Topics

1

Gear Talk / ULI 8'4" Quad

« on: August 14, 2012, 11:01:32 AM »

 I just wanted to share a couple observations about this board. First, full disclosure, I am a wicked ULI fan. This is my 5th ULI  SUP board, and I also still own an ULI 6'8" fish.

I have loved all my ULI's for different reasons,  but the 8'4" Quad is definately my all time favorite.It is very stable, turns great and is a blast to surf. For me at 6' and 165lbs, it is the perfect size, very stable in mushy, choppy surf, and fun in shoulder -head high stuff.  It rolls up into a very compact size, and I just throw it into the back of my 4 Runner when I have to go the office right after a Dawn Patrol session. I can't fit in the office building garage with a board on the top of the 4 Runner.

The 8'4" pumps up easily and at 18-20lbs is very rigid. I love my 9'3" FAQ, but at my size this board just surfs alot better for me. It also paddles really well  and tracks really well for some distance workouts , in case you brought it on a trip and there were no waves. Anyhow, just another great product from Jim Weir, Steamroller and the crew at ULI-The First, The Original and still The Best                                           

2

Events / Boston Tea Paddle- New Event

« on: April 18, 2012, 09:52:59 AM »

With the folks from Surfari Sup and Surf, I am proud to announce The Boston Tea Paddle. This will be a two day event with buoy races, sprint races and a distance race on June 16th and 17th. There will also be demos, kids races and numerous vendor tents. The setting is Liberty Wharf in Boston Harbor, and there numerous awesome restaurants right at Liberty Wharf.There will be Elite, Open and Kid's classes. There will be prize money for the Elite Class Races, and prizes for the Open Class and Kid's Class Races. This will be the First Ever SUP event in beautiful Boston Harbor.

All proceeds go to Journey Forward, a neurological rehab center for those with devastating spinal cord injuries and paralysis-  www.journey-forward.org

For more info, GO TO OUR WEBSITE www.bostonteapaddle.com

3

Gear Talk / Amazing ULI FAQ 9'3"

« on: April 09, 2012, 11:58:12 AM »

My wife and I just returned from a short trip to Antiqua, and I am constantly amazed at how great the ULI FAQ9'3" is for a variety of uses. I surfed it, distance paddled it, and did Downwindas on it. It really does well in all these conditions, and imho, is a very good travel board. Imho, it doesn't surf as well as my 8'5" Pocket Rocket, or do distance stuff as well as my Bark 14', but from a fun and travel standpoint it is truly outstanding. Kudos to Jim Weir, Steamroller, and their team, on a tremendous product that is Made in the USA.

4

SUP General / SUP in Antiqua

« on: March 26, 2012, 07:41:34 AM »

Going to Antiqua tomorrow, and bringing my ULI. Anybody know anything about SUP Padling and SUPsurfing in Antiqua? Thanks

5

Gear Talk / Lopez Quad Fins

« on: August 02, 2010, 04:45:32 AM »

Has anybody tried the Lopez Quad Fins on a Starboard 8'5" Pocket Rocket. Sorry if there has already been a thread on this and I missed it.

6

Gear Talk / Sub 8' boards

« on: July 28, 2010, 09:10:49 AM »

I'm curious what experiences people have had with boards under 8'. I am currently riding an 8'5" pocket rocket, which I love, but I have the yen to try a sub 8' board. My good buddy Bob/Stoneaxe just got a 9' board from South County ( which he loves and is rippin on), and they make a 7'10" board called the Chunky which looks fun. I am 6' and 165lbs, and would really appreciate any thoughts and experiences anyone has had.
Thanks a lot.

7

Gear Talk / ULI does it again, Werner Nitro is awesome

« on: March 13, 2010, 10:31:50 AM »

My wife and I just returned from a week in Turks and Caicos, and I took my ULI 9"8" Lopez 1 in case there was some surf (although Turks and Caicos is known not for having surf because of the offshore reefs surrounding the islands). Anyhow, it blew about 12-25 knots straight onshore everyday, so there was lots of wind chop, but no real surf. So I used the ULI as a distance board, and would paddle straight out off shore into the wind for about two miles and then do a "downwinder" back to the beach. It was great fun and a great workout, but the real point of mentioning all this is that I couldn't believe HOW UNBELIEVABLY WELL the ULI handled in all the wind and chop. KUDOS TO JIM,CHRIS AND STEAMROLLER!!!!
Also, I brought the three piece Werner Nitro Paddle and it was oustanding. The long thin blade really worked well in the wind, and provided plenty of paddling power.

8

Gear Talk / Joe Blair 8'11"

« on: January 24, 2010, 09:53:35 AM »

First of all,  I apologize because I am not good at writing reviews, but I just wanted to share my thoughts about my new Joe Blair 8'11" production board. In a word, AWESOME. I surfed it yesterday in thigh- waist high choppy, beach break and it was outstanding. It is really stable, paddles straight and it turns on a dime.  Previously, I've been riding a PSH 9'6" WAA. I surfed on it for an hour and it felt great from the moment I stepped on it. It is also really light and very easy to carry. Imho, this is a great board for anyone considering a short sup. There are photos of the board in another thread in Gear Talk, which I think is titled Joe Blair 8'11" production board reviews.

