Looking for paddleboard info.

General Discussion
1

Greetings,

I am trying to decide what’s the best way to go for picking up my first paddleboard. I am 37 and have been longboarding for 25 of those, but I have never done the paddleboard thing. I am looking to use it for pleasure/conditioning purposes only (no racing). I am not looking for a SUP. If anyone in the know could suggest a model/length/type of board I would appreciate it. I have checked out Joe Bark’s site, among others, but I need some input on what would best serve my needs. Thanks in advance for any advice you might provide.

2

well lets see here-----mike eaton has retired but his site is still up , you can get data and ideas there. also marine rescue in newport RI has a nice site with lifeguard based paddleboards(thats where i got my 10’4" race board)…long and wide and lite and a removable fin for first one–don’t go nuts on the first one , used is good

3

i’m 36, have been surfing like 8 years and got a paddleboard back in february. i wanted something for conditioning and to do a few races around santa cruz. i talked to joe bark and couple of guys around town who paddle and they recommended i get a stock 12’ board, which i did.

the benefits of the stock board compared to an unlimited (16’ - 18’) are: way easier to store/handle/get to and from the beach, handles better in any kind of chop/swell

benefits of unlimited: goes faster in glassy conditions

my board is custom Bark that i purchased used from a guy off of the eaton website. i’m very happy w/ the board. i recently tried a 14’ surftech Bark and was happy with the way that handled too.

as with surfboards, your size matters when picking a board. i’m 6’ and 175 lbs. it you’re a bigger guy you may be better off with a 14’ than a 12’.

as i mentioned earlier - i got to talk to joe bark when i was shopping for a board. i traded a couple of emails w/ him and then he told me to call him. he was very nice, helpful, patient w/ my plethora of questions. if you don’t feel like you get the answers you want from this post, send him an email and ask him.

if you’re around santa cruz, you can demo (for $) the Bark surftechs at kayak connection in the santa cruz harbor.

i’m really happy i got into paddling - it’s been pretty flat here this spring but i’m still out on the water like 3 days a week, getting a great workout. i got the dividends during the little south last week…

cheers,

tommy

4

eaton and bark are the big names on the west coast.

richmond is also a reputable shaper.

first, consider a used board:

http://www.eatonsurf.com/UsedPaddleboardsRedux.htm

that’s a great reference for finding used boards.

I bought a 16’ Bark unlimited last summer for $1000 from a local dude.

he let me take it out and paddle it before hand to get a feel for it.

what I chalked up to being a total novice on a paddleboard (which, btw is considerably different from paddling a surfboard) was actually me just being a little too heavy for the board.

it rode a hair too low in the water and was not stable enough for me from side to side to allow comfortable knee paddling.

matching your weight to the board’s intended target range is important…it’s better to be too light for the board than too heavy.

the unlimited class boards (anything over 12’ I believe) are just a blast to paddle on…so fast, great glide and exceptionally good off season workout for surfing.

the only problem is transport and storage…unless you are on the water you are going to want something that’s not too much of a hassle to strap to the roof of your car.

I think the 12’ stock class boards are a little more user friendly in this regard and also tend to have a more stable paddling shape that will be friendly to prone and knee paddling.

btw, the secondary market for these boards is so strong I was able to sell the board for the exact amount I paid for it; the investment maintains it’s value well enough that you should feel comfortable putting down some cash…even if you decide you don’t want to continue, it is very likely you’ll be able all or most of your money so long as you’re not in saskatchewan or some remote corner of the globe.

5

The last two posters really gave you some good info. I’ll post here just to second and confirm some of their points. Just to give you an idea of where I’m coming from, I’ve been paddling regularly for the last 5 years (30-40 miles per week right now) and racing competivitely for the last two.

For your first board, used is difinitely the way to go. The best resource around is Mike Eaton’s website. He hosts a “used board” page were paddlers all over the mainland and Hawaii post their boards to sell. I’ve bought and sold a handful of my boards through this site in the past and just like afoaf, I’ve sold boards for the same or close to what I paid for them.

Depending upon your size and weight, I would recommend you go for a stock (12’) or 14’. The unlimited boards (usually 17’-19’) are awesome (I mostly race an 18’6") but are a pain to transport, store, etc. They are also considerably more expensive. If you needed another reason to avoid them, they’re not as user friendly in rough conditions (until you begin to master them). On the otherhand, if you have the room and plan to use it in mostly calm conditions, then an unlimited board is great for the speed. You can log some serious milage.

If you’re a bigger guy, say over 180 lbs. then you need to be careful about the board you choose. Many stock boards and some 14’s are made for smaller (or at least lighter) guys, so ask folks about their size/weight before buying a used board.

I think a 14’ is the perfect “one board quiver” if you’re not going to race. It’s still small enough to make it easy to store and transport. It glides like a big board but will catch and ride bumps like a stock board. I occasionally race a 14’ that I really enjoy a lot.

The Bark surftech boards are a nice option. They’re cheaper than handmade boards, more durable and are very stable. They tend to run thicker so they work well for a bigger guy. They’re pretty easy to come by used.

Like the other posters said, there are a handful of other shapers in the game besides Bark and Eaton. Depending upon where you’re located you might come across Richmond, Ohana, NCP, Waterman, Dolphin or a number of others. In Hawaii, there’s tons more. All of them have their own followings.

-N.

6

Joe’s Surftechs are great. If your bigger -the 14’er; smaller -the 12’er. I’m 6’2" and about 185 and paddle the Surtech 12’er. Works for me.

Got mine for $1100 at a local surfshop. Go hassle somebody and get the price down. :confused: They supposed to go for around $1400.

Don’t know why you’d buy used when that option is out there.

Paddling is great. Have fun.

7
Quote:

For your first board, used is difinitely the way to go. The best resource around is Mike Eaton’s website. He hosts a “used board” page were paddlers all over the mainland and Hawaii post their boards to sell. I’ve bought and sold a handful of my boards through this site in the past and just like afoaf, I’ve sold boards for the same or close to what I paid for them.

Like the other posters said, there are a handful of other shapers in the game besides Bark and Eaton. Depending upon where you’re located you might come across Richmond, Ohana, NCP, Waterman, Dolphin or a number of others. In Hawaii, there’s tons more. All of them have their own followings.

-N.

I just happened to call Mike Eaton today. As of April he’s retired, so check the web-site asap because it will be down for a while during his move from S.D.

What a bench mark of a craftsman!

8

In my opinion the advice you’re getting is spot on. The one thing I would add is that you might be able to find better deals on used boards at the end of the summer/race season. Right now, lots of people (like you) are thinking about buying boards. It might be worthwhile to use the summer to show up at races to talk to paddlers and contact people through the Eaton site or your own local connections and try paddling a few different boards to get a feel for them and figure out what you like or don’t like about them. In my experience, the paddleboard community is really friendly and if you’re interested in getting into it people will gladly offer advice and often let you try their boards. Bark and Eaton sometimes have demo days too, though that might not happen for a while for Eaton.

Actually another thing that I’ll add is that it is becoming more common for races to have a 14’ class in addition to the stock and unlimited classes, which is nice because the 14 is such a versatile board as others already pointed out.

A third point that other mentioned that I’ll reinforce is that even though unlimited boards are super sexy, they aren’t necessarily faster for the average paddler in normal conditions. As Eaton told me once, the motor is more important than the boat.