Stand up paddling seems slower than if prone

[zingomar]

Never ridden a SUP but have paddled an old windsurfer board lying down and you can just fly with two arms and no paddle. But when I watch SUPs paddle they look slow and awkward with one small paddle but people tell me the SUP paddle is fast. Saw a girl on a longboard today and it sure looked like she paddled faster thab the two SUP guys
down the beach.
My question is why don't they just lie down and paddle 2 x as fast or is it really faster to use the paddle?

[Nick Carroll]

Mate don't even try to analyse their behaviour.

[crabmeat thompson]

Your next book NC, you should do just that ... analyse their behaviour. See what makes them tick.

[Trev]

I was looking at a couple of these things today. Geez they scare me when they paddle out with a helmet on.
Anyway, there seems to be something in this about them being slow. They're certainly ungainly. But, they don't seem to be able to hold their speed even on a wave, the guys are constantly taking digs with the paddle to keep them going.
I know they also use the paddle as an aid to turning but what I'm talking about they're preety much going in a straight line.
Bloody abominations.
Don't they know mals are supposed to dominate the take off area by paddling in from further out. How DARE they.

[zingomar]

like paddling with one arm and then they manouvre on the wave like a tug boat.

[marcus]

the guy from down the line surf radio calls them wave stabbers.
he used to ride one, now cant stand them

[Nick Carroll]

But, they don't seem to be able to hold their speed even on a wave, the guys are constantly taking digs with the paddle to keep them going.

OK now just for Braithy. Why do stand up paddlers continue to paddle when on the wave?

They're riding a craft with a colossal planing area and volume well beyond the average longboard -- sometimes six or seven times that of a typical supergrommet superboard.

If they jumped off sans leash, the thing would keep going until it came to an awkward stop in the carpark.

So, why keep sweeping?

Here's two possibilities:

- Shithouse wave judgement and positioning. Many SUPpers struggle to find good angles, not just on "takeoff" but in general wave-riding. I suspect having watched really super good SUPpers at work, that this is because many SUPpers are riding craft way too wide to fit into most curves on a wave and are thus restricted to flat water planing and clumsy shoulder entries. Highly skilled riders seem to be using far narrower and more streamlined equipment and riding steeper and deeper where everything works better.

- Human psychology. They have a paddle in their hands. It's the biggest difference between them and everyone else in the water. What the hell are they gonna do with it? They don't know. They can't turn the fcuken thing. So they just keep paddling. It's something to do.

btw Trev and zing, seems to me that if SUPpers in your surf zone seem generally slower around the lineup than mals etc, it is probably just a skill thing (or lack thereof), most SUPpers are pretty shit at it really, good ones are waaaay faster than any prone paddler. It's simple, any blade will move more water than your arms.

[Grooter]

Would you use more energy paddling a SUP than on a longboard?

One thing I have noticed is that SUP riders, much like their goat-boating retarded half-brothers, don't seem to stay out as long in the water as I do - around 2 hours on average. Although most of them do seem to be used by overweight middle-aged men so that is probably as good a reason as any

Interesting points regarding ability, I have noticed 90% of them are pretty bad at it as they do tend to just keep going in a straight line.

[steve shearer]

Would you use more energy paddling a SUP than on a longboard?

Deffo.

it's more of of a work-out.

[offshore1]

Would you use more energy paddling a SUP than on a longboard?

One thing I have noticed is that SUP riders, much like their goat-boating retarded half-brothers, don't seem to stay out as long in the water as I do - around 2 hours on average. Although most of them do seem to be used by overweight middle-aged men so that is probably as good a reason as any

Interesting points regarding ability, I have noticed 90% of them are pretty bad at it as they do tend to just keep going in a straight line.

There's a time and a place for everything I reckon.
Contrapuntal to the above, I recently surfed with a bloke from Oregon who regularly sees Gerry Lopez out surfing the points on his SUP for six hours at a time.

[Trev]

Thanks Nick. Watched a couple (sometimes from too bloody close) this morning and you're pretty on the money. There are a couple of guys who ride them well and they seem to be on shorter, narrower boards with more curve in the rails. They're pretty manouverable.
One out there this morning with a go-pro on his helmet, reaching up to turn it on as soon as he got on a wave.

[Lolo]

I dunno how anyone could be slower around the place on a SUP. I had a bit of a play round on one last year in Fiji during a flat spell and the first thing that hit me is just how fast the damn things move. Takes very little time to get the hang of it on one of the big ones and you can just fly around on the things. Two or three paddles and you;re off like a rocket.

[zingomar]

Still not conviced on the speed thing. Two arms in the water almost constantly when paddling prone can get phenomenal momentum and flow on a big board. As I said on a 10 ft windsurfer I've felt like a speed boat but had a go with a kayak paddle once stadning up with a big blade and it was not fast.

Bet if they lay down they would be faster mostly. But standing up makes them clumsy to turn around and go for waves so keep them standing and more waves for us....

[Nick Carroll]

zingo, trust me mate, I have done countless runs both downwind and on the flats with SUP paddlers and they're faster than prone paddlers. It's just the mechanics of using a paddle. Paddles are more efficient than arms and hands on their own.

shearer, it's not necessarily a greater energy burner, it depends on your technique. Like, riding a bike takes a lot of energy, more than running, while you're still learning to balance. But then it becomes the most efficient human-effort conversion system on the planet.

Very similar with SUPs and paddle craft of most types. You'll bust your arse trying to paddle a racing surf ski, for example, and feel totally buggered after doing it. But once you develop some technique, you'll just rip along and barely raise a sweat.

Gerry's six hour sessions are testament to that, he's over 60 and yes, he is super fit and conserves himself really well, but he's also technically super efficient with the paddle.

[steve shearer]

yeah that makes sense.
I dont take mine in the surf anymore, just rip into a few laps of the lake and it does the job as a workout.

[mustkillmulloway]

downwind paddle.

i'd back myself against u on a sup.....into a 40 knot headwind anyday ...even side shore

tho ya noggin is more hydrodynatic than mine

the hair of least resistance >><<

[crabmeat thompson]

The stage is set for a Happy Days style race. Carroll, the Fonz, and Fong, Ralph Malph.

Shearer will wear a one piece swimsuit designed for someone much smaller than he, and drop his goggles from his SUP. When they hit the water, race is on.

It'll be like westside story on water.









VERSE ...

[steve shearer]

I don't think Tim has the time for it now that he's in surf retail.