Messages

1

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Trout Lake overnighter.

« on: August 10, 2017, 10:21:52 AM »

What a beautiful place to paddle, wonderful photos. 

2

SUP General / Re: Transport Questions

« on: April 06, 2017, 08:53:14 PM »

I need to save every dollar I can, and the roof rack will diminish my gas mileage, not horribly, but noticeably.

Even a flag on an antenna will reduce gas mileage, but noticeably? What kind of rack are you sporting and how far are you driving? 

You could always buy a soft rack of some sort when you buy your board, but it hardly seems cost effective to spend $60 or more dollars on a soft rack to avoid what is likely a very small reduction in MPG.

3

Technique / Re: Great video series for noobies like myself-- by Sam Ross

« on: September 27, 2016, 03:33:11 PM »

I'm a fan of his older set of SUP videos:

https://vimeo.com/samross/videos/page:1/sort:date

4

Gear Talk / Re: PFD's Questions????

« on: September 18, 2016, 07:58:47 PM »

A month ago?  Mine just shipped late last week,wth? 

I'm guessing he got his earlier because he was higher on the list of backers. 

I joined the kickstarter very early, but maybe not early enough. Or perhaps it was because I ordered two: 1 black, 1 red. Either way I have them now, and I'm pretty impressed with what I see. I tried one on—comfortable!— but haven't paddled with it yet. The only downside I can see—and it would affect swimmers more—is having to take the jacket out to dry. You don't technically have to do it, but leave it wet and the Wingman will start to smell in short order. It's probably not a big issue for kayakers or SUPers, but swimmers and surfers ought to take note.

I screwed up the unit this morning.  I had watched the vid about a week ago.  I should have watched it again, very carefully, before inspecting the vest.  Before screwing in the cartridge, I was tugging all over and marveling at the design.  I pulled on the cord without the cartridge, to see how the cord drives the pin.  They do it in the video.

But the trick is, that green indicator is a one time (use it and it's busted) item.  It's a plastic safety pin that halts the trigger.  Well, I broke it. 

Awww, that's not good. The edit in the video was obvious to me, but I thought they had collapsed it for time. I didn't realize that he went and got a new piece. They should have given backers at least one replacement automatically.

5

Gear Talk / Re: PFD's Questions????

« on: September 15, 2016, 07:08:56 AM »

I signed on to the Kickstarter, and got my Wingman about a month ago.  I like it, low profile, and very comfortable - I don't notice that it is there at all.  But I'm tall and skinny - not sure how it will fit larger people. 

A month ago?  Mine just shipped late last week,wth? 

Maybe it isn't that compelling, but two things come to mind:  I think it would be less drag when swimming - before it is inflated. Second, to deploy a waist pack style requires you to spin it around to the front (since everyone wears them backwards), inflate it, get it over your head, and tie the neck closure. 

It may vary by brand, but the tether between the belt and jacket on mine is long enough to allow the jacket to go on over my head while the waist pack is facing rear. If I felt the situation was bad enough to deploy, I wouldn't waste time turning it to the front.

What is the advantage of wingman over the harnes type inflatables?

While not as bulky as traditional PFD, those have a relatively high profile (i.e. will create drag) and the placement of the harness is not optimal for the arm movement of swimmers.

6

Random / Re: Elio 2 Seater, 84 MPG Car Costing $6800?

« on: August 04, 2016, 09:06:25 PM »

What do you think of this?
http://eliogenuine.eliomotors.com/?sctp=sm&scvn=fb&scsrc=fb&sckw=na

Elio has twice missed their target delivery date (2014 and 2015) and I think they're about to achieve the trifecta missing the new expected street date of Q4 2016 too since they're still messing about with the prototype and haven't locked in a design.

If the constant tinkering with the vehicle wasn't already worrisome, at one point they were trying to sell manufacturing equipment from the Shreveport, LA production facility on ebay and earlier this year they told the SEC they've lost $50+ million so far.

I don't know where things went wrong since they had a good idea, and they built at least two solid prototypes, but I think the project has gone past the tipping point and the most people can hope for is to have their deposits returned.

7

SouthEast / Re: Black River

« on: July 15, 2016, 04:04:15 PM »

Hi Everyone,
I paddled the Black River this week and wanted to share some pics. It's a hidden gem in Eastern NC that starts in Sampson county and flows along the Pender/Bladen County lines. It is famous for the beautiful cyprus trees and cyprus knees along its banks. The tannins from the cyprus knees and vegetation make the water the color of black tea which is why it's called the Black River. Anyway, we were trying to make it to the Three Sisters Swamp. The name "Three Sisters" refers to the three enormous cyprus trees that tower above the other trees. The oldest of the three dates back to about 365 A.D. which is the oldest dated tree east of the Rockies! Unfortunately we didn't make it to the Three Sisters because the river was high and was running faster than normal. However, we did get some great pictures and have a lot of fun paddling! A lot of non-locals (and many locals, in fact) aren't familiar with this river but it's a great place to SUP. It's calm, gorgeous, and I would even say spiritual. If you're ever in the area this is definitely a great place to check out.

