Backup Paddle

[yugi]

^ yep

Simple tools are the best. Hands and arms are as simple as it gets (and you kind of bring them along with you anyway).

If you do feel an absolute need to have a spare if you are doing some serious gnarly distance then take a serious look at a greenland paddle. Just google it if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

So simple, light, cheap and is flat so stores out of the way. Nothing to go wrong with it. If you are slightly handy with wood you can make your own so easily.

Old school tools which have stood the test of time are often the simplest, lightest, sturdiest and most useful.

[robon]

Having an extra paddle on deck for expedition paddling is a very good idea, and it's very easy to strap an extra paddle to a board. I have strapped a two piece kayak paddle and two piece adjustable to 12'6" and 14' boards no problem for overnight trips.

Paddling prone makes sense for major headwinds and as a last resort when all else fails, but going prone on a loaded board when you are a day or more from your vehicle would be a massive pain in the ass and beyond uncomfortable for any length of time. Try paddling prone when you have dry bags at the front and rear of your board. Last resort..after you break your back up paddle

[yugi]

I think you meant "pain in the neck".

Kayaking is a pain in the ass.

[Windwarrior]

Kayaking is a pain in the ass.

In the words of Rodney King " can't we all just get along?"

[robon]

I think you meant "pain in the neck".

Kayaking is a pain in the ass.

Ha, almost had to add that when I edited my post. I think the Greenland paddle is a good suggestion as well. A kayak paddle could also come in handy if you suffered an injury such as a sprained or broken ankle on a stand up trip and needed to paddle seated. Or just if your legs are pooched, major headwinds, and proning isn't the first choice when on a loaded board.

[Windwarrior]

Kayaking is a great time! I miss it.

Nothing compares to packing in a weeks worth of supplies and heading out! Loved it!

Paddle boarding is just another form of adventure which I also love now!! Besides, nothing better than standing tall on a board and looking down at all the aquatic wildlife!

[PonoBill]

If you carry a Greenland paddle you have to grow a beard, wear odd-looking sandals, and tell everyone how experienced greenland paddlers can paddle upside down. There is a similar ruleset for doing Crossfit or being Vegan.

However, on the few long exploration paddles I've done with gear, I carried a kayak paddle. Not so much for the backup, but so I could paddle into the wind for long distances. With my stuff lashed behind me as a seatback and my ass well forward to balance and move the center of thrust forward, the board acted like a kayak and went into heavy headwinds easily. I played around with converting a Ke Nalu paddle so it could be changed into a shortened double ended paddle using spring pins and an additional blade to replace the handle, but I couldn't eliminate the slop in the joints with hand construction methods and I decided it was a stupid idea anyway. I bought a very light Werner paddle that worked much better. Most good kayak paddles are two-piece so you can offset the blades, so they store small. For that matter, you could use a surfski blade and start down the slippery slope to being a boater.

[Bean]

 Never underestimate (or overestimate for that matter) your ability to prone/knee paddle

[Califoilia]

A spare paddle is not the solution to that problem. I can't imagine going through the BS of carrying a spare paddle on a SUP. Kayakers have to carry and can easily carry extra shit on their boats. This is not kayaking, you do not need an extra paddle to go anywhere nor is it easy to carry one on a SUP. Practice prone paddling. That is an entire sport devoted to paddling, training, and racing very large distances in the open ocean on boards that look suspiciously like a SUP using only your arms. I have gotten F*cked over a mile out in 30+ kt offshore headwinds and associated 1 to 2 foot waves with no way back other than to lay down and prone paddle. It was no problem. Point is you don't need a paddle to go anywhere on a SUP.

^^^ This ^^^

Haven't had to do it, but of the two choices...carrying an extra paddle "just in case" (when I have alternative forms of propulsion already attached to me) is out of the question.

EDIT: OK, never had "expedition" SUPing in mind, an was just thinking of trying to stow an extra paddle on my 14'x26" board. No way am I ever going to be able to "have dry bags at the front and rear of your board", so different vehicles, and different avenues of the same sport I guess.

Knee paddling would actually be easier for me since my 14 has a recessed deck, and getting my arms into the water over the rails might be a PITA, but still....kneeing or proning IF I ever happen to break a paddle I see as a far better option than carrying another one with all the time (for the type of paddling I do).

[robon]

A spare paddle is not the solution to that problem. I can't imagine going through the BS of carrying a spare paddle on a SUP. Kayakers have to carry and can easily carry extra shit on their boats. This is not kayaking, you do not need an extra paddle to go anywhere nor is it easy to carry one on a SUP. Practice prone paddling. That is an entire sport devoted to paddling, training, and racing very large distances in the open ocean on boards that look suspiciously like a SUP using only your arms. I have gotten F*cked over a mile out in 30+ kt offshore headwinds and associated 1 to 2 foot waves with no way back other than to lay down and prone paddle. It was no problem. Point is you don't need a paddle to go anywhere on a SUP.

