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

ThriceNightly said:
Well done yes get some pics up.....is it your first board? I remember when got my first board had it set up in the lounge on footstools to work out how to use the paddle what with being self taught from youtube videos etc
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first board but, I have dabbled with paddle boards. I am a paddlesport instructor but, mainly focusing on canoe and kayak.
 
Martynt74 said:
Great stuff, i've seen you run around the docks (i think), can you not get down there with your board in the current situation?

@ThriceNightly sounds like a great trip out. You live in a great area to have such a range of water options!
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Yes, thats me. Not at the moment but, as soon as the club reopens I can get back on the water there.
 
Kayaks are closer to a grand at the moment I've found. Its put me off buying my own at the moment as it's a lump of plastic at the end of the day!

I have still not gotten out on the SUP. Soon!
 
@Martynt74 The new board looks amazing!

I have severely injured my knee so didn't take the board out at all. Work isn't helping as we are so busy and I'm likely to be moving into a new role in the next few weeks. Not sure when I will be able to get on the board at this rate!
 
I finally used mine!
Went in the sea in Aberystwyth which was hard work. Going to book a lesson with sup north to get some targeted tuition and go from there.
 
Booked on for a SUP taster this evening at Carr Mill dam. Just wanting to get a bit more practice on the board and it was a cheaper option that going to SUP North for now.
 
Skidder said:
Hope it went well and the weather was nicer than it is down here. Thunder storms and rain.
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warm rain as my Nan would call it.

Was ace! Got standing on the board and felt fairly comfortable (although feet were burning at the beginning).

Mentioned I can coach and they are keen to get my down for canoeing and kayak as well. Successful evening!
 
NotAGolf said:
I think it's more likely I'd be doing longer distances than going fast, but I think it makes sense to go for more of an all rounder. Then after a year or so maybe I could switch to something more specialist depending on what it is I enjoy more.

When you say 'good volume' what sort of size would you recommend? 10ft seems to be the most common, but I can see 11 and even 12ft options available, or is thickness/width more important?
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I’m 115kg and have a Gladiator Light 10’8 board. Mine is a 34 inches wide by 6 inches deep but, mainly cause I’m heavy.

I suspect my board is properly slow compared to some in here with narrow and longer touring boards. But, mine is to get the hang of it before I get a full on touring board
 
Martynt74 said:
I've recommended it to a few people before but the 11'6 Fanatic Ray Air would be a good mix, i think it's a cracking starter board. It's 11'6 long so a little bit of extra length to help glide and a pointed nose and only 31" wide to aid tracking for going in a straight line. It's also not too long that it becomes difficult to turn. As a note, i did have myself and my mother in law on the board together in Spain, whilst i'm not saying it coped perfectly, it wasn't completely unusable given it had 2 adults on with a combined weight around 160kg so you and your kid combined are only likely to be the same as me on my own!

It's only downside is that it's single skin so not quite as stiff as higher level boards, but it's still stiff enough for me at ~100kg to not notice too much in the way of flex, and that was when using it on a choppy sea, on flat water it's pretty solid. That's the trade off for them hitting that <£500 price point i guess.

I don't think i've seen you mention it but have you got a budget in mind?
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How long are your touring board(s)? Would you only consider a 14 ft if you was buying a pure touring board?
 
Martynt74 said:
I've got the 11'6x31 Fanatic i mentioned above and then a 14x28" hard board.

If i was honest, i think a 12'6x28/30 would be the ideal sized board for touring/longer paddles. I sometimes find my 14' board a bit cumbersome moving it around and i find i'm always banging it against stuff as it's so long and i've never noticed a big difference in glide between my 14' and my friends 12'6 with both being very similar shapes. However his copes slightly better in the sea i found.

In my mind it would go like this

10'6 - Ideal for splashing around in the sea and "pottering" with elements of sup surfing
11'6 - Ideal Starter board for people. Short enough to turn easy but also a little longer and so allows for better glide. This also tends to be the size where you get the pointed nose which aids for tracking vs the rounded nose
12'6 - Ideal touring board
14' - Ideal for racing and long tours
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Really helpful - thanks for this.

Need to try different sized boards I suppose
 
Martynt74 said:
Yeah, if you ever want to head over towards Preston you're welcome to try either of mine. Alternatively the Paddle and Pint at Southport on a Friday evening would be a great opportunity
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Thanks, really generous. Looks like one of the club are letting me try their 12ft 6 board next week
 
Martynt74 said:
Awesome. Any idea which board it is?

I got my hard board back yesterday and headed over to Cheshire and paddled on the River Weaver. It was so nice being on the river with great scenery each side. Was insanely jealous of all the people living on the banks. More so because 2 of them were sat out drinking red wine!
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Possibly a bluefin. I also paddled a red board which felt better than my board (width was shorter).

The weaver is on my list over the weekend potentially
 
Martynt74 said:
Cracking paddle today. Parked up at the southern end of Windermere, loaded mine and a mates boards on the roof then drove to Ambleside at the top end and paddled the full length.

Was around 11.8miles in total and had a great mix of flat calm water and brutal wind. Blinding rain and blue skies and sun.

Great day out. Plus my mate brought cake!
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did you park at fell foot? I’m booked in on Monday but, won’t be doing a 12 mile paddle!!
 
Martynt74 said:
It was a guy called Jetson Surfboards in Northwich, however there is a guy in Formby area i think

https://www.moocustom.co.uk/

Only question is whether he'd work on inflatables.

Can you post a picture? I think some people on facebook have managed to glue in a new box themselves which may be possible
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I’ll take one later on. I don’t think it needs a new box. Just epoxy about of it down however, maybe it will just keep happening.

touring board purchase incoming!
 
So, I can’t get a good picture of the damage but, the fin box seems to be fully intact now. Not sure if some epoxy/glue over the top will keep it functional.
 
Bit of a milestone for me this evening.

I’ll be coaching a canoe group at the canoe club I’ve been attending the past month. First time I’ve used my qualifications in anger!

EDIT: SUP inflatables have said to supper glue my fin box and use a flexible fin to see if it holds. If not, RIB repair companies are really good at sorting them and they could arrange that for me. Good tip for anyone who cracks an inflatable fin box.
 
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