Messages

6541

Gear Talk / Re: So many choices-who is the best shaper?

« on: February 04, 2008, 09:34:21 PM »

I just want to say that there's more to a good board than the shape and shaper.

The glassers and guys that do the fin boxes etc are also a big part..also the materials used.

It's no good having a good shape if the board falls apart or the glassing process looses the shapers edges or concaves etc.

DJ

6542

SUP General / Re: Personal stand up paddle soundtracks...

« on: February 04, 2008, 01:59:23 PM »

I was cruisin' down the river the other day with my waterproof backpak speakers on and playing Kenny Wayne Shepherd "Ten days out".

What a classic dvd/cd..

Playing songs like 'Prison Blues' made me want to do the air guitar with my paddle.. ...

DJ

6543

SUP General / Re: My First Attempt at Making a Video

« on: February 04, 2008, 12:39:16 PM »

Great vid..Thanks Blane..I love the last wave..and also the last second or two showing that even the best fall.. ..Great stuff..any more?

DJ

6544

Sessions / Re: SUP'ing with my daughter.

« on: February 04, 2008, 04:11:27 AM »

Did you have Duck for lunch?

What a great day...I can't wait for my girls to try it this summer.

that chinese food looks good....noodles and chicken....looks like you had a fun day..

Yes...Chicken and noodles it was..one more pic for steamroller..A pic can often work better than a bell on Pavlov's dog..

I love it.   The Yarra in Melbourne AU...  Wish I was there. 

I spent three months rowing on the Yarra back in '90 while on the US team.    What an amazing body of water and guess what you can actually see where you are going.  I was rowing on the Yarra in a straight pair(two rowers facing backwards)  and that is a very curvy river.  STand up is perfect and lots of places to explore out into the bay.

I took the rowing shell way up into the head waters of the Yarra - 5 or 6 miles of rowing.  I am sure you have some exploring to do.

Michael

There's still lots of rowing going on on the Yarra...Heaps..and some of them are so long I don't know how they can turn around..



The same time last year (Australia day) we put Aussie flags on our boards.



There were so many rowers..and my daughter was siting down most of the time for fear of falling in..(even with a wetsuit on)...Here's a couple of pics from last year.

Notice the little red esky on the back of my board..for cold drinks and food..

Cool pic's haven't been to Melbourne yet, hopefully going this year to watch the footy, wouldn't mind a trip down the yarra though. My daughter has only just turned 2 so it might be a while before i can ride with her, maybe when she's 4......lol

What a difference one year makes..Hey Champ..She'll be old enough in no time..The years just fly by..You'll see..They might even have special sup boards for toddlers when she's four..

Here's one last pic of my daughter Claire...and her style is lookin' good..IMO..

DJ

6545

SUP General / Re: i gots some more pics...

« on: February 03, 2008, 10:47:22 PM »

Great shots..I love the look on that surfer dude's face watching you in pic three..

DJ

6546

Gear Talk / Re: Paddle Choice? Kialoa ~ Werner ~ other?

« on: February 03, 2008, 01:34:49 AM »

What's the T grip handle like on the Werner..and how does it compare with the C4 ergo shaped handle?

Any close up pics?

DJ

6547

Sessions / SUP'ing with my daughter.

« on: January 29, 2008, 02:36:06 AM »

The Great Australia day duck race was held here in Melbourne today.

Although Australia day was on Saturday 26th..today (Monday 28th) was the public holiday.

To raise money for Clean Up Australia and Life Saving Victoria they have a duck race down the Yarra river that flows through the city of Melbourne.

You can buy a duck for five dollars and be in the running to win a new car.

Here's a link.. http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Donate/adopt-a-duck.html

To avoid the crowds and parking problems my daughter Claire and I paddled up the river to where the race was held.

We had a great day..Here's some pics..This is Claire..btw she's now 14 yrs old..and almost as tall as her Dad.



Claire has not been SUP'ing for long and although she was a bit shaky she didn't fall in.







