Archive for June, 2009

Tropical Blends Wahine 10′6″ SUP Board

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The story behind Tropical Blends’ Wahine 10′6 x 30″ SUP board is one that every married man can relate to. Jim’s (owner of Tropical Blends) wife and a few of her girlfriends told him they wanted a board that would be easy to handle, stable and an all around good board to paddle up and down Ala Moana Beach Park for exercise. Being a smart husband (and businessman), he created a SUP board made specifically for women. And since Jim is at his core a surfer, he made sure that the Wahine would perform in the surf if the women decided to venture past the reef. Here’s a video of Jim explaining the Wahine SUP from the 2009 Tropical Blends line. Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Wahine 10′6″ SUP Board’

Starboard SUP Sail

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I took this video sometime last year when I went to visit Starboard in Bung Taco, Thailand. Svein Rasmussen, Starboard CEO, showed me this prototype wind sail.
Continue reading ‘Starboard SUP Sail’

Circle St. John: Three Strangers Circumnavigate A Caribbean Gem

Here’s an interesting article sent to us by C4 Waterman scanned from pages of the Canoe&Kayak.com magazine. This was originally published in the magazine written by Mark Anders with photos by Robert Zaleski.

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Continue reading ‘Circle St. John: Three Strangers Circumnavigate A Caribbean Gem’

Sandwich Island Composites’ F16, F-14 and F-18 in action Helicopter Pictures

Here are some pictures of the Sandwich Island Composites F-series boards in action. The photos were taken from a helicopter while Alan Cadiz, Scott Trudon and Mark Raaphorst were riding their respective boards.

Check out the photos below sent to me by Mark Raaphorst. Photos courtesy of Darrell Wong.

The F-18 with Alan Cadiz

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Continue reading ‘Sandwich Island Composites’ F16, F-14 and F-18 in action Helicopter Pictures’

Tropical Blends Luana 10′9″ SUP Board

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Jim Hayes of Tropical Blends gave me a personal tour of the shop and introduced me to their new line of boards. The Luana 10′9”, designed by Jeff Bushman, was first up. Jim describes the Luana as ″ a good middle of the road board, a relatively quick paddler while still performing well on the waves.” He’s used the Luana on distance paddles from Hawaii Kai to Kaimana Beach (8.5 miles) catching waves at several of the breaks along the way. See what else Jim has to say about the Luana on the video clip provided.

Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Luana 10′9″ SUP Board’

2009 Surftech Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race Title Decided by:06 Seconds

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Santa Cruz, Calif. (June 13, 2009) – With a light fog greeting them at dawn, the record number of racers packing New Brighton Beach at the 8th Annual Surftech Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race presented by CLIF Bar had little idea what was in store for them on the 12 mile course. Competitors discussed various course strategies while loading up on nutrition bars, gels and hydration provided by Jay Race Presenting Sponsor CLIF Bar. In 2008, Jay Race champion Chad Carvin of Laguna Hills, broke the course record in a time of 1:51:58. Would we see another course record set on this day? With Chad not able to come defend his title, would this be the year a local takes top honors once again? All questions would soon be answered. Continue reading ‘2009 Surftech Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race Title Decided by:06 Seconds’

Sandwich Island Composites Visit

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I thought I had more pictures but I guess I didn’t take enough during my visit of Mark Raaphorst’s Sandwich Island Composites. I did get a few pictures of interesting gadgets I saw. Mark is definitely a little bit mad scientist and has a number of practical uses for stuff that others may throw away. His leash for his dog “Patch” is an old surfboard leash. They also have fiberglass custom toilet seats. Sorry, two pics I didn’t seem to get. Continue reading ‘Sandwich Island Composites Visit’

H2O Audio Announces Partnership With Michael Phelps

High Performance Takes on New Meaning with Record-Breaking Swimmer Incorporating Music into Training Regimen

michael-phelps-with-h2o.jpg Michael Phelps is wearing H2O Audio’s Interval™ product with built-in Surge™ waterproof in-ear sport headphones.

 
Continue reading ‘H2O Audio Announces Partnership With Michael Phelps’

Channel Surfing the Molokai: It Doesn’t Have to be Brutal

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Presented by

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WHEN:
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Start at 7:30am.

WHERE:
From Kaluakoi on the west end of Molokai island, 32 miles across the Ka’iwi Channel to a finish line at Maunalua Bay Beach Park in Hawaii Kai.

Continue reading ‘Channel Surfing the Molokai: It Doesn’t Have to be Brutal’

Tropical Blends Kai’e'e 10′6″ SUP Board

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I took the opportunity to capture some of Jim’s thoughts on video during a recent visit to his shop. We discussed Tropical Blend’s ’09 line of SUP boards and this video focuses on the Kai’e’e, a 10′6″ SUP shaped by Jeff Bushman.


(click thumbnail to launch video)
 
Continue reading ‘Tropical Blends Kai’e’e 10′6″ SUP Board’

RANDOMS II Surf Movie Premiere by Robin Johnston and Ku Hoe

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Watch the RANDOMS II surf movie premiere of Robin Johnston and Ku Hoe on Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 8:00 pm at Jazzminds, 1161 Kapiolani.
Continue reading ‘RANDOMS II Surf Movie Premiere by Robin Johnston and Ku Hoe’

DaKine Hydration Pack 2.0

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I used my first DaKine Hydration Pack so much that I gave it to my brother and got a new one. The good news is that the new version has a few additions that were missing in the first version.
Continue reading ‘DaKine Hydration Pack 2.0′

Surftech features Surf SUP by Men’s Fitness Magazine

This article was originally published by Men’s Fitness Magazine in their May issue and featured by Surftech on their site.

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SUP Surfing Rapids

Todd B over at C4 Waterman showed us these videos of Charlie Mac SUP Surfing the Colorado rapids. Looks kinda dangerous…

Watch these videos:


(click thumbnail to launch video)

 


(click thumbnail to launch video)

Malibu Surf & Sport Festival-June 20th

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Mark your race calendar for June 20, 2009 when the 2009 Malibu Surf & Sport Festival presented by Bud Light will hit the water.

Held in conjunction with the Malibu Kiwanis, the Malibu Surf and Sports Festival is a great two event day filled with action, food, and creative expressions. Over 2.000 participants from around the country will converge to take part in celebrating the majestic beauty of the Malibu.
Continue reading ‘Malibu Surf & Sport Festival-June 20th’