Long Board Windsurfer as an SUP

rpaillon · Joined: 02 May 1998 Posts: 124

I have an old BIC Veloce 328 in my garage that I thought I would try paddling on. At 26.75" wide it's a lot narrower than a SUP but it has a daggerboard that I thought would give it some stability. Surprise! It actually worked. I paddled around for about 30 minutes and didn't fall off after the intial few attempts to mount. It seems pretty stable--I can tip it at a pretty good angle and it doesn't capsize. Near the end I raised the daggerboard to see how much stability it was giving. I would say none, but it may slow down the rocking cycle a bit.

The board seemed slow compared to my 9' kayak and possibly compared to the 10' SUP I tried out last year. It may be my paddling technique as well as the kayak paddle I was using. The directional stability was also wanting compared to my kayak. I only have a 10-inch fin.

Would anyone care to weigh in on their experience paddling a long windsurfer and if a longer fin would make my board track a little better?

craugewitz7188 · Joined: 20 Mar 2015 Posts: 1

my first windsurf board was a freebee. A Hobie from the 80's. Got me on the water then left aside once I upgraded boards. Took it out SUPing just to give it a try. Worked great in flat water, not so good in a wake. Can't beat the price and I must say the board cooks on flat water.

spennie · Joined: 13 Oct 1995 Posts: 975 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

Of course a bigger fin would help. Since SUPing you're only going about 3.5 mph normally, the fin doesn't have to be very high-tech. I would guess it's your paddle & technique slowing you down, or you had a very fast kayak.

If you're located anywhere in the vicinity of Ventura County I can put you on a killer SUP with a good carbon paddle and teach you how to paddle properly in 30 minutes. For free. windjunkie@windjunkie.net

streetsailing · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 245 Location: San Francisco

[quote="rpaillon"]I have an old BIC Veloce 328 in my garage that I thought I would try paddling on. At 26.75" wide it's a lot narrower than a SUP but it has a daggerboard that I thought would give it some stability. Surprise! It actually worked.

I must say kudos to you for making use of an old junker. I started paddling in 2007 and like all windsurfers, we want our longboards to work as a SUP. I too started on a Kona One and it worked well, even it the waves. Nevertheless, in the end, as you get better at it, especially if you stick to it, you'll end up buying a real SUP.
The problem with windsurf SUPs is that they are too short. Not so much narrow because most race SUPs now are very narrow nearing 24" wide but you need to be a seasoned racer to handle that narrow of a board. 26 to 27" is normal for racers.
If you're smaller in size (150lbs or less), your BIC should work well but it is well below the normal size of a SUP race board of 12'6" so you'll have trouble getting average power paddle speeds of 5mph.
One thing for sure, the BIC Veloce would make a great downwind board for a small person with some skill. It's profile looks identical to what we use for downwind boards. I just wish i was 130lbs for it.
With that said, keep using your BIC until you're good at it and really into SUPing. By then, you'll be so into it that you'll want a real SUP. Have fun with it.
No need to invest in a larger fin for it. Just use the dagger board at different angles until it feels right.
SUP On!

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

sailwave · Joined: 11 May 2000 Posts: 113 Location: Redwood City, CA

I have an old Mistral Equipe windsurf board that must be 200L and 11-12 ft long. It is a very fast SUP actually with low drag, likely because it is so narrow and has steep tall rails. I was able to keep up with a 2 man crew sit paddling for about 1/4 mile stretch on glassy water. Pretty surprizing how well the Equipe works.

rpaillon · Joined: 02 May 1998 Posts: 124

Using the old Bic Veloce 328 as a long board has been very successful after a few modifications to my original attempt. First, I adjusted and fixed a clamp to the dagger board so that it is at a very acute angle to the bottom of the board. It only extends maybe 10" below the bottom of the board. I re-positioned myself further forward, maybe 6" in front of the mid-length of the board. I got a real SUP paddle. Then I learned to paddle correctly so that each stroke was not causing me to change direction. I also started wearing booties to prevent my feet from sliding off the board when I accidentally tipped it too much.

Three tips: 1. Keep the paddle vertical when in the water. This means your top hand actually reaches past the opposite shoulder when you stroke. 2. Rotate the blade of the paddle at an angle less than 90 degrees to the side of the board. This directs the push in a more favorable direction. If you rotate one way it causes the board to be pushed more towards straight ahead. If you rotate the other direction it pushes the board more abruptly to the opposite side-very useful when turning around. Of course back paddling is the quickest way to turn around. 3. Use your knees and body when pulling on the paddle and pull less with your arms.

There you have it. All the information you need to start SUPing on a windsurfing long board which you can get for anywhere from free to $50 instead of forking out big bucks for a SUP. If you find you enjoy it then invest in a SUP.

Jim.od3 · Joined: 25 Aug 2012 Posts: 90

I have an old mistral competition . . . Probably 12' long and 250liters. I ordered a sheet of deck pad material from NSI in Hood River and covered the paddling area of the deck. Fixes the "slipping off" problem, is quite comfortable, and even will make the board better for beginner windsurfing. Works fine as a SUP.