Palau Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board/Kayak

The Palau SUP/Kayak is perfect for experience to beginner paddlers featuring a 5 layer drop-stitch construction for extreme rigidity and stability, a comfortable EVA traction pad, and 3 removable fins. The Palau also doubles as a kayak with adjustable backrest and padded seat!

Come Paddle in South Florida

Come and Paddle in beautiful South Florida. Many diffrent location from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. Its growing and will become very big at the end of 2012.

Surf's Up: The Rise of Stand-up Paddle Boards

By KEVIN HELLIKER

When Chris Krause hops on a board each morning to surf Lake Michigan, the water is usually flat. But who cares? Instead of catching a wave, Mr. Krause is catching a workout, by standing on his board and paddling for 60 minutes.

"For my money it's the best total body workout you can get," says Mr. Krause, a 44-year-old triathlete who runs a match-making service for promising athletes and college coaches.

Stand-up paddle surfing is the fitness rage of the summer. In lakes, rivers and bays where the surf is never up, Americans in skyrocketing numbers are standing on boards and paddling, a balancing act that strengthens the muscles of the legs, buttocks, back, shoulders and arms.

"Stand-up paddle surfing is a valuable new form of cross-training, in part because it's so low impact," says Cindi Bannink, a triathlon coach in Madison, Wis.

For an industry long dependent on California and Hawaii, the trend is rapidly forging new sales territories. "Suddenly, our fastest-growing markets are places like Chicago, Boise and Austin, Texas," says Ty Zulim, sales manager for Surftech International, a surf-board maker and distributor based in Santa Cruz, Calif.

"Stand-up paddling is the fastest-growing segment of the surf industry," says Sean Smith, executive director of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association, whose most recent study found that the industry had sales in 2008 of $7.2 billion.

Some manufacturers say they can't make them fast enough. "Every one we make is already sold, and that's the case with most manufacturers," says surfing legend Laird Hamilton, who has licensed his name and stand-up board designs—including a model called the Laird—to Surftech and other manufacturers.

After introducing stand-up boards at west coast stores last year, Recreational Equipment Inc. this summer stocked it in a number of land-locked stores—and met its annual sales projections by mid-June, says Nathan Grothe, product manager for REI, based just outside of Seattle.

Even general merchandiser Costco Wholesale Corp. began selling stand-up boards this summer to great success, says Jack Weisbly, the Kirkland, Wash., chain's sporting goods' merchandise manager. "We're selling a lot of them to hotels and resorts that are located near water," he says.

Known as SUP (pronounced as in "Wassup?"), the stand-up paddling trend comes on the heels of the kayak craze, but offers potentially greater health benefits, especially given recent research showing the hazards of prolonged sitting. Like yoga, standing on a board requires basic balancing abilities, which in turn strengthen and tone any and all muscles used to stay in position. (A new trend in some still-water locales involves staging yoga classes on stand-up boards.)

 

Surfer Laird Hamilton, with daughter Reece, 6, on Hanalei River, Kauai.

People of any age can get started, proponents say, recommending that newcomers should use the widest—and therefore sturdiest—boards. While conventional surf boards are about 20 inches in width, stand-up boards can be 32 inches wide. Children older than toddlers can use them alongside their grandparents, although life preservers are recommended and in some locations required.

Newcomers should kneel on the board and paddle that way before trying to rise to their feet. In still water, standing up is hardly more difficult on a stand-up board than on solid ground. Once afoot, staying that way is relatively easy. This reporter—who during yoga class takes frequent tumbles—stayed dry during an hour of debut paddle surfing last week on the choppy waters of Lake Michigan.

Like cycling, paddle surfing can be done at a recreational pace or, for an aerobic workout, at heart-thumping speed. And like yoga, stand-up paddle surfing is proving particularly popular with women.

"Nearly 50% of the buyers of our stand-up boards are women, which is a much much higher percentage than" conventional surf boards, says Mr. Hamilton.

At worst, a tumble means getting wet. But many veterans say they never do. "If falling off was a real danger, my wife and I wouldn't be out on Lake Michigan doing it in March," when chunks of ice are floating in the lake, says Mr. Krause, who says only his feet ever get wet.

