Sport

Australia is home to many of the world’s finest watermen and waterwomen. It is therefore unsurprising to find that Sydney-based paddle sports apparel manufacturer Vaikobi has designed a pair of comfortable, fully flexible, performance oriented cold weather paddle pants to meet the needs of stand up paddlers who may find themselves deterred from getting on the water in cold weather or early morning paddle sessions. The design of Vaikobi’s V Cold Paddle Pants has been tweaked since they were first introduced to provide an even greater degree of comfort while maintaining a performance edge – a signature aspect of the company’s product line.

V Cold Paddle Pant from Vaikobi

Vaikobi’s V Cold Paddle Pants

1. Articulated cut throughout provides maximum comfort while paddling

2. Seamless seat panel

3. Scooped back and low front design

4. Hybrid blend of fabrics to allow the pants to breath while keeping your body warm without overheating

5. Antibacterial properties

6. Designed to be worn in conditions below an apparent air temperature of 16.5 C (62 F); e.g. the temperature it “feels like” based on the combined effects of air temperature, wind speed and relative humidity

SUP Examiner’s Take

The V Cold Paddle Pant is a stylish and fully functional performance driven product. Beginning with the sizing, we found the V Cold Paddle Pants fit accurately as described by Vaikobi. SUP Examiner found the performance of the V Cold Paddle Pant to be incredible. They feel great and offer complete flexibility and range of motion while keeping your legs warm throughout your session. The strategic placement and style of the stitching is well thought out and clearly reflects a paddler’s input, e.g. this product was not designed on a computer by someone who didn’t understand the performance needs of a stand up paddler.

The stretchy, lightweight hydro-fleece material of the V Cold Paddle Pant construction makes them easy to put on and take off without excessive bunching up or clinging to your body. The material is also sufficiently breathable so that if you put the V Cold Paddle Pants on inside your house and then go load up your gear in your garage before your session you are not going to suddenly overheat before getting on the water.

Vaikobi recommends the V Cold Paddle Pant be worn in conditions below an apparent air temperature of 16.5 C (62 F). Based on our experience testing the product on a number of cold morning and evening paddles throughout a range of conditions we found this to be an accurate recommendation. If you are looking for a well-designed, product that will keep you warm without sacrificing performance or comfort, the V Cold Paddle Pant meets our standards for recommendation.

Disclosure: Vaikobi provided SUP Examiner with a product sample, however, the opinions expressed are our own.

#Apparel #ColdWeatherPaddling #Reviews #Vaikobi

My wife and I were out furniture shopping one day after we moved to Los Angeles when we overheard someone comment, “That’s not old fashioned, that’s retro!” Fast forward to the contemporary SUP era where Florida-based DeckBagZ has brought the SUP community a fashionable and highly practical deck bag for stand up paddleboards with its own take on classic, retro surf styles.

After months of testing and evaluation, I’ve concluded that the DeckBagZ Retro SUP Deck Bags are one of the most useful SUP accessories on the market today. I realize that’s a fairly tall order, but this is a fantastic product ideally suited for recreational paddlers. So much so, I would recommend it to any shop or resort operating a rental fleet.

Here’s why. The DeckBagZ  deck bag is designed by paddlers for paddlers. For consumers, this translates into a product that has all the right features and functionality you’d want and expect from a well designed and hand tested product. Simply put, this is a great accessory that will enhance your experience on the water.

Do you need a place to store your flip flops? How about storing a GoPro on a selfie stick? Snacks and a cell phone? Waterbottle? Check! What about a convenient place to secure your paddle while you snap a photo of your latest epic adventure or first time paddling? The DeckBagZ deck bag does it all.

Attaching a DeckBagZ Deck Bag to Your Board

Many SUPs designed for touring are equipped with a bungee cargo system on the bow. This is a great place to attach your deck bag by simply connecting your bag to the D rings securing the bungees. If your board does not have a bungee system or D rings, a DeckBagZ deck bag can easily be attached using the custom designed Suction Cup Mounting Kit or EZ Plugs (each sold separately as an accessory) depending on your board and preferences.

In addition to the two accessories described above, there is also a custom designed dry bag, water bottle coozies in multiple sizes, along with a variety of neoprene bags and shoulder straps available.

Each bag measures 18″ x 13″ x 5″ and weighs approximately 15 oz. They are available in a jazzy selection of stylish colors, including the “Retro Red” model used in this review.

Photo Gallery

The creators chose style over waterproofness, meaning DeckBagZ are a place to keep your waterproof stuff in a secure place that looks amazing on your board.

Each and every bag is handmade Florida and tested along the Gulf Coast. The bags use YKK marine grade zippers ensuring they will stand up to heavy use and harsh saltwater conditions. I recommend rinsing your bag with fresh water after each use and simply hang it up to air dry before heading back out on the water.

