Messages

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Sessions / Re: Tour of Vancouver, BC - False Creek to Wreck Beach to Science World - 30km

« on: May 21, 2020, 02:55:08 PM »

Thanks! It was really nice out on Monday for sure. I was spent by the end of the day. I aimed to achieve 30km by the end of the summer, but seeing I did it already I'll now aim for a marathon 42.2km paddle.

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Sessions / Tour of Vancouver, BC - False Creek to Wreck Beach to Science World - 30km

« on: May 21, 2020, 12:59:15 PM »

On Victoria Day 2020 I launched my paddleboard from Burrard Marina with the goal to visit Wreck Beach and Science World for total tour of 30.7km, 6 hours and 38 minutes.

Along the way I stopped by Jericho Sailing Centre, Spanish Banks, Sunset Beach, Granville Island and other Vancouver sights.

I paddled with my 2017 Red Paddle Explorer 12'6".

Day was just about perfect for this tour, with westerly winds topping at 15kph. Still it was quite a workout to handle the headwinds and crosswinds.

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Gear Talk / Re: Red Paddle 2017 Explorer 12'6" long term review

« on: May 21, 2020, 09:34:15 AM »

Hi Julian thanks for your feedback. While on the water I had no issues with the screwless fin. It only popped out or got loose when beaching or docking.

In your experience, do the cuts on the underside that penetrate the green outermost layer of pvc and into the second white layer, are they worrisome or are there more layers underneath?

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Gear Talk / Red Paddle 2017 Explorer 12'6" long term review

« on: May 20, 2020, 03:40:54 PM »

Hi all, I prepared this video to check up on my touring board after 2 years of use. As mentioned in other threads, I haven't treated my board particularly gently.

tl,dr: the board is in great shape still. There are 4 small cuts that penetrate the outermost green layer on the underside and which I'll patch as preventative measure. All hardware and glues are perfect. The front fin shows signs of sanding which corresponds to the way I take the board out of the surf on the beach. The FCS II Connect screwless fin sucks and I replaced it with screwed-in fin.

Lessons learned: take it easier when beaching the board / minimize dragging and pivoting on the sand. Be more careful when docking and watch out for barnacles. Rinse the board after every use (especially in salt water).

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SUP General / Re: effects and repairability of beaching a loaded touring hardboard

« on: May 17, 2020, 10:12:57 PM »

Hi all and thanks for your responses. Great insight from everyone. I'm still working to optimize the balance between board performance, durability, ease of maintenance, storage logistics and ergonomics while in day/multiday touring use. (Just to acknowledge, I'm fully aware this is a Type I first world problem and I'm loving every second of it hehe).

I lurked a bit on kayaking and canoeing forum to see how they've dealt with this same scenario. The usual suspect of helicopter tape is one of their solutions. However, there's another neat solution that could be easily adapted to touring paddleboards.

Keeleazy https://www.keeleazy.com/: 1/32" thick PVC in rolls of 2", 3" or 4".

review: https://www.paddlinglight.com/reviews/initial-keeleazy-review-an-easy-to-apply-kayak-keel-strip/
installation:
removal: (note, it's messy to remove, but it doesn't look difficult. The only concern is ensuring the right solvent is used for the particular paddleboard material)

I see a few potential uses:
- as a more resistant rail guard,
-as a bow underside sacrificial layer for when beaching the bow, stepping down and their pivoting the stern of the board out of the water.
- and to protect the deck from the gear I carry, specifically the anchor.

I'll do more research into long term use, abrasion resistance and replacement. But so far it looks promising (the only ones complaining about it are whitewater kayakers, and I'm clear my paddleboard will never ever see such conditions).

Another solution for the bow underside, and may as well be for the entire wetted surface is 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection. It's pretty much the same material, application and removal as the helicopter tape. Only difference is thickness difference (helicopter tape comes in 14 to 8 thou, car bra is 6 thou).

After my paddle today I did my first inspection of the board (should have done much more sooner and regularly). The results were interesting and I will post the video once I edit it. Tl,dr: the Red board has taken it like a champ and the bow underside is surprisingly in good shape. however, the bow fin shows clear signs of sanding, indicating it has acted as the sacrificial layer when I've pivoted the board out of the water from the stern grab handle.

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SUP General / Re: effects and repairability of beaching a loaded touring hardboard

« on: May 16, 2020, 10:49:54 PM »

Thanks for sharing this great documentary! If anything, forget about gear and just take care of your nipples haha! Joke aside what an amazing feat of perseverance and teamwork, congratulations to Will Schmidt and his crew.

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SUP General / Re: effects and repairability of beaching a loaded touring hardboard

« on: May 16, 2020, 04:00:41 PM »

Thanks PonoBill that's the kind of insight from experienced paddles I'm looking for (even more from those with a proven ability to break shit hehe). I hadn't considered using the fin instead of the whole board to help carry it to shore. Much cheaper to maintain and eventually replace a fin.

For me it's not about keeping the board pretty or aesthetical, it's purely about maintaining structural integrity. Since I've never dealt with fiberglass in paddleboards I don't know how it behaves (and I want to learn as much as I can from others before I pay to gain my own experience).

Looking forward to those photos. If you can take a photo of the underside of the bow that'll help me understand what a "normally" used bow looks like. Thanks!

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SUP General / effects and repairability of beaching a loaded touring hardboard

« on: May 16, 2020, 02:44:28 PM »

Hello again and thanks for your responses to my first thread.

