The (Prone) Paddleboard Thread

Blias Bloon

Nep status
Jan 3, 2003
628
66
28
Seems like there's quite a bit of interest and activity around prone paddleboarding around here lately, but not necessarily one thread for everything paddleboard related: design, reports, techniques & tips, meet ups, etc. There's some good information that pops up in the search (mostly in the Classifieds) but I thought the Design forum deserved it's own thread away from the chaos of the Surfer Discussion... :shrug:

Mainly thanks to 20W's contagious stock and inspiration (and other posters too!) as well as a wave-starved season, I decided to YOLO a 12' Bark Commander (Surftech Fusion V-Tech).
Fugging stoxked!!! Thing just glides... did about 5 miles yesterday for a first session, absolute sheet glass and dreamy weather, overcast, really soft light all in shades of grays and blues, with a big whiteout downpour to finish it off. And then another 4 miles today, half upwind and then back downwind, just some really short period micro bumps but I could already feel the board tapping into the chop's energy and surfing along. Can't wait to get into some real downwind conditions!

Relieved the board is not as tippy as I had anticipated it might be. Tried knee paddling a few times and can go for a little while but it's definitely shaky and I didn't really feel I could generate as much power I'd expect to. Going to have to figure out proper placement and technique but doesn't seem like it's mission impossible. Riding it prone is just a joy so far. It's a whole other beast compared to the LB, night and day. Really feel like this is going to increase my time on the water a ton...

Board came with a 9" LB fin, which is definitely not ideal. I took the fin out at one point when going over some really shallow areas and the board worked pretty decently, which speaks to it's form (and fine ass tail!) I'm probably going to get the Futures Bark RFD 7", fin designed for the board, and all. Don't know if GG would approve of the surftech build, but hope he would at least be onboard with the fin...

Already have a sacrificial fin to rig into a water bottle holder... already thinking of which crossings I want to do... STOCKED! :jamon:
 

Bayview

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 21, 2009
1,667
1,098
113
NJ
depends, 12'/14', roof racks.

unlimited, my ocd kicks in and have used kayak and now use this:


burnham boats also make some but are a bit more expensive

i'm also going longer distances at 70 MPH...
 

misterhat

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 21, 2007
1,625
69
48
I kinda want to get into this. Is buying a 12ft stock board the way to go?

My uncle has a paddle board from around the year 2000 that he never uses - would this be fine for a first board or have they gotten better in the past 20 years?
 

Belchfire1

Nep status
Jun 27, 2013
866
376
63
Encinitas
I kinda want to get into this. Is buying a 12ft stock board the way to go?

My uncle has a paddle board from around the year 2000 that he never uses - would this be fine for a first board or have they gotten better in the past 20 years?
I just started paddling this year, learning so much. 20W has been a great dood to chat with. He also can drink you under the table stat.
I got a 20 yo Bark as my first board and it was a good decision. 12' Stock is the way to go at first.
Don't spend too much at first, you may hate the pain and suffering. It's def hard but if you put in the effort, you'll be stoked.
If you decide you like it, you'll be able to sell that first board and get something modern and racy if that's your thing. Boards aren't cheap and guys usually hang onto the good ones. New boards are def better than something 20 yo, expect to pay $$$ for something modern.
The Surftech Bark boards are excellent! Probably the only good Surftech product. Legit fast guys race em and win.
I paddle with a crew out of Cardiff reef every Tues-Thurs-Sat 7am toes wet. 5-7 miles usually, longer on weekends.
There are crews at many local beaches that paddle under the radar.
The paddling community is friendly and welcoming vs surfers who hate seeing someone new paddle out. haha. Night and day.
 

SixtyGrit

Gerry Lopez status
Oct 3, 2015
1,010
1,219
113
SD
Waves showed up today... I was looking forward to loading up the ol' Bark in the PM for a paddle sesh!

I'll settle for a sarf