^^^ This ^^^

Haven't had to do it, but of the two choices...carrying an extra paddle "just in case" (when I have alternative forms of propulsion already attached to me) is out of the question.

I agree with some of this, and going prone when you are a short distance from your destination and it's obviously an efficient way to go for headwinds. However, there is an absolutely massive difference going prone on an unloaded board for a relatively short distance (being a mile out isn't a long distance at all when we are talking expedition paddling) , compared to being an entire day or more away from your destination. Throw variables such as old back injuries into the mix with the complication of having a bunch of gear at the front and rear of your board, and it makes a lot of sense to have a back up paddle for expedition paddling, or for paddles where you end up being long distances away. It just adds to overall safety, and it's also about preference as well. As PB mentioned, sometimes it works to just sit on your board with your gear bag as a back rest and go at it that way.

[Califoilia]

A spare paddle is not the solution to that problem. I can't imagine going through the BS of carrying a spare paddle on a SUP. Kayakers have to carry and can easily carry extra shit on their boats. This is not kayaking, you do not need an extra paddle to go anywhere nor is it easy to carry one on a SUP. Practice prone paddling. That is an entire sport devoted to paddling, training, and racing very large distances in the open ocean on boards that look suspiciously like a SUP using only your arms. I have gotten F*cked over a mile out in 30+ kt offshore headwinds and associated 1 to 2 foot waves with no way back other than to lay down and prone paddle. It was no problem. Point is you don't need a paddle to go anywhere on a SUP.

^^^ This ^^^

Haven't had to do it, but of the two choices...carrying an extra paddle "just in case" (when I have alternative forms of propulsion already attached to me) is out of the question.

I agree with some of this, and going prone when you are a short distance from your destination and it's obviously an efficient way to go for headwinds. However, there is an absolutely massive difference going prone on an unloaded board for a relatively short distance (being a mile out isn't a long distance at all when we are talking expedition paddling) , compared to being an entire day or more away from your destination. Throw variables such as old back injuries into the mix with the complication of having a bunch of gear at the front and rear of your board, and it makes a lot of sense to have a back up paddle for expedition paddling, or for paddles where you end up being long distances away. It just adds to overall safety, and it's also about preference as well. As PB mentioned, sometimes it works to just sit on your board with your gear bag as a back rest and go at it that way.

I was editing mine while you were typing the above. You and others brought up some good points I hadn't thought of or pictured initially.

[yugi]

If you carry a Greenland paddle you have to grow a beard, wear odd-looking sandals, and tell everyone how experienced greenland paddlers can paddle upside down. There is a similar ruleset for doing Crossfit or being Vegan.

However, on the few long exploration paddles I've done with gear, ...

Any expedition that gets to be called "long" is going to be like crossfit training on a vegan diet and ending up with a long beard. If you didn't start with odd looking sandals you'll end up with shoes that look the same.

So you may as well have a greenland paddle with you. Or make one as you go along.

Better for paddling during lightening storms anyway.

[robon]

"I was editing mine while you were typing the above. You and others brought up some good points I hadn't thought of or pictured initially"

I just look at it from a perspective of whatever works and there is no right or wrong. It's just different with expedition/exploratory/distance paddling with longer boards that may be loaded, personal preferences, lingering injuries etc. We have multiple niches within this sport, and adopting strategies from other paddle crafts/sports makes sense imo. 

I have come across a senior fisherman on the Columbia a few times who uses a solo canoe. This guy alternates between standing, sitting and he has an 8 foot pole that he likes to use in shallower waters while standing to get up the eddy's, and just because he likes playing around with it to mix things up while paddling. We had a good conversation and it's cool that he is getting out there at his age by himself paddling, but also because he has found ways to mix things up to make things easier on the water, and to have more fun. Whatever works.

[Windwarrior]

"I was editing mine while you were typing the above. You and others brought up some good points I hadn't thought of or pictured initially"

I just look at it from a perspective of whatever works and there is no right or wrong. It's just different with expedition/exploratory/distance paddling with longer boards that may be loaded, personal preferences, lingering injuries etc. We have multiple niches within this sport, and adopting strategies from other paddle crafts/sports makes sense imo. 

I have come across a senior fisherman on the Columbia a few times who uses a solo canoe. This guy alternates between standing, sitting and he has an 8 foot pole that he likes to use in shallower waters while standing to get up the eddy's, and just because he likes playing around with it to mix things up while paddling. We had a good conversation and it's cool that he is getting out there at his age by himself paddling, but also because he has found ways to mix things up to make things easier on the water, and to have more fun. Whatever works.

Well said!

Kudos....

[yugi]

Next time I bump into Mike Horn I'm going to ask him how many times he snagged those paddles that he was carrying on his backpack on tree branches while walking through the jungle. I see he carried 2 paddles.

https://youtu.be/qawNaOctpNc?t=1274