Shorter paddler and width on inflatables

[Cobojoe]

Hey crew,

I am addicted to the game, and i have bought a red paddle sport 11.

 my balance and technique is improving, in big swells too.

My biggest issue is with the tracking so i want a red paddle elite to go faster and for better straightline.

My height is 167cm and weight 65kg. Long torso, short legs.

Will i be comfortable on the 25inch elite because I am short or should i go for the 27inch.

What width do you reccommend for a short paddler.

I plan to use as my allround board to replace the sport.

Also what fin could i put on the sport to improve tracking?

Kind regards

[surfcowboy]

It’s your technique, not the board.

Focus on keeping your paddle straight up and down. If you can, get someone to film you paddling straight towards them and away. That helps a ton. You will probably be shocked at how much you slant the paddle to the side.

Lots of guys on this forum paddle what are basically wide, almost round (lol) surf and foil SUPs and make it work. I know this because I recently got back into SUP and couldn’t paddle straight to save my life.  Couple of weeks of practice and I’m back to only half horrible.  It didn’t even cost me a new board to double my performance.

[Quickbeam]

Just curious if you've considered a hard board as your second board? Maybe transportation or storage is an issue for you and that's why you're going with another inflatable???

Surfcowboy is correct in that technique is the major factor. But one other thing you could try is another fin. I had a tough time with tracking on my first Red paddle board, and I bought an SIC weedless fin and it made a big difference. I think they come in 7" and 8.3". I started with the 8.3" and like I say, made it a much better board to handle.

The other good thing about the SIC weedless, is that it doesn't have a long base, and will fit in the fin box on an inflatable, whereas a lot of other fins will not.

Should also say I'm not connected with SIC in any way. There are lots of other fins out there that will work just as well. Just letting you know what worked for me.

Good luck on your adventure. It is addicting!

[Area 10]

You've got some good advice already here.

I would add that a 25" wide inflatable is never going to be "comfortable" - it is for those who are want speed at sll costs and are willing to pay a heavy price in terms of effort and training to get it.

I would echo Quickbeam's question about a hard board. They are more stable and nicer to paddle, and track better, than inflatables. At your height and weight and ambition you should have no trouble balancing on a 25-26" wide 14ft hard board and it would be faster and nicer to paddle.

But if you stick with an inflatable, go down in width in stages to let your body adjust. Dropping straight to 25" wide would be too big a leap.in one go, I think, unless maybe you paddle in very flat water. Try the 27 first for a year or so and then consider dropping again if you can. Demo if you can.

But you are right that the shorter you are the harder it is to paddle a wide board straight. It can be done but it is an effort, and a strain on the body. It is easier to paddle narrow boards straight- the problem.is staying on top.of them.

[Cobojoe]

Just curious if you've considered a hard board as your second board? Maybe transportation or storage is an issue for you and that's why you're going with another inflatable???

Surfcowboy is correct in that technique is the major factor. But one other thing you could try is another fin. I had a tough time with tracking on my first Red paddle board, and I bought an SIC weedless fin and it made a big difference. I think they come in 7" and 8.3". I started with the 8.3" and like I say, made it a much better board to handle.

The other good thing about the SIC weedless, is that it doesn't have a long base, and will fit in the fin box on an inflatable, whereas a lot of other fins will not.

Should also say I'm not connected with SIC in any way. There are lots of other fins out there that will work just as well. Just letting you know what worked for me.

Good luck on your adventure. It is addicting!

Cheers for the info. I am trying to get friends into it so I can sell my board on cheap.

If it fails, ill buy a new fin.
Between a larry allison and sic what do you reccommend.

Im in Japan and storage and car size is minimum

[Cobojoe]

You've got some good advice already here.

I would add that a 25" wide inflatable is never going to be "comfortable" - it is for those who are want speed at sll costs and are willing to pay a heavy price in terms of effort and training to get it.

I would echo Quickbeam's question about a hard board. They are more stable and nicer to paddle, and track better, than inflatables. At your height and weight and ambition you should have no trouble balancing on a 25-26" wide 14ft hard board and it would be faster and nicer to paddle.

But if you stick with an inflatable, go down in width in stages to let your body adjust. Dropping straight to 25" wide would be too big a leap.in one go, I think, unless maybe you paddle in very flat water. Try the 27 first for a year or so and then consider dropping again if you can. Demo if you can.

But you are right that the shorter you are the harder it is to paddle a wide board straight. It can be done but it is an effort, and a strain on the body. It is easier to paddle narrow boards straight- the problem.is staying on top.of them.

Cheers mate, I am pretty set on the elite 14' x 27.
Ill muck around some more on the sport until I sell it. And i dont have the right car or appartment in Japan for a hardboard.
To me, speed is King but I also want to throw myself in the shit.

[singingdog]

In my experience the stability of inflatable vs hardboards is much lower. I paddle a 14x26 on most days. My wife has a RED 12 6/28. The RED is nowhere near as stable as the hardboard, especially in any kind of chop. I can't imaging going to 25". It won't be fast if you can't stand up on it.