What an awesome place to paddle. When are you going to make your next attempt on the Three Sisters? 

8

SUP General / Re: Is Cape Cod the Hotspot for Great White Sharks?

« on: July 07, 2016, 07:17:11 AM »

The links to both Ocearch (Shark Tracker) and Atlantic White Shark (Sharktivity) are below for those interested.

http://www.ocearch.org/

http://www.atlanticwhiteshark.org/#welcome

I like visiting Ocearch myself since it allows me to "zoom in" on the Gulf of Mexico and see what is along our Texas coastline since I live in Texas.

I call BS on "Sharktivity"… just three sharks in Cape Cod? I doubt it.

Ocearch indicates Katherine, Lydia and Mary Lee are all hanging out south of Virginia—works for me! 

9

SUP Gear Reviews / Newly Acquired / On Order / Re: SimSup killed the Hull Ripper

« on: July 06, 2016, 06:43:26 AM »

PS: I am pissed with TRACE at the moment.  They automatically signed me up to be a "Scout."   

Have you emailed them about opting-out? They might not make it easy, but the option should be there. If they won't remove you from the program, then it comes down to which you value more, "too much data/not in the form that (you) can readily compare" or your privacy.

10

Downwind and Racing / Re: Gale warning downwinder.

« on: July 05, 2016, 04:13:22 PM »

It was his first time joining us and it doesn't look like it but it was gusting close to 40 knots at times..

46mph gusts?    Woah… Did he have a good time or did it convince him to never do it again?

11

SUP General / Re: Would You Have Said Something?

« on: July 03, 2016, 01:50:20 PM »

If someone asks, I'll happily vomit forth what I've learned, but I don't believe it's the place of strangers to instruct other strangers on proper safety. That's the job of board sellers, renters, and—for the likely poorer paddler after fines—law enforcement. SUPing is a very easy sport to pickup, but participants bear responsibility for their own safety.

I would offer up extra equipment (for example a leash) if I had it on hand, but if the person declines, so be it.

12

SUP General / Re: Is Cape Cod the Hotspot for Great White Sharks?

« on: July 03, 2016, 01:33:44 PM »

The good thing about GW's and tigers is they have a discriminating palet …

Say what?  Tigers are nicknamed the garbage can of the ocean because they'll eat anything.

Below is a video of a hammerhead which is hungry instead of being curious and it follows this offshore fishing kayaker all the way to the beach. You'll see in this video the hammerhead is very aggressive. The hammerhead makes it's appearance in the video at the 1:03 mark. BTW, on the way back to the beach, the kayaker was not trolling any dead baits either and judging by the hammerheads actions, I think it was trying to dump the kayaker in the water to get at the kayaker.

I wonder if some type of scent (from either bait or dead fish) was seeping through the kayak drainage holes, and that's why the hammerhead wouldn't give up persuit? Generally, animals don't pull the territorial crap with things larger than them though there are always exceptions, like chihuahuas.

13

NorthEast / Re: Clinging Jellyfish spotted in Shrewsbury River (June 2016)

« on: June 28, 2016, 01:02:19 PM »

Shore Paddle 2016 cancelled thanks to the jellyfish:

https://paddleguru.com/races/ShorePaddle2016

14

SUP General / Re: Newbie here! What do I need to know?

« on: June 26, 2016, 09:28:24 PM »

Hi everyone!

I just got an inflatable SUP and am super stoked! I've only taken it out to the local lakes so far and it's been a lot of fun. I'm headed to the San Juan islands soon and want to bring it with me for some half day trips. What do I need to know for paddling in that area? I'm a little concerned because it's an area known for orcas and other whales but also it's a larger and colder body of water than I've been on.

Sorry if this is not the right place to ask but I didn't see a newbie forum.

BRING HYDRATION (and maybe even an energy bar). Check the weather and wind forecast (wunderground.com puts all the information on one page), and check the tides for the area (http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/washingtonsites.html). I believe the PFD is required by law (wear it, don't just strap it to the board) and the correct leash for that body of water is strongly recommended (you can do a search here on the forum for different leash types). If you can read a nautical map, they're available online: http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml

With regards to whales, I don't know what the regulations are in your state, but keeping your distance is always a wise choice… actually, a quick check of the NOAA site says, "It is illegal to approach killer whales in inland waters of Washington State within 200 yards (600 feet) by land or sea" Of course, sometimes it's the whale that comes in for a closer look. If you're approached, remain calm. Don't touch, don't get in their way. They're an inquisitive mammal, but intelligent enough to know we're not on the menu.

Have fun and stay safe!

15

NorthEast / Re: Clinging Jellyfish spotted in Shrewsbury River (June 2016)

« on: June 24, 2016, 07:26:50 AM »

I was surprised that they weren't spotted in the Navesink first considering it's been jellyfish central for the last two years. But the Navesink has even bigger problems:

http://cleanoceanaction.blogspot.com/2016/04/trouble-looms-for-navesink-river.html

I'm giving the river up for lost this season which means lots of driving in my future if I want to paddle.