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Stand Up Paddle Board
- Thread starter 2ski2moro
- Start date
MissySki
Angel Diva
Which brands of boards do you have? They put everyone in my class on an 11.5' BIC, but the instructor said for my size I'd likely go down to a 10' or 10.5' once I have some time on the water under my belt so I'd gain some maneuverability. Also depends on volume of different brand boards. I guess the 11.5' is supposed to be an easy starting block for most newbies.
vanhoskier
Angel Diva
I have a Boardworks Raven (12.5', huge volume because it has super-thick rails), and an Amundson TRX-14 (14' carbon race board). Oh yeah, I do have a Surftech 9.5' surf-style board which hasn't gotten used lately. It's best to start off on a large volume board (longer, wider) which has more stability. I traded my original 12.5' race board in for the Raven; the race board had low volume and was tricky in rough conditions and aggravated my knee. I enjoy chop and wind swells more and more, and want a board that can handle that stuff without dumping me off. I tried a paddling buddy's 25cm-wide race board the other day; it was so narrow and very tricky to handle. It builds balance, but if you're using energy to stay balanced, it's impossible to paddle hard and go fast, which I like to do. :-). Shorter boards are generally more maneuverable but they are slower. Longer boards can be turned quickly by standing back on the stern and pivoting it around this point.
The coolest board I've ever paddled was a 19-foot-long (!!!) Bark Unlimited. Wow. It was SO smooth. Narrow at 25cm, but with that length, very stable. That's a board for long open ocean paddles in huge swells.
MissySki
Angel Diva
Ah good to know that the longer boards are faster overall. I wasn't sure if that'd hold true since I have to paddle whichever length and thought I might be able to get a smaller board to go fater. Something to keep in mind as I liked picking up speed! 
We did learn pivot turns in my class and I did it, but I need a bit more practice getting comfortable for sure. I feel right now that I'll stick to more flat water areas, going out into the ocean scares me, both the thought of sharks and waves to contend with doesn't sit very well with me yet. There have been too many great whites at the beaches near me the past few years, I always hear the Jaws theme song in my head when I happen to go to the beach!
We did learn pivot turns in my class and I did it, but I need a bit more practice getting comfortable for sure. I feel right now that I'll stick to more flat water areas, going out into the ocean scares me, both the thought of sharks and waves to contend with doesn't sit very well with me yet. There have been too many great whites at the beaches near me the past few years, I always hear the Jaws theme song in my head when I happen to go to the beach! 
tinymoose
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Ah good to know that the longer boards are faster overall. I wasn't sure if that'd hold true since I have to paddle whichever length and thought I might be able to get a smaller board to go fater. Something to keep in mind as I liked picking up speed!
You also have to worry about Sharknado's now too!! Skeery!!
MissySki
Angel Diva
You also have to worry about Sharknado's now too!! Skeery!!
What's that???
MissySki
Angel Diva
You haven't heard of Sharknado?! It's a terrible, terrible made for TV movie that came out this year. DH was watching it last night. I saw pieces of it, and it was hilariously bad.
Haha no I had not heard of this, I'll have to watch for it!
Lexiski
Certified Ski Diva
Paddleboarding is SO fun - and easy to master!
I have an inflatable board which is absolutely perfect for traveling, road trips, and ease of storage/transport.
It's the 10' SHUBU (Show Up and Blow Up) by Boardworks. I highly recommend it, it's at a lower price point than a lot of other boards on the market. I've had such a blast taking it around to different areas (tried it in 7 different states!) because it is so easy to take on a road trip or airplane.
It isn't the fastest board out there, but it's great for casual recreation. I've also taken it down a number of rivers, which is a riot, also not such a great option with traditional fiberglass boards which ding when you pinball of rocks! (If you suck at river running as much as I do!)
SHUBU is also perfect for people with space limitations or those who don't have a car rack, you just throw it in the trunk!
I have an inflatable board which is absolutely perfect for traveling, road trips, and ease of storage/transport.
It's the 10' SHUBU (Show Up and Blow Up) by Boardworks. I highly recommend it, it's at a lower price point than a lot of other boards on the market. I've had such a blast taking it around to different areas (tried it in 7 different states!) because it is so easy to take on a road trip or airplane.
It isn't the fastest board out there, but it's great for casual recreation. I've also taken it down a number of rivers, which is a riot, also not such a great option with traditional fiberglass boards which ding when you pinball of rocks! (If you suck at river running as much as I do!)
SHUBU is also perfect for people with space limitations or those who don't have a car rack, you just throw it in the trunk!
MissySki
Angel Diva
How did others proceed after their first time paddleboarding? Did you do a tour or another class, or did you just get out there on your own? I don't know if it is my inexperience in water sports or not, but it makes me a little nervous to go to a pond or lake I don't know and just paddle out. Seems like when I went for my class the instructor made sure to point out where rocks were that you had to worry about or whether you needed to stay further off shore in some spots because it was really shallow etc. Where we were the water was quite murky so you couldn't necessarily just see this stuff for yourself.
