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Handmade in America: The Story of Infinity

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At a time when many stand up paddleboards are mass-produced by a handful of factories dispersed across Southeast Asia, one Orange County, California manufacturer is going about business in much the same manner as they have for decades. Steve Boehne, founder of Infinity, has learned a fair share about what it takes to design a board to move efficiently across the water in his career as a shaper spanning more than five decades. Steve shaped and glassed his first surfboard back in 1960, long before the explosion of modern stand up paddling, and likely before the parents of several of today’s top young paddlers were even born.

“You can’t buy authenticity,” his son Dave said to me during a recent tour of the Infinity factory in San Clemente where a team of specialists were diligently going about their work in specially designated rooms throughout the two-story facility. Dave and his brother Dan are second generation shapers, both of whom learned from their father during countless hours in the shaping bay over the years. Dave is now the co-owner of Infinity, while Dan is an Endodontist with a practice literally across the street from the harbor in Dana Point. “Some people play softball on Thursday evenings as a hobby, my brother shapes boards,” said Dave with a grin.

Dave Boehne inspects a new Blackfish in the shaping bay as templates from Infinity’s decades in the business line the walls. Photo, Infinity

Steve was working in his shaping bay on the afternoon of my visit. The walls of the room are ringed by board templates from his tenure in the business, each containing a date and description written in black marker. Infinity stand up paddleboards typically take between 8-10 weeks to complete. It may seem like a long time in comparison to a molded production board, but the pride and precision of craftsmanship that goes into each board is not easily replicated.

Infinity’s stand up paddleboards benefit from the company’s ability to draw from their experience across all the facets of their business; from shortboards, longboards and tandems to prone paddleboards, retro designs and waveskis. In a marketplace where many SUPs are difficult to distinguish from one another, Infinity is not trying to be all things to all people. “We want to retain our cool, hipster brand image and focus on being an élite performance brand,” said Dave. You’re unlikely to see a 10’6” all-around SUP from Infinity on a local waterway, however they are open to special requests, such as a custom fitness board being hand shaped for Brody Welte, the founder of PaddleFit.

An Infinity Speed Freak letting it rip off the lip. Photo, Infinity

In 2015 and beyond, Infinity is planning to increase the accessibility of their boards by expanding their handmade shaping business to place more SUPs in shops across North America and around the world. “The boards sell themselves,” said wholesale manager Justin Van Dyck as he showed me the distinction between the sharp, hand shaped edge on the tail of an Infinity surf SUP compared to the slightly rounded rails of a production model.

All of Infinity’s stand up paddleboards are designed and shaped by Steve and Dave Boehne. They began crafting surf SUPs in 2004 and raceboards soon followed as the sport began to evolve and take shape. Unlike many production boards from large manufacturers, hand shaped racing SUPs from Infinity are readily available in three constructions with variable strength to weight ratios ranging from Team Vector and Team 50/50 to Infinity’s Team Carbon Elite which employs the lightest, stiffest strength to weight ratio on the market today.

Infinity’s surf SUPs have gone through a similar R&D process and utilize Infinity’s proprietary suspension technology to create a unique balance to load and unload energy while paddling. The innovative shapes and technologically engineered construction makes Infinity’s surf SUPs among the most sought after boards by the industry’s top competitors and recreational SUP surfers alike.

The Infinity Speed Freaks on the move. Photo, Infinity

New for 2015 is the introduction of the Blackfish – Infinity’s latest SUP racing shape. Inspired by the sleek lines found on a Steve Boehne designed prone paddleboard, the Blackfish is Dave’s interpretation of what a modern SUP board should be. Quick and nimble, the Blackfish is poised to leave a wake across the SUP racing scene as the Infinity Speed Freaks paddle on.

Dave Boehne told me “you can’t buy authenticity” and while I understood the sentiment as it was intended at the time, I beg to differ. With a board from Infinity, you have the opportunity to do exactly that.

#DaveBoehne #Dispatch #SteveBoehne #cover #BrodyWelte #Blackfish #DanBoehne #Infinity #PaddleFit

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Sport

Why an Inflatable SUP is the Right Choice for You

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Inflatable standup paddleboards (SUPs) have come a long way in the past 10 years. The initial models were not much more technologically advanced than the traditional inflatable rafts we all grew up with. They were sluggish to paddle. They were not rigid. They were not durable. Generally speaking, the original inflatable SUPs were a bit limp.

In the intervening years the technological developments that have gone into improving the quality and paddling experience of inflatable SUPs is one of the most significant developments in standup paddling. Inflatable SUPs are no longer an afterthought. They are a major segment of the standup paddling market. And while many companies continue to offer a range of inflatable SUPs, inflatable specific SUP brands such as Steamboat Springs, Colorado based Hala specialize solely in inflatables and are demonstrating why an inflatable SUP may be the right choice for you.

Extremely Durable. Hard boards, especially those made from lightweight carbon fiber, are about as brittle as an egg-shell. They will scratch. They will chip. They will get dinged. They may even crack and break. All these things are going to have a negative impact on your day. None of these things will happen to an inflatable SUP.

Easy to Store. Standup paddleboards can range in length anywhere from 7ft to 17’+. Do you have a place to sensibly store something that long?  A lot of people do not. Inflatable SUPs typically come with a backpack. Hala has taken it a step further by providing each of their SUPs a rolling bag which converts into a backpack. You can store it in your closet or tucked away in a corner of your garage without worrying about bashing into it on a regular basis.

Easy to Transport. Hard boards are big. They can be heavy. They are awkward to maneuver. An inflatable SUP can be rolled out and easily placed in the trunk of your car. No need to buy board racks, straps, rack pads or listen to the whump, whump sound of a board bag smacking your roof as you drive. What about air travel? I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather check an inflatable SUP as a piece of luggage than a hard board.

Versatile. Many inflatable SUPs are considered all-around cruisers. Others are designed for a specific purpose, such as whitewater paddling. Regardless of its original design intent, the versatility of  an inflatable SUP makes one a great one board quiver for families with multiple uses in mind. You can easily pick up an inflatable SUP such as the Hala Radito which allows you to get fully invested in whitewater paddling while also using the same board for gently cruises with your family. Or consider the Hala Playa which is a ridiculously fun surf SUP and excels as a platform for snorkeling or simply exploring the coast.

I often recommend an inflatable SUP to new standup paddlers for the aforementioned reasons. For most recreational paddlers, a well designed inflatable SUP will perfectly suit your needs and is a better option than a hard board. Yes, you have to inflate them, but it isn’t that much of a chore to pump one up by hand. Hala even provides a small electric pump to push some initial volume into your board. It won’t fully inflate your SUP, but it will save you some time and energy. If manually inflation of your inflatable SUP is a significant detractor, you can purchase a small electric pump to connect to your car battery which will completely do the job for you.

There has been no better time to get pumped to be a paddler!

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#HalaGear #inflatablesup #PumpedUpPaddler

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