MSRP: $119.99 www.deckbagz.com

#Storage #MattChebatoris #DeckBag #BottleHolder #GearBag #PaddleHolder #DeckBagZ #GearReview

Knog, a market leader in smartly designed outdoor accessories and lights, has introduced an innovative new headlamp. The Knog Quokka takes many of the features of the celebrated Bandicoot headlamp and packs ‘em into a headlamp that’s lighter and intuitively designed for the every-day camper, paddler, and outdoor enthusiast.

Using Knog’s iconic silicon for the head strap as well as the housing, Knog has designed a light unit akin to Might-Mouse with four powerful modes that’s USB rechargeable, dimmable, and more intuitive than any other product in the space. With a water-resistant rating of IP65, the Quokka can be used by paddlers for nights on the lake, early morning ocean paddles, and easily washed off with the garden hose after a long weekend outdoors.

Disposable batteries are a scourge on the very environment that headlamps are made to appreciate. In that vein, Knog designed the Quokka with a USB-rechargeable battery that can be recharged from flat in three-and-a-half hours.

Specs:

1.  $24.95 USD

2. USB-rechargeable 

3. Weight: 49 grams 

4. Each of the 4 modes is dimmable 

5. Soft silicone band 

6. Water Resistant to IP65 

7. Recharges from 0-100 percent in 3.3 hours  

8. Easy adjustable strap with toggle

Knog was founded in 2002 as an Australia-based outdoor product company. The brand is the lovechild of co-founders Hugo Davidson (designer) and Mal McKechnie (engineer) who shared the same vision: to make unboring things.

#Lights

Here’s the dilemma: You’re looking for your first paddleboard and you are suddenly bombarded by boards. All-around boards. Wave runners! Tourers! Downwind boards! Which one do you pick? Most people will purchase an all-arounder, which are the bread-and-butter rides of the stand up paddling world. It seems like a safe decision, right? Buy something that is designed for all sorts of conditions. On the whole, it is a good choice, but to understand why, let’s get into what makes an all-around board.

If you think all-around look like big surfboards, that’s because, well, they sort-of are. They have the same flat bottom which is called a planing hull. This is so when the board is on the wave, it’s designed to plane over the surface of the water. This allows surfers to complete fancy turns and tricks surfer. Because of this, all-rounders make fair surf SUPs. As a matter of fact, in small waves they are excellent surf SUPs. The reason is that their large size and volume allows the paddler to catch a small wave easily.

Pros and Cons of All-Around Boards

The problem is when you want to do more than just ride a wave straight in. You can do a simple turns pretty easily, but not much else. An all-around is just too big for tricks. They’re designed that way — the extra volume makes the board float better, which makes it appropriate for beginners. The thing is, when the waves get bigger, these huge rides become difficult to control. Size and volume matters here. When waves get above waist high, then the smaller rides rule. That’s why when you see experienced surfers on big waves, they’re riding tiny potato-chip style boards.

The rounded tail allows the surf SUP to turn easier. The square tail of the all-around is little faster.

Another issue with an all-around board is that they tend to have very little rocker. Rocker is the curve of the board from nose to tail, so a board without much rocker — like an all-around — will be pretty straight. When you’re paddling on flatwater this is a good thing because it makes the board go faster. Unfortunately it’s a problem on the waves. Surf SUPs need a fair amount of rocker because it keeps the nose of the board from “pearling” or digging into the water as the board goes down a wave face. You can easily tell the difference between a surf and all-around SUP by looking at the nose. A surf SUP will have an upturned nose, and an all-around board’s nose will be much straighter and thicker. No matter what the nose shape, however, for learning on the small stuff, there’s probably nothing better than an all-around.

Flatwater paddling is where you usually see all-around boards, and this means another set of compromises. For the beginner paddler, a large, stable all-around can be pretty nice. They’re wide, which means they’re easy to learn on. If you get one with tie-downs (highly recommended!) you can carry water, cameras, bags and other gear with you. They are easy to paddle and handle. What could be the problem?

The compromise of an all-around board is speed and dealing with choppy conditions. It gets back to that plaining hull design. It lets you surf but it tends to be fairly slow on flatwater. Consider it this way: a planing hull is designed to go over the water, which is perfect for the waves. Unfortunately, on flat water the fastest way to travel is through the water. That’s why you see kayak-style noses on touring and racing boards. These sharp noses also cut through chop. Unfortunately, the round, flat nose of an all around will usually slam into chop, making a rough a ride, especially when going upwind.

To be clear, the same shape that allows this board to surf makes it slower during general paddling. This means that all-arounds aren’t great choices for distance paddling. Nor are they good race boards unless you compete in the surfboard category, which, yes, exists. That doesn’t mean that these boards aren’t capable; it just means that your pace will be a little more leisurely. A board with tie-downs in the front will also make it easier to carry gear just in case you do that longer paddle.

