So I was starting to think about doing some more races that would require flying to get there...
being that the airlines wont ship a surfboad/SUP (they dont know the difference) larger than 10ft...
What are you supposed to do? Im no pro but how do all of the pros get thier boards to the races that they fly to?
Do you ship em? How am I supposed to get this 14ft thing everywhere?
How is everyone getting thier board down to Mexico for the Hennessey Championships?
cargo and freight shipping. your only option. i know for the ISA SUP games in Peru a few months ago you had to cargo your board down for the races as no airlines would take them. and it costs $$$$$$$$
•The ISA and Event Host strongly encourage all teams to research and coordinate necessary shipment of boards as soon as possible. Due to the restrictions with airlines, it is very likely that most boards will need to be cargo shipped well in advance of the event. Please look into options now!
that's why it's really only worth it IMO if you're a) rich, b) sponsored, c) guaranteed to win enough prize money to cover the expenses.
geez does that suck...
not related to thread but your handle is cracking me up and what the hell is wrong with that cat! :D
Ah man well there only seems to be one constant in the world of Surfing and now SUP, there are kooks, and then there are those who think they arent. So why fight it...
And that would be my son's dog, a Corgi, its crazy... as in crazy lazy... and the camera makes her possessed when we snap photos of her...
yayaeee!
Maybe the solution is to develop a "buddy system":
- agree with a SUPer in a faraway place
- each buy a spare board to lend the other(s)
Your money would be best invested in a spare board rather than being burned up in airlines fares...
You get a spare board for spouse, familiarly, friends, or when waiting for repairs...
Also, this way you can try boards: suppose you own a Naish, and you buddy owns a Fanatic. You buy a Fanatic, he buy a Naish, so both can try the other brand at home...
Or just buy spare boards and offer to rent them for races?
You're on to something Colas, boards are relatively cheap and last, freight is ridiculous and ephemeral. I bought a 18' Speedboard to leave on the East Coast for any future races I want to do there. In the meantime my brother and other family members can use it. My niece Jacqui is going to use it for the CCBC crossing in a few weeks.
One of my friends has a few extra motorcycles: One in Europe, one somewhere east of the Rockies, one in Africa. Again, they are relatively cheap, have some resale value, and are easy to store. He gets to go for great rides in places he hasn't been before, then finds a storage space close to an airport, adds preservative to the gas, plugs in a battery tender, and hops on an airplane home. Generally the only bikes you can rent are Harleys, and I'm not a Harley fan.
I always dislike the long rides getting to where you want to ride, and the long ride back over familiar terrain, so his plan sounded great to me. I kept a Yamaha FZ-1 in San Diego to ride with my buddy. After he died I rode it home to Portland and sold it. Total expense for owning it for three years was $2200. If my friend hadn't passed away I'd still have it and use it.
There's a guy on Maui--can't remember his name--that bought a few SIC boards that he rents out. Wouldn't take too many channel races for him to pay for the boards, and he rents them for downwinders and other races.
Might be a good opportunity for dealers as well, in any area that has a lot of races.
LOL...
Ok ok, who lives in San Diego?
Please go out and buy a new 14ft M&M board, so when I come out once maybe twice a year I can rent it from you...
I am surprised some enterprising person, who likes to travel, hasn't bought a bunch of boards to travel the circuit and rent to would be racers.
It's costly to do out of state events. Or for us in Hawaii we need to ship out boards and canoes via barge to other islands for the off island events... On top of wondering if our gear will make it in time. It has happened where the barge gets delayed and we don't get our stuff. Not ony that you need to get to your destination to before hand to accept your freight and ship it back when your done. A one day event on the weekend can turn into a 3 or 4 day ordeal. Logistics is a nightmare if your using a.canoe or unlimited class board. For themost part I know in Hawaii its possible to put a 12'6 board on a plane..... Sometimes.
When are they going to make 2 or 3 piece race board. I would love to get a 2 or 3 piece downwind board that way I could store it in my little apartment and put it in my car. It would make it so I could own a board like that. With my limited space it is just out of the question and I really want to get into doing downwinders, besides borrowing a board now and then.