muddy from rain all day.

Saturday:  My final day and it was only waist high with muddy like water.  Semi smooth conditions.  Was out there for about a half our and then Shawn shows up on a larger board because he paddled over from his house.  Shawn's daughter shows up with a camera and started shooting some pictures.  She did an amazing job with the Photos and I appreciated the time she took to take the only surf pictures I have in Costa Rica.  So Thank You!   We all only wished we had some good double overhead days instead of waist high but again it was still a major treat for me.  Rides were a little shorter that day because the swell was so small.  Still the waves were longer than even some of the best days I've had in southern California.  Only after half an hour of Shawn being out, a short boarder swapped boards with Shawn and he didn't get his board back for another 2 hours.  Shawn rips on the SUP and rips on the shortboard.  He's a fun person to watch and he has amazing style out there.

I met some amazing people there.  First off Shawn and his family are some of the best people you will ever meet.  To take me in, show me around and take me to those amazing spots.  Also, hung out with them several times and his wife and daughter made us some of the most amazing crepes the night before we went home.  Also met a guy named David Baker.  He reminds me of a Gerry Lopez.  Going on 69 years old and he charges all the waves.  He's had 2 hip replacements and issues with his elbows.  If you saw him on a wave, you'd think he was just a kid playing on a wave.  Super friendly guy and good person to meet.  I included some pix of him for you to see.

Conclusion:  Everyone should experience Pavones, goofy or regular, newbie or experienced, there are waves to suit your needs.  This place is amazing and words and pictures will never do it justice.  If you go and do not contact PilonSUP, you're making a mistake.  He will put you at ease being in a new place.  Contact him and he will point you in the right directions.  I plan on taking another trip within a year (sooner than later) and this trip will be a guys trip with 100% surf.
Thanks to Shawn and his family, you guys are awesome and we love you!

6

Gear Talk / Quick review of new board.

« on: June 11, 2013, 09:55:11 PM »

So I basically leave in 1 day to Costa Rica so right now my brain is completely scattered trying to get everything done.  So sorry in advance if I don't respond in a while.
Here it is, hot off the press. 

I don't know what to call it....maybe S5....maybe not.  It's a L41 SIMSUP tweaked with some obvious Tomo credit to be given. 

It shares a similar bottom to the S4 version except there is more tail and nose rocker.  Fin spacing is slightly different plus few other minor tweaks.

It's not meant to replace my S4...NO WAY.  Love my S4 too much.  Plus I'm taking the S4 to Costa Rica.  The board seeks out bigger juicier waves, will go rail to rail quicker, and turn top to bottom more vertically.

I only got one session out of it.  Had a lot of fun but it was somewhat small and very mushy out, so not typical conditions for the board.  Therefore, I'm not able to give you much of a review until I ride it more.

This is what I can tell you.
1.  Looks amazing and very refined.
2.  Nose and tail are super thin.
3.  Rocker seems spot on for this type of board.
4.  Despite conditions, it was fun to surf.  I have my work cut out to dial it in, but that's half the fun.
5.  Paddles well and has better glide than expected.
6.  Catches even small waves easily
7.  Stable considering the dimensions.
8.  Only rode it as quad but when I get back I will experiment with 3 fins.

Dimensions:  7'5" x 26.25" x 4 1/8" - 90L

Had a fun time surfing it with Cardiff Sweeper and Big Ed.  Conditions were also a little choppy out but not too bad.  Cardiff Sweeper is getting really good with his paddle, throwing it around like a chopstick, with ultra smooth cutbacks.  The first half of the session, Big Ed was grabbing every possible snack size wave, ending up north a good 1/4 mile.  He eventually came back to share some waves with us.  Big Ed has his S4 really dialed in.  Charging and generating a lot more speed than when he initially got his S4.  Fun to watch these guys progress.

7

Sessions / 6-6-13 SoCal swell.

« on: June 07, 2013, 10:42:50 AM »

Today 6-7-13 was even bigger and smoother.  No pictures today but here are some from yesterday.  Thanks to fellow Zoner Tom English for shooting pix that day.  I still love these little Simmy's.  Haven't found a day yet that I wished I was on a different board.
I sized photos down, hopefully they don't show up to big.

8

Gear Talk / The Quadcopter thread. Share your experience or ideas.

