Topics

16

Wind Powered / I tried windsurfing a 14' SIC Bullet V2

« on: February 05, 2018, 01:12:57 PM »

After looking curiously at gzasinet's 14' SIC Bullet V2 every time we went downwind paddling together, I theorized that the bullet had the right rocker and rail shape to be pretty fun as a windsurfer. Also, the recesses around the carry handle would allow me to tie on a temporary mast attachment based on a 2-bolt universal joint attached to a piece of plywood with holes drilled in it and a rope to tie it down around the handle (see picture).

I tried it yesterday with a 6.8 sail in about 14 knots of wind, and it worked great. Smoothly glided up onto a plane, accelerated quickly, and was very fast on a broad reach with the nose riding well above the chop. With the small 7" SIC fin it needed to be railed to windward a bit to cut upwind, but it was still quite fast in that mode. A bigger fin (maybe 9" or 10") would probably let it get upwind on plane without digging the rail in as much. gzasinets has a video of it on facebook. 

Anyway, I was quite pleased with how well it worked. Sails a lot more naturally than my 14' Fanatic Falcon (which I put a permanent mast track on), though both boards are fun to sail. Highly recommend copying my jury-rigged mast attachment if you have a board with a SIC type carry handle.

17

Foil SUP / Crossover Windfoil / Downwind Sup foil option?

« on: January 28, 2018, 06:56:20 PM »

I'd like to try foiling with my windsurf rig, and it would be a bonus if I could experiment with the same foil and board for SUP downwinders. Are there any options out there for that?

18

Downwind and Racing / Relative downwinder speeds of sup vs. OC1, surfski, etc.

« on: January 17, 2018, 07:18:50 PM »

I put up a good fight and stayed within shouting distance, but my buddy who I used to beat on sup beat me with his OC1 today on our downwinder. I was using a 14x27.25 Fanatic Falcon and the conditions were 15 increasing to 20 knots, wind ~10 degrees off straight downwind, knee to waist high bumps. My average speed was 11.1 kph, his 11.2 kph, over ~9 km. I fell twice and he didn't fall. A week ago I raced my 14x23 Riviera RP vs his OC1 in flatwater and beat him by a small margin 9.16 kph to 9.07 kph. For now we're interestingly well-matched for training together but I imagine he'll pull away as he gets the OC1 more dialed.

Is there any kind of rule of thumb for the relative speeds of 14' sup, unlimited sup, oc1, and surfski in downwinders, assuming a paddler of equal, pretty good ability in each? Like, surfski is the fastest, oc1 is X% slower, sup is XX% slower, etc? If not for downwinders, what about flatwater?

For different length sups, the hull speed equation predictions seem to work well for figuring the speeds and handicaps, like for 12'6 (8.8 kph hull speed) vs. 14' (9.3 kph hull speed), 12'6 about 5% slower. But obviously the narrow, round-bottomed, sit-down paddlecraft have some drag-reducing advantages other than just length, so that would have to be accounted for.

Also wondering if downwind conditions reduce the % speed difference between sup and the sit-downs, or if it stays about the same, or increases, or what.

19

Downwind and Racing / More downwinding participation in SW FL + 14x23 Allstar

« on: January 02, 2018, 07:51:20 AM »

It's the "off season" from racing here in SW Florida, which is good because some of us including me were getting burned out on the relentless intense intervals workouts and stuff. But our "tribe" has been getting more into downwinding, led by gzasinets (Greg) and me.

Yesterday we had a diverse group of crafts and abilities doing fairly low quality downwinder (NW wind ~15 knots, bumps not big or lined up, side-wind traverse required to get to the starting point) but having a good time with it. 

1 surfski- first downwinder for him
1 OC1- first downwinder on OC1 for him, but he did one on his 14x23 AllStar earlier in the week
14x29 Naish Glide
14x27.25 SIC Bullet V2 (Greg's spouse)
14x24.5 AllStar (Greg)
14x23 AllStar (me on the OC1 guy's board)
14x27.25 Fanatic Falcon (novice downwinding buddy on my board)
14x23 no-name custom similar to Blackfish (coach Athanacio)
11'6 Riviera surf-style (not last place)

I fell off the 14x23 AllStar twice and averaged 9.97 kph over the 8.7 km route. That is a bit slower than the 10.08 kph I averaged in less wind on the Fanatic earlier in the week, and it definitely felt trickier downwinding on the AllStar. My legs were more tired on the AllStar whereas I got more of an overall paddle workout on the Fanatic. Fanatic was probably slightly slower in no-bump conditions but caught a greater percentage of the bumps and seemed better at synthesizing a good glide from the integration of multiple low-quality bumps and chop.

Fanatic-
https://www.strava.com/activities/1333793705

AllStar-
https://www.strava.com/activities/1336618222

20

Downwind and Racing / Best boards for drafting somebody else?

« on: December 15, 2017, 09:47:01 AM »

Do y'all reckon there's a big difference among boards in terms of which make it easiest to save energy riding the wake of another paddler? Are blunt-nosed pin-tailed boards like the SB Ace better at it than blunt-tailed pin-nosed boards like the SB Sprint? Or are they all about equal as long as you know what you're doing?

21

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Prone paddling a raceboard

« on: December 01, 2017, 09:22:12 AM »

I tried prone-paddling my 14x23 Riviera RP yesterday. (I'm resting my de Quervain's tendinitis hand by not touching a SUP paddle for two weeks, but I had to get on the water somehow.) My goal was to do 1600 m. Here's what I noticed:

1) It was hard but not impossible.
2) It quickly tired out my neck, back, and shoulders, but didn't bother my hand tendinitis
3) I had to switch back and forth from lying to kneeling, and sometimes coast for a few seconds to recover
4) The sup carry handle bothered my stomach after a while
5) A butteryfly stroke seemed more efficient than a crawl (less slipping per stroke), but I did both
6) It was hard to steer
7) I could see how an actual, narrower prone board would help get the arms deeper to grab more water
I did the 1600 m in about 15 minutes, averaging 2/3 the speed that I would go with a paddle
9) I wondered how much practice it would take to get the neck/shoulder endurance to be able to paddle without constantly switching positions and taking breaks
10) Unlike in SUP, the out-of-the-water phase of the stroke seemed at least as tiring as the in-the-water phase
11) It was hard to tell if my fore-aft trim was right
12) My speedcoach sup GPS didn't pick up on my strokes consistently because there wasn't enough acceleration/deceleration per stroke.

Wondering if anyone else has prone-paddling-a-sup experience or other advice.

22

Downwind and Racing / Fun downwinder with gzasinets

« on: October 29, 2017, 01:23:20 PM »

There was a big NW wind here in SW Florida today and I got to do a long downwinder with gzasinets (14x24.5 Allstar), his spouse Lana (14' SIC), and two of our friends who did it on 11'6 and 12'0 surfstyle boards. I used a 14x27.25 Fanatic Falcon. I was really glad I chose that instead of my narrow raceboard, because it was plenty challenging even with the wide board with the forgiving pintail design. I was really happy to average 11.5 kph over 19.3 km, despite about 12 falls. The driving back and forth was time consuming, but worth it. My only gripe is that I didn't leave myself enough time to also get a windsurfing session in before an event I have to go to at 6. Next time I'll be smart and do the windsurfing first as a warmup.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1252697943

23

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Sore palm / thumb joints / tendons from paddling?

« on: October 28, 2017, 01:32:37 PM »

I'm developing a mildly annoying pain and stiffness in the base of my thumb, and the next link down in my palm, on my right hand. Don't know if it's the first sign of arthritis, or carpal tunnel syndrome from clicking the mouse at work and in computer games, or jamming the paddle handle over and over into that spot when I do SUP and strength training 3x / week.

Today I noticed the soreness progressing further up my forearm, but in the same tendon that connects to the thumb.

Anybody else have something like that? Ideas what it might be or how to avoid it?

Thanks!

24

Downwind and Racing / Boat wake ride during a race

« on: October 03, 2017, 10:46:16 AM »

During a race Sunday I caught the world's biggest and longest boat wake, catapulting me into the lead from 100 m back and ultimately getting me first place. It was AWESOME. It felt like cheating, but I reckon the same wake passed under my competitors without them catching it, so it's not like I had an opportunity they didn't. I'm claiming it. 

