SurfingSports Standup Paddle Surf & Standup Paddling BLOG

NEXT FREE SUP DEMO IS NOW SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 28...9AM-12@PM...
CALL OR EMAIL SHOP TO RSVP...

I've said it for a couple of weeks now...the best Winter of surfing in a long while is coming to an end...Spring Equinox has officially passed...some folks that I respect are saying "best in 29 years"..."best in decades"...etc...dunno about that...it's arguable, depending on how much time you have on your hands and how hard you want to chase it...what is true is that this past Winter was better than the last couple put together...

Matter of fact...Dave Kalama even questioned the end of the surf season on his Is it over? blog 10 days ago...

Regardless...with the prime window of our surf season over...November through March...and Spring officially here...our W - WNW exposed point breaks are definitely quieting down...



Surf withdrawals are now setting in with Winter officially over...Rincon, the so-called "Queen of the Coast" (more like the "Queen of Denial"...;-) has now returned to her sleeping beauty slumberfest...buenos noches, senorita...;-)



We're now turning our heads and attention from the Gulf of Alaska down towards the Southern Hemisphere...Teahupoo has gone XXL already...another GALLERY...same early season Southern Hemi swells that used to drive me to the islands in the Spring and mainland Mexico during the Summer months...the good news is that we're trunkin' it again...

Here's a few images from the Starboard collection to remind us what *REAL* surf is all about...we have all of these shown and many more new 2010 Starboard paddlesurfing boards in stock...more than any other shop on the planet...not just 2D vaporware pics...actual *REAL* boards ready to pick up or ship...IMAGINE THAT!...;-)


















Let's ponder the "glass half full/half empty" paradigm...is not the fact that there are no waves required to have an incredible time on the water, the beauty of standup in the first place?

Labels: Rincon, Spring Equinox, Starboard Standup Paddleboards

We will be hosting another one of our extremely popular "try before you buy" SUP demos next weekend...Sunday December 6...from 9AM - 1PM...call or email the shop to RSVP...

We will also be hosting an after demo party at our shop for our great instructional and sales staff...and, you are invited!

We will have lots of great in-store holiday sales items...and, an even more amazing variety of SUP's from our store that already has more boards in more sizes, colors, and constructions than any store in the galaxy...

New arrivals this week include the new Terje Haakonsen (TAC) Edition SUP's from Starboard...some are already sold...but, we should have a few left to fondle and drool over...;-)

If you can't make it to this event to see touch and feel these new SUP's, we'll have better pics than what you see posted below, for you to peruse here on da blog coming up shortly...stay tuned...



The new "Limited Edition" Lime/Wood Ultimate Blend and Big Easy...



Scott is one STOKED unit!



The Starboard 12'6" Pin in Wood, Tufskin, & Classic...



We will also be receiving another big shipment of 2009 Starboard SUP's to restock our current inventory...

Also arriving this week are three new custom models that we have developed with Art Colyer at North Pacific Surfboards...there will be a new 8'6" x 32" wing swallow...9'10" x 31" wing swallow...and, a killer new 10'6" stinger pintail California gun...all quad plus 1...and, all made in the USA...





These boards are the lightest and strongest hand shaped epoxy SUP's on the market...you cannot finger dent them...they have a natural surfboard feel...here are a few others that Art recently shaped for us...8'6"...9'...9'6"...







Another custom shaper that we've worked with for well over 10 years on our custom quadfin surfboard shapes...and, the last several years on quad and trifin SUP shapes is Joe Blair...

We will be receiving three new production molded epoxy models from Blair...
8'11"...9'7"...and 10'1"...color choices will be aqua or white...







As if that's not enough new variety and shizzle...we will also be receiving 10 new boards from Imagine Surfboards...the creator of the 2-piece, take-a-part ECO SUP...

These boards will be all new lightweight models...

>>>> Cutback 8'5"
>>>> Cutback 9'
>>>> Cutback 9'6" split board
>>>> Wave rider 10'
>>>> Wave rocket 10'
>>>> Wave rocket 10'6"
>>>> Wave Rocket 11'
>>>> Enigma 9'
>>>> Enigma 9'6"
>>>> Chopper 9'4" split board

Labels: Blair standup paddleboards, Imagine SUP, North Pacific SUP, Starboard Standup Paddleboards

When it comes to innovation and board construction technological advances...one company stands apart...Starboard...the world leader in board construction...

Some companies who have only been around for a couple of years are starting to play around with wood and sandwich board construction...why pay for their R&D?

Starboard has been producing the most durable sailboards in the world for over 15 years...sailboards are under way more stress than conventional surfboards...they have to survive speeds of up to 50mph...and jumps/loops to 50'...



