Topics

16

SUP General / Another Whale paddle Sighting

« on: January 19, 2015, 06:24:53 PM »

A pod of Orca...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/19/378415964/paddle-boarder-who-wanted-to-see-orcas-gets-an-up-close-look








Will

17

SUP General / Paddling....off the water

« on: January 16, 2015, 09:22:51 AM »

So I figured I would post this up since my paddle session didn’t pan out today due to the water freezing over.

I’ve been using this as a workout to continue working my paddle technique as well as load resistance to really work the muscles. We have a universal machine in one of our barns and I got the idea to utilize one of the pivoting pulleys at the base of it to try and mimic paddling. I started out by attaching a wide black rubber bungie cord to the cable to form a loop to hook the bottom of one of my dry land paddles that I use on the road with a longboard. The bungie allows just a little give or cushion that feels like moving water at the catch and the grip ball at the bottom of the paddle keeps it from sliding off.

Standing at a 45 degree angle to the base I get into the same stance I would on my board, just far enough away that I’m bent and reaching forward just like I would be at the catch. Then I work through the same motion I would through the drive utilizing the core to the release (I can pivot the "paddle" just like I do on the water to clear the blade at the release). The difference here is that the recovery to the catch is weighted so I have to control it all the way back to the catch. You can drive with power but you have to remain control with good technique to stay smooth and not start banging weights. The pivoting pulley allows me to switch from side to side pretty easily and smoothly. The road paddle has a “T” at the top so it has a similar feel, but I think I’m going to take one of my old Werners and cut off the blade and use it instead. The road paddle shaft is bending a little too much for my liking when I up the weight. I’m also going to borrow a buddy’s Bosu ball and try it with this workout to see how that feels.

Anyway, I get just a good a pump from doing this as I do when I’m out on the water…..but being on the water is mucho better.






Will

18

SUP General / Oh well, so much for my paddle session today...

« on: January 16, 2015, 07:48:31 AM »

I finally got a free day after not be able to get out on the water for the last week or two...cold but sunny, temps in the 30's. Got all my gear loaded, wetsuit and cold weather gear on and headed for the launch...





FRANK!!



Okay, I guess it's been a little colder than I realized.


Will

19

SUP General / What did you find out there paddling today?

« on: December 06, 2014, 07:04:19 AM »

Anyone want a deal on a lightly used slant-six?






Wil

PS: Kind of sad someone would dump that in the water. I don't think I can pack it out on my board.

20

SUP General / Um, that's a lot of sharkies in the surf....

« on: November 12, 2014, 04:35:45 AM »

A little frenzy caught down in NC...

A video posted to YouTube Monday shows as many as a hundred sharks devouring a school of bluefish near a beach, a rarely seen phenomenon. The sharks are so focused on their meal that several wash up on the sand, putting their lives in danger, a scientist says.

According to the YouTube posting, the video was shot in North Carolina's Outer Banks by Donnie Griggs, an avid fisherman, diver, and surfer....

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141015-shark-feeding-frenzy-viral-video-bait-ball-ocean/

Will

21

Gear Talk / Lakeshore Paddleboard Company - River Rover

« on: November 07, 2014, 11:27:55 AM »

Well, some of you may have noticed by now that I’m trying out just about every board I can get my hands on. A few I’ve kept, some I’ve sold and have actually been able to turn some profit to buy more boards. This time I switched from what I was planning on getting to something I was thinking about getting down the road. A recent seminar I held ended up costing a little more then planned so the race boards I was eyeballing took a back seat to a touring board when I spotted a good sale. I was thinking about this board down the road for workhorse training and having fun touring and the time was right - enter the Lakeshore Paddleboard Company River Rover…

She arrived yesterday well packed and intact. Got it unpacked and started checking it out. First impressions: It’s a good looking and well made board by all appearances. A little on the heavy side but that’s understandable considering what the board is designed for. Nice clean graphics and smooth lines. No bumps or bubbles that I can see in the glass. The nose is a very sharp displacement style nose and from the side you can see more volume in the front tapering out to the tail. The deck pad is nice and grippy, but it only covers the center portion of the tail. Again, fine for what it was designed for but if I hang onto the puppy I’m going to either add some traction pad going toward the tail or use some Monster paint for grip for working pivot turns. It is an “Expedition” board, but I would likely use it more for interval training than camping excursions. Speaking of camping, with the front and rear tie downs and its width (31”) you could load a lot of gear on this board if you wanted too. The 11” fin is stout but not too heavy with a decent rake to it.