High-end models of stand-up boards sold in sporting-goods stores range from about $900 to $1,500, with the paddle costing an additional $150 to $300. Costco, however, offers a board-and-paddle set for as little as $429.

Paddles have given rise to races. Dozens are scheduled this summer, up from none only a few years ago, with the fastest paddlers moving well beyond 10 miles an hour. "This is to surfing what snowboarding first was to skiing," says Mr. Hamilton. "I'm convinced it will be an Olympic sport."

Mr. Hamilton declines to call himself the inventor of the sport because Pacific Islanders—and Italy's Venetians—for centuries have stood in boats using paddles or poles.

Yet there's one place where stand-up paddling isn't popular: the waters where conventional surfers converge. To them, the oversized boards and six-feet long paddles represent a danger, especially in the hands of novices. "Don't Encourage Them," said a recent headline in a blog called Postsurf.com.

Miami Watermen Crossing of Gulf Stream on Stand-up Paddleboards

 

Miami Watermen Complete First-Ever Crossing of Gulf Stream on Stand-up Paddleboards

Miami Watermen Complete First-Ever Crossing of Gulf Stream on Stand-up Paddleboards
Bimini-Miami Blue Water Challenge Raised Awareness for Surfrider’s Rise Above Plastics
MIAMI BEACH, FL—JUNE 15, 2012— A journey of 10,000 strokes starts and ends with just one. On June 9th, Miami residents, Bill Whiddon (58) and Thaddeus Foote (38) set off from the docks of the Big Game Club Resort & Marina, Bimini. 17 hours, 11 minutes and 43 seconds later they took their final stroke to the shore of Haulover Beach, Miami. In doing so, they became the first in history to cross the Gulf Steam on stand-up paddleboards.
During their 60-plus mile epic journey, the pair battled rainsqualls, searing summer heat and the natural northern drift of the Gulf Stream.
“It was paddle, hydrate, eat and paddle more,” said the 58-year-old Whiddon. “We did battle a 40 minute tough squall with the first hour of leaving the Bahamas and the seas went from flat to three-foot swells breaking into us.”
Their course was as tactical as it was long. To counteract the north pull of the Gulf Stream, Whiddon said he and Foote, 38, started a heading more southwest out of Bimini and then after ten hours turned the course more to a due westerly direction that increased speed and pushed to the north.
“We only had one fish encounter when we woke up a huge sun fish basking on the surface,” Whiddon recalled. “The fins on the fish were at least two feet long. We also had a school of dolphin swimming under our boards for a longtime, using the shade for some relief from the blistering sun.”
The cause behind the “Bimini to Miami Blue Water Challenge” is to raise awareness for Surfrider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastics campaign to reduce plastics in the ocean.
“This crossing was a great opportunity to highlight the impact that plastics are having on our world’s ocean and how our actions, as a society, can make such a big difference,” said Foote.
C4 Waterman, Inc. is an Oahu, Hawaii-based lifestyle and adventure sports equipment company. They are a brand focused on providing the highest quality hard goods and soft goods to water sports athletes and enthusiasts around the world. C4 was the first company with a focus on SUP and continues to lead the pack when it comes to industry recognition, authenticity, innovation and product design. Planning a unique SUP expedition? C4 is always seeking new adventures. Contact us at www.c4waterman.com.

Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Local Miami Chapter www.surfridermiami.org efforts include lobbying for the enforcement of litter laws, beach dune restoration and K-8 environmental education.
Bimini Big Game Club
The historic Bimini Big Game Club, which reopened in the summer of 2010, is located on the main navigation channel in Bimini Bay. The resort currently features 51-rooms and a 75-slip marina capable of accommodating boats up to 145 feet in length. For more information, go to www.biggameclubbimini.com.
Contacts:
Chase Olivieri, C4 Waterman, 787-316-2289, www.c4waterman.com chase@c4waterman.com
Thaddeus Foote, 786-837-3988, thaddeusfoote@gmail.com

Martha Greenlee, 407-580-1830, www.surfridermiami.org,

HOW MUCH DO YOU PADDLE?

