Stand Up Paddle, er SUP

[Navman]

Any stand up paddlers out there? I've been wanting to add a board to my quiver since I work right on SF Bay. Actually, out new building that we're moving into soon is partially over SF Bay.

We just spent a week in Mammoth and I told my wife I wanted to rent a board one morning and try it out. Her first response was "fine, but the kids aren't getting on it" (she's a bit afraid of the water). I planned on going alone but they decided to come along.

We went to Horeshoe lake and it turns out my wife and the kids love it. For me it's not near as good as surfing but it's a great way to get on the water. Now my family is begging me to buy a board. I love it when it works out like that.

 

[Black Dog]

I've never done stand up paddling in the sense of a surf board and a long canoe paddle, but I kind of think that poling a canoe is pretty similar. I've never surfed so I don't know how stable a board is, but with proper foot placement in your canoe it is pretty good. Then we use a long ash pole with a brass fitting on the bottom to protect it from getting all eaten up on rocks and stuff.

 

[haven]

Here's a video by a stand up paddler who has an underwater companion.
Filmed by Chuck Patterson near San Onofre in Southern California.

http://vimeo.com/14054518

 

[rynosurf]

I love it, it is great exercise when the waves are small.

Colorado River near Yuma

Check out http://www.uliboards.com/ if you plan on doing lakes and rivers, my glassed board gets beat up when I travel with it. I have a 6' Uli and it is very durable. I know the inventor and it is a very good product. The boards are made like Zodiacs, they are rigid when inflated and very buoyant. My 6-0 paddles like a 9' long board. They are expensive but if you want a board that paddles well and rolls up into a duffel bag for travel this would be the way to go. You also don't have to worry about kids or friends trashing it when they try it out. If you want a glassed board check craigslist for deals. A lot of people buy big boards to learn on then decide they want something smaller for surfing and sell their tankers for cheap.

 

[slomatt]

I know the people who own Coverwater SUP in Santa Cruz, they are very helpful and seem to have a decent selection.

http://www.covewatersup.com/

- Matt

 

[Navman]

I know the people who own Coverwater SUP in Santa Cruz, they are very helpful and seem to have a decent selection.

http://www.covewatersup.com/

- Matt

Yeah, I was in Covewater a few weeks ago talking to ???? and he gave me some good advice.

I used to live in Jupiter, FL and that seems to be a SUP'n hotspot as well. There are so many good places down there to be on a board.

 

[grahamfitter]

I know nothing about SUP except that local pro kayaker Jimmy Blakeney has started http://nepaddlesurf.com/ on the Merrimack River here in Lowell, Mass. If you're local and this sounds like your thing, give him a call.

(Curiously, despite many attempts by both of us we've never managed to be in the same place at the same time to paddle together. I suspect he would make my best paddling look amateur!)

SUP does look like fun though -- I'd be tempted for ocean surfing but always wondered whether there is a board suitable for whitewater. :snorkel:

Cheers,
Graham

 

[Navman]

SUP does look like fun though -- I'd be tempted for ocean surfing but always wondered whether there is a board suitable for whitewater. :snorkel:

Cheers,
Graham

I was flipping through one of the SUP magazines recently and saw pics of guys running some whitewater.

 

[exploreFL]

I love SUPing! Mine pretty much only gets used for waist high glass or less! Oh yeah and flat water paddling! Great exercise! GET ONE!!!

 

[refried]

SUP does look like fun though -- I'd be tempted for ocean surfing but always wondered whether there is a board suitable for whitewater. :snorkel:

Cheers,
Graham

Jeff Snyder (AKA the Dark Strider) has been striding his IK for years

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liIg6bS-bpw&feature=related"]YouTube- Fowl Play 1[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4EEZ4WUqpw&feature=fvw"]YouTube- Fowl Play 2[/ame]

not really SUPing a little more hardcore

 

[rynosurf]

I'd be tempted for ocean surfing but always wondered whether there is a board suitable for whitewater. :snorkel:

Cheers,
Graham

Here is the link I posted again http://www.uliboards.com/index.php If you look through the site you can see photos of people using them in rivers. Uli boards are made out of the same thing heavy duty rafts are made of.

 

[HMR]

Sea Janitors.



eepwall:

 

[Navman]

Sea Janitors.



eepwall:

That's one of the nicest things I've heard them called in the lineup. It can get brutal on a good swell with 100 guys in the water with a SUP prowling the outside. The smart ones are beginning to thow the paddle way outside and catching a few lying down and then going back to standing up. I guess it's one way to show the tough crowd that you're not a complete kook.

 

[grahamfitter]

Here is the link I posted again http://www.uliboards.com/index.php If you look through the site you can see photos of people using them in rivers. Uli boards are made out of the same thing heavy duty rafts are made of.

Not only is it a capable surfer and robust for whitewater but it also rolls up small enough to carry on a motorcycle. If that isn't a good thing I don't know what is!

Sea Janitors.

eepwall:

If I didn't know better I would say that board surfers must be getting soft. The reality of course is they're saving the real abuse for kayak surfers.

Cheers,
Graham

 

[Brian McVickers]

I love it, it is great exercise when the waves are small.

Colorado River near Yuma

Check out http://www.uliboards.com/ if you plan on doing lakes and rivers, my glassed board gets beat up when I travel with it. I have a 6' Uli and it is very durable. I know the inventor and it is a very good product. The boards are made like Zodiacs, they are rigid when inflated and very buoyant. My 6-0 paddles like a 9' long board. They are expensive but if you want a board that paddles well and rolls up into a duffel bag for travel this would be the way to go. You also don't have to worry about kids or friends trashing it when they try it out. If you want a glassed board check craigslist for deals. A lot of people buy big boards to learn on then decide they want something smaller for surfing and sell their tankers for cheap.

The inflatable SUP boards were a popular item at this year's summer Outdoor Retailer show.