« on: June 02, 2013, 11:03:27 AM »

So lately I've been on this Quadcopter kick.  I've seen a few videos of surfing and BOP racing from quadcopters and am fascinated by them.
I know some of you are helicopter enthusiast so wanted to get your idea.  I flight little ones around my house and have other RC experience with planes and cars, just don't do them often.

Few questions I hope to get answered.

1.  Without having to build one from scratch, which are some of the contenders out there?

2.  Must be able to hold something bigger than GoPro.  Cameras like my Panasonic GH2 or similar.

3.  What happens if or when the copter goes down in water, do you loose it or ruin it or are there waterproof mechanics to keep it alive?  The camera is a different story, not sure what you do about that?

4.  Obviously based on battery capacity, what range of flight times do you get?  If you are only getting 7-10 mins of flight time, might be difficult to time it with the waves.

9

Gear Talk / Simmons Inspired SUPs - The Debate

« on: May 03, 2013, 07:29:53 PM »

So let's keep this an open debate here without any tears.  After all, it's just our own personal opinion so no worries about offending anyone here.  Tell us what you really think about them.  We've been hearing all the hype, yet we have not really seen any pros out there on bigger waves so it leaves many people in question on performance.
Remember all those comments we get, on lousy surf days, from proners saying "it's a great day for a SUP today".  My response is yah if you don't like to surf.  People assume because we are on a SUP we just like 1-2 footers.
Well I bring that up because many believe that these boards are small wave boards.  So the question is what is small wave for you?  Small waive for Laird might be a little different than the normal surfer.

So here are my thoughts:

Over winter time I was out on an 8' SoCal day.  I had my previous SIMSUP and I felt that the board was the perfect choice over my much more progressive boards.  Waves were much easier to grab and quickly accelerated to make the critical sections. 
So to sum it up, I'd much rather prefer my SIMSUP on bigger days than my progressive board.  Now keep in mind, I am not a good surfer but I can hold my ground on most waves.  Maybe that's the difference, when you are pro or almost pro material, you need that more progressive shape. 
So are these bigger wave boards or smaller wave boards?  I'd definitely say both.

Problem is that if you are on one of these boards and believe them to be small wave boards, then you are surfing the board way too flat.  If you bury the rail on a turn, it will stick rather than slide out.  If you try surfing flat on a bottom turn, you won't make that mistake again.

Are these performance boards?  I say definitely yes...contrary to what others will say or think.  So I'm curious how we are defining performance board.  Do we just look at a board that looks pointy and say man that's a performance board?

Hopefully I can get this board on a bigger day to test my confidence level on it.

One other thing to remember is that most shapers making these have different performance models of them so it's not fair to categorize all of them as the original more simmons style board.

Just saying...

10

Downwind and Racing / opinions on '13 Fanatic Falcon 14 x 25?

« on: March 18, 2013, 12:54:16 PM »

Hey Zoners,

Just looking for some opinions on the open ocean Fanatic 14 x 25.  I'm not big into the racing so I decided to sell my 12-6 and get a 14 foot for open ocean cruising.  Of course looking for something fast that handles small to moderate chop.  So far I like what I see and read about the board but would like to hear more your thoughts.

Thanks

11

Gear Talk / Which stomp pad do you like for SUP?

« on: March 07, 2013, 09:06:59 AM »

So the choices for a regular surfboard are endless.  However on most wider tail SUPs if you want a larger stomp pad you have to go with CP Stomp Pad, C4 Pro-Deck, unless you spread out your 3 piece pad.

So have you guys found another pad that you like for wider tails that have an arch and kick?

Or post pix of yours.

12

Sessions / raw, unedited footage.

« on: March 06, 2013, 04:31:36 PM »

This video is unedited due to time constraints, need better footage, and also me getting the camera settings all wrong.  When Cardiff Sweeper was going, I got the lighting right but the fps wrong.  Then the others I got the lighting too dark.  Still learning.

So when I first got my new board, my wife came down to video me.  After 15 minutes she couldn't take it and was distracted by birds and seashells.  Not a big deal because the surf was nothing spectacular.  However it does show that a regular joe can have some fun on small mushy waves, and the board gets up and goes for a slow wave.  So the first minute is of me a few months ago just after getting the board.
The remaining is from today.  First is of Cardiff Sweeper then later comes Big Ed.
It was very low tide out but still got a little bit of footage.  Normally Big Ed is a wave machine but for some reason he ended up with mostly leftovers or closeouts.  Either way, always a good time.
Sometimes it's good to see footage of your everyday, not so great conditions cuz either way we have a blast!

