Messages

601

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Long distance adventure touring

« on: March 26, 2016, 04:43:41 PM »

Norman Hahn
Standup4GreatBear

youtube - documentary - 400km to raise awareness of oil tankers path into Canadian fjords

As an Alaskan, I can appreciate being concerned about the consequences of trying to weave huge tankers in narrow fjords.
It's more documentary of the oil tankers and the politics than about the paddling - but it's easy to fast forward on youtube

602

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Long distance adventure touring

« on: March 26, 2016, 04:30:19 PM »

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/an-adventure-close-to-home-what-its-like-to-paddle-from-vancouver-to-victoria/article17618948/?page=1

Vancouver to Vicoria

Tinfoil baseball cap? Seriously!

603

Downwind and Racing / Re: pittsburgh spring downwinder

« on: March 21, 2016, 12:49:54 PM »

Were the "zero mph" times on the readout when you are surfing a standing wave? Or lost signal?

If it was standing wave - I would assume that makes the distance "longer" - ie that time on the wave is a treadmill of sorts?

Erik

604

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Long distance adventure touring

« on: March 20, 2016, 11:03:37 PM »

http://www.northamericanpaddle.com
Ketchikan to Mexico.... In 5 months? 

Should be fun to watch.

605

Downwind and Racing / Re: Downwind Duelling - Vid

« on: March 19, 2016, 10:16:37 PM »

I get that riding with my best friend (since we were 5 - well - I liked him most the time lol)  - 15 years ago we rented motorcycles and rode 3800 miles across Europe for 15 days. The best rides of my life, in tune, in sync on the backroads of Wales and Scotland, 140mph on the Autobahn, draggin' knees in the Alps ..... It's better shared.

Great video, as always

606

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Long distance adventure touring

« on: March 17, 2016, 10:24:12 PM »

105 miles - the Current River.

http://wheresmalko.com/2015/10/07/standing-on-the-current/

607

Gear Talk / Re: ISup Click In Fins by Larry Allison for Inflatables

« on: March 15, 2016, 09:37:53 PM »

They both look great - will they pop out or tip if you hit a rock or log? I'm all flatwater - it's all about going straight - untill I am paddling the shallow stream between lakes and I hit a rock and fall off the front ( or worse, catch myself badly and strain my shoulder).

I apologize if the audio tells the tale clearly, I'm not able to listen till tomorrow.

Erik

608

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Wood buffalo national park SUP expedition - Outpost magazine

« on: March 10, 2016, 10:05:37 PM »

I wish they talked a bit more (at all) about the technical  aspects of preparing the gear, cooking, the types of boards(maybe psi ratings? One of them is really looking "taco" in every pic) , etc ....but it looks like an awesome trip anyway.

To anyone with limited time, just click the pictures with a SUP in it - the rest aren't about the river paddling.

609

Downwind and Racing / Re: Will it downwind? Yes or No?

« on: March 04, 2016, 02:20:54 PM »

seems like if they split it down the middle there would be another place for those "battens" to add more stiffness - plus a place to play with overall shapes....

610

Gear Talk / Re: An Inflatable - faster than a 12’6

« on: February 27, 2016, 10:53:06 PM »

photofr, I look forward to a thread on your comparisons of the 12'6" board vs the 14' iSup.

I figure there's got to me more to it than just being a foot and half longer or we'd have lots of fast 14 foot inflatables available.

611

Gear Talk / Re: ISUP: Beginner board advice.

« on: February 27, 2016, 10:42:15 PM »

photofr might have an early model 14 footer - it seems like a good board but not sure where he got it.

I'm 5 10, 285 - I just paddle my local lakes for fun and excercise  - the pump that made my life easier was the Seyvlor 12 volt and the price is great:
http://www.amazon.com/Sevylor-Volt-Water-Sport-Pump/dp/B00VWA6O2U

I have a 14' Tower, and 12'5" Blue Planet. For burning calories and enjoying the lakes either will do. I think any iSup will work for getting exercise. You may decide you need a hard board later because they are quite a bit faster - but you said "excercise" so......

