You are here:
Home »
Gear Previews Archive for the 'Gear Previews' Category
November 22nd, 2009 by evan
My goal for this board was to get the glide of the S.I.C. F-18 with the agility and transportation advantages of the F-14. I’ve been paddling the S.I.C. F-18 for a few months now and feel fairly comfortable riding it now. The F-18 takes a bit longer to dial in since the riding dynamics are so different than the F-14. The board has no sharp edges so to turn it, you really need to use the rudder. It tends to roll and slide more than surf although the glide is so addictive that it’s what I’m riding on days with under 15 mph winds. Continue reading ‘Birth of The New S.I.C. Fw-14 Displacement Race SUP’
November 17th, 2009 by evan
Here’s another board that Joe Bark showed me during my visit to his SUP stand up paddle race board and paddleboard factory. This one is an 18′ SUP stand up race board. I’ve ridden an older version Bark 18′ full carbon race SUP a few months ago in a Hawaii Kai run. It was originally made for Herbie Titcomb and later sold to Robert Stehlik who has been doing really well on it. That board is a bit different than the one Joe showed me.
Continue reading ‘Joe Bark 18′ SUP Stand Up Paddle Race Board’
November 10th, 2009 by evan
When visiting Tropical Blends Surf the other day, Jim mentioned that the Paha 9′1″ SUP model was the best surfing SUP he’s ridden so far. We’ll have to take this for a demo ourselves to see for ourselves. In the meantime, here’s the specs below.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Paha 9′1″ SUP Stand Up Paddle Board’
November 8th, 2009 by evan
Joe Bark is one of the dominant shapers for paddleboards and stand up paddle race boards. On a recent trip to California I stopped by his factory and Joe gave me a quick tour. I found the address for the factory but it was a series of warehouse buildings, many without any signs. Just as I was going to call Joe to ask which one he was in, I saw a huge pile of foam. At that point, I knew I found the right place. Joe also spent some time showing the new boards he’s working on and how he tests their performance. I took a few pictures but the videos will give you a personal tour of the factory.
Continue reading ‘Joe Bark SUP Stand Up Paddle Board Factory Tour and New Race Boards’
October 31st, 2009 by evan
Back by popular demand, the Nui Loa SUP stand up board by Tropical Blends Surf fills the need for an all around family board. Whether on a lake, slow moving stream or the wide open ocean, the Nui Loa offers a graceful refined approach to having fun on the water. The carefully crafted bottom contours provide significant stability without hampering the rider’s ability to continually improve. From beginner to experienced paddler, the Nui Loa supplies the perfect platform for point to point adventures, fitness paddling, fishing, surfing or just hanging around in the sun.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Nui Loa 11′9″ SUP Board’
October 28th, 2009 by evan
I recently visited Joe Bark’s SUP and paddleboard factory and he showed me a couple of his new 12′6″ racing stand up paddle boards. These are the same boards that will be produced by Surftech in 2010 and the same ones his team riders raced at Battle of the Paddle 2009.
Continue reading ‘Joe Bark 12′6″ SUP Stand Up Paddle Race Boards’
October 25th, 2009 by evan
Jim over at Tropical Blends Surf is keeping ahead of the SUP stand up paddle board curve by continually releasing new models. The latest is an 8′10″ x 28.5″ x 3 7/8″ SUP called the Pokole. Here’s the specs and info.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Pokole 8′10″ SUP Board’
October 22nd, 2009 by evan
I took this video during the 2009 Battle of the Paddle at Doheney Beach, California where I met up with Joe Blair and he showed me a couple of his new boards.
Continue reading ‘New Blair Softtop and Inflatable SUP Boards’
October 19th, 2009 by clarise
This is an interview I did with Todd Bradley over at the new C4 Waterman HQ on Coral Street. This video shows Todd explaining the difference between the original C4 9′3″ Sub Vector and the new 9′6″ and 10′ Sub Vectors. Continue reading ‘C4 Waterman Sub Vector Comparison with Todd Bradley – Video’
October 16th, 2009 by evan
This is one of the new Tropical Blends SUP prototype boards. The Rawson Custom 10′ was shaped by Pat Rawson for Tropical Blends’ custom line of SUP’s.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Rawson 10′ Custom SUP Board’
October 5th, 2009 by evan
Here is an older preview of Tropical Blends’ custom SUP board. The board was shaped by Kyle Bernhardt. The deck has a beautiful wood veneer and the rails are reinforced by kevlar. To see more of this custom board visit Tropical Blends Surf shop.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Bernhardt Custom SUP Boards’
September 29th, 2009 by evan
I got to try the new C4 Sub Vector 10′ designed by Dave Parmenter and Brian Keaulana. At the time, this was one of only 3 on the island. Robert Stehlik from Blue Planet Surf let me be the first person to demo the board and I was impressed. In my opinion, for my personal preference, this is the best board from C4 that I have surfed so far. I actually demoed this board over two separate weekends. Blue Planet will apply any rental fees to the purchase of a board so there’s no loss if you’re looking to try before you buy.
Continue reading ‘New C4 Waterman Sub Vector 10′’
September 26th, 2009 by evan
On my recent visit to the Tropical Blends’ shop, Jim Hayes showed me a couple of new shapes in their SUP board line up, the 9′2″ by Kyle Bernhardt and the 9′10″ by Dennis Pang.
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends New Wood SUP Boards’
September 23rd, 2009 by evan
Fresh from the box, here’s another SUP board from Surftech’s latest offering, the Pearson Laird 14′ “Coast Runner” shaped by Bob Pearson. Watch the video and check out the photos to see more of this board. Continue reading ‘Surftech Pearson Laird 14′ “The Coast Runner” SUP Board’
September 9th, 2009 by evan
C4 is releasing a couple new Subvectors. One is 9′6″ and the other is 10′.
Continue reading ‘New C4 Waterman Subvectors – 9′6″ and 10′’
