Paddle Boarding

[CharlieAlphaMike]

CharlieAlphaMike said:

FunkyNige said:

I had my 2 hour introductory SUP lesson on Saturday morning over at Hickling Broad, was great fun once I was able to stand up!
We had a chat about types of boards, clothing to wear, what do you when you fall off, etc. then onto the water to get standing up and off we went!
The wind was just below the maximum he would take beginners out in (10mph) so we stuck near to the banks / reeds and practiced different types of turns, getting back on after falling off, moving on the board and all of that stuff.
The 90 minutes we were actually on the water flew by and we were soon back at the base.

Obviously I'm now looking at boards and getting hopelessly lost at the massive variation in prices!
I've decided I want a board between 11' and 12' with a pointier nose for touring, I'm trying to find out the width of board I was on as I don't want to go too narrow as I'm quite tall so am not the most stable of people.

Couple of random boards, I'm confused why the price is so different as I've seen both brands mentioned in this thread already -
Zray Fury 11, £370. Length 11' - Width 33" - Thickness 6" - Volume 258 L - Max rider weight 142 Kg
https://www.nootica.com/sup-paddle-board/sup-board...

Jobe 11'6 Loa, £770. Length 11' 6", Width 34" - Thickness 6" - Volume 360 L - Max rider weight 160 Kg
https://www.jobesports.com/uk/jobe-loa-116-inflata...

Is the extra £400 worth a beginner spending to get that bit more stability?

Great to hear about much you enjoyed your first SUP lesson. 10mph wind is a Force 3. Force 4, gusting a 5 is enough for me. Anything more than that becomes a bit pointless IMHO. Paddling against the wind to go nowhere is missing the point I think.

Now for the minefield of which board to buy

I assume you've read through this entire thread? I've tried to offer as much advice as possible so if you haven't read everything, it might be worth a few minutes of your time.

Hickling Broad? Is that the same organisation as Norfolk Outdoor Adventures? If so, I've looked at their website and it appears that they use Naish and STX SUP's. Nothing wrong with those boards. Either way, I'd check with the people at Hickling and find out exactly which SUP you were using. In particular, I'd check the 'volume' of the board you were on. Volume is what gives the buoyancy. You said you were able to stand on the board you used so if you use the board you were on as your comparison, that will help when choosing. What you don't want, is a board that will be too easy to use. You want something that will challenge you as you learn (you might get wet again) but a board that will ultimately benefit you as you get better.

Did you say that most of your SUP'ing will be on the Norfolk Broads? If so, that's all going to be flat calm water so a longer touring board will probably be the better choice of board for you. Have you therefore considered a 14ft board? You'll have more room on the board (for storage if you need to carry stuff/people/dogs etc) and you'll get good volume so more stability and a better 'glide'. Pros and cons of board length have been highlighted elsewhere in this thread so take a look.

I almost bought a Z-Ray (14ft). And I think it was the same website that I looked at too. The board you've looked at is discounted by over £100.00. I note that it comes with a basic Aluminum paddle too. It also has a 3 fin set-up which isn't really necessary for touring and I note there's an option for a windsurfing mast and 'centre (dagger) board'. If you want a Z-Ray, what about this one:

https://www.nootica.com/sup-paddle-board/sup-board...

Nothing wrong with Jobe SUP's. The board you're looking at has much more volume than the Z-Ray (360 L v 258 L). It's a single fin set-up so more suited to touring. It also comes with a slightly better paddle (fibre glass/carbon fibre mix). I think this is the shaft only and so I'm guessing the blade will be still be made from 'plastic'. As a starter paddle, there's nothing wrong with that but I wouldn't let that be the deciding factor because you'll probably want to upgrade your paddle to a full carbon fibre paddle if you really start to enjoy your SUP'ing.

The extra £400.00 probably only equates to £200.00 when you factor in the discount offered on the Z-Ray and the slightly better paddle that comes with the Jobe board. Jobe actually list the price of the paddle that comes with this board at £134.00.

