Topics

1

General Discussion / AWSI Show 2023

« on: September 11, 2023, 10:25:42 AM »

The 2023 AWSI show just wrapped up, it was an awesome gathering and we enjoyed good wind conditions before and after the show.
We have lots of great footage and interviews to edit and post over the next couple of weeks, starting with this footage of Johnny Heineken ripping it up at the Hatchery:

2

General Discussion / M2O Race this Sunday July 30, 2023, live tracking link

« on: July 28, 2023, 04:46:18 PM »

The Molokai to Oahu race is being held again this weekend for the first time since 2019.

Here is a link that allows you to live track the athletes:
https://mymotion.dotvision.com/stages/63281/player

and the results will be posted here:
http://live.pseresults.com/e/60#/

3

SUP General / History of Stand Up Paddleboarding

« on: April 09, 2022, 01:25:04 PM »

Here is a brief summary of the history of SUP in 5 minutes, I hope others on the Zone can add more SUP History trivia to this thread, enjoy the video and visit the link below for more photos and Stand p Paddle boarding trivia:


Also a SUP history post on our website with more details and photos:
www.blueplanetsurf.com/service/historyofpaddleboarding/

Aloha!

4

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Blue Planet Alien Wing videos

« on: April 02, 2022, 10:21:01 AM »

After over a year in development, Blue Planet is proud to release the Alien Wing.  The compact wing span and tight canopy tension makes this wing powerful for its size, quick to get up on foil and smooth handling.  Here is the latest video with team riders Eli, Derek and Robert using the Alien Wings on Oahu's North Shore.

5

General Discussion / Blue Planet Live Show- every Wednesday at 7 am Hawaii time

« on: June 23, 2021, 01:00:53 PM »

We started a new show on YouTube where I talk about what's new at Blue Planet, respond to questions and comments posted on our channel over the last week, and interact with the live chat from viewers watching the live show.

You can watch the replay of previously aired live shows on this playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0SxFTHHwMFWaGDuCAWbmPCwOlr-30x25

Please join next week's show scheduled for next week and every Wednesday at 7 am Hawaii time going forward until further notice:

6

General Discussion / Blue Planet video contest- Summer 2021

« on: May 29, 2021, 05:46:17 PM »

Aloha friends, we are putting on a video contest with a $2000 grand prize.  The contest will run from June 1 to July 31 and we will post a "video of the day" daily and I will post them here.  Views, thumbs ups and comments are one of the judging criteria, so please support your favorite videos.
We are excited to see what will get submitted, for details, please visit:
https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/blogs/news/video-contest-2021/

or watch the video here:

7

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / Blue Planet Show- Wing Foil interviews

« on: February 06, 2021, 02:12:25 PM »

Welcome to the Blue Planet Show!  This long form interview with Zane Kekoa Schweitzer is the first episode of the Blue Planet show where I will interview athletes, designers and thought leaders on the cutting edge of Wing Foiling.  The interviews are recorded on Zoom with screen shared videos to go along with the conversation and will be available on our YouTube channel and as a podcast.

If you want to skip the bloody accident and start watching where we start talking about wing foiling, skip ahead to 30 minutes.

A big thank you to Zane Schweitzer for being my first guest.  For more information and to contact Zane, please visit Zane's website:
https://zaneschweitzer.com

Please let me know what you think of this new show, I will add new shows to this thread.

8

Wingsurfing, Windfoiling, Wingfoiling, Wing SUP / All about the Blue Planet Wing Master board

« on: December 26, 2020, 02:32:27 PM »

This video is all about the new Blue Planet Wing Master boards, I hope you like it:

9

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Virtual SUP Coaching video series

« on: December 05, 2020, 03:02:04 PM »

COVID has made it difficult to train in groups so we are starting a series of virtual coaching videos. It you want to be successful in Stand Up Paddle racing (or in life), consistency is key. Jeff Chang and Robert Stehlik have been coaching a weekly training group for over a decade and will share their thoughts on various coaching topics in this new virtual coaching series, this weeks topic: Consistency

10

Downwind and Racing / SUP Race training time trial video

« on: November 14, 2020, 09:14:26 AM »

SUP Race Training with our weekly training group in Hawaii Kai on a calm day, shot with the GoPro Max camera mounted on a harness pole behind my back. 
We paddled out to the blinker buoy in a close pack, then got spread out in the waves on the way in.  Jeff caught a boat wake towards the boat ramp but overshot the last turn.  It's always a good workout when you traing with this crew of competitive paddlers.
For more information on our weekly training group, please ask to join the Oahu Downwind Paddlers FB group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/downw...
or visit:
https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/blogs/...