9

SUP General / Stoneaxe Surgery

« on: June 17, 2009, 07:15:17 AM »

Bob is having his brain surgery today, so please keep him in your thoughts and say a prayer for him. I have only known Bob for about 11/2 years, yet I feel like he has been my friend forever. We met in January '08 when he brought up a paddle he had made, and on that day we decided to create The Cape Cod Bay Challenge together. In the ensuing months I feel that I have been blessed to gain an amazing friend, and it has been an unbelievable pleasure to get to know Bob/Stoneaxe. He is as big and strong as a house, a loving and devoted husband,father, brother,son and friend. He is very smart,funny and talented. He is devoted to this sport we all love.
I know some of you have had some "spirited" discussions on the Zone with him, but he has the greatest respect for all of you, and he really loves The Zone. I think he is definitely Number One in the clubhouse for number of posts. So please say a prayer for the Big Dude and his family today, and let's look forward to his next post on The Zone.

10

SUP General / LET'S SEE YOUR SUP PUPS

« on: May 06, 2009, 11:27:04 AM »

Jim Weir at ULI Boards had an awesome idea. Let's see pictures of everyone's SUP PUPS. I have two awesome English Yellow Labs, Tiki and Lulu, and they love to be in the water all the time. I will try to post pictures of them as soon as I learn how to enter the world of technology
ECSUP

11

Sessions / 13 Degrees

« on: January 21, 2009, 06:30:15 AM »

Awesome Dawn Patrol this morning. Air temp was 13 degrees and the water was around 40 degrees and there was some Sea Smoke on the water. Clean chest high sets and only 5 people out, plus two Harbor Seals. Beautiful sunrise, just an awesome Northeastern MA winter morning session.

12

Gear Talk / calf leashes vs ankle leashes

« on: December 09, 2008, 09:36:56 AM »

I noticed in the Tom Carroll pics that Blane took (awesome pics, thanks Blane), that he wears a calf leash. What do people think of them and what are the advantages?
I had knee surgery recently, and someone told me a calf leash lessons the tug on your leg in the white water. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. Blane, I love your boards, your 10'3" AA is my "All Time ( 18 months) Fav".

13

SUP General / Workouts while recovering from knee surgery

« on: October 16, 2008, 08:31:28 AM »

I am having knee surgery tomorrow and the Doc says I can't SUP for 6-8 weeks Does anyone have any thoughts on some good, SUP oriented, upper body workouts to do while my knee heals? In the interim I hope everyone has lots of awesome sessions and I will be living vicariously through reading about them on The Zone.
Thanks.

14

Gear Talk / PSH 10'3" ALL ROUNDER

« on: September 13, 2008, 02:14:34 PM »

Just got my PSH 10'3" All Rounder and it is awesome. Rode it today in 2' sloppy waves and it handled great and was incredibly stable. Imho, an awesome board for a lot of the waves we get here on the East Coast. I also am lucky to have a PSH 9'3" Ripper which,imho, is awesome when it is bigger and clean. I had a really fun session on it last week in chest-head high clean surf. Both boards are really durable and have an awesome shape.
I got my 10'3" from Terry, at Island Surf and Sail in NJ, and HE WAS UNBELIEVABLY GREAT TO DEAL WITH AND MY BOARD ARRIVED SAFE AND SOUND AND WAS REALLY WELL PACKED. HE IS A GREAT ADDITION TO THE "PSH TEAM".
Anyhow,hats off again to Blane, Austin, Terry and everyone at PSH: GREAT BOARDS AND GREAT SERVICE.

15

SUP General / Awesome San Diego Hospitality from Bob Long, Jim Weir and Steamroller

« on: August 26, 2008, 04:10:00 AM »

My wife and I just returned from a trip to San Diego to visit our son, and I can't thank Bob Long, Jim Weir and Steamroller enough.

I rented a c4 waterman10'6" and  a really nice Werner Spanker paddle from Bob at his surf shop- Bob's Mission Surf Shop, and I can't tell you how nice he, and Justin and Darren at his shop, treated us. He has an oustanding collection of SUP stuff and he and his crew are unbelievably nice to deal with. If ever you need anything in San Diego go to "Mission Bob", you are in for a great experience.

Jim Weir, owner and creator of ULI Boards, and Steamroller, legendary ULI Team Rider, were nice enough to invite me and my son Tim to join them for a session at Mission Beach. My son and I had an outstanding 2 hour session with two of the nicest humans on the planet. Jim thanks so much for your hospitality,for sharing your stoke, and for your great ULI Boards- I love mine.

Steamroller, if everyone in the world had your infectious enthusiasm,boundless energy and big heart, then a lot of the world's problems would go away. Thanks for SUPing with us, it was great fun and a real treat to watch you charge.

Thanks again to all, Mike