Tropic Blends Sup "Kane" 10'6"x30"x4.25" @ 155 Liters

[Night Wing]

Since I sold my Hobie ATR-2 model 12'2"x32"x4.85" @ 238.5 liters  sup, I now have room in my garage for another sup to compliment my custom all carbon Hammer 8'11"x31"x4" @ 140 liters. My Hammer is designed for sup surfing, but I also use it for flat water paddling since I live 90 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. But I do more flat water paddling with my Hammer since I have two public lakes within 30 minutes drive time for me and my very small private subdivision lake where I live. Even though my Hammer is designed for sup surfing, with regards to flat water paddling, in order to travel in a straight line with my Hammer, I can paddle 6 strokes on one side and then I have to switch over to the other side for 6 paddle strokes and repeat.

My Hobie, for me, was unstable with me on it without any camping/fishing gear on it. Too much volume for me combined either boxy rails which made it feel "corky". My Hammer even though shorter in length, 1" narrower and much less volume feels very stable for me. I attribute this to less volume and thinned out rails.

I'm been thinking which means nothing is carved in granite even though I've got "that itch", of another sup in a 10'3"-10'6" length in a 30" width. I've got four problems. The first problem is I've never been on a 30" wide sup. The second problem is, I seem to like boards with thinned out rails and around 4.0"-4.2" in the thickest part of the sup. The third problem is, based on my Hammer, I like boards without large volumes of liters. I know the longer the length of a sup, the more volume in liters. The wider the sup, it's going to have more volume of liters. Since I'm 150 pounds at the moment (and 5'8" tall), I would like to have a board between 155-165 liters of volume. My fourth problem is, I like a quad +1 fin setup (5 fins in layman's terms). So I'm looking for a compromise between a production made sup and a custom made sup. In a 10' length I've always like the OLD Starboard Drive which was 10'5"x30"x4.1" @ 156 liters. The only drawback, it only came with a Thruster 2 +1 fin setup. Now the NEW 2017 Drive is 10'5"x31"x4.3" @ 173 liters with the same Thruster 2 +1 fin setup, but Starboard has lowered the rocker in the nose so it is geared toward sup surfing.

Based on the parameters I've set, it is hard to find a production made board for me. I know I can get Warren (WarDog) of SUP Sports to make a custom board (within reason) based on my parameters. So one of my choices is his production made Mahalo Shaka which is 10'x30"x4.4" @ 160 liters. Now comes the "within reason" part. I've been thinking of a custom built Mahalo Shaka with the specs of 10'6"x30"x4" but I don't know the liters of volume. I'm guessing adding 6" in length of the production made Shaka, that should add at least 6 more liters of volume so the custom Maholo Shaka I'm thinking on would be around 166 liters. By dropping the thickness from 4.4" to 4", that should drop the volume by 8 liters (guessing again). So 166 volumes of liters minus 8 volumes of liters gives me a "ball park" figure of 158  liters for a custom built Mahalo Shaka 10'6"x30"x4" with a quad + 1 fin setup.

Now, searching around on the internet for anything sup board related, I ran across a video with Katie Clack in it and this woman seems to be short in height and I'm guessing somewhere between 5'3"-5'5". In the demo she was using a Tropical Blends sup which was 10'4" in length. Why the width wasn't mentioned or the thickness wasn't mentioned or the liters of volume wasn't mentioned for this sup just escapes me. A person like me "needs details". Giving the length without all the other "important specs" is like giving me one piece of the puzzle when I need all the pieces to the puzzle.

So I found the Tropical Blends site and looked for a 10" model and I found the "Kane" model whose specs are 10'6"x30"x4.25" @ 155 liters which, in my opinion, perfect for me for a production made board and as a bonus, it comes standard with a quad +1 fin setup . And they also list a carbon built Kane as well. This company has been in business for the last 36 years from what I can gather. The link to the Kane model is below. Any comments, both pro and con on anything, not just the Kane model, are welcomed.

http://www.tropicalblendsurf.com/product/?id=237




 

[Badger]

This is the first I've heard of this brand. Sounds like a suntan lotion.

There is a video of the Kane here if you haven't already seen it.

https://vimeopro.com/user3973015/tropical-blends-hawaii-stand-up-paddle-boards/page/2

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[exiled]

Pat Rawson used to shape Sups for them before he partnered with Focus. I don't think he did that particular board, but when it comes to designing SUPs, Tropical Blends isn't just popping out generic china cruisers.

