Messages

1

Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: May 23, 2021, 11:24:16 PM »

Now that I’ve been out on the water a dozen times on the new board, I thought I would post an update to give some closure to the thread I started.

In a nutshell, the new board is exactly what I was looking for in a fast, flat water board. So kudos to the forum. The fact that I could buy a board online and have it actually meet my expectations on the water speaks volumes to the helpful advise, recommendations and insight I received from this forum. I think that’s especially true given that I'm fairly new to the sport, my inflatable is the only board I’ve ever paddled and I didn’t have the luxury of demoing any boards. So thanks again! 

And now that I have some sessions under my belt, I can confidently say that this board isn’t too unstable for me.  Which was a major concern when I was considering what to buy. That fear of going to small. Happily, I can go out and paddle for a couple of hours, no problems. My legs aren’t exhausted from trying to balance and I haven’t been falling in when boats go by. So that all seems pretty good.       

Along with a new board, I also replaced my broken paddle with a significant upgrade this winter - a Ke Nalu Mana paddle. And since I now have to carry a paddle board on top of my vehicle, I had to get a roof rack and decided on a SUP carrier from LockRack. It’s awesome and I’m loving how easy it has made transporting my board to the lake.

Anyway, that's the update. Happy paddling!

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Gear Talk / Re: Experience with Yakima SupDawg?

« on: May 01, 2021, 09:15:24 PM »

+1 for LockRack. I bought their Single SUP carrier last month and have used it to take my new 14x25 carbon fiber board to the lake several times. The LockRack holds my board securely, it's a simple and fast operation to get the board loaded and unloaded, protects the rails, and I'm no longer concerned a gust of wind will catch my board and toss it to the ground while I'm dealing with straps. Initially I had tried using some simple velcro pads and straps to transport my board but quickly found it took too long to load the board and it never felt super secure. The LockRack carrier was a big improvement for me.

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Gear Talk / Re: Advice on board damage

« on: February 03, 2021, 10:31:56 PM »

Thanks sflinux. Weighing it occasionally to see if it's taking on water is a good idea. You can't really tell from the pictures in my initial post but the second scratch doesn't go below the pad. I've included a close-up picture of that area since that's come up a couple of times. 

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Gear Talk / Re: Advice on board damage

« on: February 01, 2021, 08:07:51 PM »

Thanks for the detailed explanation PonoBill. I felt better about approaching the job after reading it.

But happily I won't need to repair it myself. After calling about a half a dozen marine and bike shops I finally found somebody who repairs carbon fiber bikes - and on rare occasion, paddle boards. The trick was talking to the bike shops (many high end bicycles are built with carbon fiber). Most of the bike shops don't do carbon fiber repairs - but one of them did.  The original estimate by SupSimcoe for the repair work was pretty close to what they independently quoted me for the repair, so good job SupSimcoe.

I'll be able to get it repaired professionally and be able to hit the water with confidence as soon as it gets warm enough to paddle. Very happy about the way that turned out!

I would like to say think you for everybody who provided me with advice. I was pretty sure I was not going to find somebody local who could do this work and I didn't really have a clue what it would have cost. With the advice I was given here, I was feeling pretty good about the damage assessment and how to go about fixing it myself. Without this forum, I wouldn't have had either. So thank you.

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Gear Talk / Re: Advice on board damage

« on: January 31, 2021, 11:22:06 AM »

Okay, I’ll let the insurance folks know it’s about $500 to repair the damage and match the metallic paint.

If I can get it repaired professionally in my area, I'll probably do that but I doubt that's going to be an option because there aren’t any SUP or surf shops in my area. Possibly a bike or marine shop can do it but doubtful.

Alternatively, the options for fixing it myself are:
  1) Repair the impact point and the scratches using Gorilla glue, epoxy/CF cloth, etc.. And then slap a cool stick over it. 
  2) Do a PonoBill type fix and just slap aluminum tape on it as a temporary fix. Since it isn’t structural damage this should work, right? And this would still give me the option to remove the tape and a proper repair in the future. Maybe at the end of the paddling season when it's still warm enough to work with epoxy in my garage. I'll probably acquire another ding or scratch by then anyway. 

