Sticking out like a sore thumb

[stoneaxe]

Had a fun session today at Nantasket but it was kind of weird.  The difference between standup and prone was SO apparent. After 3:00 I was the only SUP out there (only 2 others before that) and there had to be at least 50-80 boards in the water. Probably more actually. Prone to the left, prone to the right as far as I could see. It's a long beach though so there was plenty of room for all. No stinkeye or comments....good vibe.

I was twice as far out as anyone else. I let a lot of very rideable waves go by just because I stood out so much. I'd wait for the bigger sets and usually take the 2nd or 3rd wave in the set. I was still catching twice as many waves as anyone else. I actually felt kind of guilty even though I easily could have tripled my wave count without poaching any waves from anyone. Twice as many waves, with rides that are twice as long....that's 4 times the surfing fun and to top it off I'm having a blast punching whitewater on the way back out.

Can someone explain to me why standup hasn't caught on more here on the east coast?   

[Tree]

Because we are overun with kooks,

[Russell]

Interesting it is the same here.

We have just had 10 days of great small waves, with great vibes on the water. However this could change if we don't get some big waves soon.

The general comment is, you catch so many waves.

There are only 4 of us here who S.U.P and I don't think it will get big here. Some people have tried our boards but the general reply is you make it look so easy.

I think one of the main problems is that surfers expect to just get on it and rip. They soon find out it is not so easy to use the paddle and are not willing to spend hours on flat water learning. Also S.U.P. is a sport in its own right and you surf in a completely different style. Just like short boarders don't like long boards, they say they are too heavy and don't turn. I have had the same reply from long boarders in regard to S.U.P.

In fact I hope S.U.P. does not get so big here as if it does we will definitely get problems with the surfers.

It looks like we will get wind for the next days so it's back to Kiting or windsurfing. Great I need a change of discipline to give the muscles a rest.

Have fun on the water.

Russell.

[sylvano]

In Canary Island, the development of Stand Up Paddle surfing is quite hard and slow for different reasons.

Stand Up Paddle surfing is still considered as a fashion gadget.

here in lanzarote, there are only 6 boards (3 addicts and the rest very occasional...).
When we surf on popular spots (like Famara), people look at us like martians. We have now had two weeks of good conditions and some prone surfers start to have some interest for our boards and paddles.

I was twice as far out as anyone else. I let a lot of very rideable waves go by just because I stood out so much. I'd wait for the bigger sets and usually take the 2nd or 3rd wave in the set. I was still catching twice as many waves as anyone else. I actually felt kind of guilty even though I easily could have tripled my wave count without poaching any waves from anyone. Twice as many waves, with rides that are twice as long

It's very hard to find some gear (no Stand Up retailers, no second hand market, no demos...). The boards have to be ordered to Europe, which doesn't help.

Another factor against SUP is that here, most of the surfers stay surfers: they don't want to loose time learning how to paddle, cruising on flat water, ... The shortboard lobby is so strong here, that even the longboarders are European residents, but not canarians.

Last thing agains SUP: storage.
The first generation of big 11+ boards are only affordable by people with a big garage or so. For sure, the new shorboards generation will help (Personally, I hope that the longboard style range won't deasapear).

[sylvano]

ha ha ha, Russell, we both posted the same ting at the same time!

give me a call when you know how it is in the north please.

[supstoked]

I had a real fun session on Saturday, waist to chest high and light offshores.  About 15 prone surfers and two SUP.  No vibes.  Afterwards, the other SUP and myself were talking, we both agreed that SUP whould not catch on here.  Too expensive and no one wants to take the time to learn.  That morning we both let a couple of guys try our boards out in the lineup.  They could not even stand up.

[PonoBill]

I think it's going to be a slower curve than most people thought--me included. I thought this summer it would go BOOM. Instead growth is more like a warm glow. I've been watching the search rates for the keywords related to "Stand Up Paddle Surfing" and "SUP" (hey, I'm a marketer, it's the kind of stuff we DO) and the search rate is still very low, in fact it's been declining and has only gained some ground recently: . It's so low that you have to do a yearly trend to get numbers, the shorter time periods have too little data to create a graph.

I don't think the board makers will notice this trend, it just indicates wider interest levels in SUP, not the interest rate in the current market--which is people directly exposed to SUP, either by trying it on a vacation, seeing someone do it and wanting to try it, etc..  This kind of organic growth will continue as the base level of SUP surfers grows, but critical mass for explosive growth--which will happen when people start seeing it as a general sport instead of some isolated crazy thrill seekers--may still be a few years away.

[vertseven]

I think that the main reason that it hasn't grown as fast is money. When I was sitting out side resting, a guy paddled out to me to talk about my board. He asked me how much I paid for my gear, his eyes widened when I told him the price of my board alone. I never even had a chance to mention, traction, leases (I snapped two this weekend) and paddles.