[Night Wing]

@Badger

I've already seen the video for the Kane. But I wanted to know more about how their non carbon boards are constructed. So I did a little more research and found this video on how Tropical Blends builds their boards.

[Zooport]

Night Wing, it looks to me like there is nothing wrong with those boards.  According to their vids, they appear to be more durable than average.  So, if it fits the parameters you have in mind, I expect you will probably be safe in buying one.  However you might miss that extra inch in width. 

From the cross-section, it looks like the deck is pretty flat, so the board should be reasonably stable.  That could be your complaint with the Hobie; it may have been a domed deck which turns easier but makes the board more tippy.  Volume does not make a board tippy, but a domed deck will make you feel like balancing on a tight wire high off the water.


.

[BrownSugah]

C4 waterman has a couple great options for what i think you are looking for

check out this video and also their C4 waterman TenThirty. both have a really great "crossover " feel and can be paddled in flat with gear it has  tie downs but can also be surfed without feeling awkward and corky the liters in these boards are placed in just the right spots and the shapes are tried and true

[Night Wing]

However you might miss that extra inch in width.

At 150 pounds and only 5'8" tall, I'm a skinny guy since I've got a small skeletal frame. My normal weight is 145 pounds and I can feel that extra 5 pounds I'm carrying right now because of all the food I pigged out on during the holidays from Thanksgiving to New Years. And since I'm only 5'8" tall, my center of gravity is lower than most most males.

I might not miss that one inch, going from 31" to 30". Since I've been paddling my 8'11"x31" Hammer a lot on flat water, quite a few times my Hammer has felt "too wide". I have to lean over more than I like to put my paddle in the water so the paddle shaft entering the water is straight up at a 90 degree vertical angle. I'm thinking my paddling form has improved from when I first paddled my Hammer on flat water. This is why I've been looking at a 30" wide sup.

[Fog City Rider]

It's too bad you don't live near a shop with a demo fleet & knowledgable staff.  It seems like the parameters you've set are based on a limited frame of reference (i.e. experience).  It'd be great for you to try various boards of different length/width/style.   

Zooport is 100% correct about the Hobie.  It's not the volume or thick rails that make it unstable for you.  Volume and thick rails = stability in most cases, not the other way around.  It's probably the volume distribution that makes it feel corky for you.  I'm familiar with that board, the volume is packed in the middle and then domes down considerably in the rails.  The result is that it surfs well for its size, but feels less stable.

Put a guy like you on a lightweight 12'6 board with a cutting bow at around 28" wide, and man I think you'd be blown away by how many strokes you take on each side before switching. 

Not to mention w/ paddle technique and practice, you can paddle forever on the same side regardless of your board's length.  It's called the canted forward stroke, and it's a game changer.
 

 

[Zooport]

However you might miss that extra inch in width.

At 150 pounds and only 5'8" tall, I'm a skinny guy since I've got a small skeletal frame. My normal weight is 145 pounds and I can feel that extra 5 pounds I'm carrying right now because of all the food I pigged out on during the holidays from Thanksgiving to New Years. And since I'm only 5'8" tall, my center of gravity is lower than most most males.

I might not miss that one inch, going from 31" to 30". Since I've been paddling my 8'11"x31" Hammer a lot on flat water, quite a few times my Hammer has felt "too wide". I have to lean over more than I like to put my paddle in the water so the paddle shaft entering the water is straight up at a 90 degree vertical angle. I'm thinking my paddling form has improved from when I first paddled my Hammer on flat water. This is why I've been looking at a 30" wide sup.

Then you are probably good to go. 

[Night Wing]

@253SUP808

I took a look at the Ten Thirty at the link below.

https://c4waterman.com/BoardDetails.aspx?id=32

The only drawback for me is it only has a Thruster 2 +1 fin setup. I really, really like a Quad + 1 fin setup. But it is only 10' in length too. My gut feeling is "go longer in length". I'll tell you why.

When I was into sit on top (sot) saltwater kayak fishing, the rage back in 2004 was a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140. The Tarpon was 14'x28". I bought one, but it just never felt right for me. When I got caught off shore in a very fast moving thunderstorm about 2 miles from the beach, it took me a long time to get back to the beach because the waves were coming at me from broadside.

I went back to my local kayak dealer and explained to him what had happened to me. He told me you just might need a longer and narrower yak. I asked him point blank, "What do YOU paddle"? He told me he paddled an old Ocean Kayak discontinued model named the Scupper Pro. It was 14'2"x26". He asked me if I wanted to demo it. I jumped at the chance to demo it. While demoing it, I fell a love with it because it was 10 pounds lighter in physical weight than my Tarpon 140, but it so easy to turn. That 2" narrower width was a big help too.

