BigGuy SUP Search 2015

[bigmak]

Well, picked up my new Allwave this morning and within an hour of getting it I had it in the water.  I took it out to one of the harder places to surf near me that I hadn't been to in a long time.  There was a lot of chop and it was really messy.  Which meant I spent a lot of time in the water.  A lot.  It's definitely going to take a little time getting used to the smaller board.  But it floats me and managed to catch a couple of waves before I gave up for the day.  Good to know that 190L will work for me.  I think going any less at this stage may have been too difficult.  Now the fun part of learning a new board begins!     

[supthecreek]

 
Great way to start... trial by fire.

Good conditions should be a breeze after that!

[JimK]

BigMak,

Since I can't see you surf these suggestions are a shot in the dark

1) Initially move your rear fin back as you get comfortable you'll move ity ALL THE WAY Forward
2) Keep your eyes out on the horizon "If you look down you GO DOWN"
3) Keep your hips loose and paddle in the water

Lastly sit down if you feel tired (Proners appreciate that) leg fatigue (even a little) can make balance tougher

Enjoy your new AW 9'10 I LOVE THAT BOARD

JimK
Extreme Windsurfing

[bigmak]

Hey JimK, thanks for the advice.  Moving the center fin all the way back did help.  The day before I picked up the AW, I had my best day of surf ever (on my Avanti).  Chest high and I caught more waves than I could count. So the next day when I went out and it was really windy with 1' tall chop it was a stark contrast and a tad frustrating.  (Anybody on here surfed OB in SF?)

Which leads me to my AW.  Got it out 3 more times.  2nd of the 3 I had a really good experience.  Glassy and waist to chest high.  It finally "clicked" for me.  I'm really impressed with the board.  It floats me really well.  As opposed to my Avanti and JB, I can really feel it accelerate when I start paddling for a wave.  It's super easy to catch waves on and turns pretty well, altho I had to get used to getting back further on the board when I drop in to avoid pearling.  I was out this morning and it was really small, like knee high, and I could still catch waves.  I think I had the shortest board out there too.  I still fall a lot more than on my bigger boards, but I think it's just a matter of time.

Thanks again for the advice guys.  And Stoneaxe, if you read this, I was reading your thread about wanting a shorter board and it's funny because even though I just got a new board that's 16" shorter than my other one, I already have thoughts in my head about going shorter with less volume!  But I have to lose the weight to justify it.         

[stoneaxe]

Me too mak...me too.... . I think I'll need to get down to my fighting weight of 230  to make it work.

Don't get too caught up in the going short thing too fast though. I've had a lot of boards, still do, and I like or love them all in one way or another. When I head out for a session I almost always have at least 2 boards and often 3 to choose from on the rack. I match the board to the conditions as best I can. If you are going to hold on to boards it makes it easier to go short since you'll have options. If I could only have one it would be my 10-4 Foote it definitely wouldn't be a short one, too limiting.

[SlatchJim]

Grats Mak on finding a great board.
Don't let Creek fool you with his yarn of 67 year old mumbo jumbo.  Dude can surf, just look at his videos.  At 52 I wouldn't even qualify to carry his gear, and anyone surfing 29 inch wide boards is pro level for a guy his size.
Choppy Ocean Beach is a mess.  Amazed you were even out.

Judge your sup life in year increments.  That's about the time you'll start jonesing for a new board.  You'll lose weight, gain skill, get to demo new stuff and surf a lot more than you ever did prone.  That AW will do just fine for the next year, and when the year is up, don't sell it. You're sure to have friends and family want to go out and it's a great board to do just that with.
See you in the foam,
Slatch

[BigGuy]

Hey Everyone!!

Glad to see some other guys looking for some different boards here.. Gives me ideas for boards in the future.

So my season here around the Great Lakes is over.

Winter is Coming. . .

Had an awesome season.  The board was big enough to float me and get some great exercise in.  Balance usually takes me a minute or so to get my sea(lake) legs, but after that I am golden. 
My main area I would usually end up paddling beside some kayakers and talking while trying to to fall into the water.. which happened a few times..  rouge waves I didnt see coming messed with my balance...

Overall I am extremely happy with my purchase.  It kept me busy on my light wind days.

Hope everyone is still able to get out and paddle!

BigGuy. . .

[clay]

(Anybody on here surfed OB in SF?)

I surf OB, used to live real close and surf it a lot before the baby.  I'm impressed that you went out in choppy conditions, surfing there in general is challenge and supping that much more.  Happy to meet up for session some time.

The first surf sequence in this vid has me dreaming of the SUP possibilities at OB, these guys are charging and making it look easy:

[supthecreek]

Hey BigGuy..... so glad that you had a successful SUP season, see you after the thaw.

Your paddling season may be over, but SUP surfing the internet is a great way to enjoy SUP when you are stuck inside 

[BigGuy]

Hey everyone!!!

Last season was awesome and I have already been out a bunch of times this season(water is damn cold!) and I am having a blast on the water...    But i have some bad news....  I am moving, and it looks like where I am moving to, I will have no place to safely store the board...  I'd leave it outside the house, but my luck someone would come by and steal it when I was working or sleeping...

So, I;m thinking about replacing the solid board with an inflatable... I know they tech is always changing, so I just wanted to know if anyone 285+ has had some good times on an inflatable. 

Waters here are mainly calm to choppy..

If you have not read this topic before, I currently use the  Starboard Atlas Extra 12' x 36" and it floats me with ease..  Im wokring off the winter hibernation "fluff" and im currently 320lbs..

Thanks for any info you can pass along!

[rbgar]

Fyi there's a Starboard Avanti listed in the classified's!

[BigGuy]

Was looking at replacing the Starboard Atlas Extra 12' x 36" with the iSUP AdventurAir 12'0"x36"x6".  Pretty much the exact same size, but with my displacement as its inflatable.
I only really use it on calmer water and for fishing now and the GF uses it for Yoga..  So that one should float me for my needs and meet hers as well..  Not sure if i should go for a smaller one though. or just stay bigger...

I dont really want to replace the Starboard, but I dont have a choice now with the upcoming move......

Also, anyone use an electric pump to inflate their sup.  I try to go out every other day, and I was told to get an electric one, but I havent seen any of my local shops advertise one.

Thx!