Welcome

Welcome to Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct Blog
Welcome to the new Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct Blog - Our Community of Stand Up Paddle Boarders! Our goal is to info and entertain you. And share our passion for Stand Up Paddleboarding.

We invite you to share your pictures and stories with us. Please visit often as we update the site with product reviews and special promotions. Happy paddling from the Team at Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct
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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

New Paddle on the Market!

Cruiser Alloy Paddle with 7.5" Blade and Oval Shaft


There has been a new paddle recently released (within the past month!).  This new paddle features an aluminum alloy shaft and plastic blade in addition to a new style of locking mechanism to adjust the length. This new mechanism is much more intuitive than the older mechanism.  It is a simple clasp instead of a post that locks the adjustable shaft in place.  This paddle also features an oval shaft, allowing it to fit more naturally in your hand than the old circular shafts.  This is a much more durable construction than a carbon paddle, making it very kid/family friendly! 


Paddle Maintenance

Rinse out your adjustable paddle after using it to prevent the handle from getting stuck inside the shaft. This is especially important for alloy paddles when used in salt water or sandy conditions, as well as after long periods of tie during which the paddle is not used or adjusted. If your paddle does become stuck, we suggest using WD-40 at the collar to free up the two pieces. Don't pull on the end of the handle with excess force as you can break it off!

Also be sure to remember that Cruiser SUP paddles do float for a few minutes thanks to a piece of foam in the shaft.  But it won't float indefinitely so be sure to fish your paddle out of the water as quickly as possible!

Have a great day of SUP fun and remember to e-mail us at info@paddleboarddirect.com if you have any questions!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Winner! Winner!


SUP Into Summer Photo Contest Winner!


Due to Facebook policy regarding contests we are not able to announce the winner via status.  Therefore we are pleased to announce that the winner of the SUP Into Summer Photo Contest is TINA SWARTS.  She won with this incredible shot entitled "SUP Yoga Girl" featuring herself performing a headstand on her 2012 Cruiser Dura-Max  She received a total of 324 votes and will be receiving a Cruiser SUP 100% Carbon Adjustable Paddle as her prize!


Adjustable Paddle Care

As Tina receives her new Cruiser SUP 100% Carbon Adjustable Paddle, we'd like to take a moment to talk a little bit about adjustable paddle care.  Please rinse out your adjustable paddle after using it to prevent the adjustable shaft from getting stuck.  This is especially important for alloy paddles when they are used in salt water or sandy conditions.  Paddles can also become stuck if they aren't used or adjusted over a long period of time.

Should your paddle become stuck, we suggest using WD-40 at the collar to free up the two pieces.  Please don't pull on the end of the handle with excess force as you can break it off!

Have a great day of SUP fun!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The Simply Beautiful Cruiser V-Max Platinum Edition

Cruiser V-Max Platinum Edition


The Cruiser V-Max is a great touring board, best suited to an intermediate-advanced paddler with an interest in flat water SUP. This board has the ability to perform up to an amateur race level. But not only does it have superior performance abilities, it also has superior aesthetics.

Sizing becomes particularly important with higher performance boards like this because they have to sit in the water properly in order to perform to their full potential.  Because of this a person who is very light may not be well-suited to a larger board.  At 11'6 and 12'6 the Cruiser V-Max is designed for speed.  The displacement nose is perfect for flat water but doesn't do well in waves, making this board exclusive to touring/racing.  In terms of sizing, an 11'6 Cruiser V-Max has a volume of 200L, allowing it to carry up to around 200-210 pounds easily!  The 12'6 will carry up to 295 pounds without any trouble at all thanks to it's volume of 285L.
Definition Alert! 
Displacement nose: A displacement nose is designed in a 'V' shape to cut through the water.  Unlike a surf paddleboard (like the Cruiser Nalu All-Wave) or an all-around board (like the Cruiser Kona Classic - more details coming later this week!) a board with a displacement nose does not have any nose rocker.  It slices through the water instead of riding along the surface.  This piercing nose actually pierces through the water as the name suggests and this allows it to reduce the amount of friction beneath the board and increase speed.
This board features steep rails at the tail end.  This creates greater glide speed and the tracking abilities of a race board, while continuing to maintain the stability of a touring board.
Definition Alert!
Rails: The rails are the side of your board.  These can be lower volume (for boards designed for surf this allows it to rock back and forth) or higher volume.  Steep rails (higher volume) provide stability, like what is seen with the Cruiser V-Max.
The Cruiser V-Max is an absolutely beautiful board with a bamboo veneer deck and similar to core
construction to the Cruiser Ultra-Lite Bamboo series with a sandwich composition of fibreglass, epoxy resin, and bamboo.  The matte finish completes the clean, simple, beauty of this incredible board that will keep you touring (and racing!) for years to come.

