paddle boards

[shawn dooley]

anyone have on

[Randy]

I have a Native Versa Board. A really fun board to fish from. Very stable.

[wgatling]

I have seen people do magical stunts on these things. I have seen a guy clip a rock, take two steps and land exactly where his momentum carried him! Rocks are the mortal enemies of such craft. One scrape and there will be an off the board experience.

In Hawaii, there is a rivalry between surfers and paddle boarders. Surfers can't see which wave to take. Paddle boarders can beat them to the better waves and can do maneuvers the surfers can't. I was told that there is a lot of muscle training in the bottom of your foot needed to push the board forward. ie PAIN!

[gstanfield]

There are also different versions of Stand-up paddle boards. (SUP)

Some are made for surfing waves and others are made for "traveling" (think along the lines of a kayak that you stand in) Mine is of the type for exercise and traveling and should be stable enough for some fishing even. They are a great workout for your lower body and core. The goal of this one is to have less resistance which will make for easier paddling over long distances and better speeds on flat water.

I'm mostly finished with building mine, just have to finish up some of the glass work and paint. I have more work done than in the bottom pic, but I don't have any good pics to show of the completed lamination. All of the wood is fully encapsulated in epoxy resin just as my canoes are that I build and sell. The outside shell is encapsulated with 6oz woven glass on the top and 10oz on the bottom.





When I get back on this project and get some better pics I'll post up a few if anyone is interested.

[G20]

I have a Big Earl inflatable SUP from Northwest River Supplies. I am really loving it! Lots of fun, and getting (learning) my "sea legs" on it is as much fun as all of the advantages.

I kayaked class III-IV whitewater for 9 years. Due to a semi-bum shoulder, I cannot roll one reliably anymore. No, I won't be running the tough stuff on the SUP, but I will eventually work my way up to class II-III stuff. I have machined a "whitewater" skeg for it out of UHMW plastic I had laying around. Very tough and slick plastic that should hold up far better to rocks than the OEM skeg(s). I've also made my skeg more shallow, and will keep shaving down the depth until it just barely works. Without any skeg, it's pretty difficult to paddle in a straight line.

I have also learned that when a skeg hangs up on a rock or tree limb underwater, YOU keep going. Probably pretty comical to watch, but not very fun to do. Been there/done that.

Along with my special skeg, I'm gonna try padding it on my knees, using hand paddles (which will arrive tomorrow). Paddled on knees, it is waaaaaay more stable than if standing up. Plus, with two hand paddles, I have even more thrust and control than with a long canoe type paddle.

I paddled Lake Conasauga with it last weekend. That was a real hoot, and it's amazing what one can see while standing up tall and wearing polarized sunglasses.

I'll also eventually try to fish while on it. That'll be tricky too, as I have found that merely turning my head around to look behind me really throws off my balance.

What I love about an SUP is that it is just about the most "do-it-all boat" there is. Flatwater, mild whitewater, river surfing, ocean surfing, fishing, etc. Not many boats at all can handle that, and be deflated, rolled up and thrown in a back seat, or in a backpack carrying bag. Plus, it is absolutely the easiest boat to carry that I have ever had.

My next SUP will be one that I build. A non-inflatable one will be much faster and easier to paddle. But that one won't be capable of running among rocks. I'll reserve it for lakes, flat rivers, and the ocean.

[G20]

Here is a cool article on SUPs:

http://tinyurl.com/SUP-NRS-article