Author Topic: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing  (Read 6633 times)

10generation

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Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« on: January 28, 2018, 07:40:58 PM »
Been thinking about taking a crack at going from Two Harbors, Catalina to San Pedro (approx 20 miles).  Have my own boat and kids can shadow me so can do whenever, don't need to be part of a race.

I've gone all inflatable because they work so well with the boats and I like the portability.

Thinking about what kind of board would be best for a 5'10' 195lb guy who normally paddles a 30" wide board to make the attempt.  Would check for weather, leave catalina early, etc.

Was looking at the SIC FX tour with the rudder, thinking that might make it easier to paddle on both sides if I get cross swell and wind.  Wondering if going to a longer board (eg 16-17') would make much of a difference or if there is another 14' board that you all would recommend?

My goal is just to do it, not looking to race, go for time, etc.  But do want to find a board that is going to give me as much advantage (as I can buy). 

Will be fun to have something I can tell the kids to do when they are 50!

Thanks for any ideas.


TallDude

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2018, 10:39:35 PM »
Sounds like a great paddle adventure. Have you paddled a couple of miles out in the ocean off San Pedro? If you're not racing or trying to break some record, then paddle a board that will allow you to paddle in possibly rougher conditions. 14' touring board is fine. I'm a little south of you. My daily workout paddle takes me a couple of miles out into the ocean. It typically is smoother the further you go out away from the coastal refraction wave turbulence. But if the wind picks up, conditions can change quick. If it starts capping, you'll be glad you have a wider board. The wind and swell rarely line up around here.
Get an early start, and beat the afternoon winds. I've been paddling locally in the ocean for years and never needed a rudder. For years there has been a race from Catalina to Dana Point. It's 38 miles and none of the people I saw competing used rudders. I've been considering adding a ventral fin which does help on quartered wind.
Let us know how it goes.
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stoneaxe

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2018, 08:26:18 AM »
What TD said. Nobody has ever used a rudder for the CCBC (from 30-36 miles depending on our launch spot) but a ventral helps. if you can do it whenever you can wait for favorable conditions too. I've paddled the CCBC a couple times where we paddled right side almost the whole way but If i was doing it on my own I'd look for a good day.
Bob

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Bulky

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2018, 10:13:44 AM »
Don't think you need a rudder.  From what I understand there would be a significant learning curve.  Just a good reliable 14-footer that's got open 0cean capability.  SIC is a good choice, I'd also look if you can pick up a used Infinity Blackfish.  The 26in is really stable--especially if you get the 4 fin set up.  I really like it as an open ocean board and paddle it daily.  Could stand on it all day.

Sounds like a fun adventure.  Would love to do it myself someday.
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seadart

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2018, 09:30:27 PM »
I've done the crossing in a sea kayak back and forth  a few times.  My advice would be to do several coastal paddles along the coast 21 miles into the wind on whatever board you decide on to make sure you have the endurance you think you have.  The other suggestion is to leave so you paddle about an hour and a half in the darkness with a light before the sun comes up,  and you will have less issues with wind/chop.  Be very watchful for shipping traffic and fishing boats.   It gets pretty boring paddling away for that distance.  You might also think about circumnavigating the island or paddling to some of the other channel islands with less busy sea lanes.

SG50SUP

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2018, 12:56:50 AM »
You should be fine with stock FX in good weather. Plan your departure well. Be visible. And enjoy the trip. https://youtu.be/BJ3JIhDmNVU


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Eagle

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2018, 04:36:01 PM »
If you paddle around 15 miles in a loop you should get a good idea what board to use.  I went 10 miles on my 27.5 Dom in my first year and had to paddle the last 2 miles on my knees as wind and waves picked up.  Then did that same route on my 30 Touring pin and found that no probs in similar conditions.  Then did 15 miles on my 27.25 V2 and was ok on that.  Stayed dry on all runs.  So very hard to predict what will work for you.  But like your idea of 30 wide.  That should handle some rougher conditions without you needing to resort to dropping to your knees.  Once your knees lose power your sense of balance goes all to pot in a hurry.  Granted I took in no food or fluid each time to test at what point I started to bonk.

The thing about a SIC rudder is that the steering arm may get in the way for optimal foot placement.  The SB Touring pin actually has a hole thru the board for an adjustable foot rudder meant to compensate for wind and current.  So that might be an option.  The Expedition looks to be a dedicated distance touring board with a wide stable higher drag tail.  But looks like it would have to be a 2017 model as for 2018 it might have been dropped.

My guess is that the FX Tour would be able to do the job for AW.  If mostly with the wind -> something like the F14 might work better.  Even a M28 or any SIC UL with steering as well.  If conditions are flat and docile then a faster narrower option should be a lot more efficient.  My suggestions are more on the safe side.  ;)
Fast is FUN!   8)
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yugi

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2018, 10:18:11 AM »
The SIC FX was not the easy board people thought it would be. Especially not easy in chop. Maybe the deck has been lowered a bit which should help but the real culprit in choppy waters is the displacement nose. When a wave pulls the nose to the side the board does a death-roll which spits the rider off. That’s the problem with displacement noses in chop.

