Stand Up Paddle Surf Board Showcase results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 23, 2008 -- How to Use The Showcase
To see the full showcase and read the reviews go to http://kenalu.com,/a>
Please understand that we call this a Showcase for a good reason–it’s completely subjective and our evaluators run the gamut from beginner to pro, lightweight to heavyweight. The characteristics that a lightweight pro rider looks for in a board have little to do with you if you are a heavyweight beginner.

The way to use this showcase is to do a little evaluation of yourself. Your weight, your skill level, fitness, how you want to use the board, and how many boards you plan on having. The more realistic this assessment is, the better choice you’ll make. I hear people say “Im just going to do downwinders, I’ll never use a Sup board for surfing” and then I see them in the lineup three weeks later.

The biggest mistake you can make as a beginner is getting a board that is just too unstable for your skill and weight. Don’t plan so far ahead on your skills improving that you can’t have fun with your board. If you are beginner, look at the boards that paddle well. It’s nice if they glide, but not critical. If you plan to surf it, look for one that catches waves easily and tracks well. Every board is a big set of compromises. Good glide often means less maneuverability. Loose, surfy boards an intermediate would love can be difficult for a beginner to handle.

Remember also that we didn’t experiment with fins– moving a fin or exchanging it for a different shape can transform a board. We set them all about midway in the fin box. Many boards come with side-bites (thruster fins) in a 2+1 configuration. In most cases we didn’t put the side bites in because the waves were small. Several of the boards that were termed “tight” happened to have the side bites in place.

I hope you find this helpful, I wish we could provide objective standards that would let you look at a chart and pick the perfect board. But it’s just not possible–your mileage WILL vary. Perfect example, look at the Oxbow 10 and Oxbow 11. Same deck pad, two different evaluators. One said “the pad is too soft” the other said “love the soft pad”. Go figure.

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