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Gear Talk / Advice on board damage

« on: January 30, 2021, 12:42:25 PM »

My new board (Jimmy Lewis U-Boat) was damaged during shipping and I need to discuss with the shop what is reasonable compensation for the damage.  The board was insured and I noted the damage on the Bill of Laden when I accepted delivery so any reasonable cost to repair it should be covered. What I need is some insight into the extent of the damage and what would reasonable compensation.   The big question in my mind is whether it needs to be repaired or if it's really just cosmetic. And if it needs repairing, what's the best way to go about it.
 
Here’s some pictures of the board. Any insight and suggestions on how best to repair it would be great.

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Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: January 29, 2021, 09:17:30 PM »

Thanks for the encouragement everybody. I'm pretty stoked about it. The Jimmy Lewis reputation was definitely a factor in selecting it. And it sure is a pretty thing. Pictures don't do it justice.

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Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: January 28, 2021, 09:03:40 PM »

I did it! I decided to pull the trigger and get a Jimmy Lewis U-Boat.

It was delivered today and other than a scratch on the top, it survived the journey surprisingly well. I would love to take it out on the water but unfortunately, it won’t be warm enough until March or April. I'm really curious to find out how different it paddles compared to my inflatable 11' and whether I went too narrow or not. I don't think I did since I paddle in pretty flat water but guess I'll have to wait a few months to find out. I didn’t see many reviews about the U-boat so after I’ve had a chance to paddle it a bit I'll post a review. 

Here are the specs for my board:
  - Year: 2018
  - Dimensions: 14’ x 25”
  - Volume: 271 liters
  - Weight: 23.6 lbs
  - Tail width: 11.25”
  - Hull Bottom: Flat with a slight concave down the middle

And here are some pictures of it.

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Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: January 17, 2021, 10:17:33 AM »

At this point, it's likely that I'll order a Jimmy Lewis 2018 U-boat 14 x 25 next week. It's a flat water racing board, lightweight, has a flat deck, is a full PVC sandwich construction from the Kinetic factory and it fits my budget. While I haven't seen many reviews or posts about the U-boat in recent years, the ones that I have seen are very positive. And of course Jimmy Lewis boards have a great reputation in general.

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Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: January 14, 2021, 09:42:05 PM »

Bulky and CMP_SRF: Thanks for your input. I agree. I started out looking at only 14’ boards but over time expanded it to include some 12’6 boards because I figured they could still meet my needs, are lighter and I initially found more of them that fit my budget. I've been favoring the Whiplash and I did make an offer on a used 14’ Whiplash recently but it got sold to somebody else. If another pops up that I can get for under $2K, I'll probably get it. Meanwhile, there’s a 14’ Edge 2.0 and the U-Boat that will fit my budget and probably my needs. Unless there isn't.  I've discovered that until you call and confirm they actually have the board in inventory and can lay eyes on it, it's best not to get your hopes up. Inventories on web sites are not always accurate!

Your words about repairs not being too difficult echoes what others have told me. Really good to hear since I'm sure that's in my future at some point.

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Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: January 14, 2021, 01:35:02 AM »

I've been sitting back lazily watching for SUP sales for a few months. Figure it's time to start getting serious about buying a board before the weather warms up.

To recap my situation, I’m 61, 160 lbs and I paddle for fitness at a small local lake, typically on very flat water with little boat traffic.  I’ve paddled for two seasons and now I’m looking to upgrade from my Red Paddle 11x30 Sport to something that glides better, goes faster and is just more fun.



Here’s the boards that I currently have my eye on. Any thoughts about them would be appreciated.

2021 12’6 x 28 Starboard Waterline (Lite tech): Initially I looked at the 14x28 but dropped it when I saw it was 32 lbs. I’ll happily sacrifice a little potential speed for a board that is easier to carry around. This board is the least expensive of the bunch and seems to check off all the boxes. The two thing I don’t like about this board is nobody seems to own one (I haven’t found a single user posting about it) and I don’t have a good feel for how durable a lite tech board is.