The thing I really don't like about both boards you've listed is the fin box. Neither board has a US fin box which means your choice of fin will be limited if ever you want/need to replace it.

None of this has helped you has it?

Just a thought:

https://euroskateshop.uk/nkx-district-pro-inflatab...

It lacks tie-downs and carrying handles but it has a 'D' ring front and back and one good bungee tie-down. 14ft and 335 L. It also has a US fin box and the right construction. Oh, and the discount looks good too

If it helps, I have an NKX full carbon paddle which I've had for a while now and I've been very pleased with the quality.

[CharlieAlphaMike]

FunkyNige said:

Thanks for the replies To answer a few questions -
Yes it was at Norfolk Outdoor Adventures, I've contacted them to find out what board I was on.
Yes, I'm going to say that all of my SUPping will be on the Broads - I do go to the beach but I can't see myself wanting to take a SUP out on the North Sea as I just don't think I'd enjoy it. It's not like we have coves and bays to explore around here - it's just miles and miles of wide beaches with the occasional seal!

14' scares me a bit as that seems very long! The ones you linked are also 29" wide which seems a bit narrow for a beginner if I've been reading this thread correctly?

I did see on your second link this 12'6 (32" wide) one for the same price, same weight, similar volume (335 vs 340) and a similar shape
https://euroskateshop.uk/nkx-caliber-inflatable-su...

Then I just need to get off my arse and go for a paddle!

I'm not trying to influence you in any way but on the water, I don't think you'll be intimidated by a 14ft board. Being quite narrow might be 'challenging' but less so on flat water. And it's not a bad thing to be challenged sometimes

If you're able to find the details of the board you used for your taster session, let that help you decide. If it was short, narrow and had less volume than those you've been looking at and you felt ok on the board, that should give you some confidence.

The specification of the NKX board you've found looks as good as any. Paddles like I've said many times before can be upgraded. You might even be able to do a deal with a better paddle if you ask. I wouldn't worry too much though because the basic aluminium paddle will take the scrapes and knocks whilst you're still learning. If and when you upgrade, you'll still have a spare.

Good luck and keep us posted

[CharlieAlphaMike]

FunkyNige said:

CharlieAlphaMike said:

I did take a few more (slightly better focus) pictures of the old abandoned military ship that hides on the bank and because the sea was so calm, I was able to get quite close. I'd love to know more about the vessel if anyone has any ideas? I'm guessing it belonged to the Swedish navy.

Could it be one of these?
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=...


That's a Hauk class, 14 were made and all have been decommissioned
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Hauk-class_patrol_boat

Seems a fair bit of variation on what was on deck
https://www.seaforces.org/marint/Norwegian-Navy/Pa...

Edited by FunkyNige on Friday 13th August 16:00

Thanks again for your suggestions. It prompted me to do some research of my own and I wonder if the boat in question might actually be one of these:

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugin-klass

What do you think?

[CharlieAlphaMike]

mcdjl said:

If its not them it might be a modified one: https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaparen-klass

Thanks. Yes, that looks very similar too. I wish there were some markings/numbers etc on the boat that would give more clues but I guess they were all removed when it was decommissioned. Maybe I'll find the owner one day and speak to them but there's no-one around whenever I go there

[CharlieAlphaMike]

[quote=Hard-Drive]Well, I’ve had two goes on my Kame iSUP pictured previously. The first was at a local reservoir, but it was blowing about 15 knots and wavy, so there was some swimming involved, although still good fun. The second was up the River Yar on the IOW and was absolutely brilliant…I had my 5 year old lad on the front, I saw a part of the river I’d never been to before, and didn’t fall in once in an hour of paddling. Really enjoying it! Thanks again for the advice CAM!!

|https://thumbsnap.com/3jnTLTHY[/url]

'Swimming involved...' You look like a 'pro' in this picture

15 knots is a Force 4 which is about my limit (anything more than seems a waste of energy) so I'm impressed that you managed any paddling at all.