Not sure if I can embed this right.  Here goes nothing.  Ohh and also see if you can spot the whale when Cardiff Sweeper is surfing.

13

SUP General / Width Vs. Thickness Debate - For surfing.

« on: January 11, 2013, 05:34:57 PM »

So with everyone pushing the limits with boards these days, it seems that there are various different options.  So the million dollar question is, which is better...reduce width and increase thickness or reduce thickness and increase width?
Here's an example without any proper data, just an example.
You want to achieve 100L to give you proper float.  Let's assume that both of these equate to 100L.
8' x 4.25 x 27
vs.
8' x 3.875 x 28
Which do you think would surf better?

I'm sure your answer would be depends but i'd like to still hear your argument.
I have my theory but would like to hear yours.

14

Hawaii / Thinking of moving to Oahu. Questions for Zoners.

« on: January 10, 2013, 06:38:14 PM »

So I've spent a good deal of time thinking this over with my family and we are committed to make a move to Oahu.  When I was younger I lived a short time in Laie.  I've also spent a few months on Big Island (love that island), Maui and Kauai. 
We are thinking of renting a place for a year and then buying something after we know that's what we want to do.
So here are some questions.  Feel free to chime in and answer or add to the post.
-Family=Me, Wife, 5 and 8 yr old girls.
-Looking to spend 4k or less a month for rent.
-Want good schools for them

Areas I've been studying but it's been a while since I've been there:
Hawaii Kai, Kailua, Ewa Beach, Kapolei, Maili, Waiawa.
I don't want to drive more than 20 minutes to decent surf but realize Hawaii Kai and Kailua may be out of my price range.

1.  What are your thoughts on these or other areas?
2.  Is there year round surf on South Shore?
3.  How are the surf crowds on the south shore?
4.  How's the overall surf?

Thanks everyone!

15

Gear Talk / What do you wish exists but doesn't?

« on: December 16, 2012, 07:01:39 PM »

Okay so this is a Fark / SoCalSupper inspired thread.  I say that because of the recent post by Fark and the Genie in a bottle SoCalSupper thread.

So here it is.  I've been thinking about this lately, actually quite often.  What are some things you wish exists but doesn't?  All gear related.
I will name a few:

1.  SUP pad.  Come on let's get with the program.  For all of us that don't want to wax but want the benefits of a waxed board, lets come up with the ideal pad.  An ideal pad for me would be super ultra thin and super ultra light.  Closed cell foam or something else that doesn't soak water.  How do we keep it thin and light?  Just a thought here.  Imagine an X-Trak pad but reducing the thickness in half.  You normally have the rows with tiny bumps on the high parts.  Completely remove the valleys so you just have the high points which are reduced in half.  It would just look like long strips of 1" wide pad.  Crap, I can imagine it but can't explain it.  I think I just confused everyone.  Anyways, you get the point.  Half the thickness and weight of the X-Trak (which I believe to be the lightest out there) but still plenty of grip.  Maybe something clear too.

2.  Handles.  These really aren't that big of a deal because most my boards are light but these handles need to be improved.  Never felt the naish ones but heard they are much better.

3.  SUP specific wetsuits.  Okay not board related but still important.  Yes I know there are some SUP type wetsuits but I still think there is room for improvement.  Something like a 1/2 mm, super flexible, non flushing, and warm enough for 58 degree water.

4.  Better gopro options and mounts.  Something with adjustable mount positioning depending on the wave.  Hey how about the floating axis mount that's on those high end quadcopters.  So as you turn left or right it stays floating in place without slanting.  I guess that would break pretty easy.

5.  The obvious that many of us want:  Different material to build boards to keep them light and strong. 

6.  Magic sunglasses.  I bought some sea specs and wore them once.  Gave me a headache after my first fall.  They either fog up or any droplet on the lens will give you a headache.  So, good sunglasses for surfing that won't do that.

7.  Fins.  Not sure here.  Do we need more choices for SUP?

8.  Shapers with a variety of boards to demo.  Why does it always seem that the boards that the shapers have to demo or never the right size of board that we want to try?

Your thoughts?