On the excellent OC Paddling forum (the website is first class: www.ocpaddler.com/) I posted a note asking for help with the Stand Up Paddling 101 article I’m working on. I got this interesting comment:
I’ve never tried stand-up paddling. I’ve “traditionally” surfed for over 20 years, and have paddled kanu for about 8. I don’t “get” stand up paddling. I used to race motocross. I’ve ridden fast street bikes. I thought a “dual sport” bike would be the best of both worlds…it wasn’t. It was a poor compromise of both of these riding types. That’s generally how I feel about most of these combination sports. Why stand up to paddle? Why surf a wave on an extremely long and wide board with a long paddle in your hands? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking it, and maybe I’ll try it this year and love it, but as of now, I don’t get it. Basically, you guys that like it, Why? Just wondering….
Wed, 02/28/2007 – 4:01am
I wrote my typical long-winded reply, but here’s the big fat answer.
Before:
Flying an RC Airplane at the Scout Camp on Maui last November
After two months of Stand Up Paddling
No diet (at least not a particularly good one, had two pints of Red Hook ESB and half a pizza at Flatbread for dinner last night. Oh wait, I had a salad too), no gym time, just a lot of time on the water. All fun.
Yeah, I know I didn’t have my shirt off in the before picture, and it’s not a flattering angle, but you can also look at the photos in PaddleBoy Goes Big and get a good idea that there’s been a lot of improvement.
I’m still too fat, and too heavy (245), but I’ve turned a lot of blubber to muscle. I’m taking a standup board on the all aluminum tour this summer expressly so I don’t slide back to “whale boy”.
Awwright brah! Looking good!
Sorry if I left you at Kanaha today, but I had to try that Keith Teboul custom at Hookipa. What a great board! I had an exciting sesh.
How was yours?
Getting there, at least twenty pounds to go just to get back on some of my old boards, but I’ll make it (and quicker if I stop having those “beer and pizza” dinners).
I had a good time, went down to the 5.0 and and sailed all afternoon. Gusty and nasty, but fun. About 4:00 it started blowing really hard on the outside. I had a few runs where I didn’t dare hook in until I got the board planing. Major gusts. The wind report on the computer at Hawaiian Island Surf said it was averaging 32 knots (I don’t know what service they use). I think the gusts were well over 35, blew me flat a couple of times. I could have used the 4.5 but probably wouldn’t have rigged down anyway. I gave it up at 4:30
Thanks for the help today. We’ll make this work yet.
Keep that shirt on, brah.
Or maybe keep the brah on.
Thanks Jack, you made me laugh already this morning. Hey, it’s a work in progress. If you thought that shot was gross don’t go to Little Beach. You’d have to claw your own eyes out.
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