Stand Up Paddle Surfing uk / Stand Up Paddle Boarding in Swansea & Gower, Wales. UK
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Posts Tagged ‘stand up paddle boards’
Fanatic FLY Air SUP
Written by matt on Monday 19 Mar 2012
Inflatable SUP boards may not be everyone’s cup of tea , but there are some distinct advantages of being able to travel and pump up a board anywhere plus its pretty hard to ding or break them.
Inflatable Paddle boards have been lacking in the performance department for a few years, but now there are a few brands delivering boards which seem to give the paddler some ooomphf in the waves.
Here we look at some pics and Movie of the two inflatable boards by Fanatic.The Fly Air SUP board available in 2 sizes and offering a removable fin system featuring ‘Future’ style fins, which is where the increased fin performance comes into play
Here is what Fanatic say about their new Inflatable SUP
FLY AIR INFLATABLE
Get pumped-up on the biggest and funnest health craze sweeping the planet in awesome new portable packages. Based on the proven hard-shell Fly models, these two travel-friendly all-round shapes will blow your mind with familiar waveriding rocker lines and rails. Easy paddling from beginners to almost any kind of surf, experience perfect glide for cruising with flat, wide-decked shapes for stability and easy turning. Supplied with a handy back pack, pump and optional 3-piece paddles, you’re all set to see the world from new angles with a big board adventure in a bag. Using rugged Dropstitch PVC Technology, our boards boast extra layers of post-inflation lamination for extra stiffness, and removable cutting-edge Future-style fins to match any hard board performance.
The Fanatic Inflatable SUP boards come in two sizes
9’0 x 31″ wide – 146 Litres (suited to people 95kg and below) – priced at £649
10’6 x 34″ wide – 210 Litres (suited to people 95kg and above)- priced at £699
Get in touch if you are interested in Fanatic Inflatable SUP board- www.TheSUPHUT.co.uk
Find more info on the Fanatic website
11FT NFA & 9’4 MINERAL
Written by matt on Sunday 11 Mar 2012
A few shots taken in ‘THE SUP HUT’ of the GONG SUP 11ft NFA and the 9’4 Mineral , in stock and £649 each !
THE 9’4 MINERAL – MORE INFO HERE
8’4 GONG SUP Painy Review
Written by matt on Saturday 10 Mar 2012
Here is a review of the 8’4 ‘Painy’ written by UK GONGSUP team rider Titou Minster….
The 8’4 is a gorgeous bamboo topped board ideal for experienced riders who want a shred machine in punchy waves of 2-4ft, maybe more! It needs some adaptation for the non surfers as it rides purely on the rails, not from the tail. The rails are very thin at either end so the board is quite tippy for the 80kg+ riders. Weighing in at 87kg i definitely struggled in the first two sessions, but once you figure out how the board works and catch a couple good waves, you will fall in love! It turns hard, despite the small g5 fins its thin rails allow you to push it very hard in the bottom turns followed by big carves or snaps in the top of the wave. It has a fair amount of nose rocker but is surprisingly performant in noserides, and has the potential of being a helicopter machine, as well as a 360 tail slasher, but that goes without saying. As soon as you pick up speed the board ‘locks’ into the wave and is very stable. Gong has yet again delivered a high performance board with unique character and personality that works in our european conditions with a similar construction to the high end top brands but for a very affordable price.
Coming in at 115l and 29.5″ wide i would not recommend this board for the faint hearted or those who want an all round board. This is definitely a board that will fit in a quiver with a longboard style SUP and maybe a ShortSUP for the days you are feeling on form and when there is some white wash to wrestle!
If you feel like you have what it takes to be a UK GONG ambassador with discount on boards please get in touch.
Gong SUP 8’6 Cloud pics
Written by matt on Wednesday 22 Feb 2012
With GONG SUP boards now in the U.K , if you’re in the market for a Stand up paddle surf board and are not sure which model to get , please give us a ring or pop in to our showroom for a look.
Check some great pics of the GONG sup 8’6 Cloud below and a review by John Harris.
This is what I found out today!
First some explanations and excuses, I weigh 76k, 173cm, thats 5’8 in real money, have been on SUPs for about 4 years, kitesurfed, windsurfed, surfed, for 25 years, I’m old. Comparing this board to Starboard 9’8, Starboard 9′, Gong 9,9, PSH 9′?.
Today at Saunton, conditions perfect, very little wind, head high to overhead, 14 seconds wave period, sunny, damn it’s February what did we do right to deserve this, it was beautiful.
For me the Cloud is less stable than the other boards, with the exception of the PSH which was not much fun in anything other than flat glass, the stability is not at all bad, certainly easier than a Gerry Lopez 8’11, but at 30.5 wide the Cloud should be stable, although it has a more curved plan shape than the Gerry Lopez.
Getting out through the white water was no problem, the nose has more lift and is more pointed than I expected it to be, it cuts through the foam easily. now to get into position,
Maybe it’s the rocker, and the constant curve of the rails but this board spins round easily, so much so that it’s better to at 45 degrees to the wave when you start paddling to take off. Foot positioning was as standard, back foot back, and front foot were it originally was (approxiamately by the hand hold), As Patrice has said before it’s not a good idea to walk to the front of the board while paddling to catch a wave (maybe on the 9’9) but not on this one as it causes the rocker to plough water and doesn’t help the take off,
Today I was surfing with Paul who was riding a Starboard 9’8 and we were picking up on the same waves, so the Cloud does get going quite early, no problems there.
