Topics

1

General Discussion / My Shark Story

« on: October 27, 2022, 10:30:59 AM »

Hi Zoners,

Don't post as often as I once did, but still check in about every week or so just to stay current on things.  As much as I'm wanting to hop into foiling and all the new things people are trying, I'm still one of the relics that likes to plain old paddle every day.  I've written a bit about why that might be and thought you might appreciate it.

https://www.independent.com/2022/10/26/survive-shark-attack-santa-barbara/?fbclid=IwAR3A1HokXdwLCdK36Qpp6IFtx-WmhYGzAXSb3PPVxDLK62aVAKuVG9uHC8E

(I'd post a picture but I don't know how to do that anymore    Jump to the link.  There's good ones there)

Keep paddling, foiling, etc--no matter what!

Rolf

2

Foil SUP / How's the Takuma V100 for a big boy beginner?

« on: September 14, 2020, 12:21:42 PM »

Found a pretty good deal locally on a used Takuma V100.  Can't find much on it as it appears to be an older model--other than it's big and pretty good for getting on foil at slow speeds. 

I weigh 230 and kinda want to try Wingfoiling.  Anybody have experience with these and have an opinion?

Thanks.

3

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Grand Teton Nat'l Park--Anyone paddled?

« on: August 06, 2020, 02:01:20 PM »

Driving from Portland to Colorado Springs in a bit and wouldn't mind a day or two of exploring and being off the grid.  Looks like Grand Teton is a nice diversion with lots of lakes.  Anyone paddled up that way?  Any recommendations?

4

The Shape Shack / Do you use glass for pinholes?

« on: June 01, 2020, 11:37:24 AM »

Let me start with a happy tangent:  My kids have caught the bug.  Took about 7 years of me amassing boards and finally this summer, they want to go surf.  Instead of needing to figure out when I can get a hall pass for a session, I now get texts asking if I can leave work early so we can catch some waves before dinner.  Very happy!   

My son has quickly shredded on past me but has a nasty habit of riding waves all the way to the sand.  He thought I was just being lame dad when I pointed out that this wasn't a great idea but now there are about a half dozen pinhole leaks on the bottom of the board.  Not a major challenge to fix, but wondering if it's necessary to cut tiny glass patches for all of them and fix them as I do a typical ding.  Not opposed to it, but thought I'd ask as I have a habit of making things more complicated than they need to be.  Some of them are so small you can't even see them with the naked eye--you only know they're there because of little water bubbling out and a few salt crystals after that.

Would just a quick sand and brushing resin do the trick?  Thought I'd ask.

5

The Shape Shack / Recommendation for Sidebite fins--FCS or Futures?

« on: June 17, 2019, 02:00:32 PM »

Among a stack of board repairs, I've got a few that need sidebite boxes replaced.  From the looks of it, I'm going to have to invest in templates and specialized bits so I'd love some input as far as which system to go with (FCS, Futures, ?).  Are there any major differences as far as cost of tools and materials?  Is one quicker/easier to install?  Any differences in durability?

Love to know what others are using.

6

Gear Talk / Recommendation for High Visibility Rashguards

« on: April 18, 2019, 10:57:24 AM »

Trying to take reasonable steps to stay safe on my morning solo paddles out on the ocean, as I need some new rashguards, I figure it wouldn't hurt to get some in hi-vis orange or green.

Surprisingly, nothing pops up very quickly in my internet searches.  I usually buy the Victory Koredry stuff but they have just standard colors.

Any recommendations out there?

7

Sessions / Friday morning turned into a group workout!

« on: May 13, 2017, 07:15:57 AM »

One of those incredible SUP moments.  Went on for 25minutes.  I believe I'm now one of the pod!  Enjoy!

8

SUP General / This lady gets it

« on: May 10, 2017, 11:04:22 AM »

This was forwarded to me by a friend.  It's a well-written articulation on the reason I get up most mornings and paddle off into the horizon.  Getting small is where it's at.  Enjoy!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/opinion/julia-baird-australia-sea-swimming.html?smid=fb-share

9

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Training Plan for a 100-miler?

« on: January 24, 2017, 11:15:10 AM »

Started another thread about the Rivers for Change 100-mile race on Memorial Day weekend.  http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,31197.0.html  Hoping some other Zoners will jump in and do it with me.

Regardless of that, I'm trying to chart out a training schedule and wonder if anyone has any experience with this kind of thing.  Found an old CCBC thread that talked about 3-4 short paddles a week and then a longer one that gets increasingly longer as the date approaches.  I should be able to do this as part of my regular routine--just need to carve out longer outings on the weekends.

I'd love any input you might have.  I should note that the event does take place on a river so there's ample assistance from the current (even moreso this year with all the rain CA is seeing).  So it's probably the equivalent of doing 60-70 flatwater.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

10

Events / California 100--Memorial Day Weekend 2017

« on: January 11, 2017, 04:58:32 PM »

I've known about this race for several years and always wanted to give it a try.  Turning 50 in May so I think this is the year.  100miles in one day!  Why pay all that money to race only to let them paddle your board 6miles?  From people I've talked to it's a fun, well-planned event with great scenery as the current takes you down the river (which makes 100mi possible in a day).