My wife really spoils me by letting me SUP. Then again, I don't blame her. If I don't get to go in the water a few times a week I'm no fun to be around.

This weekend I was on the same boat as you stoneaxe. I found it better on my conscious if I move around and not catch waves around the same people for too long. It easy to move a block or two north or south in one session. And about the amount of waves and length of ride, I didn't notice it until I switched to my 6' fish later in the day yesterday. Compare to the long lines that I was catching on my SUP, the fish rides felt like milliseconds.

[Shawn Michael]

It aint cheap but try to get people into outrigger canoe which is 4000$ for a new boat and IMO it is harder to learn.  I think SUP is an easy entry into a paddle sport and what is so great is that they have boards for whatever size and shape you are, not so with outrigger....if your heavier you run out of choices quick and most of the time unless you are 5'10 you are not sitting in the boats center of gravity so you are not getting optimal trim.

I think SUP will grow and grow and the board will get better and better, faster and cheaper.

[PonoBill]

I really doubt it's money, except for kids or real surf bums. Many sports have a much higher entry ticket and/or a big recurring cost. If your family of four skis regularly you're looking a few thousand per season BEFORE you buy equipment. Boats of any kind, serious bicycling, etc., etc., etc. And don't get me started on racing cars.

The current economic downturn doesn't figure strongly into last summers non-explosive (but steady) growth.

I think the boardmakers are all still pretty happy with SUP, in some ways organic growth is much better for them. It's not so tempting for a new crowd to enter the market, and they don't need to grow rapidly to meet demand--they can do it in a managed fashion, which is far safer.

[CHill]

Stoneaxe I think the reason its not catching on here has partly to do with the surf. East coasters dont get much groundswell and I think its harder to SUP in windswell no channels so this tends to turn alot of people away we have to fight whitewater always got to love beachbreaks and windswells. Second there is a bit of a learning curve once you come of flat water and get in the ocean, one of my best friends never understood why I wanted to SUP when I first started he kept asking why I wanted to do that because of all the waves I would blow or miss trying to learn my reply was it was a challenge, and I will never forget the day it finally clicked he paddled out on his longboard and I rode twice as far and caught twice as many waves without being a wavehog was able to grab the smallest of waves and still have fun the next day he bought one and never looked back.I think alot of eastcoasters are stuck with the shortboard Kelly Slater attitude, there is nothing wrong with that to each his own, me I think its ok it hasnt blown up here I couldnt imagine a lineup full of SUPers I love having the out of the way or hard to reach spots to myself or sharing with a friend.

[Tom]

 Surfers in general are the cheapest group I have ever met. On the low end, you can buy a used surfboard for under $100 and use it for a couple of years. The only other expence is wax, which you can mooch from your friends.

[motopilot]

Surfers in general are the cheapest group I have ever met.

Nope, pilots are cheaper, LOL.  I do not think the price is the problem to a degree.  Whe you explain that to someone for the cost/per wave.  I have a guy who surfs where I SUP.  He wants one but is just saving up for it.  He wants to get more waves.

[stevenson91@cox.net]

As far as I'm concerned, if nobody else ever tries it I'll be happy. 99 % of the average joes on the beach admire the style and consistancy of wave riding done on a SUP. Go to your local short board spot, you know where every contest is held and look at the faces in the water. Your either with them or against them, and they are basically against each other. Only the small minded stick in the mud types escew what they fear. It's the same as it is with kiteboarding and 20 years ago with windsurfing. Both are much more expensive unless you consider the wave count or hours of fun on the water factor. With both of those sports you are riding 100 percent of the time you are on the water. No sitting, swimming,  duck diving or any of the other stuff you spend most of your time doing when surfing. All activities that are good for your health but low on the fun scale. As for the learning curve, anything worth doing usually takes a while to reach a reasonable level of skill. If it was easy and cheap we'd be over run with fellow kiters and paddlers (like it is with short boarders). Board prices will come down somewhat as more manufacturers enter the market. More prone surfers will drop the red herrings and try it (unfortunately) and it will become blase and mainstream. Now is the golden age of SUP. Enjoy it while you can.

[stoneaxe]

Some of it may be that they see folks like me with mediocre skills doing it. What I do isn't going to inspire any groms or 20 somethings to get a board. The older guys it may just be momentum....a LOT of old longboarders at Nantasket and while they show some interest that's as far as it goes....and for most of them its not a question of money....quite a few lawyers, doctors and dentists amongst them.

One thing that manufacturers need to start stressing in their marketing is the fitness benefit. If you compare a board to the cost of a good gym membership or good piece of fitness equipment the cash outlay starts to make a lot more sense. Bill and I have a weight bet going on now but I've already seen a huge benefit. Actually....a ridiculously huge benefit, in both weight loss and general fitness. Not to mention what its done for my personal health challenge.

Some of the older longboarders are in good shape but many aren't. Switch out the longboard for a SUP and get on the water 3 times a week and presto change-o you take 15 years off your apparent age.