colas forum posts in last 60 days

Great report!

And this is why on my last board I had a US Box instead of a FCSII box for the center fin, and I use a finjak to move the fin on the water between waves without tools.

ptsf1111 said..
Yup, depending on which query you put in Google, you'll either find resources that tell you it deters sharks, or others stating it will actually attract them (and put others at a heightened risk).

Importantly, there are studies, but their results depend greatly on the shark species. Some sharks do not even use electric currents to hunt...

"The threshold for an electrical field to repel a shark can vary by species but ranges from about 3 V/m (to deter bull sharks) to 18.5 V/m (to deter scalloped hammerheads), with some species requiring even higher field strengths.
The key challenge, however, is to create an electric field that extends far enough into the surrounding water. Generating long-range electric fields in seawater is inherently difficult because seawater is highly conductive. The electric current disperses rapidly through the surrounding medium, causing a voltage gradient that drops sharply with distance."

spectrum.ieee.org/electric-shark-repellent

Or: " The effectiveness of the deterrents was variable, with the Freedom+ Surf affecting shark behaviour the most and reducing the percentage of bait taken from 96% (relative to the control board) to 40%. The mean distance of sharks to the board increased from 1.6 ± 0.1 m (control board) to 2.6 ± 0.1 m when the Freedom Surf+ was active. The other deterrents had limited or no measureable effect on white shark behavour. "

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6120439/

Also, beware of the studies that select specific species because they respond well to the electric devices... They are not wrong, but their results may apply differently to other species.
"The bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo L. 1758, was selected as the study species due to ease of acquisition and husbandry coupled with their documented use of the electrosensory system when hunting "


onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.70220

Tardy said..
I found 10.6 and 11 longboards difficult to turn around in waves ..well just slow

I had a 125 liters 9'11" board, and it was quite nimble for turning around before waves (and on the waves) by reducing fins.
Either a single finger fin, or a thruster setup with the center moved forward to the max:

When I read "Why use small SUPs? just prone surf a shortboard!",

My reply: "Just watch how shortboarders say that a 10% volume increase radically change things, and realize how that a tiny SUP is still twice the volume of a shortboard..."

Stumbled on this example today: "This surfboard, a 5’7 at 31L which is 10% more volume than I used to ride, totally changed my surfing experience"

Mark _australia said..
Tape your paddle well with electrical tape and use any rail tape

Not any rail tape. The textured ones will eat the tape on your paddle blade...

But yes, I use also 3M Helicopter tape on the paddle blade, to prevent damage to the paddle... and my toes :-)
And also when using the paddle as a crutch on the deck to stand up (the supthecreek method) to save my old joints...

Also, having some protection on the paddle blade means you do not need as much protection on the rail, and use rail tape only in the very exposed parts (or not at all).

stamp said..
I’m 77kg and at 103 litres my 8’1 x 28 JP feels like an aircraft carrier compared to my go to 7’6 x 27 x 92 litre in the same model.

I think you are 62yo, and I would have said the same when I was 62...

Not anymore :-)