would a minimum width of board even up the lightweight v the middleweight v the heavy weight in the class battle.

would the lightweights lose their 'mystical' advantage on 12'6 boards.


interestingly australias best paddler atm has been know to speak of some standards


be nice

No i dont think so , maybee we need weight classes like rowing?What it comes down too is race in a class that suits you and a board that suits your weight.I just think heavier riders need a little more volume in their boards not neccassarily width!But im also full of S##t and have no idea really. Id like an expert to chime in What i do know is power based athletes need sprint races 200 400 1000 ect , you will then see the bigger guys dominate. Put an olympic sprint kayaker , or canoe rider against the likes of Connor baxter who seems to be pretty quick and they would absolutely smoke him in a sprint , but in a 5k or longer race he would return the favour

I have been arguing for years that we need to introduce a series of classes into the racing scene. Personally I believe that a category needs to be introduced for 45-46 year old men that are below 5'9" living in the ACT on the southside with a name that begins with a G.


I believe this will make all pretty fair

to me, it seems that everyone just wants to win. Always seems some argument or reason not to race or this or that. It is such a young sport, if you dont spend some time at a given point, you are guessing at evolution rather than letting it happen.

Some people are born to be jockeys , some AFL ruckmen , some stand up paddle board racers. What it comes down to is , if your a big unit and you want to win sup races , you can. But your going to have to work much harder than a guy who is 20kg lighter than you on the same board. Simple as that!

Don't under-estimate the training that goes into beer belly competitions...

from a guy who knows what hes talking about - Pono Bill ( i agree with him anyway)



It's self-adjusting. The maximum practical length for a board that is balanced by just standing on it (no gyroscopes or hydrofoil outriggers) is about 20 feet. Longer than that, given the width required for balance the hull drag is just too high.

Smaller people can go as fast on smaller boards over typical race distances (except perhaps sprints). There's an inescapable advantage to being lighter when it comes to a vessel that gets pushed down into the water. Take two athletes of equal power to weight ratio and equal skill. One weighs 150, one weighs 220. Both have 10 percent body fat. The 150 guy is carrying 15 pounds of dead weight on his board, the 220 pound guy is carrying 22.

The only way to bring the competition closer other than carrying handicap weight is opening length. The big guy can paddle a bigger board faster than the smaller paddler can--his higher power can overcome more hull drag and move the board close to hull speed. The smaller paddler will be naturally use a smaller board that suits his power output better--and he'll be about as fast or faster. He'll be overcoming less form drag and holding the speed closer to hull speed.

But you are not going to ride a 16ft board in a bop race! Simple solution over a certain weight you can ride a 14 against the 12,6 guys , fair compromise?

PeterP said...
No doubt a minimum width would slow things down for the lighter guys, but wouldn't it make more sense to speed up the heavier guys by lifting all restrictions and letting heavier guys bring longer boards

Agree.

100kg and below on 12 6 :)

The Naish "one design' race series using the 12'6 inflatable will provide a level racing platform.

I think Starboard are doing the same thing in Europe ,and YOLO in Florida.

NNSUP said...

PTSUP said...
The Naish "one design' race series using the 12'6 inflatable will provide a level racing platform.

I think Starboard are doing the same thing in Europe ,and YOLO in Florida.

Yes but are the little guys allowed to pump the PSI of their boards up to the same amount as the larger guys?

Maybe the race should start with every board deflated, rolled up in its bag and you have to inflate the bastard yourself before getting on the water. Choose your own psi.

Very interesting topic and I would think we are not far off a minimal width requirement somewhere in the future. It makes sense as we have divisions for length - 12'6, 14' and unlimited and eventually there would be a minimal width to at least allow the manufacturers to work to a template range.

As far as length goes, we had a 500m sprint here where we weight restricted participants to 12'6 and 14' boards. <80kg went on 12'6 boards and raced each other - the results were interesting and it kept the lighter guys together. Over a sprint this is where the advantage of being light is limited.

Over distance, I'm not so sure. Marcus is dominant over here and he weighs 65kg, but he trains his butt off (he does 7-8 sessions a week). I'm 88kg and train regularly and can match most of the lighter guys that train the same as me.

Perhaps it is a case of training harder to go faster?

NNSUP said...

You're full of hot air Hilly. You should be able to blow it up without a pump..

I asked for that

I actually did the math for my racing ski foe cubbies.
The cubic m of helium required to off set 1 kg of mass staggering

teatrea said...
Some people are born to be jockeys , some AFL ruckmen , some stand up paddle board racers. What it comes down to is , if your a big unit and you want to win sup races , you can. But your going to have to work much harder than a guy who is 20kg lighter than you on the same board. Simple as that!

I agree more paddling, less eating and drinking booze and you too will be light and fast .....

People underestimate the work that goes into a good beer bellyIt takes time dedication and persistance.Stick at it you skinny guys , youll get their

DavidJohn said...
The only sup racing rule that I'd like to see is the 'no whinging' rule.

Paddle what you've got.. Big guys paddle bigger boards.. (if they want to).. Small people paddle smaller boards.. (if they want to).. Girls paddle pink boards.. (if they want to).. Those who like dug-outs.. Go for it.. Those who want to paddle surf shapes.. Go for it.

And remember.. No whinging..

How easy is that.. It's just a sup race.. It's not the Olympics.. (yet)..

DJ

haha, thats the point dj, the bigger guys can't paddle the bigger boards the way its going.


seriously tho, i see no problem discussing these topics.


you never know some ones idea could change the face of sup racing.