Paddlesports (Kayaking, Canoe, Stand-Up Paddle boards)

Soldato
Joined
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Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Nice. I'm look forward to paddling the zen touring (although currently looking like we will postpone holiday a bit due to sodding covid). I fancy an all star 28 inch isup as my inflatable at some point but it's been quite a spenny few months for water toys so that will have to wait.

I look at the Airline when i bought my Gladiator, it seems great but i decided to avoid getting carried away.

You not tempted by a hard board with being right on the water and with a few inflatables for other duties. A friend is heading down to Southampton this weekend to try out the Starboard Generation board. That looks like a cracking board.
 
Man of Honour
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28 Nov 2007
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12,736
I look at the Airline when i bought my Gladiator, it seems great but i decided to avoid getting carried away.

You not tempted by a hard board with being right on the water and with a few inflatables for other duties. A friend is heading down to Southampton this weekend to try out the Starboard Generation board. That looks like a cracking board.

My JP is hard board. I have previous year of this in the biax construction (grey and orange colourway but otherwise same) https://jp-australia.com/p/sup/composite-boards/allwater-gt/

14x 27.5

We go to mallorca and have to have isups for that. Happy using 12 6 there but 14 foot would be nicer and would allow me to tour with son
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
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Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Ah right. I think i thought you had the inflatable JP for some reason.

I'm off to Spain in September. Found a place which does some SUP tours locally. Might be a good day out.
https://supacademyjavea.com/tour/barraca-to-isla-del-portichol/

There's also another place in the local bay which have some Starboard and NSP race boards. Would be great to have a play on something like that. I'll still take my Red Compact but as a one off play it'd be great fun.
 
Associate
Joined
12 Sep 2009
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1,552
I thought you had the 14' Naish? How come you went for such a similar board?

A guy i paddle with has an older board in that style (although only 11'2) and it seems pretty well made. Looks like yours comes with the same pump as my Gladiator, it's great isn't it!

Had issues with the valve not sealing properly on the Naish, so the Starboard was a direct swap which was good, its got a bit more rocker on the front as well, which helps no end on the uneven chop on the North Sea, which is hardly ever flat.

Overall very pleased with it, still need an electric pump to inflate it though!

Cheers all
 
Associate
Joined
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I thought you had the 14' Naish? How come you went for such a similar board?

A guy i paddle with has an older board in that style (although only 11'2) and it seems pretty well made. Looks like yours comes with the same pump as my Gladiator, it's great isn't it!

Not used the pump yet, but it looks a great improvement on the previous Starboard ones, still using the O'Brien electric pump much easier to use.

Typical though been working from home for nearly 5 months and booked this week off as holiday, and you guessed it the wind is blowing around 25 mph for most of this week :(

Cheers all
 
Man of Honour
Joined
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Yeah it is US and you're right, want to bodge it as still hoping to go on hols on Monday (moved it from this week). I've used a kind of plastibond on it that melts and fuses the two layers together (use if for some RC modelling stuff) and have some epoxy to add later where there is a slight gap. Think it will be fine for the mo.

I'm knackered already today. Did a couple of mile blast on the K1 and then a short SUP. Really trying to get the leg drive working in the kayak and it leaves me with total jelly legs. I think probably being pretty inefficient with it at the mo. Getting faster and more comfortable though. Still feels like a bit of a lottery at slow speed.
 
Soldato
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Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Hopefully it's alright then.

Today i got out for the first time in ages. Figured i'd make the most of the sun and got just over 4 miles in before work. Glad i went before work as it's now raining. Good old England. Get told of a one day heat wave and can't even manage a full day!
 
Man of Honour
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another 2 blisters on the rrd, a now fixed seem burst on the fanatic (which I don't blame it for it has had a long, trouble free life) and the mast foot has popped up and raised off the deck pad. not having much luck with inflatables.

Really enjoying my mates starboard touring though. Did a solo tour to a beach with no road access that was a real pleasure. Yesterday did a coast hugging tour with a lot of boat wake, chop and a bit of swell. It's very stable and tracks extremely true when stood around the centre. You really need to make an effort to turn it. Step backs are good and really easily balanced. I like it a lot but would buy the airline race board as it feels a bit lardy and too forgiving. Having said that you could load it up and tour knowing you will most likely stay dry so it does what it sets out to do perfectly.
 