One of the big things that I struggle with as a competitive paddler is how much training I should be doing. There is a fine line between training hard and over training. I am also like most paddlers out there and have a life outside of stand up paddle boarding. If you are looking to improve your training you can do many different things besides two-a-days on an Olympic champion program. Small things like practicing your technique and forming a training plan will help you improve.
The article below is from an Olympic kayaker and gives good perspective on the amount of training you should be doing.

How much training is required? That depends on two things. Your goals, and how much time you have available to train.
If your goal is winning the Olympics or other high-level competition then you must be willing to devote a large portion of your time towards training. However, if you want to simply get into reasonable shape, it can be done with a much more modest time commitment.
Training is a game of diminishing returns. Working out a few times per week will reap tremendous benefits compared to a full-time couch potato. Add a few more sessions on top of that (say four to six sessions per week) and you’ll see even more benefits. However more is not always better. At some point, you’ll reach an optimal level of training at which point any additional training does more harm than good – this is overtraining.
Training does not make you better or faster. It’s the RECOVERY from training that brings improvement. Training tears down your muscles and your body adapts by rebuilding them stronger than before. However, if you don’t give your body time to recover, you’ll end up tearing yourself down more than rebuilding. Notice that the blue curve peaks out at about 12 hours of training per week. More than that amount is detrimental.
Note that 12 hours per week is an arbitrary amount that I have chosen. The actual amount will depend on the type of training you are doing and your initial fitness. Somebody training with extremely high-intensity sprint sessions may find that 8–10 hours is the most they can do without overtraining. Somebody training at lower intensity for marathon events may find that they are able to train 15 or even 20 hours per week.
After two to three years of consistent training at a high level, your body will adapt to handle even more volume. Note that the red curve has shifted to the right and slightly upwards. Thus, a highly trained athlete may be able to handle 16 hours per week and advance to even higher performance.
Beginners may find that four to six hours per week is the maximum they can handle until they get more training under their belt. Increasing volume or intensity too quickly is a sure way to experience injury or burnout.

TRAINING SUP

TURNING

Stand up paddleboards are not easy to turn. We don’t have side thrusters to dock up to the beach or go around buoys. Fortunately, there are some easy tips and techniques that will help you handle your SUP. Pivot Turn- The pivot turn is a turn that you will probably see used the most [...]

 

ENERGY SYSTEMS

As we progress in our stand up paddling we begin to look for ways to improve. The first and most important thing to do is to get your technique dialed in. Read our Stoke Breakdown article for more information on basic stand up paddle technique. Once we become comfortable with our technique, it is time to [...]

 

TRAIN SMARTER

 

Before I started training this year I decided that I would keep a stand up paddle training log. I started the log to keep track of my progress as well as to use for future reference and comparison. Below this article you will be able to see the exact copy of my log from [...]

 

STROKE BREAKDOWN

These stand up paddle stroke rules are applicable whether you are trying to win your next race or you simply want to prevent fatigue on your sunset paddles. Check out our articles in the training section for ways to increase your speed and endurance, but only after you have your technique down!

 

SUP CROSS-TRAINING

There are a couple of approaches to training for stand up paddlers. One approach is known as cross-training where most aerobic training is done through a variety of basic exercises such as running, swimming, biking, and maybe even the Gazelle elliptical trainer. Basically anything that gets your

PERFECT TECHNIQUE

An important aspect of any sport is technique. Using proper technique will help an individual perform at a higher level for a longer period of time as well as prevent injury. When I began stand up paddle racing two years ago I found myself searching for answers for the correct mechanics in stand up

 

HOW DO I TRAIN FOR STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING?

In the world of endurance sports, stand up paddle boarding is the new kid on the block. As a stand up paddle competitor and race organizer I have seen stand up paddlers of every skill level take to the water to race. Some of us have GPS watches and are gunning for gold

Stand up paddle surfing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A man with his sup in Rishon Lezion, Israel

Kai Lenny, World Cup Sylt 2009

Woman stand up paddling

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), stand up paddle boarding, or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he'e nalu, is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage. The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and reemerged as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of students, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint. This increased visibility of what was going on around them such as incoming swell.

