the "hybrid fin" and my newcomer wisdoms.....

[captain twang]

hi friends,
since i am the only guy around where i live with a sup board, i have to pioneer things on my own. all new, all adventurous. after two trips down  the local river, study of a whitewater-book and some hacksawing i found something out.
1.: take the inside curve of the river.  it´s deeper  there.
2.: when the water gets alive, go where a V points downsteam. there is more water.
3.: i will go  in hikingshoes. the slippery rocks are dangerous.
4.: i take a bikehelmet. just in case i fall where it´s shallow.
and finally...
tadaaaaaah!
5.: the hybrid fin. i chopped a really cheap and wide fin down to 14 centimeters.

on the picture, the river may look pretty lame, but that changes in some places.
eddie

[PonoBill]

Yes to all, very cool fin. You should also look up "ferrying" to get some hints about going cross current. When you get into stronger currents remember that pushing down on the rail will not just make the board turn, it will whip it out from under you. You lift the upstream rail when going across current.

[captain twang]

^^^^^^^
i will try that out next time.
meanwhile i found out that those hikingboots  spoil the experience. it may be save, but it feels like  standing on the board on stilts, no real contact. i think i will do some research on vibram 5-finger "flows".

[K1SUP]

Suggestions for footwear.  The vibrams don't give enough protection for whitewater in my opinion (although I have seen people barefoot on the river....which is not very smart in my opinion as well).

I was using Converse Chuck Taylor All Star high tops for SUP in whitewater and those actually work pretty well.  They have been my go to shoe for 20 years when I do any wade fishing.  They give your ankles protection, which you want, and are fairly light.  They also dry out pretty well without stinking like most river shoes do.  That being said I have recently gone to a Keen Gorge shoe because I happened to find them on sale for a really good price.  They are probably more comfortable than any shoe I own.  The sole is stiffer than the Chuck Taylors so it takes getting used to on the board.   I may go back to the Chucks to compare them the next trip down the river.

Not sure if you can get them where you live but Chuck Taylors are cheap here so that may be a good pair of shoes for you to test out. 

Bryan

[MT_Dweller]

I use the 5 fingers flow SUPing on rivers in MT, they offer more protection than going barefoot, but also give you that barefoot feel on the board.  Earlier in the year (when it was cold) I wore some neoprene socks and old sneakers (what I use rafting and kayaking), and I lost much of the "feeling" with the board.  It all depends on the type of river you are going to run.  If I was going to step it up and run some technical rapids where a swim would be likely I would consider wearing some beefier footwear, but the 5 fingers are soo nice.....