When you're touring on a hardboard, do you offload all the gear to then take the board out of the water and place it on the beach / rocks / whatever is there where you're beaching?

Or is a short drag from the surf to the beach innocuous enough to the bottom of the board? I believe this would generate some superficial damage of course, but would it affect the structural integrity of the bottom?

Also, is this superficial "sanding" repairable with those epoxy kits?

I'm still trying to understand the logistics for operating a hardboard on day/multiday tours. If even a 1-5 meter drag to get a loaded hardboard out of the water is considered too risky, then I can't see how a hardboard can be better than an inflatable for this situation. This is, the inflatable penalty of reduced on-water performance is more than offset by the praticality of not having to worry about inflicting non-repairable damage to the board at every single getting-on-shore event.

On the other hand, with a hardboard if I can drag the board out loaded and not be concerned about structural damage, and then once a year do a minor superficial repair work then that's acceptable.

I'll appreciate your feedback on how you get on and off the water with a loaded hardboard. Thanks again!

9

SUP General / Re: Introduction: BC based looking for advice on next fitness / day touring board

« on: May 16, 2020, 12:15:04 AM »

I did check with the Naish rep up in Squamish for the Touring and Maliko and their pricing is up with the other racing boards.

They have 11’6" Glides though if anyone is interested.

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SUP General / Re: Introduction: BC based looking for advice on next fitness / day touring board

« on: May 15, 2020, 12:25:31 PM »

Thanks for all your replies and the good points raised.

I can't do much about shading the rack in the marina, but I can improve my storage logistic with the tarp.

I'm thinking that drying out the board with a towel after each use, then placing several cloth bags of kitty litter within the double-layered tarp (silver color on both sides) would help mitigate the efects of high temperature, UV exposure and humidity.

14' seems the way to go. I'm checking out the facebook group mentioned above.

Based on your comments it seems the Sunova Expedition and the Boardworks Great Bear will be good options.

Now on to budgeting and optimizing logistics....

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SUP General / Re: Introduction: BC based looking for advice on next fitness / day touring board

« on: May 14, 2020, 10:37:35 PM »

Hi Robon, thanks for your response.

Your response, and having spent the evening enjoying Bert Burger's tech videos at https://sunovasurfboards.com/en/technology are strongly swaying me towards Sunova, and your exact board in particular (as recommended by Norm as well).

How much does your 14'x28.5" weigh?

Budget is my biggest concern, but if it lasts me for several years of responsible use (eg more careful with the beachings and anchor raise) I can justify the ROI (that's what I'd tell myself to sleep at night).

My other concern is storage, because it'd have to sit outside year round (even if properly wrapped under a heavy duty tarp). Would our Lower Mainland winters affect the board?

Thanks again!

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SUP General / Re: Introduction: BC based looking for advice on next fitness / day touring board

« on: May 14, 2020, 07:35:55 PM »

Thanks for those suggestions. I'll go check them out.

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SUP General / Introduction: BC based looking for advice on next fitness / day touring board

« on: May 14, 2020, 04:53:37 PM »

Hello everyone, and mods thanks for accepting my invitation.

I started paddling in 2018 in the Northern Alberta lakes. I'm now in Vancouver, still paddling my 2017 Red Explorer 12'6". Trusty, reliable board. I feel it's my SUV on the water.

Now that I got an outside rack to store my board in a local marina I've started to consider getting a second board to augment my options. I don't surf at all, but what little downwinding I've done has been lots of fun. I'm mostly a day long tourer (5-30km days) mixing flat water with whatever chop the afternoon winds bring. I thought about getting a faster tourer, then a race board, and now back to a fast tourer after ranking my priorities:

1. safety: Now that I'm paddling in more open water I've been thinking more about safety. Even though my Red board is quite durable, I still risk a tiny chance of getting a puncture in the middle of cold water.

2. durability / ruggedness: I don't treat my Red carefully because I know it can take it no problems. I scrape my paddle ocassionally, I bang my anchor against the bottom or rail when raising it, I load it with bags, bottles etc. I beach my board, lean it against the pavement with storing it, bump it against docks. Can any hardboard take this level of punishment? Or must all hardboards need to be pampered? I've read about rail tape, how much does it help?

3. ease of storage: I'll be storing my next board in the racks in the marina, I'll hose the board down after each use and cover it with a DYI tarp. I have no option to store my board anywhere else (if I go for a hardboard that is)

4. stability / speed: The 12'6" Explorer has treated me well, but I feel I'm outgrowing its speed and upwind abilities.

So for upgrades I've considered the following based on local vendor availability and support:

Inflatables:

-Red 13'2" Voyager with the RSS battens (I know and trust the brand, but there's no redundant floatation and it's not that longer than my Explorer)

- Starboard 14' Touring inflatable with double chambers (longer, stiffer, laden with features I'll use, but concerned about first-year production run of their new woven dropstitch)

Hardboards:

-Starboard Generation 12'6" x 28": new design that checks a lot of my boxes for performance, Wrice point I can seriously consider. would it last according to my usage?

-Boardworks Raven or Great Bear (if I stretch my budget a lot)

- Sunova Eco Expedition Norm Hamm edition (if I break my budget and YOLO it)

I'll appreciate your feedback on these options or any other.

Thanks and stay safe!

ps: attached my typical load for a day tour