How do others handle paddling at a new spot where you are not yet intimately aware of these potential dangers? Am I making too much of this issue and it's not that big a deal to paddle around a new spot and get your bearings? I don't really want to go back to where I did my lesson because the water was quite gross so I'd like to find somewhere new where maybe it's not so gross to fall into. My coworker who did the lesson with me agrees and would like to find a new spot, but is also a little nervous about going to a new place where we don't know anything about the spot. Obviously the other issue is that since we don't have our own boards we need to go somewhere that has some sort of rental shop reasonably close to the location as well.
How do others handle paddling at a new spot where you are not yet intimately aware of these potential dangers? Am I making too much of this issue and it's not that big a deal to paddle around a new spot and get your bearings? I don't really want to go back to where I did my lesson because the water was quite gross so I'd like to find somewhere new where maybe it's not so gross to fall into. My coworker who did the lesson with me agrees and would like to find a new spot, but is also a little nervous about going to a new place where we don't know anything about the spot. Obviously the other issue is that since we don't have our own boards we need to go somewhere that has some sort of rental shop reasonably close to the location as well.
I did take a lesson this summer. I've paddled canoes since childhood camp day with 5 day canoe trips. Also have a kayak and windsurfer. Growing up on lake Ontario and now with the cottage I'm used to the water. So SUP was just another method of getting on the water.
I'm also on a dragon boat racing team. The basic stroke is the same. When the instructor said that she wanted us to "stack your shoulder's like this...." I burst into laughing. She looks at me and I did the basic DB stroke and she knew I'd done that before. Ends up she a coach for a breast cancer survivor team in the area. Because of my DB paddling I have a very strong stroke and needed to learn to calm it down and steer properly without a J stroke.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to get much in September. It's pretty cold this morning. But the wetsuits are at the cottage waiting.
I'm also on a dragon boat racing team. The basic stroke is the same. When the instructor said that she wanted us to "stack your shoulder's like this...." I burst into laughing. She looks at me and I did the basic DB stroke and she knew I'd done that before. Ends up she a coach for a breast cancer survivor team in the area. Because of my DB paddling I have a very strong stroke and needed to learn to calm it down and steer properly without a J stroke.
Not sure if I'm going to be able to get much in September. It's pretty cold this morning. But the wetsuits are at the cottage waiting.
vanhoskier
Angel Diva
SHUBU boards are great! Inflatables are a great option. I've considered one; especially for traveling by plane. As far as river running, I got my fill while paddling whitewater; a scary mishap frightened me enough to not go back, so I'd only be game for pretty docile, friendly rivers!
Lexiski, what kind of paddle do you use with your SHUBU?
vanhoskier
Angel Diva
I scoped out the spots I intended to paddle first. At my regular paddling spot, a rather long lake, the water is murky; you can't see more than a foot down. I stay about 15' from the shoreline, minimum. Some shoal areas on the lake are marked by buoys. Find a spot that is frequented by paddlers...kayakers, etc. pay attention to where they put in, and where they paddle, and you should be OK. I did some online research of local lakes in my area.
Last summer I took a week-long SUP camp, which was all ocean paddling. It was a tremendous education in reading the water and planning accordingly.
If you're paddling in a bay or harbor, or estuary, then you need to think about the tide and currents, etc. Last year, I did a race on the Potomac, and one of the local women told me to remember that we were racing during low tide. Well, I forgot and cut my course too close to an island and got stuck on a sandbar for a bit. Those "in the know" took a much wider line to avoid it. I was relieved to find out later that one of the well-known pro paddlers had done the same thing, so I didn't feel so stupid. It's wasn't a big deal; nothing to damage my board, just a PITA to get it unstuck!
Given your location, you should be able to find quite a few place to rent SUP and get instruction. :-)
As long as you're not running a rocky river, or paddling out in the ocean, things are pretty safe. I love paddling the ocean, but am not at the point yet to go out without an instructor.
vanhoskier
Angel Diva
Jilly, I hope to paddle with you some day!
It's getting cooler here, too, but I'm hoping to paddle into October. I have a triathlon wetsuit that might work for cooler paddling days and take me deeper into the fall. I know some people that wear drysuits and paddle year long...I've seen pictures of these guys out paddling in the snow!
Lexiski
Certified Ski Diva
I tried one of the standard plastic paddles that Boardworks offers, it was pretty heavy and unwieldy. As someone with basically 0 upper body strength, I wasn't too thrilled. My family actually gave me the Boardworks Carbon Fiber paddle for Christmas. It's spendy, but worth it I think (maybe it's easier for me to say that as a gift recipient --haha!) It weighs just 1lb 6 oz and it's really easy to use.
It was also the adjustable version, which no matter what paddle you opt for - adjustible is the WAY TO GO!
That way people who want to borrow or test your board won't have any problems with adjusting the paddle to their height.
KatyPerrey
PSIA 3 Children's Specialist 2 Keystone Resort
Loving the SUP!
