Author Topic: First timer in need of advice  (Read 9249 times)

jeffk

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First timer in need of advice
« on: April 27, 2015, 03:51:49 PM »
hi all. new here and new to SUP. i'm having a bit of buyer's remorse on my first board and would love some sage advice from some veterans. about me, i've been surfing since the mid 60's and have spent the last 40 years surfing Ocean Beach in San Francisco where it gets pretty challenging in every way imaginable. i'm 60 now so i don't go out in the big stuff anymore. i recently got the bug to try SUP with the intention of mainly using it in the surf.

so i did all my online homework and went to the largest local dealer here. I tried four boards fron 140l to 230l in volume and 9'-6" to 10'-10".  he recommended a used 10'-10" Hobie Duraglide. it was easy to stand on. problem was that i wanted something under 10' so i could fit it inside my car to keep it there while i'm at work and the car is on the street. just then a rep for Global Industries arrived and they talked. He had a demo of a new Adventure Paddleboading model, the Sixty Forty (http://www.surfindustries.com.au/surfboards/adventure-paddleboarding-sixty-forty-sup.php). he had a 9'-4" x 31 1/2 one that is 163l. they both thought this would be a good call for me. i'm 185lbs + wetsuit and they assured me it would be a good board.

i got my first chance to try it this weekend. the surf was a bit lumpy and in the 3-5" range. i have never had such a humbling experience. i could paddle on my knees pretty well but could only get to me feet for short periods of time before fall off. after almost an hour i was totally exhausted.

i realize this is not an unusual first session and that it should get better with perseverance.  but now i'm have a bit of buyer's remorse and think i should have gone with the Hobie 10'-10" and just figured out how to deal with it and my car. i suspect i could work something out as far as the exchange goes.

so what do you think i should do? thanks in advance for your opinions.

-jeff

TallDude

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2015, 04:07:52 PM »
I would say paddle it in flat water first. This will help you find the most stable spot to stand. Step back into a surf stance and paddle in circles, then shift your foot back and paddle straight. That is close to the size of my surf sup (yours has a little more volume) and I'm 6'7 240#.

Sea legs............ You will get them with time.

Welcome to the addiction. 
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

Dwight (DW)

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #2 on: April 27, 2015, 04:08:31 PM »
Your skills literally double with each session in the beginning. You got the right board. After 10 sessions you'll be a pro.

jeffk

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2015, 04:23:16 PM »
hey, you're awesome! i shall do as you say. i think i'll take it down to a lagoon this weekend and have a paddle around just to get the balance.

thing that is gonna be interesting is that there is generally 8-14 seconds between waves in the ocean which means that's all the time you have to get back up and moving.

thanks for the support and positivity. i let you know how it goes.

Subber

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2015, 04:24:55 PM »
The board looks pretty good in the pictures and the video.
Spec's:  9'4''    31 1/2''    4 5/8''    163 ltr

The board at 31.5" wide and also a pretty full outline indicates it should be pretty stable.
Doesn't look like a high performance board but should surf well and be stable...
probably a pretty good choice for a beginner.
How much was it?

Wow, well, I think a lot of people will get a chuckle  :D that you expected to do pretty well
fairly quickly.  Almost all of us had pretty long and robust surfing or windsurfing backgrounds
but experienced lots of falling and trashing for a month or so.  I never took so many
faceplants in all my 10 years of prone longboarding as I did my first couple of days on
a SUP.  Now, several years later, I rarely fall.

Yes, with your background, you should progress very rapidly,
after a while you will probably want a smaller, narrower, pure surfing SUP.



Jimmy Lewis Black & Blue Noserider 10'1"x31"x4.25," 164 liters, 24 lbs, 1 box
Pearson Laird Surftech Longboard 10'6"x23"x29.75"x18"x4.375," 154 liters, 24 lbs, 3 boxes
Takayama Ali'i II Surftech 11'x21.375”x28.5”x17.25”x 4.25,” 162 liters, 26 lbs, 3 boxes

Dwight (DW)

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2015, 04:30:48 PM »
Flat water is good for improving your paddle skills. The paddle skill is where a good percentage of your stability comes from.

On the other hand, flat water doesn't do as much as you would think for improving wobble skills. We see flat water experts come to the beach and go home with tail between legs a lot.

Biggreen

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2015, 04:37:24 PM »
Flat water is good for improving your paddle skills. The paddle skill is where a good percentage of your stability comes from.

On the other hand, flat water doesn't do as much as you would think for improving wobble skills. We see flat water experts come to the beach and go home with tail between legs a lot.

Too true! In the words of the inimitable William Nealy...there's no such thing as an expert flatwater paddler.

Bean

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2015, 04:39:57 PM »
Nice looking board!  I'm assuming the 60/40 refers to the slight down rails.  I would go as far as to say, that could be a long term go-to board.  Along the way, you will undoubtedly become a collector of all sizes and shapes.  Don't forget to wax that nose you'll be camping out on it before too long.

