Messages

1

SUP General / Re: Tiny Waves

« on: February 14, 2019, 02:48:25 PM »

Winger...  You ch'ure that's got enough 'push'?  Lucky, you at 144, but it looks (from here) just'bout soon as you got moving - you'd drag a fin. The other thing I see ..no shoulders?!  It's straight in. Two-1/2hrs is a long drive for what I see from that drone.  You are a helluva lot closer which = faster/cheaper to what I would call a 'drooler' small wave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmXBc-n-5hE


Jim

In the winter, I live about 2 hours south of Matachen Bay... it’s possible to surf that glassy little wave for nearly 2 km.  The depth in the bay is about 1 meter forever. 

2

Gear Talk / Re: Starboard Sprint

« on: May 19, 2013, 08:33:08 AM »

My 12'6"x24.5 Sprint arrived last week, but distributor messed up order and sent carbon instead of AST.  Since there is a month or two backlog, they offered me the upgrade for $300, so I snapped it up.

This board glides incredibly.  I feel like I'm pushing a much smaller hole thru the water.  I reiterate all that bwd said.

The board tracks very straight, but it is easy to make the board carve in either direction with a bit of weight on the opposite rail.  In crosswinds, it is very difficult to avoid getting pushed off course downwind.  I am going to switch to a smaller fin, which will also help in the shallows and seaweed where I paddle.

Compared to the SurfRace, this board is very quiet.  The bow wave is much less splashy and there is almost almost no disturbance at the tail.  The board is skinny, but predictable in the waves.  Once you learn how waves will move the board, it feels a lot wider.  The board pierces the waves nicely going upwind without making a lot of spray.

I made a board protector from two bathmats (the kind with suction cups on the bottom) and I was surprised that the board handles well with two dogs on the nose.  I'd say that the board is overloaded with me (160 lbs) and dogs (70 lbs), but not by a lot. 

I'm looking forward to the first race of the season... if it's not too bumpy.

3

Technique / Re: Racing with Tides

« on: May 05, 2013, 01:56:16 PM »

Also, water has tons of inertia so each time it turns a corner there will slower water on the inside, downstream from each corner.  Hug the inside heading into current, let the current take you wide going the other way.

If there is a bit of wind, it really helps to show where the water is moving with/against the wind.  Places where fast water is passing slow water may be obvious by the abrupt change in ripple patterns.

Water is slower downstream from shallows or obstacles, but shallow water is slow for paddling.

4

Gear Talk / Re: Starboard Sprint

« on: April 28, 2013, 07:17:35 AM »

Pulled the trigger, ordered the 12'6 x 24.  I ordered the AST version, as I have pretty much thrashed my SurfRace (12'6 x 26") on the bottom due to gravel, barnacles, oysters, and the occasional barely submerged piling.  On the top, the paint is mostly gone from taking my dog out most days.  Lately, 2 dogs.  I'm not sure if the Sprint will be quite as dog friendly as the surfrace, but I'm going to try to work up to it.

I tested the Sprint 14 x 25 in carbon before ordering.  It tracks like a arrow.  I pointed it at a target about a kilometer away and paddled on one side until I got tired... still pointing at target.  Same on the other side.  Water was cold, no wetsuit, so I didn't try any turns... and moving around on the unfamiliar board was a bit sketchy.  The board glides very quietly and smoothly (compared to splashy bow and stern wakes on the SurfRace).  Feels very fast, but I did not have GPS.

The answer I got from Starboard about width variations (tail of 24" is wider than the 25", adding volume) is to provide additional stability for pivot turns.  I guess the 24 prototypes were a bit too challenging.

Will post an update in a few weeks when the board arrives.

5

Events / Crocodile Classic - Nuevo Vallarta

« on: November 19, 2012, 12:57:07 PM »

Pacific Paddle Surf is hosting a SUP event on December 9 in the croc-infested canals of Nuevo Vallarta... well, maybe 'infested' is a bit dramatic.  We usually only see one or two when we tour the canals by boat.

6

Random / Re: Vote on adopting the Metric System

« on: November 10, 2012, 09:24:02 PM »

If the US abandons the English measurement system then Burma and Liberia might be shamed into switching, too. 

Quick... How many grams in an ounce?

7

British Columbia / Re: Use it or Lose it - Anyone here?

« on: November 06, 2012, 08:17:21 AM »

Crescent Beach!  I SUP the mighty Nikomekl every day with my dog. 

8

Gear Talk / Re: Starboard Sprint

« on: October 29, 2012, 05:25:01 PM »

Link to Starboard SUP 2013 catalog... http://archive.star-board.com/gallery_sup/2013/2013SUP_Catalog/2013SUP_Catalog_low_res.pdf

I wonder why the 12'6" x 25 Sprint board has lower volume and skinnier tail than the 12'6" x 24 board.

9

Gear Talk / Starboard Sprint

« on: October 29, 2012, 09:10:05 AM »

I love my Starboard SurfRaces (one in Canada, the other in Mexico), but the new Starboard Sprint is ticking a lot of boxes for me, as I mostly paddle in flat water.  The SurfRace is 26" wide and I'd love to get on something skinnier with a more slippery bow.  There isn't much information about this board, yet.  Anyone else interested? Anybody seen one or tried one?  New information?

10

Downwind and Racing / Re: Wow skinny boys are winning all the races!

« on: October 29, 2012, 08:29:54 AM »

Perhaps there is a way to compute a handicap based on board length/width, and rider age/weight.  Sailing has used this approach for years to allow mis-matched boats to race together.

Imagine an old fat guy on short, wide board finishing the race after the leaders have gone home... and winning!

Never mind.

11

Gear Talk / Re: Training on a tippy board (Javelin)?

« on: September 15, 2012, 12:04:39 AM »

I bought a tiny raked carbon race fin about 4" deep (mostly because we have a lot of salad in the water... and lots of shallows).  It dramatically reduces the stability of the Jav 14 compared to the stock fin.  You might consider training with a tiny fin and racing with a bigger fin.  I'm loving how responsive and maneuverable the board is with less fin.  A few weeks ago I raced with the mini-fin, and ditched a few drafters by dragging them through the densest patches of seaweed I could find.  Very amusing!

12

Gear Talk / Re: New board !

« on: September 01, 2012, 09:31:22 AM »

Does a dog need more than one flip-flop?

13

The Shape Shack / Re: Little kid flat water board

« on: July 31, 2012, 08:23:32 AM »

When a family member wishes to take up paddling, you must look at your quiver and figure out whether they need a super skinny race board or a radical surf shape 

14

Technique / Paddle bored?

« on: June 23, 2012, 01:18:32 PM »

It's a glassy day (and nobody can see you) and you are bored.

Turn around and face backwards on the board.

Now use everything you know about forward-facing paddling to move the board forward efficiently.

It uses different muscles in core, shoulders, and arms... Very strange.

It is also very hard to 'design' a stroke that is efficient or effective... but a totally amusing exercise.

The world speed record for backwards-facing paddling is totally within reach.   

15

SUP General / Re: I know it looks cool, but what is the functional advantage of cross-stepping?

« on: June 22, 2012, 03:45:46 PM »

I've been practicing cross-stepping on my SurfRace to get quickly from a forward paddling position to the rear for pivot turns.  The board really needs one foot right on the tail to pivot.  It takes 1 step to move rear foot back to the center-line, then a quick cross-step to get rear foot all the way to the tail.  Reverse the process to get back to paddle stance.  It is waaaay faster than shuffling for starting and ending a turn.

Practice in shallow water on a calm day... It is far easier than you think (in calm water).

...and damn stylish, too!