Paddle Boarding May NOT Be What You Think

[@JSabh]

It's called drop stitch. It's not foam, it's air with thousands of strong threads keeping it's shape. My entire yak is made of it, called a story kayak. Just like a solid boat in rigidity.

[@cumberlandrover]

Very interesting. Thanks for that info! These inflatable paddle craft are pretty much foreign to me, but I can appreciate the utility, especially with that enhanced stiffness.

[@davelawrence6777]

My friend it wouldn't surprise me at all to see you going up a creek sitting on a log and poling with a stick have fun great post thanks

[@cumberlandrover]

You know what, I wouldn't mind building a raft actually haha. It's been a while since I've practiced my square lashing. The problem is that you actually need some pretty big logs to do it right. I saw Billy Rioux here on YT make a raft a while back. Looked like fun.

[@LosPeregrinos51]

@@cumberlandrover Well when you think of it the first "boat" would have been a log, then two logs lashed together then . . . . I've seen little kids in the far east standing on "paddleboards" made of bamboo poles lashed together and shooting rapids I wouldn't try in a sports kayak!

[@akikis8]

Love my SUPs I take them in creeks south of LBL frequently. The Buffalo river is great for SUP trips. The Piney is OK on a sup best to have one with the additional small fixed rubber fins in the creeks and leave the main fin off

[@georgewhitehouse8630]

Kites are a useful sail for the board

[@davidhoward2901]

Knew seeing you up a creak in a sailboat how much more fun you’d enjoy a paddle. Glad you got a board

[@cumberlandrover]

Hey, if it floats, I like it! I have a mind to build a wooden board, but it may end up being weirdly expensive compared to an open boat.

[@manysnakes]

My wife started paddleboarding last year, and the first thing she did was buy an electric pump from Amazon. I think it was like ~$50, but the time and effort saved seems completely worth it. Also, I gotta say I am 0% surprised you were a skater. We can smell our own.

[@jeffreythree]

An electric pump makes it much easier to use these drop stitch boards and 'yaks. There is even a rowing attachment for SUP's. I could even see you taking the SUP on board your larger boats to extend their range up these small creeks.

[@scottfw7169]

While the structural and handling qualities are the most important things, I really like its colors.

[@mikeslayer5926]

I used to take a 6 ft styrofoam surfboard up to the olde beach at ky dam and beach surf and paddle around just before skateboards came big in the early 70s Mike

[@rmcnabb]

Great stuff. I know you want to keep some places secret but it would be nice to know the names of some of the creeks you visit.

[@cumberlandrover]

Any creek in the LBL area is not likely to disappoint ;) TN or Cumberland side. But yeah, I have to be careful about revealing certain locations.

[@toniwilson6210]

People are always shocked that I can fish from one of these, but I find that it’s ideal to backpack into remote lakes with an inflatable SUP

[@cumberlandrover]

You have the right idea! I've caught one fish from mine so far haha. Sitting sideways on the board and hanging your legs in the water is always an option when you get tired of standing. Just something I've noticed.

[@toniwilson6210]

@@cumberlandrover indeed. I even rigged up a little anchor bag for mine. Landed a pretty decent sized walleye the other day.

[@akikis8]

i don't recommend inflating to 15psi they can burst if left in the sun. i usually inflate to 12 psi

[@RustyKnorr]

Sculling needs a paddle perpendicular to the water to be efficient. A long paddle angled like that is poorly placed for an efficient sculling stroke. Very powerful in a canoe where you can lean out over the water and keep a stiff paddle vertical. Mostly useless as he is doing it. And then he complains about the board being slow! I never saw a single actual paddle board stroke, just anemic little pulls with an angled paddle. 👎

[@fels7005]

Exactly, holding the paddle at an angle is used only to make the board turn. The right way to go straight and "fast" is to hold the paddle completly vertical so the paddle is running along the side of the board in a straight path. Also, the angle of the paddle should point to the front to ease the entry in the water, he is holding it the wrong way. Maybe he should have learn how to use a paddle board before trying to show to others...

[@cumberlandrover]

I don't know, man. I found that stroke to be pretty decent for just plodding along. I wasn't applying much effort, and had good control in a tight space. Into wind, not so much. The board is slow even with a full stroke. I think part of that is weight. It's so light that it doesn't hold momentum like the wooden boats I'm used to. The stroke I've seen in SUP tutorials looks absurd to me.

[@cumberlandrover]

@@fels7005 By fast, I suppose I really mean efficient. I'm referring more to the inherent characteristics of the board. I'm not sure that there's a wrong way to propel an inflatable camping mattress across the water with a stick. If you reach your destination without injuring yourself, you're doing it right. It ain't exactly rocket surgery.