DavidJohn

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2015, 04:50:10 PM »
Nice looking board!  I'm assuming the 60/40 refers to the slight down rails.  I would go as far as to say, that could be a long term go-to board.  Along the way, you will undoubtedly become a collector of all sizes and shapes.  Don't forget to wax that nose you'll be camping out on it before too long.

60/40 refers to surf/flat water use..

https://youtu.be/8-9ZnKvTaIc

supsurf-tw

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #9 on: April 27, 2015, 05:24:45 PM »
As the others said...baby steps. Flat water until you learn the sweet spots on the board and be comfortable on it. Next step is in the ocean in flat to small surf when it's glassy. Next step is when there's some surf. You'll get it in no time.
Boards:

 
8-10 x 31 Egg
8-11 X 32 Double wing Fangtail Tom Whitaker
8-6 X 30 1\2  Inbetweener Tom Whitaker
8-4 x 30 Hyper quad Tom Whitaker (wife's now)
8-4 X 31 1\4.  Round (wide) Diamond Tail Quad Tom Whitaker
 9-4 X 30 1\2. Swallow Stinger Quad Tom Whitaker (ex wifes now)
10-0 Brusurf for teach

SUPcheat

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #10 on: April 27, 2015, 06:11:55 PM »
The board sounds like it should be fine for you. You just need patience and practice.

  I had no ocean, water or boat experience when I started July 2012, practiced on the harbor for ten months before going out on the ocean. I am into about a year and seven months now standup surfing.

The ocean is an order of magnitude harder than the harbor, which still gets swells and waves from ocean and boat wakes.

You should pick it up pretty fast since you already have ocean reflexes and balance experience. 

I would always see guys doing things and would think "I'll never be able to do that" and a couple of months later, I would be doing something similar.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2015, 06:14:04 PM by SUPcheat »
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Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
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Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

lopezwill

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #11 on: April 27, 2015, 06:42:20 PM »


  Typical surer;)  I did the same thing jumped on a sup and headed for some waves only to find out it's much harder than it looks.  I've seen Ocean Beach.  That place is gnarly!  If you have the time I would drive down to Half Moon Bay and paddle inside the harbor for about 15 minutes.  Pretend like you see a wave and try and make a turn as if your catching a wave.  Then go over to the south side and ride some real waves at "Surfer's Beach."  Mellow crowd there if you can safely pass the highway.  Great time to get into sup surfing!  Best of luck to you.

Zooport

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2015, 08:13:59 PM »
Jeff, I agree with the above.  I don't think you should have buyer's remorse on that board.  In my limited experience, it seems about right for you at your level.

I'm similar to you, surfed for 43 years and thought I could just go out and rip on a SUP because they were "easy kook boards."  I was quickly humbled when I first tried to SUP surf.  It ain't easy, but you can nail it with practice. 

Ocean Beach ups the learning curve a bit, IMHO.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2015, 08:25:42 PM by Zooport »
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supthecreek

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #13 on: April 27, 2015, 08:25:46 PM »
jeffk... welcome to the zone !
I think you picked out a pretty nice board for your size. It will test you a bit in the beginning, but it is a good first board. Use the flat-water part of it as well.... explore your waterways in a whole new way!

The flat-water training can bear fruit if you venture near where boats go past.
Use the waves they produce to challenge you in a manageable way.
Start by paddling straight into the boat wake, then with the waves.... you will see how much harder it is when you go with the wave. lastly, and hardest... paddle sideways to the waves

Biggest hurtle when in the surf ......You will fall backwards when catching a wave
Rule #1
Catching a wave on a standup has NOTHING in common with surfing. It will feel completely awkward and stupid
(after you learn.... it is the magic ;D)

The act of catching a wave while standing takes getting use to.
The best way to cut down the learning curve is by changing your foot position before takeoff.

As you paddle to catch a wave, slide your "back" foot towards the tail about 4 -5 inches and turn your toes slightly toward the rail.
What you are looking for is a "modified" surf stance that increases your "fore & aft" stability, while maintaining your side to side stability.

The good news.... once you have caught the wave... it will all become natural.... you are now surfing, and you know how to do that.
The board will feel like a barn door on your first wave, but that will go away quickly.

In 3 days, you will improve 1,000 % ..... then you will meet your paddle.... and figure out what to do with it as you ride along. That will come... don't worry about that now.

After a few humbling days, prepare to fall in love with surfing all over again  ;D

jeffk

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Re: First timer in need of advice
« Reply #14 on: April 27, 2015, 08:35:16 PM »
thanks to all of you. great advice and good vibes.

lopezwill, that's exactly where i was thinking. maybe the lagoon out by Mavericks or by the yacht club.

supthecreek, details like you offer are perfect guidance. much appreciated.


 


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