All the compromises aside, if you plan on dipping your foot into standup paddling and going everywhere, this jack-of-all-trades is an excellent choice. No question, they’re easy to paddle. They also tend to be less expensive than more specialized boards. Many can be purchased at half the price of a specialized board, and even less used. If you graduate to something more specialized, there are still great reasons to keep it around. They are excellent for teaching beginners. It makes a great “vacation board” — when you can only bring one board with you and you need a ride that will do everything. You’ll also always have an extra ride for that special someone, which is always nice.

#AllAroundBoard #BeginnerInformation #howto #IanBerger

The 12’6” Carbon Hala Nass inflatable standup paddleboard is a good all around board. When I first bought it, my intention was to use it only on flat-water; I’ve paddled on Lake Dillon in Colorado many times as well as Chatfield Reservoir in the Denver metro area. The sleek outline of the board allows the paddler to cut through any chop. At 30” wide, it’s a bit narrower than the whitewater specific boards I have used in the past so it felt a bit tippy at first. Once I was on the water and got into a good rhythm, the Nass glided with ease.

After a couple of times are flat-water, I ventured on the Colorado river with the Nass. What I noticed immediately is the stiffness of the board on the river compared to my Hala Straight-Up. The carbon fiber eliminated the bounce I feel on my other inflatable when paddling whitewater. The Nass performed really well on the rapids.

Travel bag

The travel bag is an upgrade from the previous version used in the original Hala Straight Up. It’s a softshell suitcase shape which fits the board and pump, along with an inside pocket perfect for storing fins. While the bag is advertised as a backcountry bag, the material is not as sturdy as it should be. My bag has already torn with under ten paddles. I’ve spoken with other paddlers who have the Hala travel bag and they mentioned their bags easily tore as well. The fabric used in the construction could likely be upgraded to something more resilient, but the overall design of the bag is sound.

The board is equipped with a solid rubber handle on each end of the board which is handy for carrying the board with two people or pulling it to shore. There are eight D-rings on the border of the board for strapping gear in place; board comes with bungee cord setup on the nose. The diamond grove deck pad is comfortable on the feet and provides solid grip in all conditions.  

Early morning glides – Carbon Hala Nass.

Distinct markings

Hala updated the color schemes for all their boards in 2017. They come in mostly white frame with color strip on the edge of the board. I do like that the name of the board is on both sides of the bow of the board. This is cool because you can easily identify the type of board people are paddling; Hala is one of the few SUP makers who does this. They also include the specs of the board along with a badge stating “Designed in Colorado” on the rail near the tail.

Other SUPs owned: Hala Straight Up (2015 model)

#BoardReview #Hala #inflatablesup

PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.

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© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved

PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.

Read More

© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved

Infinity, led by master shaper Steve Boehne and his son Dave, ranks among the world’s finest handcrafted board manufacturers anywhere in the world today. After a successful outing with race proven shapes such as the Dart, Cutthroat and Whiplash, the introduction of the Infinity BlackFish marks a new evolution in the design outlook of high performance SUP boards. Although it is a new offering to the paddling public this year, the board is already race proven. Team rider Slater Trout competed on a BlackFish in 2014 when he took 1st place in the sprint at the Payette River Games and finished 8th in the grueling Battle of the Paddle-California elite race. Drawing from their extensive board shaping legacy, the BlackFish combines the best attributes from Infinity’s wide-ranging portfolio into a versatile new design concept.

Infinity Blackfish

The BlackFish first drew inspiration from the nose of a Steve Boehne designed prone paddleboard intended to plane on top of the water rather than displace it to either side. The BlackFish employs an elongated nose rocker which extends forward like the outstretched neck of a condor. While the nose does come to a point, the entire front section of the BlackFish is wider and more of a full-volume shape than previous Infinity designs.

The underside of the nose comes to a reasonably sharp “V” intended to part the water and facilitate entry into the flat planing surface of the BlackFish’s middle.

Moving back from the nose, the top of the BlackFish drops down to a flat standing area which extends to the board’s tail. The model I tested had a neoprene handle centered on a three section OAM black deck pad. The front and back sections of the deck pad were ultralight round cutouts which help keep the board’s overall weight at 20 lbs (9.1 kg). The middle section is a diamond grove texture.

The BlackFish has a small amount of tail rocker and a slightly crescent shaped tail compared to the square tail found on many other SUPs. On the BlackFish’s belly, the planing surface in the middle of the board gives way to a large single concave at the tail. The model I tested was configured with a custom three fin set up designed by Larry Allison.