Associate
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1,552
another 2 blisters on the rrd, a now fixed seem burst on the fanatic (which I don't blame it for it has had a long, trouble free life) and the mast foot has popped up and raised off the deck pad. not having much luck with inflatables.

Really enjoying my mates starboard touring though. Did a solo tour to a beach with no road access that was a real pleasure. Yesterday did a coast hugging tour with a lot of boat wake, chop and a bit of swell. It's very stable and tracks extremely true when stood around the centre. You really need to make an effort to turn it. Step backs are good and really easily balanced. I like it a lot but would buy the airline race board as it feels a bit lardy and too forgiving. Having said that you could load it up and tour knowing you will most likely stay dry so it does what it sets out to do perfectly.

Had my Starboard Touring Deluxe out yesterday, paddled 6 miles on it before the wind & chop picked up, really pleased with it no complaints at all :)

Cheers all
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
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21,204
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Disappointing with the RRD, is it just cosmetic or does it affect function too? I know it could just be a one off, but i'm glad i didn't spend ~£1k on their 14" board. Especially after you commented that it felt really well made at first.

I often get jealous of people on Facebook who post pictures from Cornwall etc, but i got out on Saturday to Lake Coniston and the views are superb. The guy i was with got a few pictures.

It was supposed to be an amazingly sunny day according to the forecast. We turned up around 6:45 to beat the crowds which descend from 10am onwards. However we pulled up and from the lay-by this greeted us on the lake

IaQ7VIZ.jpg

We set off with pretty poor visability, and then slowly the fog started to lift and reveal blue skies and sunshine. Note how flat the lake is

muMXsdi.jpg

Then fully lifted and a stunning day. Toured around the full lake which was around 11 miles. Finished off with a bit of wind and chop for the last mile. At this point it was quite busy and lots of people paddling on their knees as they couldn't cope. Which made us feel like pro's!

Also typical "Paddle Boarder" pose from me!

gtIaEBi.jpg


First time using the full carbon paddle that came with my Gladiator. It's a lot lighter than my Starboard and has the benefit that the clamp isn't where my hand naturally lies. The shape of the blade is also better for touring. I'm considering swapping my Starboard Enduro paddle for a 2 piece Lima.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Also, @Skidder Given you often paddle around Majorca. Other than headwinds, is there much else to consider? I know tides are pretty minimal in the Med, but what about currents?

I'm heading out to my parents place and was looking at paddles i could do. I suggested we add my wife to the insurance and i head up to Javea from where we stay. It works out around 11 miles (maybe 12 given i'd probably hug the coast a little more than in this route plan)

OyWMmR6.png

The distance i think would be absolutely fine and something i've done quite often whilst still feeling like i could continue much further. I noticed at the weekend this really showed as my paddle partner was tiring at around 8 miles, but i suppose from me running a lot that base endurance is there.

I'm more concerned about safety and whether i could get into much trouble. It's mainly rocky hills on that part of the coast, rather than nice flat beaches. Although there are a few spots where i could bail if i needed to.
 
Man of Honour
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Cosmetic at the mo on the RRD but I don't trust it not to get worse. It is disappointing. H20 said they have not had issues with RRD and I believe them. Lemon I gues.

Lakes look great.

Haven't had any issues with currents in med but boat wake can really get up and create chop that lasts and you can get some big swells sometimes. Around our port in the SW the weekends get pretty manic. I paddled out yesterday before all the boats came out and back as a glut had left port and it probably dropped my pace by a quarter. Other than that nothing much to report. While the med is mostly very benign conditions can change very quickly so worth checking reports and being careful.

Shorts look great. Paddle to a smart lunch in em.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Cheers, i spoke to a guy who has a SUP school based at my finish point who mentioned it's a trip he does often in training and that there shouldn't be too much to watch out for, other than potentially some Northerly winds around mile 10, which may make it a little tricky to get over to the finish. He suggested potentially doing the trip in reverse and aiming for a southerly wind, so i might just see based on the day.

