This was another two outing day. I originally planned on catching up with my friend Thom to do some kayak surfing in La Jolla but I managed to over sleep a bit and missed my chance. Knowing that I was going out tonight with the Thursday Evening Paddle anyway I figured I'd get to work early and try to get some paperwork done. However, when I looked out at the flat calm water without a lick of wind and already warm sunshine, I couldn't resist. It'd been a while since I did any standup so I rooted around the 'bag of boats' and went with the first stand up paddle board (SUP) that I found, it happened to be our 'big guy board' the Laird 12. Stand up paddling is one of the few things I do around here where I don't expect to get wet and when I drew the big Laird board I knew that would be a sure thing. The Laird 12 is a very stable board that can accommodate a person much larger than me without any trouble. For a smaller person (with a little practice) it's like standing on a table. This is a great confidence inspiring board that handles very nicely especially for larger paddlers.
What surprised me the first time I paddled SUP with a GPS was how fast they really are. I know it doesn't seem like it should be true, but those boards can cruise, beware of head winds though. What's really cool about standup is how new the resurgence of the sport is. Because it's so new nobody has it all figured out yet which is freeing everyone up to experiment with board shapes, paddle designs, and paddling technique; just try to find two standup paddlers that agree completely on how long a paddle should be. The fact that the interest in the sport has come more heavily from the surfing world than the paddlesport world has lead to a lack of advanced paddle strokes being used on these boards. It's easy to spot folks with a solid kayaking or canoeing background because they're the ones doing cross deck draws and bow rudders while the surfers flounder around with half hearted sweep strokes that barely work. When I've been on boards lately I've been trying out different postures to see what gets me the most speed. I borrowed something from C1 canoe racing toward the end of my paddle this morning and can't wait to give it more of a go soon.
Laird 12 Review
Manufacturer= Surftech
Brand (shaper) = Laird
Model = Laird 12
Type = SUP
Material = Tuflite
Length = 12'-1"
Width = 31"
Thickness = 4 1/8"
Weight = 30.4 lbs.
Location = Mission Bay Vacation Island Loop
Time = 6:30AM
Distance = 4.07 miles
Duration = 1:00
Avg. Speed = 4.1 mph
Conditions = Too nice to not go
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