Author Topic: Distance and Surf on my 14'r  (Read 3098 times)

TallDude

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Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« on: September 08, 2021, 10:50:38 AM »
Last week I did an 8 mile distance paddle in cool overcast skies and glassy open ocean. When I paddled past Doheny there was some fun little knee high waves. I caught a few. This guy who was standing in the lineup on a big all arounder, asked me how old my 14' Hobie Elite was. I had to think about it and all the Battle of the Paddles it's been through, I guessed 11 years? Not sure why he asked? It does look a little beat:) It has never taken on water, which is amazing.

Anyway.. Surfed yesterday and it was shoulder high. So much fun.



It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

Dusk Patrol

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2021, 09:26:44 PM »
What a great day… very nice
RS 14x26; JL Destroyers 9'8 & 8'10; BluePlanet 9'4; JL Super Frank 8'6

805StandUp

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2021, 09:30:13 PM »
Last week I did an 8 mile distance paddle in cool overcast skies and glassy open ocean. When I paddled past Doheny there was some fun little knee high waves. I caught a few. This guy who was standing in the lineup on a big all arounder, asked me how old my 14' Hobie Elite was. I had to think about it and all the Battle of the Paddles it's been through, I guessed 11 years? Not sure why he asked? It does look a little beat:) It has never taken on water, which is amazing.

Anyway.. Surfed yesterday and it was shoulder high. So much fun.

So cool!  Did you do the BoP at Salt Creek on that one?  I remember signing up to the non-pro race on my first all-around board as my first race ever and showing up the night before and everyone was lined up looking at the waves that were coming in... what a fun time!  Too bad it turned out to be the pinnacle of the sport and the last year that the race took place in that format.

TallDude

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2021, 10:51:31 PM »
I did. I didn't finish. Left bruised and bleeding with one of my handles ripped out of the board. It was painfully ugly. Two young guys from Oklahoma who had never paddled in the ocean, charge out in front of me and kicked their boards in front of me on the first wave we were trying to beat. Both of their boards came over the falls right on me, cutting my shins open. Our leashes got all twisted and we took the next few on the head. We finally washed close enough to shore where we could untangle the leashes. I jumped back on and the next mackin wave was breaking on me. I dove through the face and tried to drag my board with me by the front handle I had epoxied on. Only me and the handle made it through, then I got dragged back to shore by my leash. One of the lifeguards said I took too long to get through the surf, so I had to line up and start behind the 12'6 class. I just headed back to my car. On the way up, someone asked if I need medical attention cause I was bleeding? I didn't realize I was bleeding. And I walked away from it, just like Laird did. What I heard was he supposed to announce the start of the race. He took one look at what was going on and decided not to be a part of it.
All the other BOP's were so much fun. That one was not. Great for the spectators. Lots of stupid carnage. It was one major wipeout after another. You cant surf that steep Salt Creek double overhead wave on a race board.
« Last Edit: September 08, 2021, 10:55:12 PM by TallDude »
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

805StandUp

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2021, 04:01:34 PM »
Yikes!  Sorry to hear of that turn of events... I remember Danny Ching breaking his thinly glassed 404 that same day.  I was paddling for a few years at the time but never raced so thought it would be fun to do the amateur race on my Naish Nalu.  After I saw all the carnage, I decided to wait until others in my class paddled out after the horn sounded... only to be met with oncoming sets and getting washed to shore.  After the waves subsided I started the race in dead last place.  Ended up passing a couple of people paddling and then another couple when I caught a wave.  Probably still finished last in my class but had such a great time I ended up buying a race board only to find that we were at the pinnacle of the sport... PPG and the other races just didn't have the same energy.  Interestingly the last couple years has been all about foiling but I just picked up a 7'11 RNB last week... what a fun little board!

surfinJ

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2021, 10:58:13 PM »
Nice session story Talldude. Looks like it was a nice tour.
The other story, if it don’t kill y’a….

TallDude

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2021, 03:28:09 PM »
Yikes!  Sorry to hear of that turn of events... I remember Danny Ching breaking his thinly glassed 404 that same day.  I was paddling for a few years at the time but never raced so thought it would be fun to do the amateur race on my Naish Nalu.  After I saw all the carnage, I decided to wait until others in my class paddled out after the horn sounded... only to be met with oncoming sets and getting washed to shore.  After the waves subsided I started the race in dead last place.  Ended up passing a couple of people paddling and then another couple when I caught a wave.  Probably still finished last in my class but had such a great time I ended up buying a race board only to find that we were at the pinnacle of the sport... PPG and the other races just didn't have the same energy.  Interestingly the last couple years has been all about foiling but I just picked up a 7'11 RNB last week... what a fun little board!
That Infinity will be fun. You'll just have to think about getting weight back again ::) Actually on the rail and on the water..... Lots of people out SUP surfing again. A lot of newbies. I'm seeing people transitioning from inflatables to hardboards as they get more serious about the sport.
It's not overhead to me!
8'8" L-41 ST and a whole pile of boards I rarely use.

805StandUp

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2021, 09:58:29 AM »
That Infinity will be fun. You'll just have to think about getting weight back again ::) Actually on the rail and on the water..... Lots of people out SUP surfing again. A lot of newbies. I'm seeing people transitioning from inflatables to hardboards as they get more serious about the sport.

Absolutely!  At 28" wide and 98L, with a 1.2 guild factor, I am pushing it for my 180lbs but so far it has been fun with the hybrid-tomo shape.  I am seeing a lot more newbies north of you, as well.  I guess we kind of greased the skids with the surfers for them although where you are, they do have the flags.

PonoBill

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Re: Distance and Surf on my 14'r
« Reply #8 on: September 13, 2021, 07:32:01 AM »
I know I'm in the minority, but I loved that Salt Creek BOP better than all the other ones at Doheny. So crazy. I got denied in the unlimited start as well when the dickhead announcer didn't take the cue from the wave watcher on the cliff and spent ten extra seconds saying "Are you Reeaaddy unlimited classss, blah, blah blah." I got pounded and the cable came off my rudder. I think only one or two racers got out. Tom English got his unlimited board folded in half. The lifeguard made me start with the 14's so I almost got wadded up in that carnage as well, but a hole in the tangle of boards magically appeared in front of me and I made it over the first wave and out. Coming back in at the end was insane--a 17-foot race board in an overhead pitching wave. I was doing fine until the guy next to me shot out of the power and turned sideways in front of me. I went straight over his board. Almost made it, but my rudder caught and got bent up into the finbox I put right behind it to accommodate that possibility. Finished on my belly hanging onto the tail for dear life. Then they wanted me to run through that stupid zigzag finishing thing. Fuck that. Lots of people passed me while I walked majestically through the zigzag, but they were all in other classes. Not too many unlimited boards finished so I podium-ed even though I was pretty slow.

I honestly don't know why I liked that so much. I almost drowned in three feet of water practicing the start, among other things. Just a masochist I guess. But that was bulk fun, as Iron Phil says, usually about other similarly sketchy things.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

 


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