First ride Impressions:
I took her out this morning in some windy and cool flat-ish water conditions for a test run. The last couple of months I’ve been running a rounded hull board almost daily so I’ve gotten used to the tippy feel of it so I was expecting this to feel rock solid. Initial stability felt a little wobbly when I first got on it. Just a very small feel but once you start pushing a rail down a little it feels like it won’t go anymore. Probably just getting used to a different feel because once I got going I never felt it again. I didn’t expect it to glide as well as the Laird but I thought it did a good job for such a large board. No problems in the inlet but when I got in the Bay the wind was whipping it up a bit. I had some good chop due to the gusty winds (supposed to be up to the 35mph) and the sharp nose just cut through the waves like a knife through hot butter. Definitely a stable board, even the side chop wasn’t giving me too much of an issue. The Laird would be a lot faster, but I would have been working it in the side chop with that rounded hull. The River Rover handled it no problem. Given my 260 lbs it floated me no problem. And with my height at 6’ 6”, and my reach I no issues paddling and never hit the rails even when sprinting. I don’t know how a smaller paddler would fair given the width so take that into consideration. The Rover also tracked well, no issues with excessive turning under hard paddle. Pretty even on both sides throughout my session.

Bottom line (first impression):
A board that appears to be well made, has good stability, nice glide for its size with ample room if you want to load it up. Also a good platform for training hard paddling on a bigger board so you can really fly when you get on your race board. ;-)

I’ll add more impressions and experiences as I get more time on it.



Will

22

SUP General / 55 mile paddle of lake Chelan

« on: October 24, 2014, 06:41:27 PM »

My grandparents lived on lake Chelan for many years so I have a lot of fond memories on that lake. Since I've gotten into paddle boards I've always thought that would be a great paddle to go from Stehekin to Chelan. A few guys beat me to it but it's still on my bucket list. 55 miles long and averages about a mile wide. One of the deepest lakes in the U.S. No roads to the north end of the lake so you have to take a boat to get there.

http://www.golakechelan.com/?name=News&file=print&sid=16867/







Will

23

Gear Talk / Board shape fade: Nose to body

« on: October 15, 2014, 02:28:44 PM »

I'm curious about the shape of this displacement board, mainly how the board fades and widens from the nose into a "V", and then into a double concave. Anyone have any idea on how a shape like this would generally perform in flat to light/moderate chop? The board shown was 30" wide so I would think with the hard rails it should be pretty stable?








Will

24

Gear Talk / Board hull/bottom shapes

« on: October 15, 2014, 05:57:51 AM »

When looking at different designs, you find that there are a number of different hull shapes with just as many reasons why one works better than another. Flat, “V”, round, concave, double concave, etc…. For flat and light to moderate chop, what shape have you found works best for you? What about DW’ng and heavy chop?

(Some of these are kyak images but the basic shape still applies)

















William

25

NorthEast / Natures Shapes - Customs

« on: October 15, 2014, 05:19:48 AM »

Anyone here ever have a board built by Mike? If so, how was the performance/experience?




http://www.naturesshapes.com/index.php



Will

26

SUP General / Forget about sharks....

« on: October 14, 2014, 05:43:12 AM »

Watch out for Cows!!!





Will

PS: Sorry, it made me laugh.

27

SUP General / Fire Surfing

« on: October 11, 2014, 04:31:43 PM »

I had not seen that before...

s

William

28

Gear Talk / Picking up another Big Guy board 14'x30": Falcon Carbon or Naish GS

« on: October 10, 2014, 02:22:04 PM »

So I'm in the market for another Big Guy 14x30 board.

The top of my list right now is a 2014 Fanatic Carbon Falcon (demo). A buddy of mine suggested the new Naish Glide GS that he spotted at a local shop. It looks interesting with the nose shape and slightly recessed deck. Both boards are over 300 liters which is what I'm looking for. Any thoughts or experiences with these boards would be much appreciated.





William

29

Gear Talk / K15 and a Sasquatch

« on: October 01, 2014, 01:13:10 PM »

So I might have the opportunity to pick up a K15 in the near future. Searching some of the archives it's looking like I may be too heavy for one. Anyone in the know on what the weight range is on one of these? One would think a 15' x 30" board would be up there but with a volume at 228 liters it seems maybe not.






Will

30

SUP General / Hi, my name is Will and I think I'm becoming.....

« on: September 30, 2014, 10:32:11 AM »

.....obsessed with paddle boarding.

1.) When I'm not on the water, I'm thinking about being on the water.

2.) When I was on the water earlier in the day, I go over my paddle session in my head later on thinking about what I did and how to improve.

3.) I'm constantly thinking about what gear I think I need for the upcoming winter.

4.) I'm constantly thinking about gear period.

5.) I have visions of trying to build my own boards.

6.) I find myself standing on objects practicing my paddle stroke.

7.) When I'm not in the zone, I'm on the Zone.

8.) I find myself drawn to unusually shaped tippy boards.

9.) My family roles their eyes when I start talking about SUP's.

10.) When I'm not on the water, I'm thinking about being on the water.



Is it a problem if I don't think it's a problem?







Will