Messages

346

SUP General / Re: did i invet another SUP application...

« on: September 09, 2007, 10:22:16 AM »

of course i saw this 3 months ago...

but this is very different - you need expensive boat. plus to catch this wake is not as easy as it seems - its easier for me to catch ocean wave than this.

being towed - u need no skills to start and you need cheap (very cheap) boat

347

SUP General / did i invet another SUP application...

« on: September 08, 2007, 09:21:21 PM »

I was on my lake today - usual staff, paddling, turning, accelerating, walking the centerline. Usually I am trying to catch a wake from some wakeboard, but there was not many today (bad weather, cold, rain sometimes) then it dawned on me... Why wake, go for a tow!!!

the first boat that was approaching me, I waived, he stopped, he was a fisherman, coming to a dock. He gladly agreed to tow me, but he had a simple rope, no handle. Nevertheless I tried, it was so easy! He towed me and it was fun! The rope was hard on my palms so I let it go.

Then after a while a real boat appeared and I approached it as well. I mean real pro boat, with real pro skier (I saw him skiing afterwards). He was putting a wetsuit, I asked, he throwed me real skiline with a handle . I gave him a paddle (just not to get in a way). He gave me few rides.

It were real rides. Easy!   As usual with SUP I was standing up to start with, and there was no need to go fast! 10 miles/hour was enough. 15 miles/hour was too much! 13 miles was the right speed for me - I never water skied before (and remember my surfing experience is limited to this year SUP only; I am good with downhill and with windsurfing, if this counts) . At 13 m/hour I was making turns and it was a wake, and I had to bend my knees for real (all in surfer's position).

So, as much as I hate to burn fuel it is certainly a very nice option, if just for crosstraining!

I see two advantages over usual waterskiing/wakeboarding:
1. its easy, because you already standing and one can smoothly accelerate, no need to go fast, before you can glide on the surface - hence its easy for beginners
2. because of the big board, the watersurface is so much bigger than with ski, and hence the required speed is so small, and there is no need for a wake actually, and as a result there is no need for huge 100 grand boat - anything will do (provided that it can go faster than 10 miles an hour)

348

Technique / how deep to paddle

« on: September 04, 2007, 10:00:27 AM »

I was on a glass yesterday. complete mirror, not a puff. (and this is a mountain lake in the rockies, so you see mountain reflections; plus the water is green and clean - you see rocks on the bottom, and its at least 10 feet deep). great condition to experiment. so I tried different things. the question/observation I have is: how deep should be blade be submerged?

should it be that the blade is just submerged same depth for duration of the stroke - meaning that the point that connects shaft and blade is just on the surface of the water at all times during the stroke?

or is it better to start the stroke this way (connection point on the water surface) and as you stroke move the blade deeper? so when your blade is by your feet and you should finish the stroke this connection point is few inches below the water.

from what I saw yesterday I have a feeling that it goes faster and accelerates more with a deep stroke.
I was paddling standing as much forward as I could, so the nose of the board was creating a wake, a wave (1/2 inch high wave) not only to the sides but pushing water forwards (its glass and the nose was just on the surface). And if it is faster board speed, this "wave" should be bigger, right? With deep stroke it was indeed bigger

Also to make a deep stroke I had to bend knees and then straighten up, which kinda involves more muscles - more muscles working, faster it goes.

I am talking very small marginals differences - but every drop counts (no pun intended).

Also when I move the blade shallow I can see two swirls of water on either side of the blade. When I submerge it, there are no swirls on the surface (i would say less energy dissipating into swirls).

349

Technique / Re: Paddle straight!

« on: September 04, 2007, 09:39:54 AM »

Dooner, thanks for sharing this observation. It works for me - and it works better on one side than another. I was doing front J-stroke before. But I tried your technique exactly as u had described - straight stroke with paddle "spinning" from 45 to 90 degress. I am almost going straight now. thanks!

