Author Topic: Newbie nesds advice  (Read 45730 times)

Dkyachtphoto

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Newbie nesds advice
« on: February 11, 2016, 12:50:45 PM »
Hi guys,  I just joined here today. My wife and I have been long time sea kayakers and are considering also getting into the SUP world. We spend a lot of time down in the Keys Bayside exploring the mangrove Islands. I've been seriously looking at the Bote Ahab and Rackham. They really seem to have everything I think I would like. I'm a big guy "6'3" 240" so these long wide big displacement boards seem to be my best option. On average we will do 8-12 miles per day.

Other than the high price tag does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about these 2 boards? Is there anything out there I haven't found that's comparable to these boards features? Thanks for any help you can give.

Dave


Dkyachtphoto

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2016, 01:34:28 PM »
BTW way not that it matters but I live in East Lauderdale.

Dave


Zooport

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2016, 02:05:42 PM »
Welcome to the Zone, Dkyachtphoto. 
8'6 Soul Compass
9'1 Sunova Creek
9'6 WaveStorm SUP
9'8 Starboard Element

Sup-position

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2016, 02:22:09 PM »
Welcome to the Zone...

Best thing is to Demo a variety of shapes to determine
what you like..
Stability, glide, weight, flotation, Etc.....

Then you can decide if you can Float a Bote...
Ralph
Sup-position
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stoneaxe

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2016, 02:32:11 PM »
Welcome....definitely demo. Only way to know for sure
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

Dkyachtphoto

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2016, 02:44:28 PM »
I have a dealer lined up that's gonna set out a ton of boards to demo for me.  I was more curious of what you guys know or have heard about them.

Dave


ninja tuna

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2016, 03:06:37 PM »
another model I you might consider would be the Jimmy Lewis Searcher. Similar to an Ahab. Any type of "touring" board.

SlatchJim

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2016, 03:19:53 PM »
On average we will do 8-12 miles per day.
Zoinks!  That's quite an average  :)

supthecreek

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2016, 05:57:23 PM »
Hi Dave.... nice to have you join the Zone!

Board size and use:
You are not too big by our standards..... lots of big boys here, so lots of good info should be forthcoming.....although you are tall and that is a definite consideration.
The Volume of many touring boards will be more than enough for you, so keep your options open.
I am not real familiar with a lot of boards in the genra you are looking for, but some feedback that I can offer.

A lot of what to buy depends on how you plan to use it.
By the sound of it, you are more interested in covering some distance.... so maybe consider a narrower board, as it will move easier through the water.
If you are looking to do a lot of fishing, and carrying a lot of gear, wider is better.

I have been intrigued by the Bote boards like the Ahab.
The ability to carry a cooler with seatback and rod holders is awesome.... and a leaning post. Nice!
The "peg" anchor is cool.
I definitely like the flair in the nose.... it will really help keeping your deck gear dry.

The downside might be in the width when running long distances in open water.... again, how you envision using a board is key.

I am always surprised at how narrow I can go on a Race or Touring board.... many narrower "race" shapes get stability from lots of volume on the rails.

I would try both narrow and wide, then the volume/width numbers will make more sense to you.
All you need to float you comfortably is about 212 Liters.... all the big boards will be way above that.

If your wife is looking as well, pay close attention to the board weight..... it can be very awkward to load and unload a long, heavy board on the car. Being kayakers, I am sure that is not news to you..... but some SUPs are much lighter than others.

Keep us informed of your search and decisions.... there are a lot of folks looking this info over, and they would like to hear from a new SUPster, going through the process.

and..... since I detect a "photo" in your name.... I look forward to some nice pictures in your posts  :)


PonoBill

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2016, 10:08:21 PM »
Hi guys,  I just joined here today. My wife and I have been long time sea kayakers and are considering also getting into the SUP world. We spend a lot of time down in the Keys Bayside exploring the mangrove Islands. I've been seriously looking at the Bote Ahab and Rackham. They really seem to have everything I think I would like. I'm a big guy "6'3" 240" so these long wide big displacement boards seem to be my best option. On average we will do 8-12 miles per day.

Other than the high price tag does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about these 2 boards? Is there anything out there I haven't found that's comparable to these boards features? Thanks for any help you can give.

Dave

I'm the same size and I use everything from an 8'6" surfboard to an 18' race board. Your size is no restriction. With longer boards 10 miles is less than three hours of paddling with no wind help. The version of SUP we call downwind, a 10 mile paddle is less than two hours.  Wide won't be necessary for long. You'll find a 14' X 27" will ne fast and reasonably stable, a 14 X 29" is a dock. Length adds stability, though less so than width.

You're headed for an interesting journey. Enjoy the ride.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Dkyachtphoto

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2016, 03:24:56 AM »
Wow great info guys thanks so much. I should specify something about my 8-12 miles per day. The main areas we go has a 1 mile channel to cross that we do fairly quickly.  Once we are across we are going much slower exploring and relaxing around all the mangrove Islands. I attached a few photos to show the area and tracks.

I get what you guys are saying about width and speed. I'm definitely more interested in being stable and comfortable. And yes the cooler/seat/backrest idea is awesome. That's what really drew me to those boards. There's a few islands that are farther away that we're looking into exploring. They will push it up to 16-18 miles more than likely per day.

Oh and with regards to the photos yes I am a professional photographer. Mainly shoot yachts. So there will be lots of photos to come soon. Not all will be shareable "hot wife miles from civilization" lol....... But definitely will have some good ones to share. BTW if any of you guys ever go down to the keys I'd love to share some of my spots with you.