I drive around with a board in the car all summer (not so hot in Alaska so ? ) and drop it on in lake 2-4 times a week, sometimes more. The 12v pump made it easier to "steal" time after work - I often have less than 1 hour to spare.

I think if you do any surfing then the board stiffness matters a lot more - that is, I don't surf, it doesn't matter to me. It might to you. I've done one "down-breeze" on my lake - it was a blast. You can't tell from the pic, but the wind was whipping me along at a good pace - and once in awhile I got on a wave, and I had just a taste "downwinding" - I that THAT would be awesome and addicting to get into.



Here I am pushing hard, maybe 4.5mph ( my GPS says I can't average much past 4mph on either of my boards)  and the Blue Planet is flexing a bit:


my son, about 120lbs, shows there is a bit of pre-curve to it even when not holding up a horse:



Buy a sup! have some fun Save money on the board if you want, but buy a good paddle. You might be buying a better board later anyway and a good paddle will still be good to have. I think for starting, a stable board is the most important, so you don't spend a lot of time falling in The advice for "all rounder" type boards is probably good advice.

612

Gear Talk / Re: An Inflatable - faster than a 12’6

« on: February 23, 2016, 01:49:47 PM »

http://distressedmullet.com/2016/02/21/hala-first-to-incorporate-itc-inflatable-composite-technology-into-their-inflatable-sups/

from what I read above, Hala is using a "licensed" technology of a flat composite fiber/plastic bottom - "200%" more rigid - not that they show a side-by-side of one with and one without with a static load - but maybe as Capobeachboy says it's a "better rebound" as much as anything?

Area 10 - not arguing the point - trying to understand - why to inflatables stick? I figured with their tendency to bend the front would "bend up" and float - but maybe not? Do they get caught and bent down into the wave in front maybe?

This from a "I got to downbreeze once for a couple miles and it was fun" point of view

EDIT: thoughts on "fair" - if an Isup is in any way comparable to a rigid board - what's not fair about it? A 14' and 12' Isup both roll up into a backpack and a rigid board won't - it's not about "fair" it's "my rollup board might let me keep up with my friends who have place to store a rigid board" kind of equation.

Maybe for race classes a 14' Isup being allowed to race a 12'6' rigid would be "unfair".....or maybe not.....

613

Gear Talk / Re: Tower Xplorer 14' Isup

« on: February 22, 2016, 01:30:53 PM »

Clydesdale lol - yeah - for a playing on the lake and putting around board, it's good for me - or a family of 5  . Seriously - plop it in the water with half dozen kids and they have a blast.

I did a lot of searching before pulling the trigger on my Blue Planet (the season before the Tower was bought by my wife)  - I couldn't find much in the way of a REAL review of the Tower then (or now) - I don't surf but I think we can guess it won't be a great surfer It's fine as a "lake property" or fishing craft on flat water - despite Tower's statement  -" ideal for anyone that just wants a crazy fast flat-water touring board" - don't expect to keep up with others just because it's 14' feet long - it's a fat, wide body with a lot of wetted surface to drag along. I can work really hard and get to 4.5 mph - and I can work 75% as hard and do 4.5 mph on my Blue Planet. At 2-3mph they are both easy.

You are right the paddle has to be longer when I use it - my main paddle is a 3 piece Blue Planet Carbon Fiber so it works for me on both boards well. If I had a one-piece carbon I couldn't adjust  .... well I might be a more serious paddler then and I'd not be riding the Xplorer anyway.

614

Flatwater and Touring / Re: Long distance adventure touring

« on: February 21, 2016, 11:25:54 PM »

http://www.salmonbaypaddle.com

Found this....... Looks good. Overnight guided trips in Puget Sound and comes with gear like wetsuit as well as the board.

615

Flatwater and Touring / Re: I Paddle Plastic

« on: February 21, 2016, 05:18:48 PM »

You made me want one