Stand up paddle surfing (SUP) information, videos, pictures and discussion. Find stand up paddle surf equipment reviews, events, SUP surf pro interviews and more.
Here’s Kumau from Tropical Blends showing a Tropical Blends Kyle Bernhardt custom 9′2″ SUP. Check out the video for more info.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends 9′2″ Wai Kahe SUP Board’
After a fairly long wait, I finally got my hands on the Surftech Bark Expedition 14′ Race/Cruiser SUP. At first glance, I started to question how it would perform since it was pretty different from anything else I’ve seen or ridden so far. Most of the planing hull race boards I’ve seen have been over 5″ thick, boxy rails, sharp bottom rail edge, concaves on the bottom, thick nose, thick tail, etc. The Bark is quite different.
Continue reading ‘Surftech Bark Expedition 14′ SUP Preview – Video’
I recently got a Starboard 9′8″ x 30″ Element SUP and have been enjoying it in the early south shore swells. At first, I was a bit surprised to see the center fin. It has a lot more rake than the other center fins I’ve been using. This board was designed by Svein Rasmussen and Scott McKercher. Continue reading ‘2009 Starboard Element 9′8″ SUP’
Tropical Blends 9′6″ x 30″ Welo is one of the best surfing SUP’s I’ve tried so far this year. The first time I tried it was when Tony Myers was riding his Welo at Old Man’s and having a blast. We switched boards for a bit and I got to test it in head high surf. I was initially playing around with a new 15′ flat water board so it took a while to get my balance back but when I caught a wave I was surprised at how stable the board was and how well it turned. It also seemed to keep its speed in the turn really well. At that point, I decided to get one for myself. Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Welo 9′6″ SUP Board’
I met Tom “Pohaku” Stone at a party at Surftech Hawaii. Pohaku is a legendary native Hawaiian waterman and wooden board shaper. After he told me he was paddling the wood board, in a traditional Hawaiian malo from Molokai to Oahu (32 miles) I had to get it on video to share with everyone else. He showed me one of his boards, which I initially thought was a Paipo board. As it turns out, it was the Kiko’o 10 foot Koa wood board weighing in around 100 lbs. and is 3 inches thick. I don’t know if I can carry the board, much less paddle it. Continue reading ‘Tom “Pohaku” Stone’s Wooden “Kiko’o” Board-video’
I took this video when I went to visit Mark Raaphorst at his Ding King compound at Sandwich Island Composites. This was from June when I went there for the Olukai Race. I got to see his workshop and the newest S.I.C. race SUP’s, the F-16 v2 and the F-18. I asked him how to choose between the two.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Continue reading ‘S.I.C. F-18 Full Displacement SUP Race Board vs F-16 – Video with Mark Raaphorst’
I was at Tropical Blends Surf last week and noticed a brand new S.I.C. F-16 Race SUP on the wall. I got Kumau to let me borrow a ladder to climb up and check it out. I think this is the first F-16 version 2 on Oahu. If you don’t want to wait 3 to 4 months, then check out with Jim and Kumau before it’s gone.
Continue reading ‘Sandwich Island Composites F-16 v2 SUP board Available at Tropical Blends’
During my visit to Maui for the Olukai Race I got to see the ‘hatching’ of the Sandwich Island Composite F-14 SUP race board. It was a fairly simple process as you’ll see in the short video I took.
Continue reading ‘Giving Birth to an S.I.C. F-14 SUP Race Board’
Tropical Blends’ ’09 line of SUPs includes a board designed for the “big guy that wants to surf” says Jim Hayes (Tropical Blends owner). “If you’re in the 200+ weight range with a good set of skills, the Moku is 11’ 7” of surfing pleasure” Jim continues. At 31” wide, 4 1/2” thick and plenty of rocker, this board is meant for performance. Here’s a video with Jim providing the details about the Moku. Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Moku 11′7″ SUP Board’
This is the latest creation from the mind of Mark Raaphorst and countless hours of R&D from his team. The F-18 is an 18′ full displacement hull type race board. I placed an order for one a couple months ago and cannot wait until it arrives. Check out this video:
(click thumbnail to launch video)
The story behind Tropical Blends’ Wahine 10′6 x 30″ SUP board is one that every married man can relate to. Jim’s (owner of Tropical Blends) wife and a few of her girlfriends told him they wanted a board that would be easy to handle, stable and an all around good board to paddle up and down Ala Moana Beach Park for exercise. Being a smart husband (and businessman), he created a SUP board made specifically for women. And since Jim is at his core a surfer, he made sure that the Wahine would perform in the surf if the women decided to venture past the reef. Here’s a video of Jim explaining the Wahine SUP from the 2009 Tropical Blends line. Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Wahine 10′6″ SUP Board’
Here are some pictures of the Sandwich Island Composites F-series boards in action. The photos were taken from a helicopter while Alan Cadiz, Scott Trudon and Mark Raaphorst were riding their respective boards.
Check out the photos below sent to me by Mark Raaphorst. Photos courtesy of Darrell Wong.
The F-18 with Alan Cadiz
Continue reading ‘Sandwich Island Composites’ F16, F-14 and F-18 in action Helicopter Pictures’
Jim Hayes of Tropical Blends gave me a personal tour of the shop and introduced me to their new line of boards. The Luana 10′9”, designed by Jeff Bushman, was first up. Jim describes the Luana as ″ a good middle of the road board, a relatively quick paddler while still performing well on the waves.” He’s used the Luana on distance paddles from Hawaii Kai to Kaimana Beach (8.5 miles) catching waves at several of the breaks along the way. See what else Jim has to say about the Luana on the video clip provided.
I took the opportunity to capture some of Jim’s thoughts on video during a recent visit to his shop. We discussed Tropical Blend’s ’09 line of SUP boards and this video focuses on the Kai’e’e, a 10′6″ SUP shaped by Jeff Bushman.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Kai’e’e 10′6″ SUP Board’
I had a chance to interview Joe Blair with his new production, the Blair 10′1″ SUP board.
Joe Blair inserting the fins with Dan Gavere looking in.
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