So its on the wave and surfing, yes Surfing, it was fast, loose, responds well to foot pressure, doesn’t seem to bog down, maybe the wide-ish tail helps, feels small, fun, and feels like you could be “out of control” on this board but still be in control, I love it,
I wrote Surfing twice, the Cloud feels like a slightly more curved “Fish”, for me it feels like a proper Surf board, Patrice was either lucky or he knows what he is doing, definitely the latter, he certainly knows what he is doing!
Custom Scarfini fins available at CUSTOM FINS
lovely double concave before the fins giving this board lots of Lift, speed and drive down the wave face.
All Gong boards come with a camo 3M adhesive deck pad (pictured) – here a Tail pad has been custom fitted in the tail area of the board for added grip in surfing.
Check our tail pad selection TRACTION PADS here
With 130 Litres of volume the board is ideally suited to 85Kg and below intermediate SUP board riders, but will accommodate larger experienced riders up to 16+ stone.
Call us on 01792 367 453
9’0 vs 9’1 GONG Board Comparisons
Written by matt on Thursday 16 Feb 2012
With the 2012 GONG SUP boards getting a lot of interest of the past few weeks, I thought I would draw some caparisons against two very similar boards in the Bamby bamboo range the ’9ft NFA’ and the 9’1 ‘ASYL’
The Bamby line from GONG-SUP this year has received great remarks from those who have had a board delivered already and are using them. A fantastic construction featuring a 25kg/m3 blank epoxy laminated with and a 300kg/m3 bamboo sheet and Dyna fiber for a dynamic, supple board which is VERY lightweight and strong.
We will start with the NFA range
The NFA (No Friend Attitude) range is a concept aimed for all people: big, small experienced or beginner. The board line features 9ft,10ft,11ft & 12ft boards offering a stylish mix of ultimate wave catching /crossover flat water paddling boards every surfer should have in their quiver. There is a size to suit all levels and styles of riding from the compact 9ft NFA through to the longboard style 11 & 12ft NFA models.
The NFA 9’0 x 30 11/16 x 4 1/2 -130 litres is a dedicated surfing model without embellishments.If you own a surfboard or longboard and fancy getting into SUP this board offers 100% style to your riding and features a Longboard rocker line low and fast.
The boards width at 30″ is situated forward of the centre of point of the board making the 9ft model give ultimate stability but a traditional longboard characteristic, combining a dome deck with its low volume rails.
The NFA 9′ is mounted with a tri fin 2 + 1 fin setup for a traditional style smooth and clean wave entry and performance.
We now look at the 4×4 GONG range of which the 9’1 is a family member
The 4×4 Range is produced for people looking for a performance board, even if you don’t always have time to get out in the best conditions.This range features flatter rocker lines which make these boards very fast in mediocre windy/ choppy lumpy conditions.The boards are still performance based in cleaner conditions but volume and rails have been kept fuller to allow more ease of use for people looking for a “speed switch” in a variety of wave types.
The 9’1 x 30 7/8 x 4 3/16 – 140 litres ‘Asyl’ in comparison is a very modern and spirited board which can be made to surf in all directions. Its widest point is more traditional set at the centre of the board unlike the 9FT NFA and therefore offers a frantic skatey feel but just as comfortable on the nose as it is in 360′s and powerful thrown cutbacks.
The Asyl is mounted with FCS quad or try fin setups, so you can play around with what works best for the conditions in 3 or 4 fin.
Tested in head high conditions, this board would be best used in the 1-4ft range.
Again the rocker of the Asyl is of longboard calibre low and fast but with more comfort in a variety of conditions with its 30″ width and 140 litres you will be amazed at what is achievable with this high performing board.
ORDERS BEING TAKEN NOW FOR THE 9FT AND 9’1 BOTH PRICED AT £649 (INCL fins/deckpad)
Call 01792 367453 or go to RESERVE BOARD DEPOSIT
Exciting GONG news
Written by matt on Thursday 24 Nov 2011
The Gong 2012 line is being produced as you read, the first container should be shipped next week and others after that.
Take a look at a few of the boards and shapes below – Costs for the Bamby line will be £649 for all models, however if you reserve a board for pre -order by paying 10% up front we’ll give you £25 OFF !
The Bamby line features 3 phase Epoxy sandwich boards with a Bamboo inlay for strength, deck pad , leash plug and fins
Check the whole line here
Surf series SUP 10ft review
Written by matt on Wednesday 3 Nov 2010
Surf SERIES SUP – 10ft
The SURF series stand up paddleboards sold like hotcakes this summer. A new vision to drop the price of stand up boards worldwide and get people paddling succeeded. Here’s the lowdown on my experience with the 10ft version
At first I was hesitant to take out the heavy pop out feeling board into the surf. Their templates are not that exciting to look at, but the 10ft has by far the best shape of the 10, 11, 10’6 and 11’6 available.
Suprised ! The board actually feels very stable and has some glide to it in flat water. The weight seems to help in choppy conditions and the generous double concave through the bottom of the board helps the board create lift once you’re surfing. It’s a great noserider believe it or not and although the weight is a problem when you want to throw the board around , its great in blown out windy conditions where a bit of weight is not a negative.
To make the board a little more responsive and performance orientated I changed both the side and back fins to stiffer versions ,as the side set the board comes sold with are quite flexi and the back fin is very large. For the beginner to intermediate paddler these fins are great , but the board can perform better when these are changed.
The construction is ok , if the board is dropped the gelcoat tends to crack on the rails which does not make the board take on water , but it does aesthetically ruin the board a bit.
In conclusion a great board for the first time paddler in flat water and a board which will suprise you in the surf. A cheap no THRILLS SUP of the year which will keep most happy until they’re wanting some performance !
Available sizes – 10ft , 10’6 ft, 11ft, 11’6 ft
Check them out here SURF SERIES SUPS FOR SALE
Stability ***
Paddling **
Waves ***
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