Archive for the 'Gear Previews' Category

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.
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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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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.

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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)
 
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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.
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Future Fins – Vector 3/2, 3/2/1, Scimitar and Gerry Lopez

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Since there hasn’t been any wind, I’ve been SUP surfing a lot more. I also just got some new Future Fins to play with and finally had some time to test them. If anyone has had success using these fins, please comment below because I’m still trying to figure out which ones work best for different conditions.
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F-16 Version 2 in Action Video

Mark Raaphorst told me about a tripod camera system he was making to record his downwind sessions. Very nice job Mark. Check out the video of the F-16 Version 2 in action.


(click thumbnail to launch video)

DaKine SUP Accessories

Part of the reason that I love SUP is that I love gadgets and DaKine has some of the best gadgets around. I just got some DaKine tools and gear and wanted to show them here.

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Blair Production 10′1″ SUP Board

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I had a chance to interview Joe Blair with his new production, the Blair 10′1″ SUP board.

 

blair-production-10'-02.jpg        Joe Blair inserting the fins with Dan Gavere looking in.

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Vibram 5 Fingers KSO -video

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I just got my new Vibram 5 Fingers KSO shoes that I use for stand up paddle surfing. This shoes help me a lot to avoid foot cramps and the grip is very good.
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Ekolu Kalama Test Riding His New Starboard 14′8″ The Point SUP Board


This is the video that Starboard’s Ekolu Kalama sent us when he got his new 14′8″ The Point which is especially designed for downwind paddling.

It’s fresh from the box and he tried it at Puena Point with the whole Kalama family. They’ve got “kona” (leeward) winds blowing bringing some swells straight into the harbor so they were able to have some downwind glides.

Catch Ekolu with his family in this video doing some downwinder.


(click thumbnail to launch video)

Tropical Blends Rack Pads

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I’ve been using these car rack pads from Tropical Blends Surf www.tropicalblendsurf.com and really like them.
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Sandwich Island Composites 2nd Generation F16 by Mark Raaphorst

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Sandwich Island Composites gives us a preview of the 2nd generation F16 which is a proven point-to-point racing board by Mark Raaphorst. Check out what’s new with the new generation F16 .

The differences:
Rhino design and CNC cut (true curves, better symmetry)
More boxy rails. (dry feet)
Single concave with small hydro hull side panels (better stability)
Smaller pad (lighter weight)
Contoured deck (increase comfort and stability)

The board is even faster, planes out longer and is more stable
Future construction is autoclave.
Basically a lot of what is going on with the new F14.
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Starboard 9′8″ x 30″ Tufskin SUP Board

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I took this video last year during my trip to Bangkok, Thailand where I met with Starboard’s Svein Rasmussen and Margareta Engström at the Starboard HQ. While at the headquarters, Svein showed me the 9’8”x30 Tufskin Black Camo.
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Sandwich Island Composites (S.I.C.) New F-18 by Mark Raaphorst

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We have asked Mark Jackson, to give us his views on the F18. Here is the review of his two F18 boards (flat water and a channel board) both of which he is extremely pleased.

With flat water club racing and both coastal and channel crossings becoming popular, stand up race boards are becoming more exotic and user specific. Both my F18’s were designed and shaped by Mark Raaphorst and built by the Sandwich Island Composites (S.I.C ) dream team.
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