A Paddleblog
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
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
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
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
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
I’ve been paddling the Emotion Traverse for over a year now. Let me just say “ I LOVE THIS BOARD!”
Some class 3 below 300 foot Tamul Falls!
I have had the pleasure of paddling up to Class 4 whitewater, flat water, ocean surf, fishing, and even some waterfalls with the Traverse. It has surpassed all my expectations.
Emotion Traverse boards ready for action
The Traverse is made form High density plastic so it is tough. This board can take a lot of abuse. I have seen mine fly from the roof rack more than once, with no visible damage. TOUGH!
Another day at the office!
Take a milk crate and some rod holders, strap them to the back, and you have a perfect fishing platform. 4 Traverse and 1 kayak on the river together and we caught over 20 fish. Large mouth bass, sunfish and even a trout.
Nice bass on the Lower Ocoee.
If you are looking to run whitewater on an SUP? This is the perfect place to start. The Emotion Traverse will enable you to run class 2, ferry and surf your first day on the river!
Running the ledge on the Hiwassee. 5000cfs
With a bit of experience the Traverse can even run some of the harder whitewater.
Nice drop on a SUP.
SUP is one of the fastest growing sports in the world. If your looking to get involved the Traverse is agreat way to go. Retail prices of $399 is hard to beat. Get a helmet, PFD and paddle and you are ready to go.
Be sure to check out www.emotionkayaks.com and don’t forget about Mexico in the winter with www.kayakhuasteca.com
See you on the river.
Aaron
Tags: cacadas, emotion kayaks, extreme, kayakhuasteca, mexico, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico, traverse
This year has been great for SUP in the U.S. We have more boards than ever to choose from and the mother nature has been giving us consistent rain. We had the pleasure of spending a few days in Pennsylvania and while there we visited the good folks at Emotion Kayaks and Riversport School of Paddling.
Riversport has a great location in Confluence PA. They are on the banks of the Middle Yough and 3 minutes from the Casselman. Erica and Andy Smith are the owners and also have the Lucky Dog Cafe.
Andy took us to the Casselman with a flow of 5 to 6 feet. It was running high and fast when we got to the put in.
The Casselman has good flow all year. We happened to catch it with a great amount of water. We put the skegs on the Traverse and hit the water.
Andy on the Traverse.
IR and Riversport hooked us up with dry gear. The weather was a balmy 50 degrees, water 50 and the wind was gusting 50 as well.
We found some amazing wave trains and huge holes. The wind was blowing so hard we almost couldn’t leave the eddies.
It took us about 1.5 hours to do the run. Lots of tributaries with waterfalls could be seen as we descended the canyon.
It was a great day and perfect levels for the SUP First descent of the Upper Casselman. I can’t wait to get back up there and run it with different flows this summer.
See you on the river!
Aaron
Tags: aventura, kayak, mexico, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico
Last night the TVA decided to test the flume line. While testing, Mother Nature dumped about an inch and a half of rain. The end result is several mud slides and some amazing waterfalls.
Slice and Dice rapid has some new dirt on river left. As you can see in the pic.
Tablesaw rapid used to have 2 lines. Now the left line is blocked and we will be goin right.
This is one of the leaks coming out of the flume!
It reminds me of Veracruz Mexico after heavy rains. Waterfalls everywhere.
It will be a couple days before they know if the flume is serviceable. In the meantime we will be surfing some brown water. Check us out at CASCADE OUTDOORS
Aaron
Tags: cacadas, kayak, mexico, micos, stand up paddle, SUP, waterfalls
Tags: aventura, cacadas, huasteca, spokiz, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico, tamul, waterfall, waterfalls
The lower Micos is a gem of a run here in the Huasteca region of Mexico. It is often overlooked, much like the Lower gauley, because of the 7 waterfalls upstream.
The run is an amazing class 2-3 section with about 25 rapids. Since river SUP came on the scene, it has given us a new means to enjoy these easy sections of river.
There is a very nice hole about half way through the run. it is a class 3 hydraulic with an island next to it.
You can run this drop multiple times. right now with high levels it takes 1.5 hours to finish the run.
we are using the RapidFire SUP by Imagine Eco. And the Traverse by WWW.EMOTIONKAYAKS.COM
If you are in Mexico and have the urge to SUP, come find us at www.kayakhuasteca.com We’ll be here keepin the stoke!
Aaron
Tags: Add new tag, aventura, cacadas, huasteca, kayak, mexico, micos, san luis potosi, spokiz, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico
I have been travelling in Mexico for 5 years now. The country never ceases to amaze me. This past weekend we visited a couple of small towns in the state of Queretaro.
The first is the village of Conca. It is one of the 7 sites for the famous Franciscan Missions of the Sierra Gorda. An amazing pueblo with great food and a laid back atmosphere.
Our time in Queretaro was spent exploring the two rivers in the area. The Santa Maria and the Ayutla. The picture above is the Canyon of the Santa Maria.
You can only see the canyon by watercraft. We chose kayaks but a local outfitter offers SUP boards, rafts and Sit on top kayaks as well.
The views from the river are incredible. We spent 4 hours on the water and arrived in the joining of the 2 rivers Ayutla and Santa Maria. One is transparent green, the other turquoise blue. along the river we found several hot springs waterfalls to relax and enjoy the scenery in!
This is an amazing place..if you are interested in exploring Conca..then check out www.kayakhuasteca.com They will be offering trips to this seldom visited place in the world. The best season to go is during the month of december.
From mexico
Aaron
Tags: aventura, huasteca, kayak, mexico, queretaro, rafting, santa maria, stand up paddle, SUP, sup mexico