Kayak Huasteca

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

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

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