I just paddled out to an outer island on my SUP to get to a quiet break. It went OK but the wind was a problem.
I know nothing about Prone paddleboards so please excuse me if this is a stupid question. I’m not even sure this exists:
What can I search for to try to find inspiration for a board that can be paddled on knees but can also act a bit like a longboard on the face of a wave?
Glider.
If you don’t know what that is, google it.
I knee paddled a 9’10 Morey Pope in 66–67 easily. Had bloody holes in my knees and knots on the top of my feet. I can still see traces of the knots all these years later. Went to a prone paddle short board not too long afterwards. So NO the knots did not keep me from being 1A.
What can I search for to try to find inspiration for a board that can be paddled on knees but can also act a bit like a longboard on the face of a wave?
The 1960s. They were called ‘surfboards’ then. Old-school longboards now. Everybody knee paddled.
Having said that, I just finished ( at least temporarily ) PT/rehab for damaged knees, brought on by decades of kneeboarding and finish carpentry among other things.Even with the newer deck pads, knee paddling is not good for you in the long run. Ignoring calcium buildups on the joints themselves (knee knots, also known as ‘housemaid’s knee’) you wind up permanently stretching the ligaments that hold the joint together which in turn leads to the joints being misaligned and wearing out prematurely: arthritis, meniscus tears and so on. Good times.
The surf gods know I’m not a fan of SUPs. but any wind problems you have paddling with a paddle are very probably more than offset by how much more efficient that paddle is, compared to a couple of hands swung on a short radius while kneeling… Try a GPS on your current SUP, see how fast you go with the paddle, then try knee paddling the thing.
hope that’s of use
doc…
Check out joe bark boards.he makes hybrid paddle/ surfboards .made my friend a twelve foot board looks pretty much like a standard longboard 4” thick that is used to paddle distances and surf.
We used to call then cross country boards back in the day. First one I remember seeing was paddled by Dale Hope and probably made by Joe Quigg. A couple years ago Bark made some hybrid surf/paddleboards for a couple guys that paddled down the coast around Pt Conception. In San Diego there’s Albert C. Elliott (ACE) who shaped under Eaton for years and made a few of that style of board too.