First Impressions, my new Hobie "Colin McPhillips Long Board 9'0"

I got my new surf SUP board last week, check her out!  

Specs: 

Plenty of rocker.  Also, she's quite a fatty through the middle!  I think that's to keep some stability in the shape, while the nose & tail thin out considerably for performance.

Very pronounced V in the tail, especially compared to my Starboard Drive.  It's noticeable in the entire rear third of the board.  Nice concave on each side.  

I admit to knowing little about bottom shapes, but I think this means the board rips!  

  

The Hobie 3-in-1 handle.  The handle contours for grip,  though not as much as some others I've had the pleasure of carrying, i.e. Coreban & Naish.

  

It also features a metal bar so you can "keep it locked."  Very nice. 

Thirdly, the 2-Way venting system to let the core breathe.  

The mark of Hobie's construction technology, BCX.  It has a bamboo sheet sandwiched between several layers of fiberglass on either side.  Nothing revolutionary, but the bamboo wraps around the entire board including rails.  Most boards w/ wood only feature it on the deck and/or bottom.  

It feels tough & stiff, though only time will tell.  Weighed in a little over the advertised 18 lbs. (mine is 19.55), but I'm pretty happy with the board being under 20.  For sure, the board looks and feels QUALITY as should be expected from Hobie.  

Stock finnage.  Cheapy Futures sidebites & a Hobie 9" center fin, which is actually pretty nice looking.

No quad option, which suits me fine since I'm not exactly a shredder (yet).   

The surf has been crap, but I wanted to spend some quality time on my board before taking her to a surf spot anyway. So, I went out at Baker beach (SF, CA) in the usual gnarly conditions we get in the Bay - lots of swell, confused chop, 17-20 mph headwinds...  needless to say, I had my work cut out on such a small board!  

Still, the LB 9'0 is surprisingly stable.  I paddled .5 mile upwind to Eagle's Point, where waves occasionally break and the waters were super choppy.  I messed around there and fell a bunch, then paddled back to Baker and practiced a little near the shore break.  

I took the opportunity to use the CCK GoPro for the first time, and edit a little video of my adventure. The GoPro editing software is awesome & easy to use... very excited to start making more videos. 

My first vid is a testament to my humility ;)  I took out all the boring paddling and just left the good stuff. Enjoy!  

Can't wait to actually get her into some waves!  

Whitewater SUP Clinic with Team Jackson & the SUP Goons!

Last weekend I had the fortune to attend our whitewater SUP clinic on the south fork of the American river, led by Jackson Kayak team members Fletcher Burton and the Sean Morley.

On a side note, Sean is not only our Jackson sales rep, but also one of CCK's best and most experienced sea kayak instructors.

My hope was to gain a better understanding of paddling in moving water. I also wanted to have fun, which was easy considering all my friends were in the clinic with me!  

It exceeded my expectations in every way... 

Some takeaways -

River SUP is wildly fun!  However, your flat - and rough - water skills need to be dialed before jumping into the whitewater... It's potentially very dangerous, and even the relatively mellow class 2 rapids we ran were shallow at times with bone-shattering rocks scattered all about.  Not the place to be lacking confidence in your paddling technique.  But if you're ready, so FUN!  

Falling is cool. Here in Norcal where the waters stay cold, I encounter a heavy resistance to falling in from customers and fellow paddlers. To both Sean and Fletcher's credit, they not only led our group but took risks, attacked the rapids mercilessly, and fell lots in the process. Their willingness to spill really affected the group positively - they made falling cool.  And it is - it means you're pushing your limits and improving as a paddler.

Drysuits are awesome. I already knew this, but shout out to Kokatat for sending us a bunch of demo drysuits to use for the clinic. And of course they sent us their flahiest color schemes - we were looking like Devo on the river!

Surf skills translate well to the river.

Lastly, I gotta commend Sean - a sea kayaker at the highest level - for stepping out of his kayak and co-teaching this clinic!  First of all, the dude rips on a SUP.  

Secondly, his insistence on practicing every maneuver no matter how many falls it took (and having a blast doing it), really exemplifies the humble character I respect so much in the paddling world. All the best paddlers I know are surprisingly humble about their skills... I don't see that very often in this ego-charged world, and it's something I try to emulate.

And thirdly, Sean gave me some big compliments on my own SUP skills... which totally stoked me coming from him!  

Fletch was great as well - the boy's got crazy river skills!  And the scars to prove it, too, according to the stories he told.  Hopefully our paths will cross again.  

Be safe out there people!

Fletcher leading us in a pre-paddle Kumbaya

Sean politely stuffs Adrianna's head into a neck gasket for the first time 

Ready to blast off

Nailing my first rapid!

Entering a mini-wave from the back door

Myself, Janet, Ward, Adrianna, Melville, and Jeff

Four to a board!