dave kalama's ideas for racing inflatables

[pdxmike]

Interesting, thoughtful perspectives whether you ultimately agree with the idea or not:


http://www.supracer.com/dave-kalama-inflatables/

[Chan]

I’ve done a few Viento runs on my inflatable and had a blast.  Would I have been faster on an ultra-light ruddered carbon race board?  Absolutely.  Would it have been any more enjoyable?  No. 

Fun factor aside, the hassles of transporting and launching a 16ft fragile race board in high winds are daunting, particularly for the smaller set.  Inflatables are undeniably much more user friendly.  Many racers simply cannot attend most races due to board transport issues.  For this segment of paddling to grow this would need to change.   It would be great to see the inflatable race class blow up!

[southwesterly]

I can see this class of racing blowing up.
(sorry I had to say it before pdxmike did)

I do think this as a great idea, all kidding aside.

[southwesterly]

I can see this class of racing blowing up.
(sorry I had to say it before pdxmike did)

I do think this as a great idea, all kidding aside.

Nice one Chan. You beat me to the punch line. You gotta be fast around here.

[Chan]

I can see this class of racing blowing up.
(sorry I had to say it before pdxmike did)

I do think this as a great idea, all kidding aside.

Nice one Chan. You beat me to the punch line. You gotta be fast around here.

I'm always first in line for the punch SW.

[pdxmike]

I thought of something else but it was too far into the gutter so I couldn't say it.

[southwesterly]

I thought of something else but it was too far into the gutter so I couldn't say it.

  Was it anything to do with inflatable racers?

[pdxmike]

nope

[TallDude]

It's already been done...

[TallDude]

And they are wearing their PFD's to boot. Just in case.....

[Board Stiff]

How many people other than sponsored elite racers would be incurring the expense of flying to distant races if not for the extra hassle of transporting their board? I like the idea of eliminating race classes, but I just don't see the connection between that and inflatable boards.

I also don't buy the argument that making races inflatable-only will spur innovation in inflatable boards. When has eliminating competition ever led to a more innovative market?

[PonoBill]

Pretty unlikely.

We're already engaged in a slow race. There are a lot of other ways to get boards around. People race a lot more cumbersome things than SUPs and have plenty of turnout. I'm not against the idea, but I can't see people rushing out to get an inflatable to race. Sounds boring, except as a fun race like last year at the Gorge Paddle Challenge.

I joke about my Uncle Ben's handicap system (you carry one pound of rice for every pound you weigh less than 250, and every year less than 70) but I think a rational handicap system makes some sense. It's not very hard to get there. Take historic times for various length boards competing in events with some significant distance. Adequate data and little basic statistics can extract all the relevant handicap factors.

[DavidJohn]

I like the idea of the convenience of inflatables for racing..

And for sure you can paddle an inflatable in a BOP race.. distance race.. and even a DW race..

But.. There is a big difference IMO in do'able and enjoyable..

Give me a hard board any day..

[PonoBill]

I continue to be astounded by some race promoters focusing on odd ideas about what constitutes rational race rules. At the otherwise enjoyable Paddle to the Point the elite class was limited to 12'6". The open class was under 12' for stock and then "unlimited" up to 14'. They seemed disappointed at the lower turnout.

Lots of things affect turnout, but certainly eliminating your race board from the competition is going to be one big factor. Somebody showing up with a 14' race board was relegated to the "also ran" unlimited class of the recreational race. Why bother going?

I don't have a dog in this fight--I brought my 18' speedboard which wouldn't have been "legal" in any class, but would have still used it. But the choppy conditions and my continued recovery from surgery made it an unwise choice. Bob offered to let me use his 12'6" Starboard (which, despite being clearly a surfboard was in the "unlimited" rec class) while he paddled his 9'8". We both had fun.

I'm not holding these guys up for ridicule, they put on a fine event, but this kind of "tower of babel" approach to SUP racing limits the success. If they were looking to grow the event they went about their rulemaking in exactly the wrong way. The so-called organizing bodies have added to the confusion by assuming authority they don't have and crafting rules for their own purposes and benefit. It's probably time for a broad coalition of SUP racers and recreational paddlers to try to do something that will add to the sport instead of limiting participation. The Zone is probably a good place to do it. I don't have a clear idea of what the process might look like, but it might be time to talk about at least that piece.

[surfcowboy]

Pono, I agree, but that's my argument, it's already slow, what's another 1 mph?

I like it, especially for BOP style races, (the real money maker.)

The big thing is the tech. It's already come a long way, if there was more heat put on it we'd have amazing boards in 2 years. I could see a foldable bottom and top hard laminate sandwiched into the skin putting most of the objections out of inflatable race board in a while. Remember, it doesn't have to fit in a backpack, only be fly able/ship able.  We could stop shipping foam around the world.

Ego and money won't let it happen, but it's actually a great idea for wide adoption of the sport. Maybe we'll see it added as a class.