Kayak Huasteca

NRS Big Earl Stand Up Board Review.

The Big Earl is a great inflatable board!   It has everything you need in an inflatable.

- Very stable design

- Removable skegs

- Extremely Rigid

- Bombproof pump and carrying bag

- Great price…$995

We took our SUPs to the Little TN river.  It was a medium flow with plenty of technical class 2 rapids.  Lake levels were down so we were able to paddle the narrows which added 3 more class 2+ rapids.

I removed the skegs knowing that the river was shallow.  The Big Earl handles just fine without the fins.  It turns well, grabs eddies and you don’t have the fear of getting superman’ed off the board in the shallows.

I was able to strap my Watershed drybag to the front tiedowns and there were no problems.  This board was designed to haul your gear.  It is wide and stable allowing you to take gear and not lose stability.

I love the weight of inflatable SUP’s!  At 29 lbs you can take this board anywhere.

I filled the board to 15psi and it was perfect for warm water and a 60 degree day.  That was 2 weeks ago and the board is still inflated.  It hasn’t lost any pressure.

If you are looking for an economical and rugged inflatable SUP, look no further.  This board from NRS will do the trick.

I haven’t tried it on anything above class 3, but I’m looking forward to paddling it down some great rivers in Mexico this year.

You can find the NRS Big Earl at:

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1854&pdeptid=2363

and

http://www.coloradokayak.com/NRS-Big-Earl-Package.html?sc=26&category=37836

All photos courtesy of  www.adriftimages.com

Have a great winter everyone!

See you on the water!

Aaron

Tags: aaron, CKS, colorado, mexico, nrs, river, stand up paddle, SUP

Mexico is ready for a new SUP.

This year will be very interesting.  Not having to carry a 50 pound SUP to the river.  The New Badfish inflatable looks like just the answer to our downriver SUP problems.

Here is a nice review on the MCIT from CKS.

http://cksblog.com/2011/11/the-boardworks-surf-badfish-mcit-inflatable-sup-review-with-mike-harvey-and-zack-hughes/

And also a video.  Enjoy!
Click Here
aaron

Tags: aaron, badfish, CKS, koch, mexico, SUP

5 Reasons to Kayak in Mexico this Winter!

Every photo below is a reason to get down and enjoy the beauty of Mexico.

Kayak Huasteca is operating for the 6th season this year.   We want to extend a huge Thanks and invitation to all our Friends and Sponsors.

Minas Viejas

Immersion Research, Shred Ready, Spokiz, CKS and Emotion Kayaks are all helping us explore and paddle the Turquoise waters of Mexico.

Banana rapid. Rafting first D

The season in Mexico is November through March.  Perfect for those wishing to escape the cold.

Dan D running the left line

Great food and incredible weather await you, south of the border.

350 foot falls on the Gallinas River, falling into the Santa Maria.

SUP or stand up paddling has become an incredible way to enjoy class 2 once again.

One of the many drops on MInas Viejas

Hope everyone had a great summer and when the snow starts to fall you know where to go!   We’ll keep the enchiladas hot and the beer cold!

See you on the River.

Aaron

Tags: CKS, emotion kayaks, Immersion Research, Shred Ready, spokiz

Waterfalls on a SUP Board!

You have to choose your waterfalls very carefully when paddling a SUP.  You want the falls to be near vertical and not too tall.  The drop in these pictures is about 14 feet tall.

With these sliding drops it is very important to not use the skegs.  Either turn the board around backwards or choose a board with removable skegs.

Foot placement should be in the Kung Fu stance so you have maximum stability.  I have also tried surfer stance and it worked fairly well.

Your weight has to stay moving with the board.  If you are too far back the board will kick up and leave you in the landing.  Too far forward and it will sub out and become very unstable.

If you can get in a big stroke for the landing it will help to keep you connected to the board.  A change in velocity is what causes falls, whether it be the board or rider.

The downtime was pretty heavy on this drop.  I actually fell after the board resurfaced.  A board with a little more rocker will keep me from going so deep the next time.

At Kayak Huasteca we use Imagine Rapidfire boards and Werner paddles.  All can be Purchased at CKS.

See you on the river…

Aaron

Tags: aaron, aventura, cacadas, huasteca, koch, mexico, micos, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico, waterfall, waterfalls

Stand Up Paddling the Pigeon river in Tennessee.

watch?v=_m-Ac3odNYU

Enjoy the Show

Aaron

Stand up Paddling the Pigeon River!