History

The popularity of the modern sport of SUP'ing has its origin in the Hawaiian Islands. In the early 1960s, the beach boys of Waikiki would stand on their long boards, and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term "beach boy surfing", another name for Stand Up Paddle Surfing, originates.^[1]
The sport benefits athletes with a strong "core" workout. SUP'ing is popular at warm coastal climates and resorts, and is gaining in popularity as celebrities are sampling the sport, and cross-over athletes are training with SUP. SUPs have been spotted around the globe, anywhere there is easy access to safe waters, as well as in the surfing lineups of the world. Another reason for the rise in popularity of stand up paddleboarding is that, unlike surfing, paddleboarding is very easy to learn. Within one hour you can become very comfortable in the water and on your board. Stand up paddleboarding is also more popular with women because of their lower center of gravity, women are often more skilled at paddleboarding than men.^[2]
Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama re-introduced the ancient sport of paddle surfing to the modern water sports world. The first "modern" surfer to bring Stand Up Paddle Surfing out of Hawaii and to the mainland United States was Vietnam veteran Rick Thomas. ^[3]
Custom surf shaper Jimmy Lewis, created one of the first modern production boards, the All Around.
Surfers have converted because of the versatility of the new sport. Stand up paddle boarding offers surfers the ability to catch more waves in a set, as well as offering a better view of incoming sets.
River SUP'ing is gaining popularity in the boating community due to the skill and agility required to navigate rapids and obstacles.
Stand up paddle surfing is now the fastest growing water surf activity because it allows a wider range of athletic types to get involved and SUP surfers need not schedule around high and low tides^[4]

Materials and design

New custom SUP board prices range from US$600 to US$1500, and most use glass-reinforced plastic construction using epoxy resin that is compatible with the expanded polystyrene foam used in the core. Some SUP boards use a hollow wood construction instead of foam with epoxy resin.^[5]. In the last few years inflatable boards have been introduced as well. The boards are generally longer than 9 feet (3 m), and can be longer than 12 feet (4 m), with features such as padded decks and concave hulls; they generally have one or three surfboard-style fins in the stern for tracking.
As of October 3, 2008, the US Coast Guard now classifies SUPs as vessels and as a result SUP riders are obliged to wear a personal flotation device when paddling in certain areas.^[6] Whether this will affect the continued take up of stand up paddling in the USA remains to be seen. The Canadian Coast Guard has implemented similar rules, however SUPer's are only required to have a PFD with them, they don't have to wear them.

Stand up paddle

A stand up paddle is a type of paddle used in stand up paddle surfing. The stand up paddle is used to propel an individual across the surface of the water while standing on a surfboard. The paddle consists of a blade, shaft and handle.

Materials and design

Paddles used for stand up surfing are usually constructed from carbon, fiberglass or wood with flat blade on one end connecting to a handle on the other end by a long smooth shaft. The blade ranges from 6 to 10 inches in width with an oval or round shaft ranging from 67 to 86 inches in length with a 1 to 1.5 inch diameter. Blades are designed with several shapes and features. Normally the blade has a pizza peel shape sometimes having a slight keel on the back side of the blade. Other commonly used shapes include diamonds, or oar like blades.

Use

The proper form for paddle surfing requires a paddle of the correct length and size. A common rule of thumb is a “shaka” length, or 5 to 7 inches, above the rider's height. While standing on board, the rider holds the paddle with one hand on the handle and the other hand approximately 1/3 of the way down the shaft. The hand placement alternates depending on what side the rider is paddling on. When paddling on the right side the handle is held with the left hand and the shaft with the right, vice versa on the left side. When paddling, the blade is placed in the water 1 to 2 feet in front of the rider. The paddle is then pulled through the water with a motion similar to the rider punching with the top hand. The motion is continued until the blade is pulled through the water to a point approximately 6 inches to a foot behind the rider's body