Anybody else here SUP when there is no wind?

[Darbonne]

I just started SUP and it is helping my windsurfing a lot. SUP is just now catching on down here in the deep south. My balance and fitness is definitely improving.

[grantmac017]

I would if we had waves, but for flat water I'd rather spend the time catching up on all the silly everyday junk that can get in the way of a good sail.

[cgoudie1]

+2

I'm with you. I've had fun with SUP on crumbly small waves. Otherwise,
I'll do maintenance so that I can sail with a free mind.

-Craig

p.s. I don't skin up when there's no lift operations either ;*)

[windward1]

Darbonne,

I SUP when the wind is too light for windsurfing. All three of the SUPs that I have can also sail. I must say that I would rather be SUP-Sailing than straight paddling. Waves make SUP Paddling more fun than SUP Paddling on the flat water, but still would always much rather be sailing. SUP Paddling is a bit like work.

[Darbonne]

Not surprised that some find it boring. I would rather paddle than go to the gym. Waves are not an option on my lake. I would think that any time spent on a board will help with balance overall fitness. Maybe I'm wrong but it can't hurt. Dealing with a 46 lb 12' SUP has made my Kona feel smaller and lighter. No wind gotta paddle is my new motto.

[isobars]

I SUPped in zero winds during my knee-rehab phase, but it will very likely sit in my shop until I get injured again or too old for anything else. (Can anyone get too old for kiting? )

But I did have some advantages, including:
• The Yakima and Columbia Rivers join just minutes from my house, right in the middle of "town". The Yakima delta is miles of scenic, twisting, complex, heavily forested animal preserve, so the scenery is a plus. i.e., the PLACE is interesting.

• With a few strokes, I'm on the open Columbia for greater challenge, from current to wakes to miles of open water. If I ever get around to it, I plan to have my wife drop me off where the Columbia flows through the Hanford nuclear reservation and paddle down the Columbia for miles ... dozens of them if I so choose. When I finally go ashore, I'll just call her and request a pickup. Sounds like fun.

• I can walk for miles carrying my light 8'3" windSUP in one hand.

• Almost no boats or PWC in spring and fall, when I'd do this. It's too frigging hot in midsummer.

Disadvantages, in my case, include:
• With my (lack of) balance, I fall off every few minutes ... every few seconds in any noticeable chop or wakes, such as at any windsurfing venue further down the river. Thus the relative water and air temps are important.

• Midsummer brings square miles of weeds, not to mention agricultural waste and crowds, to the delta.

• Unlike WSing, paddling an SUP gets old real fast for me unless there are other facets involved. It beat not getting on the water at all during my rehab, but not by a lot. I wish I could do it in paddle mode on the Columbia in big swell, but that's not in the cards for someone who falls on dry land a few times a day.

Now, if my lawn bordered on a lake, I'd love to take an occasional paddle just for some exercise, but in the real world the minor hassles of loading and unloading (it fits inside my Outback) and dressing and launching and reversing that process make going to the gym seem almost fun by comparison.

Out of many scores, maybe a hundred sailors on peak days at my usual venue, I see an occasional SUP. The VAST majority prefer beer and lawn chairs when the wind quits ... even many hours before it quits, despite a nice wind-sheltered bay. IMO, your motto will extend the length and vitality of your life well beyond theirs. Keep it up.

Of course, adding some PROPER gym time will still help.

[NOVAAN]

Most windsurfers are thrill seekers. Flat water on a SUP is not much of a thrill.
Add some wave and even a foil, then it might be more fun...

[U2U2U2]

I can't sup, it bothers my arms ,shoulders too much.
I do windsup in wind too light to actually sail. Luv it

[Brian_S]

I SUP on the no-wind days a lot, and really like it. It's a completely different sport, but fills the void and allows me to get onto the water. I try (mostly unsuccessfully) to ride small waves on the Great Lakes, and flat-water padde, and put a sail on it to practice light-wind freestyle stuff.
Sounds like it's not for everybody, but I bought mine in 2006(?) and it's been one of the best purchases I've made. A couple weeks ago, I used it to teach a lady to windsurf. Now she wants to buy one!

[isobars]