I know a couple Zoners have done it so great to get your impressions and tips.  But most importantly:

WHO'S IN?

http://sacrivertrust.org/cal100/

11

SouthEast / SUP recs for Key Largo

« on: December 22, 2016, 10:03:54 PM »

Gonna be headed there next week.  Not sure I'll have much time for paddling but would love to know any recommendations for good rental places or fun paddles in case the opportunity pops up.  Be fun to surf, but I also enjoy getting on a 14 and logging some miles.  Let me know.

12

Downwind and Racing / What's the life-expectancy of a raceboard?

« on: October 31, 2016, 10:29:54 AM »

Pondering how long my raceboards should last.  I try to buy quality stuff and take care of it, but even well-kept gear wears out at some point.  I don't have the budget or need to go out and get the latest edition board each year, but I also know that heavy usage takes a toll.

Curious what opinions Zoners have about how many sessions/miles is reasonable to expect out of a race board.  Not necessarily interested in "years" as we all use them differently.  I'm at a point with my current board--which I feel was well constructed.  But wondering if it's time to replace due to accumulated dings, repairs, etc.  I've had it about 18mos which isn't that long, but when I estimate that I've done about 300 sessions (~1,500mi) that's a lot of use.  As was pointed out to me this weekend, when boards only get used 2-4x month, they tend to last a lot longer.

Love to know your thoughts/experiences.

13

The Shape Shack / Do Click-In Fins Cause Leaks around your Fin Box?

« on: October 18, 2016, 03:21:30 PM »

I love the convenience of click-in fins, but I've got a chronic leak around my fin box and I have to wonder if the forces created by putting them in and removing them each time I paddle are causing or contributing to the problem.  It's quick and easy but it does take a bit of force to push it in and then to pop it out.  I've probably got somewhere around 200 sessions on this board so that's 400 inserts/removals.  Even with the little bit of force it takes to lock/unlock the ball-catches, repeated over that many times could be causing cracks between the thin carbon skin and the box.

Did a few backyard repairs and then got it fixed professionally about 2months ago.  This morning, I noticed the dreaded bubbles when I was packing up my gear.

Any theories out there in support or refutation of this?

14

Travel, Trips, Destinations / Any recommendations for SUPing in Rio de Janeiro?

« on: July 14, 2016, 01:10:37 PM »

Headed to Rio in August.  If going to the Olympics weren't thrilling enough, I'd love to get in a session or two.  Love any recommendations on rentals and breaks.  Will probably need to be pretty close to the city--Barra area.  Looking for fun waves--doesn't need to be extreme.  I'll only be there briefly, probably won't ever be back and wouldn't know enough Portuguese to give away any secret spots.

Any Zoners there?  Anyone ever visit?

15

Technique / I'll fight the yaw...and it won't win!

« on: June 08, 2016, 06:39:01 PM »

Posted recently on my experience in the fog (http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,29892.0.html) and yugi made an unrelated observation on how much yaw there was on my course track.  My first instinct was to get a little defensive and make excuses like "I'm sure the GPS capture makes it look much worse than it is" which is kind of like saying "the camera adds 10lbs".  I was going to point out that I'm actually on my back-up board since my main ride is in the shop but looking at past tracks would have voided that argument.  Even considered starting a "yugi is a jerk" campaign to the get back at the guy in cyberspace who decided to point out the bad habit I'd grown to accept.

But he did have a point.  I remember looking at a Larry Cain video of him paddling in a canal going just straight as a dart and never changing sides and dismissed it cuz he's pretty much a freak.  There's lots of things the pros do that I'll never be able to so I just figured this is the way I paddle.  But since yugi pointed it out, I decided to do a few searches of old Zoner posts and decided to see if there were a few pointers I might pick up.

I paddle a lot and have pretty good endurance and paddle control--don't use RSP because I almost never wack the rails--but one simple mistake I was doing was simply tracing the profile of the rail with each stroke.  Since there's always going to be some kind of arc from the tip to the cockpit, that means that each stroke was not even close to parallel with the vector of travel and would push me off my heading.  For the last two days, I've made the simple adjustment to make sure I'm reaching out away from the rail when I plant so the stroke is more parallel to my centerline--feels like it's way out there, but it's probably only a couple inches.  I've also moved my feet slightly to the center so I'm not weighting the paddle side rail as much.  Beyond that, it really is a matter of concentration and focus--easy for me to daydream and not really pay attention to how far I'm letting the nose yaw.  Even easier to just get tired and not reach out that extra couple inches.

Pretty noticeable difference in only two days.  Amazing how I can definitely feel a change like this in terms of fatigue after my session.  Aching little muscles are a pretty good indicator that I'm using a few different ones from what I've been doing habitually.  You can see the difference on tracks below. 

First pic is the track yugi noticed my inability to maintain a heading.  Second one is also a before pic along the route I've done the last two mornings for a clearer point of reference.  Last two pics are the last two mornings trying to break a bad habit and learn a new skill.  Pleased to see some noticeable improvement already.

Love to hear feedback and any further advice you geniuses have...