Author Topic: First timers help  (Read 1468 times)

Jbrady5555

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 23
    • View Profile
    • Email
First timers help
« on: May 27, 2016, 06:35:28 PM »
Hello folks! My wife and myself are wanting paddleboard to go along with our kayaks. I'm trying to find quality boards that we won't out grow quickly. I'm not one for "starter" stuff that I'll regret later. I found a decent board on craigslist. It's a 14'x27"x5.5" GUSU board out of destin, fl, not sure if yall heard of them. I talked to the lady that owns it and she said they told her it wouldn't do well for anyone over 190lbs. That rules me out but my wife is only 130lbs. My question is how much tougher on a first time user will it be to learn on a long narrow board like this? I know it may not be ideal but it will be nice for her to have something that moves the way I'm sure this board will in the water. I paddle a chesapeake 17 ft kayak with a 24" beam and I know how much less effort it takes to move it across a rough bay vs a 30" hobie. I'm assuming the same for a paddleboard and I'm sure you guys will correct me if I'm wrong. We will mostly be playing at the beach but there will be some bay crossings here in panama city to shell island and crooked island. All crossings less than or right at a mile. I do want us to be able to do some cruising though. I can do 5 miles in my yak effortlessly with no soreness. What kind of range can I expect to have on a SUP? Is a 5 mile cruise considered a long trip or just a walk in the park? Thanks for any info.

Area 10

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 4057
    • View Profile
Re: First timers help
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2016, 02:47:20 AM »
You need to go and try some boards before buying. People differ widely in their abilities. 14x27 should be ok for both of you with a bit of practice, but it may take you a while to get there. Or maybe not. It depends on how fit you are and how determined you are.

Most semi-serious paddlers would easily paddle 5 miles every time they go out. Most people would think about it in terms of time and effort rather than distance because it all depends on the weather. 2 hours upwind at 85% more of max heart rate would be a decent workout for most people, but 2 hours pootling around in flat water with your heart barely over 100 should be possible even for quite sedentary people. A good paddler will cover 10 miles in 2 hours. A bad one who is out of shape in windless conditions will cover about 5 or 6, assuming they can balance that long.

Go try a few boards before you splash the cash. You'll be glad you did.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2016, 02:49:20 AM by Area 10 »

Ichabod Spoonbill

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2174
  • Hudson Valley, NY
    • View Profile
    • HVH2O
    • Email
Re: First timers help
« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2016, 04:12:13 AM »
I took a gander at this GUSU boards, and they don't seem like a bad choice considering you want something you won't immediately outgrow. As Area 10 said, these would take a bit of practice, but if you're will to do that, fine.

Another thing to consider, which is that you might not outgrow the “beginner board” as quickly as you think. Most people start off with some sort of all-around board, about 10'-11' long and 30 or so inches. These “starter” boards are actually pretty versatile because not only can you do paddle distance on them, but you can take them surfing. these are also great platforms to practice board skills like stepping and pivot turns. Even if you're going to want something faster at some point — most of us do — it's not so bad to have an all-around board in your quiver. Even when you do outgrow it, it's a great loner board.

I just took my all-around board out the other day. This was my very first board. It's great for casual paddling. The bigger boards can be a shlep. Not as bad as a kayak, but they are big. If you get an all-around with some tie-downs like the Bic or NSP models, you'll have a versatile board you might keep forever.

I spent some time with this issue in this article:

http://supexaminer.com/2016/03/how-to-identify-the-characteristics-of-an-all-around-board/#.V0rM4FdtZFI

But you've got to decide what you want. If you still want to go for the race board, maybe you could rent something wider for a week? That way you can build some balancing and stroke skills before you get on the narrower platform.
Pau Hana 11' Big EZ Ricochet (Beluga)

Quickbeam

  • Teahupoo Status
  • ******
  • Posts: 1128
    • View Profile
Re: First timers help
« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2016, 08:09:33 AM »
I also come from a kayaking background and because of some back problems have moved over to paddle boards. I can’t measure in terms of miles, but I think generally speaking distance in a kayak will take much less effort than distance on a paddle board.

As for what type of board to buy, I had much the same attitude as you re buying “starter stuff”. With my very first kayak I did a ton of research and bought my wife and I a couple of recreation kayaks. We had those about a month before I sold them. They were stable, but were barges to paddle. After we sold them I went out and bought two sea kayaks and never looked back. They are gorgeous boats that we still have to this day. But having said this, I think it is somewhat different with paddle boards.

I’m not suggesting you necessarily get a “starter board”, but I do think it would be wise to get something you are at least stable enough on that you can learn things like pivot turns, etc. When I was buying my first board I read a good piece of advice somewhere that said something like if you can’t stand on the board you’re not going to learn anything.

Probably the best piece of advice would be sure to try before you buy.

Good luck with your search and please let us know how you make out.
Infinity Blackfish 12’ 6” x 23”
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 24”
Infinity Whiplash 12' 6" x 24 1/2"
ONE SUP Evo 12’ 6” x 26”
Bark Competitor 12’ 6” x 29”
Red Paddle Explorer (Inflatable) 13' 2" x 30
Starboard Airline (Inflatable) 12’ 6” x 27

Eagle

  • Cortez Bank Status
  • *****
  • Posts: 2426
    • View Profile
Re: First timers help
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2016, 11:11:17 AM »
It is generally a fair bit tougher for a first timer to paddle a long narrow board unless your wife has reasonable balance.  Some easily get up and go - and some have major problems.

If your wife has ok balance then a 27 should be fine for flatter conditions - but if it gets rough - that same 27 may become a handful.  With practice and perseverance however - she will probably get better.  For instance my wife on a 27.5 was very unstable at first - but after a year of time on the water she was fine.  What allowed her to progress with solid technique was a wider board that made paddling easier and more fun.  We still use that 30 wide board when paddling over longer distances in the ocean.  It is a very efficient pintail shape - so it is relatively fast and efficient in rough waters.

We mostly paddle 2 to 12 miles depending on the wind and ocean conditions - and often paddle 5 miles without any soreness.  We are recreational paddlers but sometimes paddle with sponsored riders.

If you can test that CL board before buying your wife will know immediately if she can grow into it.  Two of our boards are CL boards and two of them are demo boards.  The most important key for us was testing each shape on the water beforehand.   ;)
Fast is FUN!   8)
Dominator - Touring Pintail - Bullet V2 - M14 - AS23

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal