Messages

166

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 15, 2016, 04:19:13 AM »

Thanks Robon. I've seem your posts in flatwater section and talked to BWilliam. I'm not looking anything at the moment but really only tour or go island hopping. I've kinda been interested in the Bote Ahab but the weight keeps me from it. If he gets to paddle it I'd like to know his opinon. I like to keep up with the touring boards,never know when the"bug" might bite

The Ahab is definitely the 1st on my list to test. I guess compared to some other boards ots heavy but I picked it up to feel its weight last week at the shop and it felt super light to me. Especially with the new carry system they have on the side of it. I will probably be testing something this week.

Dave

167

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 04:25:49 PM »

Dave
The Sunova website prices are in Australian dollars

I am pretty sure its $1,899 US $$$

Oh ok sorry,  I must have missed that.

Dave

168

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 12:30:54 PM »

Dave
Since many new options have been thrown out, I'll  add one you may not find easily.
It doesn't have all the bells and whistles for fishing.... but if touring in comfort is your goal, you may want to seriously consider this board.

The Sunova Venture at 12'6 or 14'

14' x 31.5" 338 L
plenty of spare capacity for gear, built for stability and easy long distance paddling
Really great build quality... and it will be much lighter than your other choices. Not even in the same ball park.

Probably $400 to $500 cheaper than other quality options.

Not a molded board. Handcrafted quality.

PM me for more info on these boards... I think you will be nicely surprised with the quality and weight.

Really nice boards but it's the same price as the Ahab I'm considering "$2400". Thanks for the suggestion.

Dave

169

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 09:42:28 AM »

Another possible choice;

http://alexaguera.com/fishing-sups/

Dam that thing has some huge weight capacity!!  One thing I'm noticing is some of these board companies HAVE to improve their websites...... I like info,  lots of it.  Videos, photos, accessories, specs...... The more the better. Some of these sites your lucky to get a board length and width.

Dave

170

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 08:36:50 AM »

Ninja and Tropical,  really great info and suggestions guys thank you. I will definitely look at the boards mentioned. I'm not super interested in the tackle rack or the stupid bottle holder thing to be honest. I found a little device that hooks onto the tied owns then u can attach the Ram Mounts to them. So that more than covers my cup holder and rod holder needs. I do want a hard cover because I do have a bad knee,  so having the option to sit every once and a while is very important to me.

My sea Kayak has the V front you mentioned and I totally agree and understand about being way quieter. My Kayak weights 70+pounds empty so going to a 40 or 45 pound SUP is gonna be a huge difference

You guys gave me so much info,  now I gotta look at it all! I'm not opposed to adding some tie downs if I needed to. Obviously I'd rather buy it already set up.

Dave

171

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 07:43:10 AM »

Might want to look at a line of boards made in Miami. Some nice looking shapes and many options: Indigo http://www.indigo-sup.com

Jim

Great looking boards,  unfortunately most of there weight capacities are already what I weigh without factoring in cargo.  Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

Dave

172

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 06:51:01 AM »

I just went through the same decision you are going through. I wanted a board for casual fishing and touring in South FL and the Keys waters (I'm in Jupiter). The Bote boards are really attractive and paddle nicely. They are made in FL and have a lot of cool features. I really, really wanted one. It's the features that are the problem. Whenever you add glassed in features, you introduce potential failure points. A number of dealers (who don't sell Bote so take this with some salt) have said that Botes tend to develop leaks and suck in water. While this can be fixed if it were to happen, you'll never be able to get the board totally dry inside thus increasing the already heavy weight. The only other thing I can say about them is that every one I've ever seen not in a shop looked pretty beat up with lots of chips and scratches.

My original list of boards was:

Bote Rackham
Starboard Avanti
Sunova Surf 10'11"
Fanatic Fly 11'2"
Fanatic Ray WE 12'
JP Sportster Touring

All these boards are 32 wide or wider, all very stable and be stable for you at your size and you could even carry some cargo on them. I narrowed it down to the Ray and the Sportster and purchased the Sportster. I couldn't detect any difference in paddling the two boards so my decision came down to price and availability. I am thrilled with the JP, been freezing my butt off the last couple of days paddling with manatees in the IC. The board is so stable the thought of falling in never occurs. I tend to paddle slowly and take in the nature. On the sportster I'll take a few strokes and just glide watching birds and fish, it's great fun.

