Messages

271

SUP General / Re: Let's see your kids on SUPs!

« on: June 04, 2013, 08:05:46 PM »

Our son's first time out on a board this weekend. He's hooked and already asking for a new board. 15 and he's already 6' 5" so were searching on the far side of the bell curve for one.






BW.

272

Gear Talk / Re: Another Big Guy Newb with questions....

« on: June 03, 2013, 05:48:57 AM »

We made it out yesterday for a fun couple of hours on the water. The local shop that rents SUP's had a bunch of Bic Dura Tec 11' 4" boards (Listed as having a volume of 205L) so that's what we used. Even with the wind blowing as strong as it was we had a blast. I don't know how these boards compare to others out there yet but I'm assuming they use them for rentals because they are beefy and stable. I never fell off the whole time we were out, other than when I wanted to get wet and jumped off. Had a lot of fun getting stable, working on my paddle stroke, and trying to find the sweet spot on the board. Now our son is jazzed about it and out daughter wants to go out as well and. Even my wife is interested after watching us out there....Getting the whole family in on the action!

surf_giant: right now I guess I would say more for flat water/chop/down winding. Not ruling out surf in the future though.

stoneaxe: I'll definitely try to make it up for some of the events/races.

kayadogg: Thank you for the offer! I think I will take you up on that!

Thanks again everyone!
BW.

273

Gear Talk / Re: Another Big Guy Newb with questions....

« on: June 01, 2013, 02:25:21 PM »

Welcome to the zone.

I'm 6-4 and the same weight give or take. You're made for unlimited. You can have fun on a 14 especially if you start downwinding but if you think you will want to be competitive racing flatwater it will likely take unlimited to do it. Only issue is the limited number of races that include unlimiteds. That said there are enough to make it worthwhile. With good balance that you must have as a skater I think you could go quickly to 14 x 28 or maybe even 27 on the right board so long as the volume is in the right places if 14 is the direction you go. Much depends on the style of the board. Flat or partial displacement is typically more stable than full displacement...at least in primary stability.

Definitely demo if you can....not many unlimiteds you can get on around here except maybe a Speedboard or a Banh Pho/Crispy Noodle. We could hook up and you could check out the 18 Speedboard...I'm sure Bill won't mind, and my 14' Vec for that matter. The Speedboard is very fast but a handful with my crappy balance on anything other than glass. Cost is also an issue....unlimiteds are going to cost more.

Some of the races around...mostly those organized by shops...have demos available. Probably not unlimiteds but maybe a mix of 14's. Worth going just for the chance to demo boards back to back in identical conditions so you can really gauge the feel.

Thanks SA,
Volume, flat/partial/full displacement....all fun stuff I'm learning here. I've done custom builds in skateboards and bikes but I was hoping I wouldn't need to go that route right away. I'll have to try and demo as much as I can, esp in the 14x range to get a feel. Thanks for the tip about demos being available at races, that would be a great way to try a few things out in the same conditions. "Speedboard or a Banh Pho/Crispy Noodle"...I see I need to do some Googling to view these.

I do have pretty good balance so I'm hoping the years of skating will help out a little bit.

BW.

274

Gear Talk / Re: Another Big Guy Newb with questions....

« on: June 01, 2013, 02:00:39 PM »

Thank you for your reply!

I took my son with me to the local SUP shop to rent some boards earlier...unfortunately we got there shortly after their cut off time. We'll be going back tomorrow and hopefully we'll get to try a few different boards. Will see if they have anything in the 14x30 range and report back.

BW.

275

Gear Talk / Another Big Guy Newb with questions....

« on: June 01, 2013, 08:56:57 AM »

First post so first off just wanted to say hi (Hi!). I've been lurking for a bit and finding there's lots of great info to wade through here!

I'm new to SUP's and don't know a lot about them, though when I do something it tends to be 110%. I'm a big guy (6'6", and a lean 265) and I'm trying to figure out what I want to be looking at for someone my size. I understand being at the far end of the bell curve tends to limit my choices and in the case of bikes mean I go custom. Not sure I need to look at that with SUP's at this point but I figure the possibility is out there. I've been watching these two threads recently...

boards for larger people
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=10630.0

Race board suggestion for 265 lb rider. Please Help.
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=20638.0

and they've helped me figure out a few things I'll need to consider. But, I'm still not sure. I'll lay out a few details and I'm hoping some of the knowledgeable folks here can help me narrow it down. I've always tended to be competitive in any sport I take up. Leisurely paddling would be fun but I know I'm going to want to cruise and push it. I've been skateboarding all my life and the last few years I've been longboarding and dry land paddling for fun and one form of exercise. Not the same I know but I figure it will lessen the learning curve somewhat. I'm one of those jerks that tend to pick things up quickly.  I live in Rhode Island so Narragansett Bay will be my playground but I figure I'll hit some of the larger ponds at some point for fun with the family. I'm hoping I can narrow it down to something that I'm not going to feel like I need to move up from after a short period of time. I'm sure it's probably not a good idea to go full on race rig from the start but I'm hoping there is something out there for a big guy that will allow me a little grow room.

Sorry for the long-winded first post.
BW.