11

Windfoiling, Windsurf Foiling / Wing foil bladder repair

« on: October 10, 2020, 07:58:33 PM »

Jeff Chang is sharing his wing bladder repair secrets in this video:

12

Blue Planet / Blue Planet SUP and foil board lineup- 2020 to 2022

« on: July 26, 2020, 06:20:57 PM »

The Blue Planet board lineup for 2020 to 2022- SUP and Foil boards.
For more detailed information on individual stand up paddleboard models in our lineup and specs, please visit: https://www.blueplanetsurf.com/sups/

Covered in this video:
What's included
board features
colors and construction options
design and board series
how to get one
other gear, and accessories.
for a digital copy of the Blue Planet 2020-2022 brochure:
https://issuu.com/blueplanetsurf/docs/2020_blue_planet_brochure__4_page__-_for_issuu_fin

At Blue Planet we have been designing, testing, building, and selling quality equipment for over 27 years, since 1993.  We offer a wide range of boards from the durable, light and affordable Tuf Tech series that are great entry level boards to high-performance full carbon stand up surfing, SUP racing, SUP foiling and wing foiling boards, foils, paddles and accessories for intermediate to expert riders, we offer something for everyone.  If you want something that is not offered as part of our regular stock program, we also offer special order boards.  We have a large catalog of shapes that can be modified to fit your needs or we can design a board for you from scratch.  If you have any questions, please post a comment down below and I will answer it personally.  Our goal is to help people have more fun on the water.  We continuously work on making small improvements to our products to offer the most functional, well thought out designs, strong and light construction options at a good price to give you the best value for your hard-earned money. 
Thank you for watching!

Aloha, Robert Stehlik

These are our production models, dimensions, volume and model name:

prone foil surf:
Carver Prone 3'10 x 20 x 3.5 x 36.8L Carver Foilboard
Carver Prone 4'6 x 20.5 x 3.6 x 45L Carver Foilboard
Carver Prone 5'2 x 21 x 3.8 x 56L Carver Foilboard

Carver SUP/ Wing foil:
Carver SUP 5'2 x 26.5 x 5.1 x 94L Carver Foil SUP
Carver SUP 5'8 x 27.5 x 5.3 x 114L Carver Foil SUP
Carver SUP 6'2 x 28.5 x 5.8 x 142L Carver Foil SUP

Easy Foiler:
Easy Foiler SUP 6'11 x 29.5 x 4.25 x 128L Easy Foiler
Easy Foiler SUP 7'6 x 30.5 x 4.25 x 144L Easy Foiler

Fun Surf series:
Fun Surf 8'8 x 31 x 4 x 126L All Good
Fun Surf 9'2 x 32 x 4 x 142L Sweet Spot
Fun Surf 9'4 x 33 x 4 x 140L Fun Stick
Fun Surf 9'10 x 33 x 4.25 x 161L Turbo
Fun Surf 10'4 x 34 x 4.5 x 189L Booster
Fun Surf 11'0 x 34 x 4.5 x 204L Wave Guru

Cruiser Series:
Cruiser 9'6 x 30x 4.2 x 154L Normal Neptune
Cruiser 9'6 x 31 x 4.2 x 160L Big Neptune
Cruiser 10'0 x 35 x 4.4 x 199L Big Paradise
Cruiser 10'2 x 32 x 4.5 x 179L Easy
Cruiser 10'6 x 34 x 4 x 170L Multi Tasker
Cruiser 10'8 x 36 x 4.9 x 235L Boss
Cruiser 11'2 x 40 x 5.4 x 300L Da Ohana

Downwind/ Race:
Race 14'0 x 27 x 6 x 263L Bump Rider Speed
Race 14'0 x 30 x 5.5 x 298L Bump Rider Wide

TUF-Tech 
Series Dimensions Model Name
TUF-Tech 10'2 x 32 x 4.5 x 181L Polynesian Warrior
TUF-Tech 10'6 x 33 x 5.25 x 220L Polynesian Voyager
TUF-Tech 11'0 x 35 x 5 x 250L Polynesian Ohana
TUF-Tech 12'0 x 26.5 x 4.5 x 194L Polynesian Nose Rider (Prone)
 