 

Dave


stoneaxe

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #11 on: February 12, 2016, 04:19:12 AM »
You've got the hard part covered then. Demoing lots of boards is key. One thing to keep in mind while you demo is that boards that feel a little tippy to you during a demo will feel rock solid after a couple weeks of paddling them. I've been interested in the the Botes since they came out. They look great for what your doing but lots of boards can fit that bill. Have fun and good luck.
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

Dkyachtphoto

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2016, 04:52:36 AM »
You've got the hard part covered then. Demoing lots of boards is key. One thing to keep in mind while you demo is that boards that feel a little tippy to you during a demo will feel rock solid after a couple weeks of paddling them. I've been interested in the the Botes since they came out. They look great for what your doing but lots of boards can fit that bill. Have fun and good luck.
Stoneaxe are there any boards in specific that have similar features of the 2 Botes I'm looking at? To be honest that's the only reason I'm so focused on them,  I've yet to find anything with similar accessories and features.
another model I you might consider would be the Jimmy Lewis Searcher. Similar to an Ahab. Any type of "touring" board.
Thanks ninja tuna I will go check that out right now.

Dave


TropicalYankee

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2016, 06:28:34 AM »
I just went through the same decision you are going through. I wanted a board for casual fishing and touring in South FL and the Keys waters (I'm in Jupiter). The Bote boards are really attractive and paddle nicely. They are made in FL and have a lot of cool features. I really, really wanted one. It's the features that are the problem. Whenever you add glassed in features, you introduce potential failure points. A number of dealers (who don't sell Bote so take this with some salt) have said that Botes tend to develop leaks and suck in water. While this can be fixed if it were to happen, you'll never be able to get the board totally dry inside thus increasing the already heavy weight. The only other thing I can say about them is that every one I've ever seen not in a shop looked pretty beat up with lots of chips and scratches.

My original list of boards was:

Bote Rackham
Starboard Avanti
Sunova Surf 10'11"
Fanatic Fly 11'2"
Fanatic Ray WE 12'
JP Sportster Touring

All these boards are 32 wide or wider, all very stable and be stable for you at your size and you could even carry some cargo on them. I narrowed it down to the Ray and the Sportster and purchased the Sportster. I couldn't detect any difference in paddling the two boards so my decision came down to price and availability. I am thrilled with the JP, been freezing my butt off the last couple of days paddling with manatees in the IC. The board is so stable the thought of falling in never occurs. I tend to paddle slowly and take in the nature. On the sportster I'll take a few strokes and just glide watching birds and fish, it's great fun.

The Avanti, Sunova and Fly are large surf shapes. They work in flat water but don't have the glide that touring shape offers. If you're only considering one board and think you might want to surf it in small waves you should look this direction, if not, definitely go the touring shape route.

I'd recommend you message JimK on here. He owns Extreme Windsurfing in NJ but ships boards al over and offers Zoner deals. If you buy a Fanatic or JP from him, you can pick the board up from their respective warehouses in Miami which at a minimum, saves you the tax. Jim is also a big guy and knows big guy needs in a board.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Dkyachtphoto

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Re: Newbie nesds advice
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2016, 06:51:01 AM »
I just went through the same decision you are going through. I wanted a board for casual fishing and touring in South FL and the Keys waters (I'm in Jupiter). The Bote boards are really attractive and paddle nicely. They are made in FL and have a lot of cool features. I really, really wanted one. It's the features that are the problem. Whenever you add glassed in features, you introduce potential failure points. A number of dealers (who don't sell Bote so take this with some salt) have said that Botes tend to develop leaks and suck in water. While this can be fixed if it were to happen, you'll never be able to get the board totally dry inside thus increasing the already heavy weight. The only other thing I can say about them is that every one I've ever seen not in a shop looked pretty beat up with lots of chips and scratches.

My original list of boards was:

Bote Rackham
Starboard Avanti
Sunova Surf 10'11"
Fanatic Fly 11'2"
Fanatic Ray WE 12'
JP Sportster Touring

All these boards are 32 wide or wider, all very stable and be stable for you at your size and you could even carry some cargo on them. I narrowed it down to the Ray and the Sportster and purchased the Sportster. I couldn't detect any difference in paddling the two boards so my decision came down to price and availability. I am thrilled with the JP, been freezing my butt off the last couple of days paddling with manatees in the IC. The board is so stable the thought of falling in never occurs. I tend to paddle slowly and take in the nature. On the sportster I'll take a few strokes and just glide watching birds and fish, it's great fun.

The Avanti, Sunova and Fly are large surf shapes. They work in flat water but don't have the glide that touring shape offers. If you're only considering one board and think you might want to surf it in small waves you should look this direction, if not, definitely go the touring shape route.

I'd recommend you message JimK on here. He owns Extreme Windsurfing in NJ but ships boards al over and offers Zoner deals. If you buy a Fanatic or JP from him, you can pick the board up from their respective warehouses in Miami which at a minimum, saves you the tax. Jim is also a big guy and knows big guy needs in a board.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
Wow tropicalyankee that's a lot to consider...... I had heard about the Bote boards being more "fragile"  vs others and asked around about that. The best answer I got regarding that came from a dealer in Dania Beach. These boards aren't like my rotomolded Kayak,  you can't run them up on the beach/shore and not expect some damage. As with anything that fiberglass if you drop something on it or bang into something your gonna get a ding or crack. He said the 2 best things to do are use a board bag for transportation and use the stake out poles when u get to your destination instead of beaching it. With the tackle rack I do see it being a spot where you might eventually get stress cracks but I can deal with that if it happens.

It sounds like you and I are very similar in our paddling ways.  I love gliding and checking out the fish and crabs and nature. I'll definitely look into those 2 boards you narrowed it down to. Ultimately I think for me I will end up with a bote just because of the features. They really really appeal to my needs and fit exactly what I am looking for. I'm really surprised more companies are offering similar features at the Botes...

BTW where do u paddle in the Keys?

Dave


 


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