Joe Blair 8-9 Stand Up Paddle Board – Video
I got a chance to hang out with Joe Blair during his recent trip to Oahu’s north shore. We surfed everyday and had a blast on this new 8′9″ x 30″ x 4.25″ stand up board. I was shocked that at 220 lbs I could stand on it comfortably. In fact, once I got used to the 8′9″ I couldn’t go back to the 9′11″. It just felt too big. So the 9′11″ has been passed on to my buddy.
The amazing thing about this board is that after riding it for a while, I’m sure we can go smaller. I let Nate S. ride this board at Ala Moana Courts the other day and he was pretty stoked on it. I think Nate is 230 lbs. I even heard him give out one of those laughs that express how stunned he was by the way the board turned. Nate almost pulled off a 360 degree off the lip also. Too bad I didn’t video that.
Check out this video with Joe talking about his new 8′9″.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Joe Blair 8-9 Stand Up Paddle Board [5:27m]: Download
Joe Blair 8-9 Stand Up Paddle Board [5:29m]: Download
Here’s an article with Joe and the board above
http://theshaperstree.com/tales/blair.asp
Nice! How was it to paddle, and catch waves Evan?
g
G – The 2 Blair boards I’ve ridden so far catch waves unreal. They also punch through the whitewash unbelievably well. I’ve had a few times where I leaned back on the paddle back out because I expected the board to jerk back a bit and it didn’t and I fell off the back. On some of the other boards I’ve tried I need to lean back quite a bit when punching through whitewash. With this one it’s like I don’t even hit it. I’ve let a few people try this board out in the break and some of them ordered already from Joe. I let my other friend try the 9′11″ and he wouldn’t give it back.
8′9″, wow that’s unreal! Looks like a souped-up old-school egg shape. Do you happen to know what the thickness is? Some of the relative stability must come from its width at 30″.
I too, am curious as to how it paddles, especially with the relatively curvy outline. I’m intrigued with Joe’s design concepts in regards to nose concave, the rails, and the double barrel thru the tail…
Looks like a true ripper, for sure!
What size rear fin is that?
Oh duh… I see the thickness now in your writeup. E kala mai…
I think the fins are 4.5″.
Medical Breakthrough
The shorter stand-up is faster; turns quicker and is way more manageable than bigger ones. Once you ride one and try to go back to your 10′ it gets in it’s own way and you screw up your ride.
They really don’t paddle that much slower than the bigger ones. Turning the board to catch the wave is way easier an quicker. Dropping in late is way easier and being smaller you can on it quicker and rip the wave way – way better.
I have full concave going into double concave with “V” in the tail. This makes the board faster. I also have a speed spot between your feet so it is faster. Very important is that I have softer rails going back further so the board is smoother and more maneuverable. My fins are moved up 4″ further than all other manufacturers so the board is quicker turning.
These boards are big so you have to totally re-think fin placement. The back fin has a 10″ box so you can cluster the fins together for tighter turns in smaller surf or move the fin back for overhead waves like a semi-gun. The adjustable gives this board a much bigger range. I have found that 3 fins (4 – 5/8″) all the way around works best. The 2 + 1 has small fins on the sides which gives no punch and the 9.5″ center fin in the back makes it stiff turning.
The round pin is 3 times better than a squash or swallow tail because round pins eliminate the 12″ of straight rail in the tail right where you need curve to get tighter and quicker turns. The round pin roles into turns quicker, smoother, and hangs in better when going fast. Ridding smaller boards has made this incredible sport way better than it already is. Thanks for the aloha Laird!!!
Just try one and you’ll never look back.
Call (760) 809-9074 to take one for a spin at cardiff reef.
[..YouTube..] God, nyone who paddleboards needs to get one of those, they kick so much ass
[..YouTube..] Agreed – Joe your boards rock, If you know you ride one of Joes Boards. THis guy know how to build boards.
Evan,
Thanks for letting me try the 8′ 9″ for a few waves at sunset today. The conditions at Tongg’s were terrible for stand up, super high tide, backwashing, 2′. But the board paddled great, like you said it finds it’s way better through the chop. It felt more stable paddling in these conditions than my 10′ x 27″ x 4 1/8″ board. It even has less side to side pull because I can lean better to each side with this board. I like the way the nose sticks up out of the water when I paddle, not sticking to the water and catching the chop. The whole board floats my weight of 195 lbs. easily with no sinking feeling. I can’t believe how stable it was to paddle actually. I think I would like the narrower 8′ 7″ more? The board has more of a short board feel, even though I haven’t short boarded in 25 years in that I just wanted to take off later and later. I also thought it would be hard to move around on the board because it is short, but there isn’t any “small sweet spot” problem. I wish the waves were better today so I could see how it worked on a wall. I was worried that the board would just stall trying to catch the wave, like another 9′ board I tried, but it is fast, and can connect from the outside break to the inside. This board would be perfect for someone who needs to go up an elevator and has limited storage space, or doesn’t want to lug around a heavy board, but still wants to do stand up. One drawback for me is that it requires more of an intense upper back workout than my longer board. A good trade off for most others. Also going over one wave it felt like the nose of the board was about even with my nose when it popped up. I really would like this board for the same reason of it being so short and light in that when I am getting pounded it won’t hurt me or others in the line up as much as my regular 10′ board.
Thanks again, it was really fun.
Ethan – I’m glad you liked it. That board is one of my favorites. The 8′7″ feels much smaller. It has less paddle power, buoyancy and stability although it surfs unreal and is super fast on the wave. For a person under 200 lbs I think it’s a good choice. For someone over 200 lbs, they will give up paddle power for surfability but that’s all personal preference.
I find that I torque my back less with the 8′9″ than 10′6″, etc because it accelerates faster and takes less energy to get moving. I guess different people have different experiences.
[..YouTube..] Hey Joe I really liked your video.