Developed by Jean Louis Colmas in 1984, Wood Technology became Starboard's trademark construction since 1995. Starboard's production Wood boards then set the lead in lightweight sandwich technology, weighing in at a kilo under the competition, yet with higher impact resistance.

A sheet of 0.6 mm Australian pine wood forms the full outer shell of the board. Wood's unique properties are its natural rigidity, superior resistance to compression and higher energy absorption compared to carbon. It is the construction with the highest dynamic shape stability.

Click image to enlarge...



In the continuing effort to reduce weight and increase performance without loss of durability, Starboard is once again leading the way with the new wood/carbon technology...

A combination of a wood spine with ultra light, flat-weave carbon. The first board construction in the world to utilize an ultra light carbon fiber that is flat-weaved for total mechanical efficiency at half the specific weight.



I just received a new Starboard quadfin waveboard with this wood/carbon technology...

IT'S INSANELY LIGHT!!!











I expect this technology to trickle down to the Starboard SUP line...there is ongoing osmosis between the SUP line and sailboard line...this quadfin sailboard progressed because of the quadfin SUP's that Starboard has dialed in...

The World’s first Quad fin wave boards - more drive, more traction, the ability to generate more speed on the wave face, turn closer and tighter, ride more vertical with the ability to go where you want, when you want. When going out through waves, the Quads also help you to stay upwind better than single or twin fin boards, thus positioning you to catch more waves.

The Quad wave concept was born 2 years ago when Svein Rasmussen and Scott McKercher first started working with Quad fin setups on wave SUP boards, initially with single fin setups to thrusters and finally Quad fins. The unique fin size combination, with the larger fin in front and the smaller fin behind, as well as the exact fin box positioning, the fin foil/stiffness ratio and the fin box selection were the key in making the Quad concept work.

Quad action vid clip:



Quad technical discussion vid clip:





Scott McKercher: Something that I felt has been missing in wave boards is the ability to produce drive through the fins like a surf board. Singles and twins were all about the containment of speed and not the production of drive. The new Quads deliver the perfect blend of a smooth arc length when desired, combined with lightning acceleration through tight on rail snaps.




Svein Rasmussen: Experimenting with Quads has totally renewed my interest in wave sailing.

Tiesda You: For progressing wave riders who thought the Evo was a breakthrough in 2003, well the Quads are again another leap forward. On a wave face, they really do go where you want, when you want and then they’ll even generate more speed as you drive them through turns. Unbelievable stuff.

Question to Svein: is the Quad an innovation? “Some 12 years ago, our production Twister twin fin board was available worldwide, then suddenly in 2008 the twin fin concept was viewed as an innovation. Now in 2009 Starboard brings into production a totally refined Quad fin board and if bringing back twin fins in 2008 was viewed an innovation , then bringing in Quads in 2009 is truly an innovation which actually brings something NEW to wavesailing.”

Labels: Quad sailboard, Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, Starboard quadfin sailboard, Starboard Standup Paddleboards, Starboard SUP

Starboard = QUALITY + INNOVATION...



We have the largest selection of Starboard SUP's in stock in the Americas...North or South...

We bring the Starboard SUP's directly in by the container from the factory...

We know the product line better than ANY shop on the planet...we constantly contribute to the design team and push refinements to the top of the production line...

Currently, there are 21 models in the Starboard lineup for 2009...expanding to 27 models in 4 constructions for 2010...there's something for every rider...from inland flatwater to extremely hollow big wave beach breaks...world renown durability and value...

Hundreds and hundreds of people have had a chance to demo the Starboard line with us this Summer...and, they have convincingly made Starboard the #1 SUP brand in the world...

Labels: Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, Starboard Standup Paddleboards, Starboard SUP's

A few snapshots and customer testimonials from THE STOKE FACTORY...

Anna is stoked with her new Starboard 9' Fish...



Ready to roll with the inflatable HandiRack...



Meanwhile...Doug in New Jersey is scoring a new Hobie 10'2" Chuck Patterson Stinger wave ripper...Mango with yellow gold camo pad...SWEEEEET!!!







Here's mine...nice rocker and volume distribution...



Getting ready to install the yellow gold camo pad on a client's Starboard 10'5" Drive in Classic construction...



Same board with a blue pad installed for Philip from Ventura...



Ship 'em in...ship 'em out...seems like everyday is Christmas at the Standup Paddle Sports stoke factory...







Lots of people drop into our store to buy their paddleboard direct from our paddleboard warehouse...we have well over 100 of the best standup paddleboards in stock, and more on the way daily...

Labels: Hobie SUP, paddle boards direct, paddleboard warehouse, PADDLESURF SANTA BARBARA, Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, Starboard Standup Paddleboards, SUP