Pleased to have helped. I bet your son loved every minute. My OH can't swim and has a fear of the sea but even she seems to enjoy going out with me on my board.

Out of interest, how much air are you putting into your board and what's the recommended pressure? Looking at the picture of you standing up, makes me think it could take some more air.

Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Thursday 19th August 10:36

[CharlieAlphaMike]

zax said:

Nice to see some action shots!

Does anyone here have a GoPro fixed to their board? If so how is it mounted? I tried one last week but lacking any decent mounts I had to make do with bike handlebar mount around the paddle. Makes for rather seasick inducing movies, and unless the camera is somewhere near the bottom hand position it did have quite a noticeable effect on the balance of the paddle.

I'm reluctant to try and stick/glue a mount to the inflatable board itself since it gets rolled up quite often and I'm not sure if the adhesive could have some effect on the material...

All of my SUP pictures are taken with a GoPro camera mounted on the board (I'm always too far out at sea for anyone else to be able to take a pic

I haven't looked at the details of other SUP's but I thought they all came with a mounting base (for mounting cameras, fishing rods, lights etc). You can see mine highlighted with the arrow in the picture below. I took the camera off the mount to take the picture so if you look closely, you can see the screw attachment still screwed into the base. The attachment I use fixes to the base with a slide-in clip, There is an option of using a screw-in fixing too. I use a genuine GoPro attachment (I've broken too many cheap attachments in the past)

[CharlieAlphaMike]

SunsetZed said:

Hi all,

Just checking in as we recently joined the SUP family with an AquaPlanet Max which seems to meet our basic needs for now.

Seeing as action shots just got a thumbs up here are a few pictures of us out and about in New Quay (Wales) and Portishead Marina.

Welcome to the world of Paddle Boarding. I've never seen so many people out on SUP's

Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Thursday 19th August 20:09

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Here's a couple of on-board action shots taken as stills from a video I made whilst out paddling in a Force 4 last week. It's difficult to get an exact idea of how big the waves were from a picture but on a 14ft SUP, they were big enough thank you Great fun though

[CharlieAlphaMike]

zax said:

Nice to see some action shots!

Does anyone here have a GoPro fixed to their board? If so how is it mounted? I tried one last week but lacking any decent mounts I had to make do with bike handlebar mount around the paddle. Makes for rather seasick inducing movies, and unless the camera is somewhere near the bottom hand position it did have quite a noticeable effect on the balance of the paddle.

I'm reluctant to try and stick/glue a mount to the inflatable board itself since it gets rolled up quite often and I'm not sure if the adhesive could have some effect on the material...

If your iSUP doesn't have a mount already fixed to the board, you can buy them and glue them on:

https://becausesup.co.uk/products/action-camera-mo...

I wouldn't worry about problems with the mount when storing your board. Mine has a mount already attached and there are no issues. I'm not sure which glue you'll need to use but you'll find the right glue for the job from someone. You need glue to repair the board if it gets damaged so maybe you can use the same glue for the mount?

Incidentally, you should 'fold', not 'roll' the board up when it's deflated and stored.

[CharlieAlphaMike]

SunsetZed said:

CharlieAlphaMike said:

Welcome to the world of Paddle Boarding. I've never seen so many people out on SUP's

Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Thursday 19th August 20:09

Thanks. One of the ladies in the picture is an instructor and she organises social paddles in the marina every so often, there were probably 20 or so of us last week.

I bet it's great fun with a group. I'd love to organise something. I was going to set something up via Meetup but I believe you have to pay. Unfortunately I don't use Facebook which might have been another option. Maybe I can plan something for next year

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Ayahuasca said:

Out paddling (6 man canoe) this morning, quite a stiff breeze and a chop, came across a group of SUPers who were in danger of being blown clear across the Gulf to Iran. They had tied their leashes to a nav buoy to stop being blown away. They said they didn’t need any assistance though so we left them to it. Hope they made it back.