The BlackFish Series is available in three styles:

BlackFish ST: Developed by Dave Boehne with input from Slater Trout; this is an all-around race shape

BlackFish DW: Infinity’s downwind board with additional rocker and a slightly different underside than the BlackFish ST

BlackFish Coast Runner: BlackFish design available in 11’ and 12’ lengths and accessorized with utility tie downs

Specifications of the Model Tested

Length: 12’6”   Width: 24.5” (62 cm)   Weight: 20 lbs (9.1 kg)

All Infinity stand up paddleboards are handmade and can be shaped to your desired width.

Performance

Quick off the line, the Infinity BlackFish I tested rapidly accelerates and begins to skim off the water’s surface. The rocker and full volume in the nose avoid the pitfalls of self steering from the nose in turbulent boat wakes and competitor chop – the latter a key attribute for elite racing performance.

Three fin set up on a 2015 Infinity BlackFish.

My regular board for the past several months has been a 14’ x 24” flat water production board from a major manufacturer. At 5’6” and 150 lbs, I did not have any difficulty managing the BlackFish’s 24.5” width, particularly with the benefit of the added stability and tracking from the three fin set up. The board craves speed and seemed to perform best with a short, rapid cadence as opposed to one with an extended reach.

I began the test inside Dana Point Harbor and after getting a feel for the board in the flat water and spinning around a few buoys I ventured outside into the open ocean. Turning north at the harbor’s mouth, I pointed the BlackFish’s nose directly into the stiff wind and took off for a rock outcropping approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away. The ability of the Blackfish to skim over the surface of the oncoming wind chop was unlike any other board I’ve paddled. Paddling upwind is typically not the most enjoyable set of conditions…on the BlackFish, I would go so far to say it was the most exhilarating part of the ride as the board skimmed it’s way over the chop shooting sprays of water out to the sides.

Upon reaching the rocks I turned out to sea to test the BlackFish’s performance in side chop. The result was noteworthy as the board’s low profile and volume distribution enabled it to push forward with minimal disturbance. The board I tested did not perform as well in downwind conditions, yet this didn’t come as a surprise as downwinding wasn’t the intent of this particular design.

The three stage OAM deck pad is inspired and you can very easily tell where you are standing on the board depending on the texture of the deck pad. The BlackFish was easy to maneuver around buoy turns and the three fins grabbed the water in a manner that gave me the confidence to be a bit more aggressive than I typically am during a board review. The flat deck gives paddlers the freedom to maneuver on the board in the same manner as one might on a surfboard.

Best Fit

The Infinity BlackFish I tested is an elite race board that excels in flat water and open ocean chop. Rarely are race conditions pristine which makes the versatility of the BlackFish a good choice for paddlers seeking a modern stand up paddleboard backed by the authenticity of a world renowned shaper. The addition of the BlackFish DW and Coast Runner round out the series for a broad range of customers beyond the confines of the racing community.

The BlackFish looks amazing and if you are a discerning paddler who derives a sense of confidence and excitement from paddling one of the best boards on the water, then the Infinity BlackFish just might be the board for you.

Disclosure: Dave Boehne gave me the opportunity to paddle his personal BlackFish, however, the opinions expressed are my own.

Acknowledgement: I used a Quickblade Paddles 81 sq/in V Drive while testing the Infinity BlackFish.

The first international sprint canoe – kayak event of the season kicks off in Racice, Czech Republic on Friday, May 20th, and looks set to be the first full competition since the disruption caused by COVID-19.

Support from the international canoe family has guaranteed a strong contingent of Ukrainian athletes will compete as more than 500 athletes from 50 countries are scheduled to descend upon the Czech paddling center approximately 28 miles (45 km) north of the Czech capital city Prague. For some countries it will be their first major international competition, outside the Olympics, since the beginning of the pandemic.

The lifting of travel restrictions means New Zealand’s five-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Carrington and Australia’s K2 1000 Tokyo gold medalists Tom Green and Jean Van Der Westhuyzen get to compete at their first world cups since 2019.

Our good friends on the Lithuanian Canoe – Kayak team are poised to challenge for a top finish and have phenomenal depth of experience competing on the world stage.

A few races we have our eye on:

The Lithuanian men’s K4-500 crew will be led by brothers Simonas and Mindaugas Maldonis and anchored by strongmen Ignas Navakauskas and Arturas Seja. Mindaugas Maldonis, will also compete in the K2-500 with Andrej Olijnik – a 1000 m specialist – with an eye on the gold medal.

And we’re especially pleased to announce that LA’s own Kali Wilding will take the waters in her first international competition as a member of the USA senior team with her K2 partner Kaitlyn McElroy in the women’s 500 m race and the women’s K4-500 with Emma McDonald, Kaitlyn McElroy, and Savanna Wright.

Follow the ICF World Cup live here.

PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.

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© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved