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November 14th, 2011 by robert
This article was originally published at the Zen Waterman Blog.
It’s been a while since our unlimited board test, where I said we would soon organize a test of 12′6″ and 14′ boards.
My friend Scotty had two 12′6 Hobie race boards and a Bark that he wanted to comparison test. I brought four more 12′6’s for a total of 7 boards to test, which worked out perfectly as seven testers showed up bright and early on a Saturday morning (Nov. 6th, 2011) to go through the rigorous 14 laps needed to test all the boards. Photos and specs of the individual boards are shown below. Unfortunately there were some wind gusts that affected times of the individual runs but because each board was tested in each run, these variations in conditions should average out over the results. Also, some of us had to run 8 rounds as someone tested the same board twice somewhere along the way, which threw everything off a little but in the end everyone toughed it out and tested all seven boards.
Continue reading ‘12′6″ SUP race board speed test by Robert Stehlik’
August 1st, 2011 by robert
This article was originally published at Robert Stehlik’s Zen Waterman blog.
Last week Evan Leong and I had a chance to test Mark Raaphorst’s S-16 Standamaran prototype that he was shipping to New York for a race with a stopover on Oahu. I have been wanting to organize a speed test for SUP race boards for a while, so this was a good opportunity to comparison test unlimited boards in flatwater conditions. Continue reading ‘Flatwater speed test- unlimited SUP’s by Robert Stehlik’
July 19th, 2011 by evan
I had the chance to interview C4 Ambassador and surfing legend Raimana Van Bastolear during the C4 Waterman’s “secret traning day“. In the video, Raimana talks about surfing Teahupo’o, how he got started in stand up paddle surfing, and surfing with Laird Hamilton. Check it out.
Continue reading ‘Interview with C4 Waterman Ambassador Raimana Van Bastolear’
July 13th, 2011 by evan
Joe Blair sent over some SUP tutorial videos he had made and after watching them I have to say I was thoroughly amused. Joe is a funny guy. If you meet him in real life, he will make you laugh. He’s also a genuine guy that has an infectious stoke for surfing and stand up paddling. Continue reading ‘Joe Blair SUP Tutorial Video’
June 10th, 2011 by robert
I like racing on unlimited boards with rudders. The rudder makes these long, straight tracking boards surprisingly nimble and fun in the bumps. I avoid using the rudder when trying to catch a bump as it creates extra drag. Once planing on the bump though, using the rudder can help to follow the bumps or change direction without noticeably slowing the glide. You can step back with one foot to lift the nose of the board while keeping the front foot on the rudder. On steeper bumps you want to step further back with both feet off the rudder to reduce the wetted surface and allow higher speeds. Continue reading ‘Fine Tuning the Rudder by Robert Stehlik’
June 1st, 2011 by evan
Here’s an interview I did with the winner of the 2011 Battle of the Paddle elite race, Travis Grant. This video was taken a few days before the BOP at C4 Waterman’s “secret traning day“.
Continue reading ‘Interview with C4 Waterman Ambassador Travis Grant’
May 26th, 2011 by davi
Once again, the paddling mad scientist Robert Stehlik has come up with a new version of an on land stand up paddling trainer. This one is designed to work in conjunction with a SUP video game and folds up for easy storage. I think version 2 is better than version 1 but if you want to find out for yourself, stop by Blue Planet Surf on Ward Ave in Hawaii and give it a spin.
Continue reading ‘Stand Up Paddle Trainer Version 2 at Blue Planet Surf’
May 18th, 2011 by evan
Here are some great downwind paddling videos that Robert Stehlik posted on his Zen Waterman blog. These were taken during the last Blue Planet SUP clinic held a week before the 2011 Battle of the Paddle Hawaii. Check it out at the link below:
http://zenwaterman.blogspot.com/2011/05/downwind-clinic-video-with-nicole.html
May 13th, 2011 by evan
Last week I got an email from Liam over at C4 HQ asking if I was interested in joining them at a ’secret’ location for their 2011 Battle of the Paddle Hawaii (BOP) team rider training session. Of course I said I was interested and had a great time with the C4 team. I got a little lost at first, had to hike through bushes, fell in some mud but eventually I got to the secluded area where they had setup a mini BOP race course.
Continue reading ‘C4 Battle of the Paddle Secret Training Day’
May 11th, 2011 by evan
Here’s a great tutorial from Robert Stehlik for all you guys who will be racing at the Battle of the Paddle HI this weekend. Check out the link below on Robert’s Zen Waterman blog:
http://zenwaterman.blogspot.com/2011/05/battle-of-paddle-hawaii-kai-run-tips.html
March 26th, 2011 by robert
This shot from the 2009 Molokai race does not show perfect form
but I am reaching pretty far forward
I started the technique series with the power phase as this is where I saw the quickest improvements when coaching. All the phases of the stroke have to work together smoothly for the stroke to be efficient and without good reach and catch, the stroke won’t be effective. Continue reading ‘Paddle Technique Part 4: Reach and Catch by Robert Stehlik’
February 20th, 2011 by evan
Here’s another video from one of the Blue Planet Surf SUP Clinics / Demo Days. Robert Stehlik, Jared Vargas and Jeff Chang this time answer some questions regarding paddle shapes and design. They also give tips on how to choose the right paddle.
Continue reading ‘Paddle Q & A with Robert Stehlik, Jared Vargas and Jeff Chang’
February 15th, 2011 by evan
Here’s a 2-part video from one of the Blue Planet Surf SUP Clinics / Demo Days. Robert Stehlik, Jared Vargas and Jeff Chang gives the participants some very useful tips to improve their paddling technique.
Continue reading ‘Stand Up Paddling Clinic with Robert Stehlik, Jared Vargas and Jeff Chang’