I quite often tie up on a buoy for a rest, a drink, some food or maybe just a lie down on my board It's nice that you stopped and asked them if they needed assistance. I would have appreciated that but exactly how windy/choppy was it? I assume they paddled to the buoy? How far out to sea were they? I guess the real danger would occur if the wind picked up. I've been caught out a few times, despite always checking predicted weather conditions before I set off.

Hope you had fun in your 6 man canoe?

[CharlieAlphaMike]

I've tried to avoid recommending iSUP's to anyone because it's all down to personal preference. Throughout this entire thread, I've tried to offer hints, tips and observations to help you choose your own iSUP, to match your own specific requirements. So this is just a personal thought.

I'm really liking the look of this iSUP. I think it looks stunning with those clean lines and simple graphics. It appears to be great value too (note that it doesn't come with a paddle).

At only 25" wide, it won't suit everyone but if you're an experienced SUP'er, I bet this will be a lovely board to use It should be quick through the water too:

https://becausesup.co.uk/collections/new-in-stock/...

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Ayahuasca said:

They were a couple of hundred metres off the beach, clearly just rented SUPs for a jolly, not hardened paddlers. We see no end of them with paddles the wrong way around, etc. They would have had a hard time making in back in the breeze. 6 man canoe was epic, under strength crew, just three paddlers and a steerer, did 25km in 40 degree heat. It’s one of these

In which case that's quite frightening You'd think people would have some common sense! Like you, I also hope they made it back to shore safety.

That canoe looks great

[CharlieAlphaMike]

zax said:

Thanks, no specific mounting point on this board, just o-rings front, middle and rear and bungee cables for load carrying. I think I'll put one of the GoPro stick-on mounts near the bow and see how it goes. Either that or buy a chest/head mount!

Meanwhile, a couple of static shots from a very unusually calm pre-breakfast paddle a few days back...

Edited by zax on Saturday 21st August 16:47

Wow. That looks idyllic. I can't believe how flat the water is. Must have been so peaceful

I'm really surprised your board doesn't have a camera mount but I'm sure a stick on mount will be fine. To avoid any excess glue getting onto the board, I might suggest you make a template out of masking tape. Cut it to the shape of the mount and position the tape on the board before you glue the mount. Any excess glue should then go onto the tape, not your board. Once the mount is firmly in place, remove the tape to give you a nice clean edge. I'm sure this will work. Good luck.

[CharlieAlphaMike]

marksx said:

I'm thinking of taking this up after having a go on my Mail's board on the Devon coast the other week.

Living in West Yorkshire I'm about as far away from the sea as you can get so I'd be doing a fair bit of lake and canals as well as the sea.

Ive been looking at this package:

https://fatstickboards.com/shop/airstick-102/

I think this will be ok for my size (6ft 90kg) plus one of the kids on if they wanted to.

My other thought was inflatable kayak but I can't see anything that seem really suited to sea and canals etc in this price range.

Great to hear.

I think the board you've highlighted is probably more suited to use on the sea (surf and waves) with it's 3 fin set up. Also, a 10ft 6" SUP might not be the best choice for cruising on lakes and canals with extra 'cargo' on board.

Can I suggest you have a good read through this thread if you haven't done so already? I've tried to provide as much information as possible to help you choose the right board for your own specific needs.

Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Sunday 22 August 13:24

[CharlieAlphaMike]

timbobalob said:

We took ours out for the first time when we were down in the New Forest - we found a great place to launch in Fordingbridge with lovely shallow water for the kids to wade out to.

We found this a great site to find where to go (UK based only I'm afraid!) - River Avon

This is the board we went for Zray X-Rider

It handled the 6 of us on it (four kids, ages 9 to 7, two adults) quite well - however as soon as we were against the current we all fell in numerous times! We all had an awesome time and can't wait to get out on it again Just didn't stop laughing

Complete newbies, so realised we had no solution for keys/phone, so couldn't get any pictures this time unfortunately.

