Corran.. where can I find some standup 11,s and 12. in or near Ne, Pa??

[MarkLinn]

I can find them anywhere,,I have a Versa Board and a 34 '' wide Shubu,  but I think I like the idea of the long keel on the 11 and 12's  .

how do they handle class 3 ( specifically the Lehigh)  I love the VB stability but don't like how much water it holds in rapids,

I want some speed and tracking. My local rivres aren't really know for good Sup waves..but the same old rivers are way more fun standing up.!!  Thanks   

Tom at ARC has some stripped wizards.. but I would like some storage,

[MarkLinn]

any body else have a clue where to find one or both?

has any body had either the Imagine Standup 11 or 12 in WW ?

is he londg keel less catchy than fins?

[RaneXtreme]

I'm pretty sure that the Imagine Surf SU10, SU11, and SU12 boards are no longer available and have been replaced by the newer models (Surfer, Wizard, etc.)  I would recommend the RapidFire for river SUP.

I also have a couple SU10s and an SU11 and they work great in whitewater...I've had them in up to Class 3 rapids and never had any problem with the keel catching rocks.  The RapidFire is much better though for running rapids.

[MarkLinn]

thanks for the input,,  I  hate to be a pain but what do you feel make the Rapidfire better,, stability or manuverability..

I am guessing you give up some tracking especially w the fin off..( which I would have to have off)

[OhioSUP]

I have ran the rapidfire down the Lower Yough few times now with very few swims. Mostly from trying harder lines. The rapidfire stability is from the width and the forgiving edges. The board has a curved footing area that lets you hold your footing even when the board is on edge. I have went past 45deg and still managed to regain my balance. The other factor that makes the rapid fire so great for whitewater is the rocker. The bottom is very similar to a WW kayak. With out a skeg it still can be paddled with reasonable tracking. I used with and without the skeg, I liked it better without. For flat water I did use a 9in fin and it was not bad, about like the Surfer.

I have ran the old Imagine SUP 12 as well as the new Surfer Down WW. They are ok but if you want it for WW the rapidfire is the way to go. The surfer is nice if you have some surf waves. It does pretty good in the surf, better then the rapidfire.

The design of the rapidfire is also sold under the Emotion brand. I saw some at Riversport the other weekend.

[OhioSUP]

Rapidfire on lower Yough PA

[corran]

Stand Up 11 - there are a FEW here at this guys place.

Wildwood boards: 715 - 6173644

Otherwise I'd also recomend the rapidfire over anything else if the goal really is river running of class3 and so on...

if its class 1-2 then the wizard would also work, as does the surfer, so then it becomes a focus issue - what do you WANT to do when not in ww.

But IN ww, there is no question that its the best board going.

We also now have our new 5" WW rubber fins in stock for this board!!

Corran

[MarkLinn]

Thanks    to you both .. way to style Cucumber,,it's a goal of mine to Run The LY very soon on my Versaboard or maybe something smaller ..

The Lehigh has been pretty easy. a little tougher on the SHUBU

what's the highest ( and lowest ) water level you've run i the LY so far.  How was it at Swimmers, did it just want to side surf you?  what did you do at Dimple ?

Corrran how about a new design with a  auto retract skeg like The Versa board ( but a deeper drop with a longer line )

tracking gained but no tripping over it,,  maybe a 11 ft. long..pretty much a Rapid fire stretched out for  some speed,with the auto skeg.

[corran]

My experience with skegs like that is they are cool in the design shop, and fail in the field over time - unless its just easy rapids, eventually it'll drop, or you'll forget to retract it, break it... and then what.

We're also finding, like kayaks, that shorter is better in whitewater. That said I ahve been running the 11' Speeder in class 2 for fun.

Corran

[OhioSUP]

River was a low 1.5 and 1.7, Dimple was easy to catch but hard to get out of eddy once I caught the eddy. Easier then Cucumber. I could not of done it on a longer board.

Only one I went to knee on was Rivers End. I missed the eddy and hit the side wave.

Swimmers I ran the normal line down the left of the wave to get in line to surf. Surf was good, but when I fell off I just stood up and jumped back on board and in wave. again the shortness and rocker allow you to surf and not pearl the nose. I did throw the 5in rubber fin on during the surf to help carve, I forgot to take it off and kept hitting it and almost lost it. Again better with out fin in rapids.

As a kayak retailer, I try to avoid skegs, they almost always fail overtime. They work great when they are new, but people don't take care of them. Look at $$ too.

[MarkLinn]

Did the Lower Yock on a Yoloyak the other day after two trips down the Lehi with no trouble .

The LY at 1.66 made me think I would want a Rapidfire in the arsenal too..

I did catch the tail skeg more than once.  the lengthis nice though too..

Corran what do you think about sponsoring a local pioneer in WW Sup?? a couple of Radidfires could lead to 20 or more sales very quickly..