Bay Area stand up paddling???

[ebby13]

hey...
i live in the bay area in richmond, not quite a surfing town...surf at bolinas, pacifica and whenever brave (or dumb) at ocean beach.

i have been intrigued by this whole SUP thing and scene for some time, wanted to find out if there is a group of people who does SUPaddling around bay area?

living by the bay, i've been entertaining notions of doing SUP over the waters in the bay whenever i don't drive out to the surf, now, is that possible? realistic?

next, what kind of dimensions in a board should i be looking for? something that can be all around bay cruising, surf, etc...which company?  the paddles? (these "bent" paddles???)

generally in good shape...5'9" 165lbs-175lbs...

hope some of you out there will take the time to patiently help me out...even tell me what kind of questions i should be asking if needed, please...

cheers

[Rand]

Hi Ebby,

Thanks for stopping by.  Here are some suggestions I had made for a similarly sized rider in an earlier post:

You could certainly start and learn well with these two:


C4 10'6
Bill Foote (Lightning Bolt prouction model) 11'

(also if you see yourself cruising a lot, or the bay is very choppy, you may want to lean towards one of those).

Or these if you want to push yourself (or see yourself mostly in waves).  You will wobble and fall more as you learn, but it is definitely doable:

C4 10'
SOS Big Green 10'
Jimmy Lewis 10'
Paddle Surf Hawaii 10 foot "All Rounder"

Here is a snip on size rec's from the C4 site on their models:

Which board is right for me? 
The 11-6 is a beginner board, and is also a high performance Tandem board
used by Brian Keaulana/Kathy Terada, current World Champs. Its great for
learning or for a really big guy over 250lbs.

10'6" is a great high-performance sub that is built for good surfers,
with a bigger guy in mind, 200-225 lbs. It can be used for as a beginner
board for someone 150-190lbs.

10'0" is a sub that is built for good surfers 140-180lbs. It can be used
for as a beginner board for someone 120-140lbs. Dave Parmenter just won
the 2007 Noosa Surfing Festival for SUP surfing Event on this same
board!!! Finals had the likes of Bonga Perkin's, Josh Constible, Brian
Keaulana, Dave Kalama and Mick Debetta.

By bent paddles, are you referring to the bend at the blade (all standup paddles have this bend)  or a bend in the shaft?

[ebby13]

thanks rand for the information and the specs, appreciate it...where can I find a bill foote SUP board on the web?

regarding "bent" stand up paddle, this is in reference to the C4 (or Pohaku Beachboy Paddle)website's faq but apparently I'm learning here now that the bent-shaft stand up paddle is the "norm" for Stand Up Paddling?

again, any information on people or group doing stand up paddling around bay area?

[Rand]

Hi Ebby,

where can I find a bill foote SUP board on the web

The 11' Foote is co-branded with Lightning Bolt Maui:

http://www.lightningboltmaui.com/index.html

A direct link for Bill:

http://www.footemaui.com/

A link to all product manufacturer links:

http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=21.0

regarding "bent" stand up paddle, this is in reference to the C4 (or Pohaku Beachboy Paddle)website's faq but apparently I'm learning here now that the bent-shaft stand up paddle is the "norm" for Stand Up Paddling?

A bent shaft refers to a gradual permanant curvature in the shaft of the paddle.  Only a few paddles use this.  All (including bent shaft paddles) Stand Up paddles have an angled bend just above the blade (I believe 11 degrees is the norm). 

[ebby13]

rand...
i just called wise surf shop in sf, turns out they have 4 SUBs left, two of them being C4, one being the 10'6" you recommended, the other one the C4 11' 6"...wanted to seek your opinion on that board?

soon am about to go to the shop to check and inquire about the boards...

[Rand]

My feeling is that you will be happier if you go with the 10'6.  I should make it clear that I have not ridden either of the C4's, as for some reason none of the Maui retailers have received theirs yet.  That said, I have had the opportunity to hop on many of the other production 11 and 12 footers, and IMO they are bigger than you will want or need for surfing and casual cruising. 

Best, Randy

[ebby13]

randy,

thanks again...

just came back from the shop, interestingly, they didn't seem too enthusiastic about the sport of stand up paddling, however, that doesn't diminish my interest in SUP

anyway, I checked the 10'6" and the 11'6"C4s...(as well, the laird model),I'm starting to get a better idea of why you are recommending me the 10'6" or at least boards under 11"...the bigger ones, I could see, appear to be bulky and harder to manuver

I had emailed ron house as well inquiring the same questions I have been asking here...explaining what I may want a SUB for...he felt that I should be thinking about a 11'6" and 29" wide board ,ummmm...

yet, I do feel I'm leaning towards the sub 11" boards

I'm just worried about how I would handle a smaller board when and if I do take it out on the bay not to the surf where it really gets very windy and very choppy, would it handle the chops?  would it be good for like a lengthy ride?

what's your take on SOS's big blue (10' 10")?

appreciate the help and the patience...

becoming more and more interested now...