Anyone else have a similar memory of an awesome, lucky break or tactical move in a race?

25

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Gains after a plateau?

« on: July 17, 2017, 09:21:34 AM »

Have any of you who have been training long enough to hit a plateau in race performance ever experienced a significant, post-plateau improvement? If so, to what could you attribute the breakthrough? New gear, new skill, new workout program?

26

Training, Diet, and Fitness / Ideal # of times per week to do a strength training exercise?

« on: July 06, 2017, 07:36:54 AM »

I've learned three basic strength training exercises that I'm trying to do more regularly now to get fitter for SUP racing- Squats, Deadlift, and Overhead Press. I also do pushups and pullups, but those are more high-rep / less intense exercises that don't quite fit in the same category. I'm wondering what are the minimum and the ideal numbers of times per week to repeat each of the "big three" strength training exercises. Would once per week do it? Like squats Monday, press Wednesday, deadlift Friday do the trick? Or would I want to stack them closer together to repeat each exercise like twice a week? It may be moot, because once per exercise per week is probably all that I'll realistically get done, especially once I get busier with teaching in the fall.

Thanks. 

27

Downwind and Racing / Dug-out decks work

« on: July 02, 2017, 01:50:38 PM »

A buddy of mine custom ordered a 14x23 Hovie "GTF" optimized for pure flat water speed. He's pretty heavy at 200 lbs so he asked for lots of volume, which he got. The board was very thick, such that the standing area was quite high off the water. In combination with the narrow, piercing nose, that made the board tippy, with a tendency to "catch" and want to throw you over. The board was wicked fast, though, with unreal glide and a very clean entry and release.

My buddy hemmed and hawed for a while, then decided to modify the board by digging out the deck, recessing about 3" in the front, then gradually sloping it up to meet the original deck height near the tail of the board. He put in two little pipes to drain the water out, and they worked.

Today I got to try the modified board (I'd already tried the unmodified version several times) and I was AMAZED at how much more stable it was. It wobbled much less, and the wobbles would correct themselves instead of getting out of control. Buddy raced it and shaved a few seconds off his previous race time by not falling. He stayed in my draft for the entire first half of the race, which he has never done before, then ultimately dropped back because he's chubby and the Florida heat always kills him in the second half.

I'm now definitely a believer in the dugout concept, at least for flatwater.

28

Downwind and Racing / Tried buddy's 14x25 Blackfish with 4 fin setup

« on: June 29, 2017, 11:28:16 AM »

Yesterday I drove up to Fort Myers beach to paddle with a buddy and try the 14x25 Infinity Blackfish that he just got. He had the full Larry Allison 4 fin setup that the boards now come with. Small ventral fin, smallish center fin, and medium sized eliptical side-fins with the flat side out. Before trying the Blackfish I did an intervals workout on my Riviera, so I was kind of tired. Conditions were ~10 knots seabreeze with some 1' chop developing. Mostly paddled upwind/downwind but also made a point of going sideways to the wind and chop a bit.

Overall, seems like a fine raceboard- very different in feel than my more traditionally shaped board, but seemed to get the job done in its own way.

Upwind the wide, rounded, slightly rockered nose definitely preferred to go over the chop rather than piercing through. It wasn't the nicest feeling board to paddle upwind, kind of slappy like driving a flat bottomed Carolina Skiff into chop, but it seemed to be fast enough. I think some more fiddling with standing position on the board might help. The wide tail didn't seem to want to ever sink, which was sort of preventing the nose from lifting, perhaps.

Sidewind in chop the board stayed fairly stable and was perhaps more resistant than most boards to having its nose pushed off the wind. (Because of the ventral fin?) The flipside of that was that it was a little less responsive to my deliberate efforts to make course corrections.

Downwind the board had no trouble catching bumps and seemed to lift and accelerate in a fun way. The round, rockered nose felt safe and predictable when bottoming out and hitting the backs of chop. At higher speeds, I could feel the fins really locking in, for better or worse, keeping me pointed in the same direction unless I made a very aggressive effort to turn from the back of the board. That might be an advantage in quartering conditions where you have to maintain a line, but I think it would be a disadvantage for conditions where you want to weave around picking the optimal line through the bumps.