350

Technique / Re: Goofy going regular

« on: September 04, 2007, 09:36:59 AM »

i am also right handed and goofy, and I have the same issue. Paddle much faster and more straight line with my paddle on the right. And taking off, I have to hop into goofy with my paddle on non convenient side. I am a beginner and now I am trying to practice more symmetrical approach - paddle more on the left, stand up regular, paddle in the surfer stance on non convenient side. I am inland on flat water now and its no problem, but I wonder what it will be next trip to the ocean.

351

Technique / Re: beginner questions

« on: August 25, 2007, 11:53:49 PM »

Rand,

i never sad its negative! its just funny. and true. i myself is no fun of political correctness.

Alan,

question was: "room" for what? for walking forward, for walking backwards? that what i was wanting to elaborate. but never mind. i got a direction and i will nail it going from small whitewater to bigger whitewater... today I was windsurfing... 5.0 on 75 liter - it was always tad big for that small board for me. today it was fun

352

Technique / Re: beginner questions

« on: August 24, 2007, 11:36:17 AM »

About that "sdtyle-less takeoffs" (thanks Rand :

Allan,
"I find that a surf stance and ALOT of weight on your front foot can compensate for getting hit in the back. It gives you room to get the board pushed forward -"

means in the surf stance in anticipation of the hit all the weight is on front foot but still nose should be up enough? Otherwise with a shove from the wave it will pearl I guess... And when you say "gives room", you mean give room to load the back pronto after push to compensate for it. I.e. it gives room to load back foot because its not loaded before the push. And so after this initial push that wants to level me and pearl I can prevent it by loading back foot? Do I undersatnd you correctly?

In any case with your advices guys (Dooner, Rand, Allen) while on flat water I should probably to concentrate on paddling in the surf stance, like an exercise, to beef up this skill. And with white water style-less takeoffs  I guess I should try to progress slowly from small whitewater to bigger whitewater hitting me from behind.

Let me describe what's actually hapenning with me when I take it deep (because I don't know how to turn, just concentrated on catching). After I catch it I move backwards, load back foot to avoid pearling. Following scenarios are possible:
1. I suceed
2. I pearl
3. I move too much back and it passes me. Usually the next one is coming and it is already crushed, so I have to resort to style-less takeoffs, so its not completely useless skill, I guess.
4. I move too much back it tries to pass me, but I am fighting back paddling like hell in surfer stance and I catch it again. At this moment we have 2-3 feet wave, that is crushing, I am on top of it, my board is parallel to sea level, pointing to the beach of course, nose is sticking out 5 feet, and because the board is horizontal it is 2-3 feet above the water. I am standing just above the section that crashes, my one foot behind the crashing edge, another in front of it (in front of this crashibng water, so actially there is 2-3 foot gap of air underneath it.) Scarry!!

If from this position I pearl it is real whipeout. However if I manage not too - its a lot of speed, spray and fun. Enough probably to start a bottom turn, but I am so excited at this moment that all I want is just to enjoy safety of being on the stable board moving ahead of the wave... I hear the sound of the wave behind, I am a bit afraid of it, I don't want to push myself into new effort, I am relaxed, life is good... and I ride it all the way, up to an ankle deep water

353

Technique / Re: beginner questions

« on: August 23, 2007, 10:51:20 AM »

Rand,

Lingo - sitting deep, what does this means? Is it that the wave you gonna to catch is very steep?

My biggest problem is with steep waves. They either throw me out of balance or tend to pearl me. I probably know what I should do with them - sit lower, walk more to the back (correct? anything else?) - but it happens so fast, I often don't react properly... Also, I kinda a bit afraid and I switch from parrallel stance to surfing stance too early.

What I noticed is that parrallel stance is way more stable when I paddling, but as soon I caught the wave the surfing stance is more stable. Is it right?

And if the wave just crushed behind me, there is no way I can catch it (unless it is 5" high...). Is there any advice how to catch 2 feet of white water that just crushed behind you?

Thanks!