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Tips Archive for the 'Tips' Category
August 5th, 2009 by evan
I’ve had a few breakthroughs in the past month or so by talking with a few experts on paddle technique and downwind racing tips. One of the experts is Todd Bradley who has over 40 years of competitive paddling experience. He’s done dozens of Molokai (32 miles) to Oahu crossings in SUP, OC-1, OC-6, paddleboard, etc and has a long history of winning and training winners like Karel Tresnak Jr. The whole conversation started after we saw a low res video of Todd teaching the paddle stroke to Chip Bock on what looked like a sidewalk on the edge of a body of water. Continue reading ‘Todd Bradley Teaches Proper Paddle Technique – Video’
June 9th, 2009 by evan
I normally shy away from the word ‘best’ when talking about products but I have to say it for Watermans’ Applied Science Sunscreen. I’ve been searching high and low for a sunscreen that doesn’t run in the water and won’t give me eye styes. This is a review of sunscreen designed for your face, not for the body. I normally wear a long sleeve sun protective shirt to block the UV rays from my torso.
Continue reading ‘Watermans’ Applied Science – Sunscreen for Water Athletes’
May 17th, 2009 by evan
So you’ve heard of stand up paddle surfing, downwinders and racing. Well, I just did stand up paddle swimming, which if I have a choice, I prefer not to do again. On May 5, I was out at Himalayas on the North Shore of Oahu and looked out and only saw 1 guy and decided to paddle out. Laniakea was breaking nice and there was actually only a small number of people. I’m not sure but I think that since the surf was good for a couple weeks, people were taking a rest. Jockos was double overhead and I couldn’t tell from shore how big Himalayas was so I put on my life jacket just in case.
Continue reading ‘Stand Up Paddle Swimming’
May 13th, 2009 by evan
Now that I’ve been spending more time SUP surfing again I’ve really been trying to get better and learn more moves. I couldn’t really do a cutback turn prior to SUP so anything for me is better than before. It’s been a bit frustrating but I found this surfline video of Taylox Knox on youtube that at least helps me know what to focus on.
I thought I’d post it here:
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Continue reading ‘How to Do a Cutback, Generate Speed, Carve to Snap and Do Floaters’
March 1st, 2009 by evan
I took this video last year with Ekolu Kalama in the water at Sunset Beach. When I shot this, we were facing away from the surf breaks and were safe in the channel. I asked Ekolu to give some tips on how to move from bigger waves to smaller waves and how to stay safe in the water. He shared his first experience with big waves at 25’ Hawaiian style, not knowing what to do, still trying to get his act together in the water. Luckily, for him the water was not crowded which gave him the chance to experiment on his moves.
Continue reading ‘Ekolu Kalama Waterview at Sunset Beach’
January 25th, 2009 by evan
If you spend time at www.standupzone.com then you’ve probably seen posts by Rambo from http://rambos-locker.blogspot.com. I was watching this video and it gave me a first person view of exactly what the feeling is like to connect open ocean waves (bumps). You’ll see in Rambo’s video how he turns his OC-1 canoe to line up and catch the next bump. This is what people are always talking about and the super fun part of downwinders that I enjoy.
January 4th, 2009 by evan
Here’s a couple of video clips I took of the C4 Waterman handle grip installation demo. Using some foam grip scrap pieces, see how Joe positions the pad on the top most portion of the handle, starting off at the center towards the sides, following the contour of the handle. Notice how he carefully removes the adhesive backing making sure it overlaps smoothly. He cuts clean the excess pad with a razor, sands it after and it’s done.
Continue reading ‘C4 Waterman Handle Grip Install’
December 19th, 2008 by evan
This is a short video I took of Joe putting on the C4 Waterman paddle grip on my C4 XPR SUP paddle shaft. It will show you how the grip is installed. You might want to do it on your own shafts but if your hands are shaky, might as well try it on someone else’s. Watch how accurate Joe is with the installation, from the grip set-up, cutting the excess part and finishing it off scratch free.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
November 25th, 2008 by evan
This is the 2nd part of the interview I did with Todd Bradley on the C4 Waterman XPR. I‘ve been hearing about pre-preg lately and wanted to know what it was so I asked Todd what exactly is a pre-preg carbon shaft? Pre-preg, which is short for pre-impregnated, as Todd explains, is a actually a process by which carbon fiber cloth is mixed with the exact ratio of adhesive and other materials needed for the optimum strength and weight proportion of the paddle. So, if you’re still wondering why pre-preg shafts look a lot sturdier? Watch this video and learn more from Todd.
Continue reading ‘What is Pre-Preg in a Carbon SUP Paddle?’
November 23rd, 2008 by evan
Here’s a short video I took of Joe Blair’s 9′8″ SUP custom board which he made for my friend Jeff and I ‘borrowed’ for a while. The board has a slightly pulled in nose, round pin tail and originally had three 4.5″ fins on the bottom. I’ve had pet peeve about the Blair boards that I’ve ridden. Although they surf amazing and are super stable, it takes a bit of getting used to due to the way it yaws side to side when paddling. After thinking about this, I decided to replace the middle fin with a 6” cutaway in the center fin and leave the 4.5″ side fins. I tried it at Diamond Head a few weeks ago and at Leftovers on the North Shore the following week and the difference was night and day.
Continue reading ‘Joe Blair 9-8 SUP with 6 inch Center Fin – Video’
November 21st, 2008 by evan
In my recent interview with Hawaii born international shaper/surfer, Dennis Pang, I got a chance to know the guy who’s more than just your average shaper. Dennis talks about his SUP race creation for Tropical Blends – the 17’6” custom race board that Guy Pere won rode to win the 2009 Duke’s Oceanfest.
Continue reading ‘Dennis Pang Interview: Stand Up Paddleboard Tips and Techniques from the Pros’
Dennis Pang Interview [44:10m]:
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Download November 11th, 2008 by evan
In this next video, Todd explains the proper design of a stand up paddle in more detail. The bottom line is, a paddle should have the right shape, blade angle and surface design to get maximum efficiency.
Continue reading ‘Todd Bradley – SUP Paddles and Downwind Tips Part 2′
November 5th, 2008 by evan
Todd talks about the importance of paddle design and the differences between SUP and other paddle sports. It’s all about efficiency in the water and doing it with the right paddles as Todd explains. He also shares paddling techniques and tips on choosing the right gear.
Continue reading ‘Todd Bradley – SUP Paddles and Downwind Tips Part 1′
October 21st, 2008 by evan
I’ve been doing a lot of distance and downwind paddling lately and got a chance to ask Todd Bradley, a champion paddler, for his insights. This is a video that I’ve watched over and over already.
Continue reading ‘Downwind Stand Up (SUP) Racing Tips with Todd Bradley – Video’
October 9th, 2008 by evan
Here’s a video of Kaipo talking about the 14′ C4 Waterman Vortice XP Carbon Fiber Racing Board. He also gives riding/racing tips in the video. Check it out.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Continue reading ‘C4 Waterman Vortice XP Carbon Fiber Racing Board’