Since it was a discontinued model, I asked him is there sot yak which was comparable to his Scupper Pro (SC). He told me Ocean Kayak came out with an improved version of the SC name the Scupper Pro TW (SPTW). The SPTW was 14'9"x26". I bought one and it was my go to yak for everything. Much faster than my Tarpon 140 and even though it was 14'9" in length, it was very easy to turn and could handle very large waves since the sitting depth of the seat was 7.25". With a deep seating depth, it gave me a much lower center of gravity than my Tarpon 140 since the T-140 was only 3" in seating depth. When I was paddling my SPTW, even though it was a sit on top (sot) yak, it felt like I was paddling a sit inside yak (sink). I paddled my SPTW for 12 years before my back started giving me problems and I was forced to sell her in 2016.
 
This is why I thinking of getting another sup that is just a little longer than 10' because of what I learned from my days with longer and narrower yaks.

BTW, I bought my SPTW for $799 back in 2004, but since she was always garage kept and was wiped down with 303 Protectant twice a year to keep the plastic from getting brittle and there were just a few not deep scratches on her, when I sold her, I sold it to a man who was specifically looking for a SPTW. When I placed the ad to sell my SPTW, it was "make me an offer". A man called me up and wanted to see my SPTW and he had done his homework too. Since I had the paperwork on her, he knew I paid $799 for it back in 2004. He told me it was a 2004 model and he knew it was one of best designed sot yaks of all time. After looking her over in my garage, he wanted to demo it so we took the yak down to my subdivision lake where he paddled it for two hours while I sat on the bank and fished for catfish.

After two hours, he pulled the yak out of the water and up on the soft grass and opened the storage hatch which led to the inside of the hull of the yak. The inside of the yak was "bone dry" so no leaks in the scupper tubes. He then asked me if I was "really" sure I wanted to sell this old discontinued classic. I told him yes and told him I had some back problems. Since he knew I paid $799 and he also loved the excellent condition it was in given it was 12 years old, he asked me if I would take $750 for her. I was stunned and asked him if he was kidding me since I reiterated it was 12 years old. He told he wasn't kidding and he would take as good of care of the SPTW as I did. I said we have a deal and we shook hands. He paid me the money in cash and I helped him load the yak onto the roof racks, which were covered by soft roof pads, on the cab of his truck. And then he drove back to his home somewhere in Galveston, Texas.

[Night Wing]

It's too bad you don't live near a shop with a demo fleet & knowledgable staff.  It seems like the parameters you've set are based on a limited frame of reference (i.e. experience).  It'd be great for you to try various boards of different length/width/style.

Put a guy like you on a lightweight 12'6 board with a cutting bow at around 28" wide, and man I think you'd be blown away by how many strokes you take on each side before switching. 

Not to mention w/ paddle technique and practice, you can paddle forever on the same side regardless of your board's length.  It's called the canted forward stroke, and it's a game changer.

I do like short boards and I do paddle my short Hammer 8'11"x31" quite well when it comes to paddling a straight line on flat water. I'm sort of set on something around the 10'6" length and 30" in width. Why? I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I'll be 67 next month and with a "little" back problem, I'm not as flexible as I once was when I was in my 20's and 30's. My gut feeling is telling me I should stick to the 30" width.

[JimK]

Night Wing,

We can set you up with a custom 10'6 SUNOVA at a killer good price on an amazing board

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing

[Zooport]

Night Wing,

We can set you up with a custom 10'6 SUNOVA at a killer good price on an amazing board

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing

JimK is the real deal.  You will not regret buying from him. 

[Night Wing]

@JimK

I've been on the Sunova site. Sunova is a very good board. However there are some things which I'm not a fan of. One is the sup lift handle. That's a no-no for me. The second is, I like a Quad +1 fin setup and most of the long length Sunova sups are a Thruster 2 + 1 fin setup. The third thing is, some of those models have a domed deck and a domed deck is something I don't care for. A domed deck gives me the feeling my legs are bow-legged.

I do appreciate the offer though.

[yugi]

In matters of going in a straight line mostly it’s the rider. So look into stuff like this…
   http://tinyurl.com/zlnj8jb

Note that a wider board is a hassle in that respect. Also note that at you weight, if you add the two basic skills: balance and paddling, you could/should be progressing to a narrower board which makes the whole “going straight” thing a lot easier.

Just some stuff to think about.