yes I tried it,had to find out for myself what it was all about.Actually my wife wanted to do it,on flat conditions ,but since she didn’t want to be paddling alone,got two boards,easy to get used bigger boards cheap here on Maui now that the trend is for smaller ones.Yeah,good workout,but hard on the knees if there is some chop.tried it on waves,boring for me.took the boards to Tahiti,paddling around on the lagoon is great for seeing all the sea life,and you can tow a surfboard behind to go surf at the reef.A lot of my friends ride waves on Maui with their standups,and big,to very big waves.I agree if you have a bum shoulder or bum neck,you can do stand up and bypass the issue,but you could also,as friends of mine do,knee paddle a longboard,and still surf.Some of the guys who have taken up stand up are just plain lazier,they are out of shape,and with the standup,they can cheat their way in a lineup.I see a lot of that here.Guys who take up stand up are usually not very good surfers(a part from the pro longboarders who jumped on the SUP thing,because that is where the money is at),so at least with the paddle,they can catch waves.( I still can’t figure out why Dave Kalama,Laird Hamilton and others only standup now,btw Dave got fat now that only SUP))But i think it is lame when you are young and in shape to stand up amongst the surfers,it is very lame,and I disagree with my friends who do it,because even if they are respectful,don’t hog all the waves,share freely,let you know when an ouside bomb is coming,they attract all the wrong people to the spot,or to take up stand up,and these guys and gals have no clue whatsoever as to what it takes to catch a wave without a paddle.These younger folks are often aggressive.That is what is going on here on Maui.Some of my friend approached the Deparment of Land and Natural resources to try and regulate that activity,I don’t like the idea of restricting certain spots to only certain type of equipment,because then,where do you stop,however,people are getting very frustrated with all the supers,some spots look like a damn forest,so many of them .Well,I guess I should thank everyone for allowing me to actually put down in words how I feel.Just be happy when you score a good wave,it is all very manini as we say here(manini is a small fish),in the scheme of life.Me ke aloha pumehana.
Howzit Wood_Ogre, One thing for sure I I never turn on a TV till after 8PM and even though I am not back100% I still do my best to saty active one way or another. Hee in Havasu the lake is colder than the ocean but it will start warming up in a few months and I think I can pick up a SUP for a decent price here and this spring I will start my new doing the SUP. I didn't know Walter but I am pretty sure I remember reading about him crashing his hang gider and dying from the crash. One thing that I think ill be good for me to SUP is my lung capacity has shrunk to about 2/3's of what it was before the cancer thing and I don't know if it was the peration or the radiation that caused it but it definitely makes me think about how long I can hold my breath if I wiped out surfing if I could still do the real surfing but the neck still won't pull back enough to see in front of me when prone paddling and I have been working on stretching it for almost a year plus doing deep breathing exercising for the same amount of time, I can't blame itonold age since both conditions are cancer related. Thanks for the positive input and I hope to get back to Kauai when the doctors fix my throat if they can, and I should know in the next month or so. Had one of my barium salowing tests yesteday and I could see there is an area that is more narrow than the rest of my throat. Aloha,Kokua
Hey Mark (Beerfan)
Thats actually Lake Conjola, but I do paddle in Lake Illawarra quite regularly
I can build you one if you like.
You just pay for the materials.
Cheers
As much as I detest the idea of using an SUP, I would probably opt for that before I ever take up “boweling” !! 
I wish I could embed a Frank Zappa song right about here…
(Illinois Enema Bandit)
Should I post a link to the “grammar” thread, here?
took my sup out to an inlet shoal yesterday. traded waves with the dolphins and pelicans. there was nothing to ride on the beaches......
when it is warmer i take my sup out on the creek near my office every day at lunch to get some excercise and sunshine - helps to break up the work day and keeps me refreshed.
they are great for excercise when there are no waves/wind and for getting you to out of the way places that you would otherwise never go. they are also really fun for surfing. makes a knee high wave feel powerful and a chest high mushburger seem like a monster! you can ride shoal waves forever, catch fish on them, go paddling with a buddy and have a good chat, etc
sup in a crowded lineup is another thing entirely.............
[img_assist|nid=1048608|title=Water photo's-camera|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=480]
I tried one out in the bay and it was a lot of work. The funny part is that by the time I got up to the GG bridge Fort Point was starting to work with no one out. I was not wearing a leash so surfing overhead waves was a bit sketchy. After two waves I paddled the 1/2hr back to my car and went out on my 6’8". I have a 9’4" LB that is 24" wide and 4" thick that surfs way better than a SUP and I can take my kids out on it. I prefer my kayak for paddling around the bay.
[quote="$1"]
Larry I still need to make a board with that set you droped off. I will build a SUP for the Boat Dock and try out the PRO BOX.
Kind regards,
surfidng
[/quote]
Thanks surfding, In the SUP world 5 fin set up is the way to go, as you see in this retro fit from the Editor of Standup Magazine's board. Mahalo,Larry
Surfding, Feel free to check out more of my SUP race fins at www.standupfinsbylarryallison.blogspot.com. Mahalo, Larry
looking good!
