Standing Up For Whitewater Race Boards

[Bradley]

I just wrote some thoughts on whitewater racing, open to discussion!
http://bradleysup.weebly.com/1/post/2013/09/standing-up-for-whitewater-race-boards.html


       As my first season of SUP racing wraps up, I'd like to comment on our river race scene here in Colorado.  We are the epicenter of whitewater stand up paddling, and therefore the gear we use is a reflection of what the river SUP community is looking to for leading edge equipment.  Until recently, the boards used in river races were primarily 10'-11' surf shape inflatables, or longer open ocean race boards, often made of a light but fragile carbon fiber or epoxy.  Obviously, the ocean boards dominated the podiums due to pure speed. 
   The conflict lies here, where the majority of paddlers, and even racers cannot and will not come close to a river with a carbon fiber board.  It's not a realistic venture unless one is receiving sponsorship in which the board is not a large personal investment.  For the record, I have nothing but respect and admiration for the athletes and pioneers of our sport who've been paddling ocean race boards in the river over the last 5 years.  I just think it's time to level the playing field slightly and create yet another niche stand up paddle board; the whitewater race board. 
   These boards could be constructed as an inflatable, or as a hard board that will withstand the typical wrath of the riverbed. 
   My current race board is the Hala Nass inflatable, which is specifically designed for river racing and touring.   This board excels in moving very quickly through class II – III whitewater.  At 31" wide, it is narrower than most river inflatables, but still plenty stable underfoot.  It tapers to a turned-up nose cone in the front, and to a turned-up squash tail in the back.  The key to the Nass's stability in whitewater is in the front 3rd of the board.  It's doesn't taper too quickly, leaving some width and therefore accessible stability when paddling into rapids.  This allows me to paddle forward aggressively even when in the trough of a large wave train.  At 6" thick and pumped to 15psi, in class I water it stays flat and speedy, with minimal energy being wasted on board flex. 
   As a first time racer, I placed well on the Nass this summer, taking 10th in the Vail Mountain Games downriver race (among the best athletes in whitewater SUP), and 1st in the Gore SUP race on the Upper Colorado River.  In both races, I beat out carbon fiber ocean race boards. 
   I encourage my fellow paddlers and enthusiasts to join this movement.  Let's further legitimize whitewater racing by developing niche boards that are fast, but most importantly, safe and affordable.

Aloha,
Bradley Hilton   

[cnski]

I think you lost us on Colorado being the "epicenter".

[river]

I completely agree and have been pushing Race Directors to adopt a rule to limit length to something like 11' for downriver and sup cross.  Carbon and open water race boards don't belong on the river IMO.  Yes we can all paddle them just fine and go fast, but its not promoting the sport to recreational paddlers and certainly doesn't help the shops.  Maybe we can all push the similar size for 2014 and beyond to make a unified standard for WW SUP racing in every epicenter around the world. 

[Bradley]

River thank you for the reply.  All racers can do their part by sporting river specific boards in their next race!

[SteamboatBORN]

I use the Hala Atcha for the river and could not be more pleased, for speed I would def go with the Nass on the river. They are bomb proof and super easy to move around.