The Avanti, Sunova and Fly are large surf shapes. They work in flat water but don't have the glide that touring shape offers. If you're only considering one board and think you might want to surf it in small waves you should look this direction, if not, definitely go the touring shape route.

I'd recommend you message JimK on here. He owns Extreme Windsurfing in NJ but ships boards al over and offers Zoner deals. If you buy a Fanatic or JP from him, you can pick the board up from their respective warehouses in Miami which at a minimum, saves you the tax. Jim is also a big guy and knows big guy needs in a board.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Wow tropicalyankee that's a lot to consider...... I had heard about the Bote boards being more "fragile"  vs others and asked around about that. The best answer I got regarding that came from a dealer in Dania Beach. These boards aren't like my rotomolded Kayak,  you can't run them up on the beach/shore and not expect some damage. As with anything that fiberglass if you drop something on it or bang into something your gonna get a ding or crack. He said the 2 best things to do are use a board bag for transportation and use the stake out poles when u get to your destination instead of beaching it. With the tackle rack I do see it being a spot where you might eventually get stress cracks but I can deal with that if it happens.

It sounds like you and I are very similar in our paddling ways.  I love gliding and checking out the fish and crabs and nature. I'll definitely look into those 2 boards you narrowed it down to. Ultimately I think for me I will end up with a bote just because of the features. They really really appeal to my needs and fit exactly what I am looking for. I'm really surprised more companies are offering similar features at the Botes...

BTW where do u paddle in the Keys?

Dave

173

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 04:52:36 AM »

You've got the hard part covered then. Demoing lots of boards is key. One thing to keep in mind while you demo is that boards that feel a little tippy to you during a demo will feel rock solid after a couple weeks of paddling them. I've been interested in the the Botes since they came out. They look great for what your doing but lots of boards can fit that bill. Have fun and good luck.

Stoneaxe are there any boards in specific that have similar features of the 2 Botes I'm looking at? To be honest that's the only reason I'm so focused on them,  I've yet to find anything with similar accessories and features.

another model I you might consider would be the Jimmy Lewis Searcher. Similar to an Ahab. Any type of "touring" board.

Thanks ninja tuna I will go check that out right now.

Dave

174

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 12, 2016, 03:24:56 AM »

Wow great info guys thanks so much. I should specify something about my 8-12 miles per day. The main areas we go has a 1 mile channel to cross that we do fairly quickly.  Once we are across we are going much slower exploring and relaxing around all the mangrove Islands. I attached a few photos to show the area and tracks.

I get what you guys are saying about width and speed. I'm definitely more interested in being stable and comfortable. And yes the cooler/seat/backrest idea is awesome. That's what really drew me to those boards. There's a few islands that are farther away that we're looking into exploring. They will push it up to 16-18 miles more than likely per day.

Oh and with regards to the photos yes I am a professional photographer. Mainly shoot yachts. So there will be lots of photos to come soon. Not all will be shareable "hot wife miles from civilization" lol....... But definitely will have some good ones to share. BTW if any of you guys ever go down to the keys I'd love to share some of my spots with you.


 

Dave

175

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 11, 2016, 02:44:28 PM »

I have a dealer lined up that's gonna set out a ton of boards to demo for me.  I was more curious of what you guys know or have heard about them.

Dave

176

Gear Talk / Re: Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 11, 2016, 01:34:28 PM »

BTW way not that it matters but I live in East Lauderdale.

Dave

177

Gear Talk / Newbie nesds advice

« on: February 11, 2016, 12:50:45 PM »

Hi guys,  I just joined here today. My wife and I have been long time sea kayakers and are considering also getting into the SUP world. We spend a lot of time down in the Keys Bayside exploring the mangrove Islands. I've been seriously looking at the Bote Ahab and Rackham. They really seem to have everything I think I would like. I'm a big guy "6'3" 240" so these long wide big displacement boards seem to be my best option. On average we will do 8-12 miles per day.

Other than the high price tag does anyone have anything positive or negative to say about these 2 boards? Is there anything out there I haven't found that's comparable to these boards features? Thanks for any help you can give.

Dave

178

Gear Talk / Re: Looking for a wider board

« on: February 11, 2016, 06:05:17 AM »

Just curious what you guys think about the Bote Ahab. It's 14' long 34"wide and supports up to 500 pounds. I've been seriously considering it since I'm a big guy "6'3" 240". I love the way you can set it up for fishing and touring,  would love some honest feedback. Thanks.