Occasionally, I'll see flat water race boards for less than $2K (delivered to New Mexico). Pricier than the Waterline but still within my budget. Here's the current crop I'm watching. Do you think any of these would be more fun, go faster and glide better than the Waterline?

2017 14 x 25  Infinity Whiplash (production model,  flat deck): At 24 lbs, it’s about 4 lbs lighter than the 12’6 Waterline. Love that!  It doesn’t have the design changes Infinity introduced in 2018 - like the hybrid square tail / pin tail design, more volume and a deeper channel.  But it does have several stability features people suggested like a square tail,  boxy rails and a concave channel on the bottom.

2018 12’6 x 25 Infinity Whiplash (production model, flat deck): Another Whiplash but this one is 12’6 and it has all the new design features that were added in 2018.  My only concern is whether this is going too narrow for me to paddle well. Wish it was the dugout configuration to give me the extra stability but I haven't seen any of those under $2K.

2019 14 x 25  Jimmy Lewis U-Boat (production, dugout): I’ve seen various U-boat models at half off.  I’ve read great things about other JL boards but nothing about the U-boat. Was this a bad design or something?

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Gear Talk / Re: Seeking feedback before getting a new board

« on: October 08, 2020, 11:12:44 PM »

Thanks for sharing your experience Kip. Sorry it took so long to respond but I haven't logged in for awhile. Sounds like you're having a great time with your Blackfish and Whiplash. That's awesome!  The Blackfish is on my short list but I hadn't noticed the PPVC model you recommended so I'll have to take a look at it.

As for board width, since I've only been on my 11x30 board, I honestly didn't have a gut feel for what I'm capable of on a 14' board. But I got good advice here so I'm comfortable with about 25" in a race board. And with the Starboard Waterline touring board also on my short list, I might be looking at 28" board which seems pretty wide but the feedback is that it's pretty fast on flat water.   

For now I'm just keeping an eye out for inventory to see what's available and what goes on sale. My lake has a blue-green algae infestation that's keeping me out of the water and with winter fast approaching, I probably won't be paddling again until March.  So I have time to shop for a board and have a handful of boards on my short list. Looking forward to hitting the water next season! Hope my experience is as good as yours has been.

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Gear Talk / Re: Is it normal for paddle handles to snap off?

« on: September 06, 2020, 11:13:28 AM »

No worries robon. Getting feedback from members about their personal experience with various paddles is what's great about this forum.  I'm just venting my frustration at not being able to try any SUP equipment and form my own opinions before I buy something.

Anyway, I emailed the person selling the Wiki to see if it's still available and whether they would be willing to ship it. If I can't get it, then no need wasting brain cells thinking about it any more.

I'm also retiring my massive 110 sq in backup paddle. Probably a shoulder injury waiting to happen. The makers of my broken paddle said they'll ship me a new part in about two weeks.  That'll give me an adjustable, 85" paddle backup paddle I can use until I replace it with something better.  Might be the Wiki. But I might wait to see if I can get my hands on a Mana at a decent price.

We have snow forecasted in a few days. So I may not be paddling that much the rest of this year anyway. Plenty of time to shop for a good deal.

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Gear Talk / Re: Is it normal for paddle handles to snap off?

« on: September 05, 2020, 08:35:56 PM »

I may be getting confused. 

I agree that buying the used Wiki 84 paddle and then adding the extended Erto T would make sense - if I was going to keep the Wiki blade. But when I originally suggested getting the Wiki 84, people strongly suggested it wouldn't be nearly as good a blade for me as the Mana. Harsh catch, not as forgiving, night and day, etc. So I scratched the Wiki off my list as not being a good fit and started focusing on the Mana blade. 

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Gear Talk / Re: Is it normal for paddle handles to snap off?

« on: September 05, 2020, 03:47:31 PM »

With the discount they'll provide me for being a Zoner, buying the full paddle at the Ke Nalu cost about the same as buying that used one and then buying the Mana blade, etc. at Ke Nalu. 

I'll keep looking for a used one that's a better match for a while. Checking CraigsList at coastal cities is a good idea too.