Hello Stand Up Paddlers,

    In a day when high performance stand up paddle surfboards are constantly on the evolution toward smaller and more maneuverable, after several sessions over the last two weeks, I have rediscovered the glide of a long and fast stand up paddle surfboard in a way reminiscent of the longboard resaissance that took place in the surfing industry not too long ago. And from what I've been hearing, I'm not alone.

   At the dawn of the modern stand up paddle revival over the last 5 years, stand up paddle surfboard designs were big, beefy and deemed high performance. The sport was not thought to be condusive to radical surfing but more for the soul. Bold moves by top shapers such and Ron House, Blane Chambers and others, quickly took SUP perfomance equipment to unprecedented heights opening the doors to more vertical surfing. The soul of the sport was not diminished in the slighest, however much of the foam and bulk in the equipment was. Many surfers, like myself quickly went to the the shortest equipment available.

    While the shortboard-like shredder stand up paddle surfboards are certainly at the top of my list, I have had a personal rediscovery of the glide and performance potential of a longer board of 10 1/2 to 11' long. With the advances in equipment, the length hasn't felt like a hiderance at all. When lay down longboards came back on the scene in the last decade with surfers like Bonga Perkins, Kanoa Dahlin, Dino Miranda and others in the drivers seat, prone paddle longboarding earned a newfound respect and board length was no longer associated with a lack in performance. I look forward to a longboard-stand up board revivial this winter with many riders looking to longer shapes with more glide and unreal performance potential.

    With the Hawaiian winter fast approaching, what would that translate to on the water? Bigger waves, earlier entry, faster boards, and more buckets of water than ever thrown off the lip. We're definitely looking down the barrel of a benchmark winter and board length is going to have everything and nothing to do with it. Personally, I've got my long and short sticks all finned up and ready to go, and I'm looking forward to the glide and performance of today's longer stand up paddle boards. My personal longboard SUP rebirth is taking place. I don't know how long it will last or what direction it'll go. Shoots, things could change tomorrow but that's magic of the sport, continual rediscovery and perpetual dynamics. 

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