Monday, March 30, 2015

JB Boards FREE Demo Day.. Fri / Sat April 3 & 4 th


Come Paddle some great boards Demo Day, JB Boards Presents:
 We are kicking off the season with our first Demo Day of 2015. Come out and try our new line-up...10' Easy Rider, 11' Balance and Amari Ferris designed art; 12' The Wagon…All wood veneer classy looking SUP's with great glide and stability.  Plus see his two Surf SUP models too, the Ono Fish  style Surf SUP and the JBGB model surf SUP.

All of the JB Boards come complete with  beautiful made SUP, Paddle, Leash and board bag to protect your investment. They are moderatly price and an all enclusive price to get you out on the water..See website for more details on pricing and meet Jason Bishop of JB boards this week.. 



We're meeting at the new Hilton Head Rowing Center ,137 Squire Pope Rd  Hilton Head Island,,from 8:00 to Noon, Friday and Saturday of Easter Weekend, April 3 & 4...Get Out There! 
It's FREE!





JB Boards Website to view all of the SUP Line 


JB Boards FB page


JB Boards Meet up Demo event page 







Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Tipping Point , when is your SUP too small





Anyone who's ever seen Sean Poynter, Mo Freitas or Noah Yap absolutely ripping on a stand up surfboard has no doubt wanted to achieve that same level of performance themselves. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as easy as they make it look. As the sport of standup paddle surfing has progressed, we have seen the size of boards come down from the 11 foot range into the sub 7 foot range in the quest for more surfing performance. It's to the point now where the boards that the pros are using are mistaken for normal lay down surfboards.
Let’s talk about the journey to get there; Smaller boards have evolved because eliminating the bulk in the board allows the rider to maneuver more aggressively in critical parts of the wave. The big boards are great for nose riding and ripple gliding but they are slower through transitions and don’t have the ability to generate speed or fit in tight parts of the wave like a shorter board.
But, like all good things, there’s a balancing equation for your improvement.
TOO BIG = SLOW AND SLUGGISH on a wave but great everywhere else, except transport.

TOO SMALL = WET AND WOBBLY with frustration and maybe a few flashes of brilliance.

JUST RIGHT = EXCITING AND GLIDING catching waves, having fun and falling a bit

We've all seen (or actually been) someone  as well as I struggling on a board that we're not comfortable with. It's not a good look and certainly not fun if you are the person doing it. Falling in the water on a regular basis, not being able to catch a wave is lame and embarrassing. It might be however, temporarily necessary to graduate down to a smaller board and become comfortable with it.
So, where’s the line? What can you do to get comfortable on a smaller board and improve your surfing performance without making a frustrated fool out of yourself? You may be asking, "How am I qualified to give advice on the subject?" Fair question… I have been on this journey myself. I’ve been lucky to try well over 100 different boards. I have experienced both success and failure and I'm happy to share my notes along the way.The first thing I suggest is know thyself and thy board. If you’re going to use others as a yardstick to measure for your own floating sweet spot, be aware of their height and weight and ability in comparison to your own. Also, be aware of their board dimensions. Most importantly length, width and thickness, as well as rocker, bottom contour and thickness or lack thereof in the rails.\\
The width of the nose and tail… Wider equals more stability.
The rocker of the board eg. the flatter the overall bottom curve nose to tail the more stable.
The contour of the bottom rail to rail: Concave is more stable than vee which makes the board a little less stable.
The thickness of the rails: The thinner they are the easier the board is to surf and the harder it is to balance on. A good compromise between all of these things to balance paddling stability with surfing maneuverability.
 
