Meetup with Joe Blair and his stand up paddle board at Legoland
As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m on a trip in California. I was able to make a stop by Infinity Surf and Ron House’s place on the drive from Los Angeles to San Diego and then resumed the trip from there. My wife has been a little peeved at me because after the day is done I get right on my computer to check out what’s happening with the stand up paddle scene, check the comments on standuppaddlesurf.net and get some work done.
I was on an email conversation with MichaelF, a fellow stand up paddler from San Diego and he mentioned that I had to meet Joe Blair. Joe has shaped stand up boards for Michael and he swears by them and said he wanted me to demo it. There’s no way I could pull that off so we did the next best thing. Joe met me in the parking lot of Legoland and we shot a bunch of pictures of a stand up board he had in his van along with some video to explain what the intricacies are. Joe’s specialty is making stand up paddle boards for big people (200 lbs+) that surf. He’s done a few interesting customizations that I haven’t seen in others. One difference is that he moved the fin placement foreword on the stand up paddle board to make it come alive in the surf. Wardog at Surfing Sports swears by these boards so I guess I’ll have to get one to ride in Hawaii so I can tell for myself. We’ll see on that. I’ll post the pics and video when I get back to Hawaii and can get some time.
In the meanwhile, here are 2 pictures from today.
Links:
JBlairsurf.com
Ev,
You aren’t missing much.. totally windy and howling conditions here in Honolulu. I have been SUPless for days. Help!
Evan,
Great note on Joe Blair. No only is Joe a great shaper but he is a true stand up and shaping resource.
If there is anyone in the San Diego region that want a true custom board- stand up- speed egg – longboard or gun go see Joe before you buy something off the rack.
He will walk you though you through how you surf, when and how. You will have a true custom experience. When was the last time you had something made custom for you! Don’t miss the chance and if you are nice Joe will Joe surfing with you. When was the last time you went surfing with the staff at Costco?
Michael – What’s a stand up speed egg? Have you ridden one?
Evan,
Joe makes lots of speed eggs for big guys that want to shorter boards. Interesting his stand ups have a very similar outline from his speed egg template- Here are some pix of his stand ups-
http://www.jblairsurf.com/Paddle_Surfboards.html
from wardog
http://www.surfingsports.com/blair_standup_quadrophenia/index.html
Joe’s Speed Egg Info
http://www.jblairsurf.com/Custom_Boards.html#bottom2
Egg and Speed Egg Design Information:
This board is faster, turns tighter, paddles better and takes late drops better than all other boards!
Here’s Why:
* My fin boxes are moved up 2 inches further off the tail than all other boards, allowing for quicker, tighter turns.
* The adjustable center fin gives this board a wide range. Cluster the fins at 7 inches for waist-high waves, and the board turns like a fish, a 7 ½ inch fin spread for head high days, and 8 ½ inch spread for overhead surf and the board rides like a semi gun.
* The extra soft rails and round pintail allows for quicker, tighter, smoother turns.
* The bottom has a concave that flows into double concave with a “Speed Spot” between your feet. This unique design is what makes my board so much faster.
* Exceeding industry standards, my boards have a 2/3 deck patch for additional strength to prevent deck cave-in.
* Finally, the combination of a thicker, lighter XTR epoxy blank increases the boards Paddle Power, maneuverability and speed in small surf.
Aloha,
Joe Blair
I found the answer to my own question at Joe’s website:
http://www.jblairsurf.com/Custom_Boards.html
Egg and Speed Egg Design Information:
This board is faster, turns tighter, paddles better and takes late drops better than all other boards!
Here’s Why:
* My fin boxes are moved up 2 inches further off the tail than all other boards, allowing for quicker, tighter turns.
* The adjustable center fin gives this board a wide range. Cluster the fins at 7 inches for waist-high waves, and the board turns like a fish, a 7 ½ inch fin spread for head high days, and 8 ½ inch spread for overhead surf and the board rides like a semi gun.
* The extra soft rails and round pintail allows for quicker, tighter, smoother turns.
* The bottom has a concave that flows into double concave with a “Speed Spot” between your feet. This unique design is what makes my board so much faster.
* Exceeding industry standards, my boards have a 2/3 deck patch for additional strength to prevent deck cave-in.
* Finally, the combination of a thicker, lighter XTR epoxy blank increases the boards Paddle Power, maneuverability and speed in small surf.
Skull”Pins Rule, Squares Drool”Skull
Aloha,
J. Blair
And more info on his stand up boards:
http://www.jblairsurf.com/Paddle_Surfboards.html#bottom1
Important Stand up Paddling Instructions and Maintenance Information:
* When stand-up paddling, use a parallel stance. If your shins start to fatigue, you are trying to balance with your toes. Relax and bend your knees a little more; feel the ocean and stay loose.
* When preparing to catch a wave, transition from the parallel stance to a wider surfing stance for stability.
* While paddling in your surfing stance, or when paddling parallel, while digging with the paddle lean to the side of the paddle which will keep your board running in a straight line.
* Stand further back on the board for quicker and easier turning.
* When caught inside, knee paddle for stability and speed to get out past the impact zone.
* Do not ride the board into shallow water where the fin could get dug into the reef or sand. These boards weight and power to tear the fin and box right out of the board if it gets beached.
* If the board gets dinged, take it out of the water immediately and let it dry for at least three days. Repair with EPOXY ONLY.
* Stand-up paddling is the best cross training exercise in the world, which makes this sport so fantastic because you use every muscle in your entire body to keep your balance. The combination of paddling and balance coordination improves overall core strength as well.
Aloha,
J. Blair
Back to the top
Important Stand Up Board Safety Information:
* These stand up paddle boards are big and can hurt you if you get hit by them, so dive far away from the board; stiff arm out with your grip hand holding the paddle so it doesn’t hit you.
* Stay under water for a bit; then come up with an arm block overhead because your leash will be stretched way out and the board will fly back at you.
* You can break your paddle if you fall on it, or on to the board. You can also hurt yourself.
* Throw the paddle away if you get caught in any uncontrollable situation, then swim back to retrieve the paddle once free.
* No paddle = No fun!
Aloha,
J. Blair