SUP Rage

gregg dudley

Senior Member
Explain this to me!? What is the paddle board rage all about? What am I missing? What do they offer over a kayak for fishing that they don't lose in some other fashion?
 

Randy

Senior Member
I don't know that they offer anything over a kayak. Just another cool platform to play and fish from. I enjoy mine even though I don't use it a lot.
 

fish hawk

Bass Master
I dont know but they look fun and cool.There making specialized ones that are set up for fisherman....I'm getting closer and closer to getting me one to use in Florida,but i'm saving up to get me a Jackson Coosa first.After i get me a Coosa, then I'll decide if I really need one or not.:)
 

gregg dudley

Senior Member
I watched a great youtube video about Dragonfly paddleboards. The guy was catching some monster snook with spinning gear. It looked like a quality product and it looked fun, but I can't see buying it over a yak.
 

Oconostota

Banned
I do sometimes fish from mine, but really only because it is the only boat I own. Lots of drawbacks, one being your tackle box and any other gear must be tethered. And I learned the hard way that if you fall off of one because you leaned wrong, there is a very good chance that you will lose your fishing pole.

The one extremely huge benefit of one when fishing is your ability to see your fish and structure, if you wear polarized sunglasses. Eyeballs close to 6' above the water let you see lots of things most fisherman can't see.

For me, a SUP isn't "the rage" for fishing - it's the rage for paddling, in general. They can go places NO other boat could even dream of going. They are incredibly agile. Incredibly simple. Full body workout when paddling.

The one extremely huge drawback is padding into a headwind. 20-30 mph headwind, and you pretty much cannot go anywhere. See, you've got this big tall "sail".

Flip side is that tailwinds are an absolute hoot. I have literally traveled 2-3 mph upstream, and without paddling. Can't beat that cool factor with a stick.
 

gregg dudley

Senior Member
And by the way your user name just cost me about an hour on the internet, but I learned a great deal about Oconostota! :D
 

fish hawk

Bass Master
You can build your own,but it looks like a lot of work from what I've seen.
 

Oconostota

Banned
You can build your own,but it looks like a lot of work from what I've seen.

Yep. A ton of work, and a bunch of money. But then again, you can tweak some commercial plans a little, and get exactly what you want.

My boat is capable of running serious whitewater. It's halfway decent on flatwater. I think it will be pretty good surfing ocean waves. It's got a nice hatch, drain plug, and hollowed out footwells. About the best compromise SUP I have ever seen. But, by definition, as with motorcycles, bicycles, or anything like that, a compromise is a compromise. It does everything decently, but nothing extremely well.

My next one will be one I build (and maybe design) myself. Wood / 'glass laminate. Long. Very light. Very fast. Lots of lashing points. But it will be worthless on whitewater. Good in ocean surfing, though. That will become my non-whitewater boat. My current one will then only be used in whitewater.

But with the one I build, I will laugh my tail off at anyone who wants to race me, in pretty much any paddled boat. SUPs can be extremely fast. It's all in the hull design. Long waterline length, very low weight, sharp chines, etc. All of those qualities stink in whitewater, though.

And with my current boat, if I am kneeling, and using a kayak paddle, that thing really, really boogies. It's short and heavy. I can only imagine how fast it would be with a proper flatwater design.
 

Oconostota

Banned
And by the way your user name just cost me about an hour on the internet, but I learned a great deal about Oconostota! :D

I think much more highly of him than many of the more famous "chiefs" - the ones who became way too "white", and sold off their people, land, etc., from what I have researched. Many of the other famous ones were assassinated, and rightly so.
 

fish hawk

Bass Master
Yep. A ton of work, and a bunch of money. But then again, you can tweak some commercial plans a little, and get exactly what you want.

My boat is capable of running serious whitewater. It's halfway decent on flatwater. I think it will be pretty good surfing ocean waves. It's got a nice hatch, drain plug, and hollowed out footwells. About the best compromise SUP I have ever seen. But, by definition, as with motorcycles, bicycles, or anything like that, a compromise is a compromise. It does everything decently, but nothing extremely well.

My next one will be one I build (and maybe design) myself. Wood / 'glass laminate. Long. Very light. Very fast. Lots of lashing points. But it will be worthless on whitewater. Good in ocean surfing, though. That will become my non-whitewater boat. My current one will then only be used in whitewater.

But with the one I build, I will laugh my tail off at anyone who wants to race me, in pretty much any paddled boat. SUPs can be extremely fast. It's all in the hull design. Long waterline length, very low weight, sharp chines, etc. All of those qualities stink in whitewater, though.

And with my current boat, if I am kneeling, and using a kayak paddle, that thing really, really boogies. It's short and heavy. I can only imagine how fast it would be with a proper flatwater design.

I seen some kits,you can get those for about 1/2 the price of a finished out one!!!Theres a place in Santa Rosa Beach that builds em,been thinking about stopping in there one day when I'm down and see what kind of deal they might work out.From what i can tell it's gonna cost you at least $1,000 for the board then you have to buy the paddle and there quite expensive also.
 

Oconostota

Banned
Well, my first one cost $1,200 new & I got it for about $850 on clearance. My current one (Imagine Rapidfire) cost $400 new (yes, I got a great deal on it).

http://www.riversports.com/product_detail/9229.html
http://www.imaginesurf.com/?post_type=imaginesurf_product&p=822

I'm pretty sure there is no way I could build a good one, the way I like it, for under $500. Now, I don't have a source for a steal on the wood & 'glass. Some people do. But at the very least, it would cost around $500 to build a good one, paying full retail.
 

gstanfield

Senior Member
The one I built was designed for flat water for minimal resistance while paddling. It easily covers long distances and glides along effortlessly almost.

With that said, the big benefit for me is more than just one thing:

~They are a terrific core workout when paddled correctly
~They are a ton of fun.
~They allow much better visuals of what is in the water blow you, by standing up you will see things you never saw while in the canoe or kayak (I still canoe and yak, but it's interested to note the difference visually)
~Sometimes it's really nice to stand up and fish instead of sitting down all day.
~When it's hot a cool dip in the water is as easy as a slight mis-balance ;)
 
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