Also, a quick thank you for this thread (in particular CharlieAlphaMike) - it's great to read others enjoying themselves out there and been a superb resource

No problem. If this thread has introduced more people to the sport and helped them to make some good choices before starting, I'm pleased to have been able to help.

Because I'm so close to the sea, I only need to take my house keys with me when I go out so I just use a normal cork 'key float for boats' which I either tie to my shorts, or pop into my pocket. If I go further afield with the car, I use a dry bag for my car key which then goes into the pocket on my shorts. There are plenty to choose from. Mines is a 'seatosummit' bag (others are available I'm sure). It has a clever waterproof locking system which you just fold over. I've found that it works surprisingly well:

https://www.seatosummit.co.uk/products/storage-sac...

As for a camera. I have a cheap 'GoPro' style action camera with a waterproof case that fits onto the mount on the front of my board. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a camera that might end up at the bottom of the sea. The images aren't exactly of the highest quality but it suits my needs. I never take my phone with me when I'm on my SUP. I know there's a safety issue and that a phone might be useful if I get into difficulties but for me personally, a phone is the last thing I want when I'm out on the water.

[CharlieAlphaMike]

CharlieAlphaMike said:

Whilst on the subject of paddles. I use a full carbon fibre 3 piece paddle. The 3 piece construction is great for transportation and storage but I find there's the tiniest amount of 'play' where the bottom halves of the paddle connect. It's annoying and makes me want a 1 piece paddle but I know the actual difference when it comes to using the paddle, will be negligible. I think I've found a solution in the form of a silicone band which I think might hold both sections together more securely but the only one I've found in the right size, is in the USA and the cost of shipping makes it expensive for what it is. Maybe I'll bite the bullet and buy one. I'd be pretty p****d off though if it didn't solve the (minor) problem.

I'm pretty p****d off. My silicone band has made absolutely no difference It's actually made so little difference, that I haven't even tried it on the water. Back to the drawing board

[CharlieAlphaMike]

croyde said:

Understand your pain now.

The movement in my 3 piece aluminium paddle that came with my board is starting to annoy me now

Just another pic of me in Skye. Having the whole bay to myself.

Pic looks great. Very similar to the conditions I paddle in.

There's not much that can be done about slight movement in 2 or 3 piece paddles but I would like to find a solution. Strong gaffer tape would work but who wants to ruin their expensive carbon paddle with that. Of course, a 1 piece paddle would solve it but you lose the storage and transportation benefits. It's a catch 22 I guess.

[CharlieAlphaMike]

Turbobanana said:

Great to hear that you're enjoying the SUP'ing. Just an observation though. Check back through my various posts for hints and tips about which SUP to buy before you part with your money.

It's difficult to tell exactly from the picture but is your paddle blade facing the right way?

[CharlieAlphaMike]

pablo said:

Random question but how hard is it to get an inflatable board and stuff back into the bags they come with? From experience with tents and things, it’s great on paper but they are packed so tight that after the first use it’s impossible to get back in….

You must first ensure you fold the board correctly. I then use a strap to hold the board together which makes it easier to place in the bag.

I find there's plenty of room for the board and everything else although I'm tempted to buy a separate bag for the paddle (to protect it more than anything else). My bag has some useful pockets inside which are great for storing fins and other small items. There's also plenty of spare room at the top once everything is packed.

I've never tried to carry the bag (with everything packed inside) using the rucksack straps but I imagine it would be too heavy to have on my back. It was the standard bag that came with the board and I did reinforce the carrying handle with some stainless steel bolts and locknuts. It seemed a little too flimsy to be able to use when loaded with everything. The bolts are perfect. My bag also has wheels which are ok. I wouldn't want to rely on them if transporting for long distances though.