Kayak Huasteca

I’ve seen a lot of SUP products over the last few years, some good, some bad.  Recently I had the chance to paddle some Glide SUP boards, traditional surfboard design with a bombproof GSS coating.   My Glide boards have fallen from the roof rack to the cement, t-boned other surfboards in the ocean and been ridden across thousands of rocks without any damage.

If you are looking for a lightweight board with durability for the river, Glide has the perfect ride.

Board sizes range from 12 foot 6 inches to the 7 foot long Sesh, all have the GSS and are river surfing machines.

One of my personal favorites is the 9 foot Mongo.  This board is stable enough for the river, and loose on the ocean.  360′s and awesome nose rides are waiting if you can just find some swell!

I spend  a lot of time on inflatable SUP’s because they are durable enough for the river,  however inflatables will NEVER surf as well as a rigid board.  Glide gives you a legitimate surfing board without the flex of inflatable and a ding-proof skin!

I hear rumors that Glide SUP will have a river running board that surfs and crushes rapids for 2013.  Stay tuned for more reports on this board when it becomes available, in the meantime check out the crew at WWW.GLIDESUP.COM  made in the U.S.A  and some of the best boards you can find!

SYOTR

Aaron

This blog is from a SUP stand point.  SUP is much more footwear intensive than kayaking.  When we find something good..we get very excited!

http://cksblog.com/2012/12/astral-brewer-long-term-review-by-aaron-

until later

Aaron

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

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

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

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

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

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

Once in a while you come across a product that just makes sense.  Spokiz sunglasses make SENSE!  There are no arms to break, the frames are cast aluminum, lenses are poly-carbonate polarized and BOMBPROOF. 

Spokiz have unique built in chums.  There is no need to buy extra cords or straps to secure your glasses.

These glasses fit perfectly under bike, kayak, surf and snowboarding helmets.

The frames are held together with common bike spoke nipples, hence the name SPOKIZ pronounced Spoke-eyes!

Below is a short video promo for Spokiz glasses.  They are always looking  for more reps and people who want to help with the revolution.

CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR MOVIE     Spokiz Testing Procedures!

If you want the glasses check out  www.teamspokiz.com

                                   or   www.spokiz.com

Aaron