He also suggested he had an ex demo Fatstick Bamboo hard board with paddle and bag for €695, it's tempted to just have a board to leave out there and i feel a hard board would be nice. I can't decide whether i made the right call on my Red Compact. I got it as mainly a travel board and a backup board, but the bag is still big enough to be classed as a suitcase rather than a carry on, so there isn't the cost saving there on reduced luggage as we've still booked 2 suitcases. Then i actually feel happy on my Gladiator even in a bit of chop so less requirement for a wider backup board, plus it doesn't actually feel overly stable given i'm so close to the weight limit.

I'm going to see how it is in the sea in Spain, and then when i get back i might see what i could sell it for. Given i got a decent deal and Red seem to hold value i'm hoping i'd lose minimal on it. I think i'd then look at a hardboard in Spain. If i didn't sell it i don't think i'd particularly be bothered. I'm hoping to get out and play on the Red maybe this weekend at a local Beach. There's one quite local which is often very calm and flat and should work nicely for just practicing moving around on the board in clean water where you don't mind constantly falling in.

I tried a few times on the Gladiator in the Lakes, but it gets really twitchy as you move backwards, even when i climbed back on and was just kneeling around 80% back it was really twitchy. I think because of the pin nose tail. I've read a few things commenting on that and so i'll see how i get on with the Red.
 
Man of Honour
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Speaking of conditions changing quickly today has gone from 25knot winds to zero in the time it has taken me to make and drink a double espresso!

I don't mind travelling with boards at all. Bringing three this time was a bit of a mission but still go nowhere near our luggage allowance but that is BA exec club perk.

Gladiator probably nicer for that sort of tour for sure.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
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21,204
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
I don't mind travelling with boards at all. Bringing three this time was a bit of a mission but still go nowhere near our luggage allowance but that is BA exec club perk.

Show off, whilst the rest of us are stuck with Ryanair! I looked at using Avios to get to Spain, but given i have to change at Heathrow from Manchester it just isn't worth the hassle of the additional journey times.

Yes, things are changing quickly at the moment. We were planning on heading to the beach at Lytham tonight for some practice moving around on the board. Yesterday it showed as sunny and fairly clear until 9pm when there were thunderstorms. Later last night the thunderstorms showed at 7pm and when i've checked today it's meant to kick off at 2pm. Annoying as i was really looking forward to a session just practicing things like that rather than focusing on distance.
 
Soldato
Joined
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Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Glad we didn't focus on the weather too much. We got parked up at 5ish, pumped up and then had a nice 1km walk to the actual sea (gotta love the NW!). High tide was 5:50 so had a good half hour paddle with the tide coming in. However it was pretty windy and the swell was around 2ft so we just had a paddle up the coast into the wind.

Got chatting to a couple other guys on sups and then once the tides turned, the wind also calmed down and it got quite flat. So messed around trying turns etc, also had a go on a mates Aztron Nova. That's their compact travel board and i was actually quite impressed. It's got a small double chamber in the middle so felt really solid underfoot, it was also very easy to recover and seemed to be happy on it's side. A few points where i'd have definitely tipped on my Red it just held on the edge and then worked back. Possibly due to the shape and 6" thickness. It was great for messing around on, but it just seemed to turn in circles (even with larger than standard fins), so not really a good board for any serious paddling.

Also managed to surf my first ever wave. I'm ignoring the fact it was only around 1ft high :D

It was a good location though and another one to add to the list. My legs/core are killing today from keeping upright in the sea so it's a great workout.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
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21,204
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Got out again on Saturday at St Annes. After the nice weather the previous week i suggested to my wife we have a family trip at the weekend if it was still nice. Had my sister in law and her daughters and my mother in law too so a nice group. Spent about 7 hours there which was great.

Took my board, but high tide was 8am and we got there at 11, so it was already far out and kept retreating as the day went on. There was also a fairly heavy offshore wind, so i only had a small paddle as i could feel it was a struggle to not keep drifting off, and my arms were aching from a press up challenge i've started.

Have also advertised my Red board for sale. I'm tempted by the lure of a hard board in Spain and it'd be better for my mum not having to pump a board up given she's nearly 70! Also given i've booked a full sized baggage to take it to Spain anyway it seems unnecessary to have a compact board. I won't be too disappointed if it doesnt sell and i'm certainly not going to aggressively push the sale, but it could be a decent time given the lack of availability @Skidder you need a new board don't you :p
 
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