This is my friend Nic (closest to the camera) and me cruising up the side of the duck race coarse.



Here I am thinking..Are you taking a pic of me?



Claire is trained well..Cold drinks..and a good pozzie to watch the race..You can see the yellow ducks in the distance about to start.



The crowd is cheering..The ducks are racing...It's all very exiting...(sorta).



Our duck was number 2648..and Claire had called it Rosie (after her cat)..and she was yelling.. "Come on Rosie".

And the winner is...2888...Bugger!...Oh well it was all good fun.



After the duck race we headed into the city for lunch.



Here is Claire with the Melbourne city buildings behind her.



DJ

Here's a short vid of the duck race.. http://publish.vx.roo.com/heraldsun/videoplayer/?Channel=Herald+Sun+News&ClipId=1396_ducks&bitrate=300&Format=wmp

6548

Gear Talk / Re: My new PSH 10'6"

« on: January 29, 2008, 02:11:43 AM »

Very nice and great pic..That's a beautiful looking board.

My new board will also be a 10'6" for use as an allrounder..but PSH and C4 are through the roof in price down onder..So I'm looking at the Naish.

Just wondering..the two white areas on the deck pad...Any reason..Just for reference points or are they thicker ?

DJ

How much are the PSH boards Down Under?   Last I checked our pricing was good and comparable to Naish.   Where did you see our boards?

Aloha,
Blane

Blane, FYI..These are the prices that I have in Aussie dollars.

The price on the PSH is not quite as high as I first thought..I thought it was closer to the C4 in price.

The 10'6" Naish board that I'm looking at buying soon has a full retail price of $1595. (delivered)

The PSH 10'6" would cost me $1900. ($1899) ...I'm not sure how much it would cost to get it from Sydney..(maybe $200)

The C4 10'6"  would cost me $2200. Plus delivery costs.

Plus the chance of doing a better deal on the price is higher with the Naish because most shops stock them.

DJ

6549

Gear Talk / Re: Air Vents EPS Custom Boards (PSH) - Any thoughts

« on: January 29, 2008, 01:15:37 AM »

I once heard that these vent were necessary if the board is going on airplane transport..Something about the pressure within the cargo space.

Also that the boards are designed to resist pressure from the outside..Not from within..and the construction is very weak from that direction.

DJ

6550

Gear Talk / Re: My new PSH 10'6"

« on: January 28, 2008, 09:48:45 PM »

Very nice and great pic..That's a beautiful looking board.

My new board will also be a 10'6" for use as an allrounder..but PSH and C4 are through the roof in price down onder..So I'm looking at the Naish.

Just wondering..the two white areas on the deck pad...Any reason..Just for reference points or are they thicker ?

DJ

6551

Gear Talk / Re: The C4 Waterman 11'6" vs the Kalama 11'6"

« on: January 27, 2008, 03:45:51 AM »

DJ - Are those tennis shoes you're wearing?

...No..they're Crocs..

I wear them because I have to walk a short distance with my board from where I park my car..and it's easier than bare feet.

Plus they are very cumfee..The soles is very soft..and when paddling over rocks there's less chance of cutting my feet if I fall in.

I like them..even if they do look a bit daggy.. ...btw..I only use them for flat water paddling.

DJ

6552

Gear Talk / The C4 Waterman 11'6" vs the Kalama 11'6"

« on: January 26, 2008, 03:28:39 AM »

With the expertize on this forum and all the talk about 9'4', 8'6" and even 7'10" boards I feel a bit odd doing a comparo on these big battle ships.. ...But there may be some that are interested.

Yesterday I got to ride both boards back to back...btw..I'm no expert..Well maybe around my way I might be..Only because no one else is doning it..SUP'ing is just starting to take off here.

I only got to use these boards on flat water so I can't comment on how they would go in the surf..I'm sure both would go well in the waves..They're learning boards..and most learners would be on flat water.