SUP on the Pigeon River!

CLICK ABOVE!!!

This is some stand up paddling on the Pigeon River in Hartford TN.  It’s an incredible run and a great step up from the Nantahala!

aaron

New ride on the French Broad River in Tennessee!

Click on the link below for an awesome video of Jet Boating in TN!

Jet boating in TN. 360 degrees spins!

We have just launched our new 410hp jetboat here on the French Broad.  The boat was built  by Smoky Mountain Jetboats in Bryson City, NC.

This boat is all aluminum and is an amazing ride.  Come check us out!

Aaron

Ocoee SUP at its finest!

The Middle Ocoee river is a summer time staple for the southeast.  Consistent flows and great class 3-4 whitewater make it a great proving ground for whitewater SUP.

There are many lines through all the big rapids.  Since we started SUP here 2 years ago we have graduated to many of the meatier raft lines.  Jon Shannon (above) is running the guts of Double Trouble!

Lines can be technical or stout, you choose!  Left line at Broken Nose (above)

Tablesaw is one of those rapids that flips kayakers, sends rafts crashing against the rocks and is very intimidating on a SUP.  This year we have been running main line.  250 feet of continuous waves 3 feet high or more.  (above)

If you are confident in class 2-3 on your SUP board, come out and see us on the Ocoee in Southeast TN.  Water temps are in the high seventies and we have releases from thursday to monday.  We have quiver of EmotionTraverse and some C4 inflatables.

See you all on the river

Aaron

Tags: aaron, aventura, huasteca, kayak, mexico, spokiz, stand up paddle, SUP, traverse

Badfish Surfboards!

Mariela and I went to Colorado for a few weeks in May and June.  If you’ve never been to the rivers out west, you are missing out.  We stayed in Buena Vista, CO and surfed/paddled:  Numbers, fractions and the BV and Salida Playparks.

Carving it up

We were able to surf Some of the Badfish Boards, both down river and surf.  Mike and Zach are at the forefront of river surf design.  It was awesome to surf some completely original designs.

River surf is a new very new medium.  Kayaks have been surfing river waves for years but SUP boards are relatively new.

Ollie

Badfish stand up Boards are available in a variety of sizes.  5′ 11″ to the 9′ river runner. They are all hand crafted in Salida,CO.

Matt getting low!

If you are in the state of Colorado and you like to SURF?  get over and check out the boys at Badfish.

See ya on the river

Aaron

Tags: colorado, river, stand up paddle, surf

Imagine Surfer Review! Thanks! Blue Ridge SUP!

One of the newest boards from Imagine Eco is the Surfer.  This is a beginners SUP with extreme stability and great surfing ability.

Surfing Ocoee River Style

We tried the board on a glassy wave about 2 feet tall.  The Surfer was retentive and very good at making slow wide turns.

Nice smooth carves!

This board has a very unique hull design.  I say this after paddling DragoRossi kayaks.  Corran has taken the stingers and bottom chines and put them to good use on this board.

Bottom of the Surfer!

I found that the board handled well with or without skegs.  We tried from 4 to 9 inch skegs.  Without skeg it is very similar to surfing a loose whitewater kayak, fun but not out of control.

Lots of space to move around!

I said before that this is a beginner board.  Two people surfed yesterday who had NO experience surfing..AT ALL!  The Surfer top has a lotof space to move around on.  When you are learing to SUP you need a stable platform to get comfortable moving your feet.  The Surfer is perfect for learning these basic techniques.

Dead man surfing!

TECHNICAL DATA for the Surfer: 

9’9” X 34” X 6”   Max Weight:300lbs   Board Weight: 44lbs

First time Surfing!

  The Surfer is not a replacement for the Rapidfire.  It is an able river runner and is made of bombproof plastic, but the lack of volume in the stern and the large flat top make it more prone to submersion than the Rapidfire.

I recommend this board for anyone who loves to surf and then river runs on the side.  The Surfer handled class 3 rapids nicely, caught eddies and made ferries easy too.

This board retails for $399.  It is worth every penny.  Get in touch with Chris at

Surf Blue Ridge 

for demos and sales.

See you on the river.

Aaron

Tags: aaron, blue ridge, eco, huasteca, imagine, koch, mexico, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico, surfer