SEMI-CUSTOM 
Series Dimensions Model Name
Pocket 7'6 x 26.5 x 3.4" x 78L Pocket Ace
Ray 7'8 x 30 x 4.125 x 118L Eagle Ray
Pocket 8'2 x 28 x 3.75 x 100L Pocket Friend
Pocket 8'8 x 29 x 4 x 116L Pocket Knife
Ray 8'8 x 31 x 4.25 x 142L Manta Ray
Pocket 9'0 x 30 x 4.25 x 131L Pocket Power
Waikiki 9'0 x 29 x 4.25 x 138L Nose Walker
Waikiki 10'0 x 31 x 4.5 x 175L Paradise
Waikiki 10'5 x 32 x 4.5 x 190L Duke
Waikiki 10'10 x 33 x 4.25 x 195L Da Pops
Pocket 10'11 x 28 x 4.5 x 156L Big Gun
Cruiser 11'6 x 31 x 7 x 264L Voyager
 
FULL CUSTOM: whatever you want!

13

SUP General / Please vote for Blue Planet on SUP Connect

« on: June 04, 2020, 02:25:53 PM »

This is the first time we were nominated in the "shop fo the year" and "brand of the year" categories on the SUPconnect Awards.  I hope you think we deserve these titles, please take a moment and vote for Blue Planet in both categories, I appreciate the support!

To vote for "SUP Shop of the Year":
https://www.supconnect.com/sup-shop-of-the-year-2020

To vote for "SUP Brand of the Year":
https://www.supconnect.com/sup-brand-of-the-year-2020

Aloha, Robert

14

SUP General / Has the COVID crisis sparked a renaissance of Stand Up Paddleboarding?

« on: May 31, 2020, 01:23:14 PM »

I realize Hawaii is not always representative of the international market but it seems that trends in the Hawaii SUP market are leading indicators for the rest of the world and I have some good news.
After several years of slowing down and many SUP shops on Oahu shutting down we have recently seen big surge in interest from beginner Stand Up Paddlers.
As a safe and fun way to get exercise outdoors, SUP is an ideal way to get outside and here on Oahu we are seeing record numbers of new paddlers hitting the water.  May was a record retail month for our shop despite being closed for part of the month and operating out of a smaller location with less staff.  This may be a short term effect of the crisis and social distancing measures but I'm sure at least some of these new paddlers will keep doing it and will want to upgrade their gear later on so I'm optimisitic and think we will see a long term increase in interest in Stand Up Paddling.

Views of beginner SUP videos on our YouTube channel are also off the charts, see statistics of our "Top 10 beginner mistakes video" and views of all our videos.
I'm wondering if you have seen the same thing happen in your local area.

15

Downwind and Racing / Rail steering on longer boards

« on: May 09, 2020, 12:21:06 PM »

Rail steering is a subtle but effective way to turn the board when standing in the middle of a stand up paddle board by leaning on the outside rail.  By pushing the rail into the water the board tends to follow the curved outline of the board and will turn more easily with steering strokes.   When surfing or planing, and turning the board from the tail with the rider weight over the fins, the board will turn in the direction the board is leaning, so if you lean left, the board will carve to the left and if you lean to the right, the board will turn right.  If standing in the middle of the board however and the whole rounded rail is engaged, the board will turn the opposite way, so if you put weight on the left rail, the board will turn right and if you push the right rail into the water, the board will veer left.  This is counter-intuitive and will often catch beginners by surprise when doing downwinders.  Once you get used to how the board reacts to rail pressure, it's a great way to initiate turns and allows even long Stand Up Paddle race boards like Jeff's rudderless 18' unlimited board shown in the video to be maneuvered quite effectively.
In this video Robert Stehlik, Jeff Chang, and Paul Zacharias share some of their rail steering secrets, learned from many years of training, and the experience that comes from paddling thousands of miles in open ocean SUP downwind conditions.  We have paddled in many Molokai to Oahu races where we cross the 32 mile Kaiwi channel in quartering winds that require continuous course adjustments. 
Robert and Jeff have been coaching the SUP training group every Wednesday, this was our first training group after taking off for about 6 weeks due to the COVID-19 crisis.  This was the first time we took a break from the training group in over 12 years!   For more information on the training group, please join the Oahu Downwind Paddlers group on Facebook where we post the Wednesday meeting time and place every week:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/downwinders/

We hope you get something out of these stand up paddleboarding technique tips, please give the video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it or learned something and subscribe to the blueplanetsurf YouTube channel, we post a new video every week!
Aloha!