Also, be aware of the conditions you usually surf in.
How smooth is it most of the time when you're out there?
How much distance do you need to cover to catch waves and paddle back out.
How hard are those waves to catch and how likely are you to get caught inside when you're trying to catch one or get back out?
That will dictate how much floatation you need to balance on and paddle adequately to achieve fun quotient to call it a success. However, the most important aspect is YOU and what you're used to. Trying to jump ahead too far in your progression by taking 20L or 30L off a board that already feels a little bit uncomfortable for you is a recipe for frustration. Perspective is a beautiful thing and it's important to keep in mind that you're doing this for YOU so you want to continue to have fun otherwise you're likely to quit before reaching your goals
So what are the recommended steps to reaching your desired goal(s)?
  • Be honest with yourself and your ability. Take a good look at the board you’re on now. Are you comfortable on it? Can you balance on it, catch the waves you want and get back out without falling off repeatedly?
  • Start on a glassy day with small waves that are breaking evenly in the same spot if possible. This will increase your chances of successfully balancing and catching a few waves easily. If the board feels impossible to stand on that's a sure clue you've made too dramatic a jump down in size.
  • You can try catching a wave on your stomach and then gliding out of it and remaining paddling to get the feel of balancing on the board. After you do this a few times you may start to get comfortable.
  • Don't insist on your feet remaining perfectly parallel. Find a stance that is somewhere in between that and your surf stance that is comfortable and balance that way. Be very aware of the balance point of the board especially nose to tail. Is it gliding a little bit with every stroke? If you can’t achieve that after a bit of practice you’re not going to have much fun.
  • Don't look down… Look out at the horizon when you feel unsteady. That will help. If you're trying a standing start in the water, do it with a few paddles from your stomach or your knees and then jump up. It’s kind of like learning to ride a bike with a push from your dad. Don't panic if there's water on the deck of your board, just concentrate on getting good strokes in and use your paddle in the water to balance against. That tension keeps you much steadier than you are with nothing to balance against
  • Remember that you were doing this for fun and if it continues to be no fun for an extended time you probably need to adjust your game plan. Also remember, when you finally do catch a wave on that new little chip… Take it easy at first. It’s going to feel squarely  until you figure things out,
  • ……...BECAUSE MORE WORK = NO FUN ! .&. FUN IS WHY WE'RE OUT THERE.

  • Thanks to Tyler Callaway and SUP Connect for the great article..  http://supconnect.com

Friday, March 20, 2015

First day of Spring…

Not a bad way to celebrate the First day of Spring…



Ricky dropping in on a long clean wall 




Thursday, March 19, 2015

Paddle and Potluck social ,,,This Sat. 10 am Rowing and Sail Center



At the Rowing and Sailing Center on Squire Pope road. , at, 3/21 . 10 -2 pm…


Join us for a community paddle and potluck picnic at the Rowing and Sailing Center at Squire Pope. Bring your board and your favorite picnic dish and spend some quality time with local paddle enthusiasts. Don’t have a board? Rentals are available, reserved in advance with one of the local SUP providers below. Love it so much you want to buy a board? We’ll have new and used boards and gear available to demo. 

New to SUP: We’ll lead you on an hour paddle loop, teach you the basics, and work on your technique to help you become proficient. Local guide, Jonas Stephens, of SUP Adventures will get you all set to SUP. Paddle departs the dock at 10:15am

Advanced/Experienced Paddlers: We’ve got a longer loop planned that is sure to get you some exercise and great views. Need some pro tips? Local guides, Glen Barroncini, of H20 sports and Ken Rioux, of Soul SUP can give you a workout and make your stroke more efficient. Paddle departs the dock at 10:30am

For rental information or questions contact:
SUP Adventures - 843-802-4893 
Soul SUP - 843-247-0004 
H20 Sports - 877-290-4FUN






Friday, March 13, 2015

2015 SUWT Team Starboard profile


Meet Team Starboard  as they prepare for the 2015 Stand Up World Tour  (SUWT) 

Thursday, March 12, 2015

….Getting busy week at Work

The weather finally cooperated as we spring ahead into Spring.. Several groups of Spring Breakers want to experience PaddleBoarding. Great start to the season.. and will continue..






Sunday, March 8, 2015

Warm weather and waves?

Finally a break in the cold temps allowing us to have a fun wave session this morning.. Scott, Ricky Jesse and I traded fun clean waves.  Nothing better than sharing waves and making good times with friend.. Time change " Spring Ahead "  so we know Summer is on the horizon..  Thanks to Jesse sitting on the inside taking pics...











Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Hull Bay VI Sup Session

Trip down to the VI visiting Pat Burrell, Was able to get a one day impulse swell at Hull Bay, Borrowed  SUP and was able to get a couple hours of the head high waves. Late in the afternoon as it got crowded a rain squall blew through and we had this huge rainbow arching over the whole bay. I got my pot of gold Sup surf Hull Bay with my good friend Pat.. Big Mahalo's to Pat and everyone down there for an amazing trip..