[Rand]

Hi again,
The first two boards we owned were the SOS 10'10 (Big Blue) and the Jimmy Lewis 11' ( x 30").

The JL is an excellent board to learn on, but as you are 20-25 lbs lighter than I am, I think it is too big for you.  The 200 lbs + set loves this board.

I would highly suggest either the Big Green or the Big Red to the right rider, but we never found any love for the Big Blue.  The board has a lot of Vee that carries way forward.  This (among other factors) makes it track very well, and it would be a great cruiser.  On a wave, however, it felt very locked to us.  No fin that we tried changed this (and we threw in everything we have).  The guy who bought it from us loves it, as do others, but since you asked me....

In a month, you will have no problem cruising on the 10'6, even in choppy water and some wind.

It is a shame if a shop limited your stoke in any way, but truth be it known, it won't matter when you hit the water.  Fun is fun, and from the first stroke and that deep breath of sea air, you will feel it...really feel it.  All that other stuff stays on land with the doubters, haters and those who say nay.

Again, welcome!

[ebby13]

randy, you do spread the stoke, man...I hear you and believe you of the joys of stand up paddling.

again, picking apart your brain...what do you know of infinity's kuku hoe?  steve of infinity responded to my questions saying he faster thinks a 11' board at 28"width and 4 3/8" thick would be ideal for my needs, being able to do everything, being stable in the chop at the same time, the kuku hoe shape paddling than his nose riders because it has more of a kick in the nose for choppy conditions...

trust me,this may not look like it, but i'm narrowing now ...

[Rand]

Those specs sound right in there.  Very similar to this board from my first response:



How much wave riding do you see yourself doing in relation to bay paddling?

[footemaui]

Aloha Ebby.. You will never regret paddleing. Your friends will think your odd but will be evious in the future. My 11' board would be excellent for your weight range. It surfs well and is also good for distance. The problem is getting them. I have some being shipped to the east coast and Maui. Should arrive on Maui in Sept. I also make custom boards. Customs are good for the more dedicated as they are heavier and actually work better in waves because of the momentum... Bill Foote

[ebby13]

hey randy and bill...

thanks,thanks,thanks...appreciate it.

it's starting to look like 11" would be ideal for me in what I need...randy, in response to your question on how much I see myself riding the waves, well, certainly, I love to surf...I just want to be realistic considering the location of where I live, I live next to the bay and I work, figured that in the mornings I'd go bay paddling (or should I say distance paddling?) but on the weekends, I'll drive out to surf, so, yeah, when I feel confident with paddling, I'd do the waves SUP style...so, yes, I'm looking for a win-win situation, a board that can handle the rough bay waters of bay area then as well being able to surf it on the waves whenever I want to...so I hope that the 11" board is going to be that board?

aloha bill...thanks for taking the time to respond...you mentioned the difficulty in sending out boards (can understand and imagine)...umm, right now I'm on a three week break from work, so, once I decide to buy a SUP board, I'd be itching to learn and practice it at least a week before I return to work...perhaps not realistic of me but just curious what you have available or could do, do understand that these things take time...

aloha

[footemaui]

ebby-san... Check out my Japanese web site. It's at    osmsports.com   There are some photos of my 11'. Custom boards now take about 6 weeks. All I have in the used dept. is a nice 12' x 28 x 4 1/2....BF

[ebby13]

thanks bill...

I've defintely decided to narrow it down to a board in the 10'6"-11" range, it seems to be ideal of what I am searching for in a SUP board...so am going to be on the lookout for boards in that range...so if you happen to have some of these boards soon, do let me know...

thanks

[ebby13]

aloha...

here I am again.

just wanted to let you know that I ended up ordering a SUP board from Infinity and am feeling psyched about it, along the way, I was able to rope a friend into buying one as well!!!well,not entirely, he'd been interested in it for some time but when I decided to buy one, that was it for him(grinning).  need a partner to look like kooks together in the beginning, you know?

randy, I just want to give props to you for all your patience and help in sharing your knowledge with SUP in my search of a board and as well to others (Bill Foote for getting involved and his postive encouragement).  and as well, props to everyone on this forum, all your shared knowledge, discoveries, and more importantly the alohaness of it all.

oh, what type and what dimensions, you may be wondering?  An Infinity Carving board at 10'6", 28 inches wide and 4.5 inches thick meanwhile my friend an Infinity Noserider at 11', 28 inches wide and 4.75 inches thick.

truly looking forward to the arrival of the big toys, return to work on the 15th, so hoping for some free days on them or else I'm going to have play hooky (grinning)...

a question here...any SUP magazine that is out there or if you know, will be created?

again, bay area Stand Up Paddling, anyone?

much aloha and thanks!
noah