Can you simply surf a SUP w/o a paddle?

[supthecreek]

I figured that longboards would learn something from SUP's
SUP's surf so much better than anyone would ever have imagined in the pre-SUP world.

Conventional wisdom kept longboards stuck on the same basic template for 50 years...
SUP has changed that....
look at guys like Joe Blair.
He makes a surfboard for big guys called "Big Red"
It uses lessons learned from SUP.... 26-1/2 wide x 8'10... with a carry handle because of width

It seems to me that this is a very good direction for the longboard world to research.
To me... it's all just surfing... how you catch the wave is just a detail.

If I could still use my shoulders to "pop up", I would absolutely surf my SUP without a paddle.

Here's a Blair Big Red... I blocked the price so it wouldn't amount to free advertising... just thought it would give some feedback on the question.

[endlessfight]

do it all the time on my shorter ones! plus i find if im giving surf lessons and someone just really wants to get the feel of standing up, you can't beat it

[surfinJ]

Yea, various surfs on my all arounds.  Usually with the kids to sit next to them abit
when they are proning.  I prone paddle as I find this more efficient and quicker
in tempo than on my knees - continuous pulling force.  The other day broke a paddle
and waves were too good to quit, stuck paddles in the sand and continued stroking.
The sup works fine as a longboard as long as the waves aren't too steep, otherwise
the board just has too much energy to deal with without a paddle.

[bootesta]

I have a C4 9' x 25" batwing that I loan out to my friends who don't want to learn to SUP when they come for a visit.  They don't seem to have any trouble and in fact really like the board for prone surfing.

[Roundhouse]

My first time out several years ago on a 11'6" Naish was overhead clean surf, about as good as it gets in Florida. These were some of the best waves I've been out on since. I was having a hell of a time catching waves and my second descent ride I lost the paddle. I panicked for a moment but soon realized it washed up on the beach and my wife collected it. I stayed out for hours getting block long rides and going warp speed. I had ridden a long board for decades so it was not that different.
That was the only time I knee paddled it surfing but got me comfortable with catching waves, the stiffer ride and making sections you never could on a short board. Moving down to a 9'5" helped greatly in catching waves but everything was 11 foot plus back then. Now they are incredibly short, but the 9'5" still works fine for me.

[LBatBeach]

I started prone surfing only about a year ago.  After a month or so, and after a frustrating session of pearling my long board on a small but steep little reef break, I broke out the Naish 7'8 Hokua and tried it prone.  Schwing!

[Fishman]

How is the deck pad on your stomach when you're prone paddling? or do you only knee paddle when you have a deck pad on?

[crtraveler]

How is the deck pad on your stomach when you're prone paddling? or do you only knee paddle when you have a deck pad on?

For me not bad on the belly, just gotta watch out for the width of the board irritating your arms...especially if the deck pad has lots of texture and goes all the way to the edge of the board..