I just turned 58 a couple weeks ago, build my own boards and at this time dont have much intrest in standup paddle surfing. I did 6 races last year including the BOP. My back doesnt hurt any more and I dont have to worry about being mowed down by someone on the cell phone trying to stay fit on riding my road bike. I have found something that will keep me fit for as long as I can stand (no pun intended) and will keep me in the water.[img_assist|nid=1056487|title=Stand up paddling North Carolina|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]
Happy late Birthday Mr. T. , beautiful area to paddle NC. Mahalo,Larry
Ross from the longboard shop had one down the beach one day
out of curiosity , i asked if i could give it a shot
it was a fairly flattish hot summer day , offshore winds were quite strong
two things i noticed
1] my 62kgs and four inch thick rails and 10 foot of board ....
2] [as a result of 1] the howling offshores blew me halfway to rotto before i could say " i think maybe i'm too light for this gondolier "
thirdly , i kept wondering WHY [when i could catch the same waves a LOT easier on my thinner mal]
but at least i gave it a shot , i suppose ..
[ i draw the line at trying a booger , though ]
ben
p.s. - yes , i DID manage to catch three tiny waves , EVENTUALLY ! ....
I paddled into them on my knees [!] , probably looking like some kind of albino anorexic [red] indian . At least i caused merriment for the numerous onlookers , so "it's all good" , I guess ??
[quote="$1"]
Ive had some pretty fun sessions on mine. But usually only take it out early in the morning for a workout, but if the surf report was wrong and there is thigh-waist high waves, it really is a blast to surf. Its hard to admit but it is rather enjoyable when the surf is real small.
[/quote]
thanks for posting that photo mate
was that shot taken in australia or america ?
cheers
ben
It’s a whole new way to stoke yourself on surfing all over again. Shortboard SUPing
http://ncpaddlesurfer.blogspot.com/2011/01/hunters-first-surf-on-his-73-hokua-this.html
Check out my buddy surfing his 7’3 above.
I’ve been SUPing a 7’8. It will leave your legs screaming and exhausted. But it’s not something you can surf without putting in your dues on a huge SUP first. It’s not as easy as it looks, and that’s part of makes it so much fun.
The photo is in american. Daytona Beach, Florida at Sunglow Pier. Great fun
cheers !
keep the photos coming !
we get them here , too, of course ...
[this is NOT me ]
Dude, don't be close minded about bodyboarding unless of course you can pull this on an SUP, a bodyboard can be a good vehicle on waves most people who surf other surfcraft don't dare surf... of course if there are no gnarly tubes then riding a bodyboard is no fun... remember that at Teahuppo the first surfers were bodyboarders and a bodyboard is always an excellent vehicle for real slabs, if you want to ride that kind of wave...
Of course, there is always my friend Adrian, who used to be a pro bodyboarder and now also enjoys riding an SUP on some tubular waves... he takes his SUP to Puerto Escondido on the summers too... here is a clip of Adrian SUP surfing Gas Chambers in PR, check out from 6:09 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmo6u9qv6-M
...personally , i preferred a surf mat , when a couple of mates and i fooled around on them a coupla years back
they have nice floatation for around a 50 year old , compared to the nearly drowning feeling of water photography and boogers. [I've tried MOST things that don't wreck my body too much .... ]
btw , PLEASE don't call me duuuuude ...that belongs on the 'surfermag' forums and 'fast times at ridgemont high'
I have much respect for my elders and one of my goals in life is to live as long as possible, I am 33 now, the next is to surf as long as possible too so sorry if the word "dude" offended you chipfins61. My appologies.
I am just tired of people rejecting sponges or any other surfcraft. Every surfcraft has it's place. I surf a mat most of the time, they are the fastest thing... I say ride what ever makes you happy and if one is injured then try something that can keep us in the water. I injured my shoulder about 2 yrs ago so I decided to start riding a mat to stay in the water. Now that my shoulder is ok I am still hooked on the mat.
This summer I might try for the first time an SUP on flat water and do some costal exploration. Just remmember you can get one shaped by a human at the same price of a pop-out, or even better make one yourself. The important thing no matter what surfcraft you choose to ride is to have respect for fellow surfers and to take turns and not try to be a wave hog. I enjoy surfing with friends who SUP surf and everyone catches the same quantity of waves.
Howzit Tony, Here on Swaylocks I don't think we judge you by what or how you surf, that may happen on other sites but not here. I can't even surf these days and hope I can in the near future so all I can do is hope. But I don't come here to talk about my surfing but what I can do to help my Sway brothers build boards or share my expieriences in board building. I now have the choice of a mat, SUP or anything but a board for now due to my health issues. After over 50 years of surfing it is very strange not being able to do it and it hurt a lot to move away from Kauai but life throws some curves at us and we just have to try and get around those secions. Aloha,Kokua