Messages

31

Gear Talk / Re: Need help: flatwater hard boards for long-distance racing/touring

« on: August 20, 2018, 01:34:44 PM »

Impressed with your balance. The SIC is 23". Sounds like it is working for you.
Can't go wrong with it!

Thanks! Now I wonder how it would perform in light downwind situations (≥22 kts).

32

Gear Talk / Re: Need help: flatwater hard boards for long-distance racing/touring

« on: August 20, 2018, 01:12:51 PM »

I wouldn't worry about the forward leash plug. I had one and was worried when stepping on it but one gets over it quickly. It's even a nice feedback. When you're stepping on it you know exactly where your foot is.

Good point! Hope I'll get used to it soon.

33

Gear Talk / Re: Need help: flatwater hard boards for long-distance racing/touring

« on: August 20, 2018, 05:02:21 AM »

Update: At the weekend I managed to demo two boards, a 2018 Jimmy Lewis Sidewinder 14'×25" and a 2018 SIC RS 14'x23", each for one hour. Both are very nice boards.

The Sidewinder is extremely stable, both primarily and secondarily, and is quite responsive to manoeuvers. It has a more prominent nose rocker which worked really well when riding motor boat wakes. The glide was okay but not impressive. What I do not like so much is 1) the lack of drainage holes: quite some water was flowing around when I was paddling, and 2) the quality of the deck pad: the owner had only paddled for around 15 times but dirt was everywhere and cleaning it was not that easy at all.

I had the opportunity to paddle the RS alongside its owner who was on a Joe Bark. What a nice surprise! The half displacement hull pierced very efficiently each small chop and it felt like flying. Finally I could understand why Mark Raaphorst named it the Rocket Ship. I was totally relaxed sprinting with the fellow paddler and did not have to worry about my balance. Even made several pivot turns which I failed to do 6 weeks ago on a 23" wide SB All Star. One apparent caveat is, as Area 10 already mentioned in another post, that the leash slot is too much forward---stepped twice on it while trying pivot turns. The water stored in the sunken handle was visually a lot but I could live with it.

Haven't made my final decision yet but would probably go for an RS.

34

Gear Talk / Re: Ultimate hydration pack suggestions? What do you use?

« on: August 16, 2018, 03:24:22 PM »

I have a Source Hipster which I recently took on my four day Hudson paddle. I like it with a caveat. It’s comfortable, and I like the extra space in the pack for power bars. It has a different way of sealing the bag than the CamelBack systems. It’s more of a folding system with a clip than the screw seal. A belt pouch matches a chest PFD well.

The thing I don’t like about it is that the loose end of the tube attaches to the belt with a magnet. That’s okay, but the magnetic attachment on the pouch comes off pretty easily. I lost mine, so I stick the tube into one of them pouch pockets which is kind of unwieldy. It’s fine for a short trip, but after a few days on the water it was pissing me off. After I wrote my review, the manufacturer told me that the removable magnet was so you could mount it anywhere, but it’s a little too removable.

https://paddlexaminer.com/2017/10/hipster-wave-source-outdoors-gear-review/#.W3V04hopChA

Thanks Ian! Is it possible to attach a leash to the Hipster on the back?

35

Gear Talk / Re: Ultimate hydration pack suggestions? What do you use?

« on: August 16, 2018, 03:13:10 PM »

I wouldn’t use a style like the DUNE X-Fit. When getting on and off your board you don’t want any thickness between any area where your thigh will press against your body.

Thanks a lot yugi. That's certainly a good point. The Dakine backpack does sit very high which I like.

I’m guessing the CamelBak’s Octane thick side pockets remain on the side of your waist and don’t get in the way. But I’m also guessing the side pockets are difficult to access. I prefer the Dart.

The Dart comes with a 1.5 L reservoir. My concern is that it might be too small for a 2 L one.
https://international.camelbak.com/en/packs/run/R01051--Octane_Dart?color=3db3ab97f362493cb8b4e619a1848116

Can’t you just replace your current mouthpiece? Or even score a new bladder with new mouthpiece?

The Dakine backpack doesn't have a separate pocket which is large enough for a smart phone. That's why I'm looking for a new one.