You’re better off with an inherently stable shape than taking a tricky shape and adding width and rudder.

What’s inherently stable? Downwind boards are. Due to the raised nose. Most are fast enough on flats. There are tons of DW/allwater hybrids out now. Downwind boards gone more racy or race boards gone more downwindy. They have met in the middle and have gained popularity for both fun paddling and races. A la Focus Bluefin, Naish Maliko, Blackfish, etc etc. Too many to mention. Look to something like that. Avoid a board with large bulbous nose that becomes windage in sidewind.

I learned the hard way. I SUP a lot of longer distances in chop and crosswind. There's a fun bar in a perfect sunset spot with a great vibe for a sundowner drink we paddle to but it's very usually sidewind and heavy chop. But great practice. You quickly learn which boards are trickier, especially when the paddle home is after the sun is down and it gets a bit colder. Extra motivation to not fall.
« Last Edit: February 01, 2018, 10:20:21 AM by yugi »

burchas

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2018, 06:37:33 AM »
The main issue with the FX is it's volume distribution IMO and that's mostly what affects the nose which in turns makes the board challenging in certain conditions.
The other issue is more personal and that's the quick tip feeling the board has. In reality the board does NOT tip that easily and has remarkable secondary stability
But that takes a lot of getting used to and takes it's tall on the legs if you're not.

Since out and out speed is not your main concern I would look into All-water low volume boards such as Naish Maliko. 404 is another brand that comes to mind with
low volume boards so might worth checking out. SIC Bullet 14V2 might work as well and it is offered with steering though I don't like it as an all-water board

The low volume makes the board inherently more stable - the board sits lower in the water and therefor you stand closer to the water line, the windage effect is reduced
considerably on these board as there is less board exposed, same goes with side chop that goes easily over the board.

Another benefit of standing closer to the water is a shorter paddle, which means more leverage on the paddle thus more efficient paddling which is a big benefit for long distance.

The SIC FX was not the easy board people thought it would be. Especially not easy in chop. Maybe the deck has been lowered a bit which should help but the real culprit in choppy waters is the displacement nose. When a wave pulls the nose to the side the board does a death-roll which spits the rider off. That’s the problem with displacement noses in chop.

^I agree with your comment about displacement noses, however, FX nose is not a displacement nose so if you ride it as such, there lies your problem.
in progress...

805StandUp

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2018, 08:24:55 AM »
The Blue Planet Bump Rider in 30" (or 28" if you want to push yourself more) could be a great board for the run.  I did a couple downwind runs with Robert and loved that board.  You may also want to talk to Greg at Xstreamline in San Pedro.  I bought my Naish Javelin x28 from him back in 2015 which could also work well and I understand that there are still some 2015 stock that is now selling for half the price I paid.  The Naish Glide could also be a good board to consider in addition to the Maliko that Burchas mentioned.

starman

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2018, 09:47:46 AM »
Well 10generation I would be talking to Joe Bark about the crossing and ask his advise on a board. He's actually done it more then a few times as well as shaped boards (SUP and paddleboard) for that channel for many, many years.

http://www.joebark.com/blog/

TallDude

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2018, 10:17:09 AM »
Well 10generation I would be talking to Joe Bark about the crossing and ask his advise on a board. He's actually done it more then a few times as well as shaped boards (SUP and paddleboard) for that channel for many, many years.

http://www.joebark.com/blog/
+1
It's not overhead to me!
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all~wet

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #12 on: February 02, 2018, 11:00:59 AM »
My 2 cents.

There are loads of boards that will do just fine for this crossing. Not sure I'd buy the perfect board for a one off crossing if its not going to be the best board for you day to day following this adventure.

Assuming you can get your hands on at least a solid board, really, the most important factors in having a good, enjoyable crossing will be your fitness and the conditions. Since it isn't a race / assuming you have some flexibility on dates..... monitor the forecast and pick a day where you don't have the strong winds out of the prevailing NNW. On that heading this means side on wind-swell the whole way across. Not fun. As was said before- get an early start. Normally the wind doesn't start goin until 11AMish.

If you can find a window for a smooth morning- which there are plenty- the best board is going to be a stable UL. Maybe consider renting/begging/borrowing one. Good luck!

10generation

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #13 on: March 02, 2018, 12:51:59 AM »
Thanks for all the great feedback guys.  I love the look of the SIC boards, but I should reach out to Joe and talk to him about my goals for the crossing.  Great point about the FX and displacement dynamics for all water board.

Thanks again

10generation

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Re: Best Board for crossing the San Pedro Channel - not racing
« Reply #14 on: March 23, 2018, 10:59:05 PM »
Any strong opinions about the suitability of the the SIC RS, infinity Blackfish or Naish Maliko to this crossing?

Thanks

 


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