The Dave Kalama board is the board that I wanted to buy a few months ago..I'm a huge fan of Laird and Dave..and I got to know Dave when he sailed at the Mambo Wave Classic..years ago (before kites came onto the scene so it was many years ago) Dave is such a great guy..and was a brilliant wavesailer.He also started doing the stand-Up thing with Laid in the very beginning..and is still one of the best SUP'ers out there.

When I first saw the Kalama board there was only the big Naish, the big Starboard and the Mistral to choose from..IMO the Kalama looked the most like a big mal surfboard..I liked it.

I had heard that the quality is not the best and I think that put me off a bit..I heard the rails chip up easy and the deck pad comes unstuck so I was keen to see what condition this DEMO Kalama was in..and sure enough those things were happening on it..Maybe more-so from demo abuse.

I have some pics but I just want to say..that I'm not in the industry..and I don't like knocking other peoples products..but the pictures do speak for themselves.



Notice that although the rails are very bashed..they are not dinged..It seems like just the paint or skin is chipping..but the board underneath is still ok.

The great looking full deck pad was also lifting..but nothing a little glue couldn't fix.



The Kalama also comes with a nice carbon looking paddle (I think it may be fiberglass)..The blade face is slightly domed..but doesn't have a dihedral like the C4 to help it track straight..and so it flutters/wobbles a bit when pushed hard..Paddling a bit softer it was fine.



The board would be a great first board..It's very stable..When you tip a rail in sinks a little and then stops suddenly..a bit like the big Naish and 12'6" Starboard.

I took Nic's wife Libby out for her first go at sup on this board..She did great..Didn't even fall in..[]

Here I am doing the "Bend the knees, Lean forward more, keep your chin up" instructions while sup'ing alongside..The board is very stable and very floaty.



The deck is very flat..and from the top view the board looks very flat..I would imagine downwinding and when the tail lifts up in small waves the nose might not have enough rocker..I'd love to use it in the surf one day to check that out.

The other board is probably the Ferrari of SUP boards..(imo)..The C4 Waterman.

Nic's board is just beautiful to look at..and by far the best looking sup that I've seen...The quality is superb..as it should be for a brand new board..and the price..It would have been good to also have a bashed demo C4 to make a more fair comparison so I don't know how this board will handle demo type abuse.



At first glance the two boards look very similar..Same length and width..The C4 is a little more domed in the deck..btw..Nic's board came with the 3/4 deck pad and tail pad..I'm not sure if that cost him extra.

It's not till you flip the two boards over that you see how different the rocker is.



The C4 has a more tail lift and a lot more nose lift.

This is the C4 next to my NSP.



Here's a nice side view of it again showing the rocker.



The C4 felt very stable and very floaty..but when tipping a rail it was a bit softer when it stopped..not as sudden as the Kalama..I think because the rails are not as boxey..The C4 seemed much faster to paddle..It was like the nose would lift slightly and the board wanted to plane on the smaller area of the tail.

When stepping back on the tail to do a sink tail turn the Kalama felt a little more stable..But I'm sure the C4 would turn on the waves better..and with the extra nose lift it shouldn't pearl so easy.

The Kalama comes with a paddle..The C4 does not (down under)..The Kalama is a few hunded dollars cheaper..but IMO..If you can afford it..I'd defiantly go the C4.

DJ

6553

Gear Talk / Re: Otter tail paddles.....opinions?

« on: January 25, 2008, 01:31:29 PM »

I cut a plastic blade to that shape to see what it felt like.

Shapeshifter is right about digging deep in the shallows..In shallow water you don't get much power out of the tip.

I found that it fluttered at the start of the stroke..but once fully dipped was ok.

I liked the way it feels soft through the water when doing turns and half dipping when maneuvering around.

I also like the way it looks..It doesn't look like a table tennis bat like paddles some do.

DJ

6554

Gear Talk / Re: My new PSH 10'0"

« on: January 24, 2008, 03:07:24 PM »

Very nice looking board...Thanks for the review.

DJ

6555

SUP General / Re: Quicky Pipe Vid

« on: January 24, 2008, 03:02:58 PM »

Great vid...Thanks.

DJ