36

Gear Talk / Re: Ultimate hydration pack suggestions? What do you use?

« on: August 16, 2018, 04:43:35 AM »

This is an old post but I decided not to start a new one in the hope that the original one gets updated so that it can evolve into a community wiki.

I own a Dakine hydration backpack with a 2L reservoir from HydraPak (fixed hose). So far I have used it for about 10 SUP sessions and discovered some drawbacks. Now water drops leak from the mouthpiece where a tiny crack is visible. So I started looking for a new lightweight backpack which has a 2L or 3L reservoir with a more durable mouthpiece and enough room for a smartphone. Unfortunately some of the models from two years ago like the Camelbak Baja which has been mentioned a lot in this post are no longer available. After reading it up in the Zone and producers' websites I have my eye on two models:

• Source DUNE X-Fit
  https://sourceoutdoor.com/en/running-packs/90-dune-running-hydration-pack#/pack_color-black/reservoir_volume-2l_70oz_widepac_lp
  
• Camelbak Octane XCT (as suggested by Area 10)
  https://international.camelbak.com/en/packs/run/R01050--Octane_XCT?color=3db3ab97f362493cb8b4e619a1848116
  

Has any Zoner had any experience with hydration backpacks from Source? Which backpacks do you currently use for distance paddling (≧10km)?

37

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: August 16, 2018, 12:54:18 AM »

When do you plan to release your video?
I'm trying to demo some boards this week so it would be nice to know more about your experiences.

It's gone to the magazine for their editing but I kept it reasonably generic in the end (rather than being an explicit review of that board). However, if you throw a list of questions here, I'll try and answer them.

Thanks! I'll wait for the video to come out then.

38

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: August 16, 2018, 12:52:26 AM »

No. One on the new Strike and one on the Sprint.
Both are very experienced, not heavyweight paddlers.

I see. Thanks a lot for the clarification!

39

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: August 14, 2018, 01:23:53 PM »

Two paddlers rode the downwind, technical race, long distance and sprint last weekend with 21.5 boards and were very far ahead.

Just to be sure: they were both on the new 21.5" wide Strike?

40

Gear Talk / Re: Toothpick, ultra narrow tippy race boards. What would you want to know ?

« on: August 14, 2018, 07:40:08 AM »

When do you plan to release your video?
I'm trying to demo some boards this week so it would be nice to know more about your experiences.

41

Flatwater and Touring / Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race

« on: August 10, 2018, 01:54:15 AM »

The new GT with 23.5 width is too narrow for me. Maximum rider weight according to specification at 90 kg.

...and recommended minimum rider weight: 78 kg. It's an extremely narrow range.

42

Flatwater and Touring / Re: NELO is in for the games with Light Signature Race

« on: August 09, 2018, 01:59:14 AM »

If I'm not mistaken, they put their fastest team riders Normen Weber and Peter Weidert on two GT boards...just to convey the idea that GT is indeed faster than their previous dugout model?
Somehow I see no mention of "all-water" on their website.
https://www.light-sup.com/light--nelo-the-gt.html

43

Gear Talk / Re: Need help: flatwater hard boards for long-distance racing/touring

« on: August 06, 2018, 03:20:27 AM »

Lessons learned. I'll see what the retailer has to say when he's back from the distributor. Guess I'll probably have to buy a standard screw fin.

44

Gear Talk / Re: Need help: flatwater hard boards for long-distance racing/touring

« on: August 05, 2018, 06:32:54 AM »

Just came back from a 70 min session with my other half's 12'6"x31" inflatable touring board. Hit for the first time an average speed of 7 kph (while paddling for at least 60 min), versus 6.7 kph of 60 min paddling last Sunday with my 14'x28" inflatable and a dangling fin. The wrong fin placement did make a big difference, I reckon. Besides, I do feel that I'm slowly improving.

45

Downwind and Racing / Re: Faster vs. Longer - how to train?

« on: August 05, 2018, 06:10:01 AM »

The "hull speed" of an 11'6 board is 5.23 mph, whereas for a 14' board it's 5.77 mph.

Just curious: how do you measure or estimate hull speed?