16 July 2007
What a great week! I got a fin for my standup paddleboard and spent some time on Lake Arthur, cruising around. This Starboard 12’6″ is a really great board. It’s a super cruiser. I have no idea what it will be like in waves, but it’s great on a lake. Very stable, but it turns very well. I find I’m standing very far forward on it. One stroke of the paddle accelerates the board and leaves it coasting for an incredible distance. I paddled about two miles, then headed back to the truck for the sail because the wind was picking up. I paddled into a stiff breeze getting back but had no problem thanks to the cruising ability of the board.
I rigged my new Superfreak 8.0 sail and was blown away how great the setup looks together. My sail is red, white and black with a Tsunami wave in the upper panel in white and black. The board is red, black, white and light wood, with a white deck pad. You’d think I picked all the colors very carefully to coordinate, but it was completely accidental. Looks absolutely amazing.
I put the centerboard fin in because the wind was flukey, and the board points amazingly well. I had completely forgotten what it’s like sailing a windsurfer with a centerboard. It pointed so close I’d swear I could go directly upwind.
With the stability of the board, tacking and jibing was totally simple. I stayed dry the entire afternoon. I sailed from the finger where I put in, on to the main lake and well up the shore–probably four or five miles one way. Then the wind got flukey so I made a beeline back so I wouldn’t have to walk.
Sure was nice to be back on a board.
Next–the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:31 am eHi Billb:
I am just getting started in standup paddleboarding using old widsurfer boards, the 12′ Munoz, and occasionally borrowing a JL 11 X30, but have been surfing and kayaking for some time and have some experience owning an early windsurfer as well, (although that was quite some time ago.) I have read just about everything you have posted on the net about stand up paddleboards and have found your advice to be extremely helpful, particularly because I am a beginner and weigh 215 pounds which means most of the advice from highly skilled skinny framed types doesn’t work well for me in watersports. I know your experience with the 12’6” Starboard is limited but I am wondering if you could do a comparison between that board and the JL11X30. I am trying to decide between these two boards for use in Florida where I will use it to explore protected bays closer to home during the week and take it to the beach to catch our smaller mushier waves on weekends. I am particularly interested in comparing their stability, glide, wave catching ability, and handling in waves. What is your opinion so far?
Thanks,
pd