I think the board would be fast in flat water if you could get it close to those speeds where the "locked in and lifting up" dynamics start to work.

29

Gear Talk / Quick Question about infinity 4 fin setup

« on: June 25, 2017, 12:12:36 PM »

Are the side fins supposed to have the the flat side out or flat side in?

30

Downwind and Racing / SB AllStar 14x23 more impressions and opinions

« on: June 25, 2017, 11:41:23 AM »

I've been occasionally riding the 2017 Starboard AllStars since my shop sponsor started selling them this spring. The one I've been most focused on is the 14x23 hybrid, because it's the one most comparable with my 14x23 Riviera RP.

Testing in flatwater has convinced me that the Allstar and the RP are basically indistinguishable in speed in those conditions, at least over the distances we tested. I think the RP is more stable in flatwater, but some of my friends, especially the heavier ones, think the Allstar is more stable. The biggest difference in flatwater (and rough water) is that the Allstar doesn't track as well- you have to switch sides more often or foot-steer more actively to keep it in a straight line.

My initial impression of the AllStar in rough water was that it was much less stable than I expected from the advertising. I thought the AllStar's instability might stem from being under-finned, and having the fin in a recessed channel, plus having a relatively narrow nose and tail. However, the AllStar cut through and bobbed over chop pretty well; maybe a little better than the RP in some kinds of chop.

I've since done more testing in bumpy water in the Gulf of Mexico, including double-paired testing with the RP with my friend Matt. We did a 4x400 m square with 60 second rests after each leg, getting four different angles to the wind. Then we rested for a while and switched boards. It was was 5-10 knots side-offshore with knee-high side-onshore swell. Matt did 11:17 on the AllStar, then 11:31 on the RP. I did 10:06 on the RP then 9:59 on the AllStar. The RP was about the same or a little faster for me on the legs where I could run with the swell, but the AllStar was faster on the side-upwind, I think partly because it turned easier so I didn't have to paddle all on one side. I had kind of a big fin in the RP- if I downsize that it might even things out more. Still waiting for delivery of my 7.3" Eelgrass fin from Fins Unlimited.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1044973456
https://www.strava.com/activities/1044973449

In a 4.8 km trial in choppy water water on the Gulf yesterday, something kind of clicked in my mind about the balance on the AllStar- about how it wiggles a lot, but the wiggles don't necessarily mean it's going over (maybe the chines catch it?), and if I just stay cool and keep paddling I'm good. With that mindset I started to kind of trust and enjoy the feel of the board, and think that maybe it was a teensy bit easier in the disorganized stuff than the RP. Not $1500 easier, though. I still think the RP is more performance for the money.

While I'm overall impressed with the AllStar performance, there are some details that I've come to really dislike about it, which I hope Starboard will change in future models:

1. There's a 3" wide strip of slippery bare deck that runs all the way down the centerline of the board to accommodate the stupid racing stripe graphic. So where you most need grip and paddling, there's none.
2. The gimmick of putting the deck pads in a few mm recess so they're flush with the unpadded part of the deck means that you feel a sharp lip all along the edge of the deck pad, where your shins and knees and hands are often pressing when you're getting on the board or fiddling with something on the deck. If they want the standing area lower, they should just make the whole board a couple mm thinner and not have that angular micro-lip on the deck to worry about.
3. The raised rails around the recessed standing area are peaked like a ^ and press uncomfortably and annoyingly against your hands / shins / paddle shaft when you're getting on and off the board or carrying it. They should be more flat topped to distribute the pressure. The Allstar is supposed to be a comfortable and user friendly board to jump on and off of in the surf races, but the combination of features 1, 2, and 3 spoils that for me.
4. The FCS mount for speedcoach / gopro is in exactly the wrong spot, too close to the paddler, where it's almost impossible not to whack your expensive device with the paddle blade when switching paddle sides. It needs to be moved signficantly further forward to be out of danger.
5. This one is relatively minor, but on the hybrid construction version at least the bottom should be white instead of dark blue so the board doesn't heat up so much in the sun when it's on the roofrack or the beach.