Check out the Cruiser V-Max on our website at www.paddleboarddirect.com

Have a great day on your SUP!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct

 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

All About Paddles

From Aluminum to Carbon - All About Cruiser SUP Paddles


When you're looking to get set up with your first paddleboard it can be overwhelming.  What brand do I choose? How do I know what size to get? What kind of paddle is best?
  
Cruiser SUP 100% Carbon One Piece
If you're paddling in an area where SUP is popular, you will see all sorts of paddles ranging from a regular wooden canoe paddle (I don't recommend it!) to high quality 100% carbon one piece paddles (like the Cruiser SUP 100% Carbon One Piece Paddle).  Then there's a hodge-podge of paddles in between.  So many to choose from that you end up asking yourself a million questions all over again!

You can narrow it down right away by asking yourself "will there be many people of different sizes using this paddle?"  If the answer is 'yes' then get an adjustable paddle.  Adjustability is key if you want everyone to have a good, comfortable, paddling experience.  Some people find that even if it's just them using the paddle they like it to be a different length in flat water vs. waves - it's all about doing what's right for you.

Cruiser SUP Adjustable Alloy 
Next question: "How rough are we going to be on the paddle?"  Will you be leaving your board up at a cottage with ten people using it every day? Will you have a bunch of kids using it?  If durability is of concern to you then you'll want to go with an aluminum paddle.  These paddles are durable and still pretty light.  Take a look at the Cruiser SUP Aluminum Alloy Adjustable Paddle for the strongest paddle!

If durability isn't a major concern for you, let's say the boards will be used by you and your spouse, then consider upgrading to a carbon/fibre or a 100% carbon paddle.  These paddles are going to be a lot stiffer and a lot lighter too, allowing for you to have a stronger stroke and tire less quickly!  

For the ladies out there are a couple of paddles that were designed with you in mind!  There's a carbon/fibre paddle by Cruiser SUP with a pink blade, letting you add a little colour to your SUP experience.  Now some of you may be thinking "but my 13 year old daughter will be using this paddle and she's not the most gentle paddler."  Fear not, we still have you covered.  There is a new aluminum alloy paddle (it's brand new, only been on the market for a week!) that has an oval handle, specifically designed for women and lighter paddlers!  The oval handle fits nicely to the smaller shape of your hand and feels much more natural to hold than a standard circular paddle shaft.
Cruiser SUP Women's Adjustable Alloy
Cruiser SUP Ajustable Pink Carbon/Fibre 

Tips

  • All Cruiser SUP paddles do float for a few minutes thanks to a piece of foam in the shaft.  But it won't float indefinitely so be sure to fish your paddle out of the water as quickly as possible!

Paddle Sizing

Follow the sizing in this chart to adjust your paddle according to your height and paddling style:


As always remember that if you have any other questions we are more than happy to answer them! You can reach us Monday-Friday 10am-5pm (EST) at 1-888-291-9905 or by e-mail at info@paddleboarddirect.com.

Have a great week of paddling!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct


Thursday, July 18, 2013

SUP and Surf? Perfect Combination!

Cruiser Nalu All-Wave Platinum Edition!


With so many great boards out there trying to decide which board is right for you can be overwhelming.  There are boards with bigger rockers, boards with displacement noses, some boards have better tracking than others...the list goes on.  Not to fear! You're reading this because we have the information you're looking for!  Over the next few weeks we'll be letting you know all about the different Cruiser Stand-Up Paddleboards.

Today's focus is the Cruiser Nalu All-Wave Platinum Edition.  This board is designed to be used in surf of all shapes and sizes!  Now that doesn't mean you should be taking it out in 10 foot high Hawaiian surf.  This board is going to perform at its best in what we like to refer to as "real world conditions" (a.k.a. small to medium surf!)  Although most SUPs are relatively beginner friendly, this particular board is geared towards the intermediate or advanced rider who really wants to get out in the surf.

Board Specifics

Rodrigo at Praia De Cotovelo, Natal, Brazil
Let's get into the nitty-gritty specs of the boards.  The Cruiser Nalu All-Wave Platinum Edition is part of Cruiser SUP's Ultra-Lite Bamboo/Epoxy line.  This line was designed to combine three main features: aesthetics, durability, and light weight.  After extensive testing we found that bamboo veneer decks were the lightest and strongest skins to complement our water-tight Ultra-Lite Closed-Cell EPS cores.  This board has what we refer to as a sandwich/composite structure.  Essentially this means that the bamboo veneer sheets are sandwiched between successive layers of fiberglass and epoxy resin around the closed-cell EPS core.
Definition Alert!
Ultra-Lite Closed Cell EPS Core: A closed cell core is water-tight in and of itself.  This means that if you're board were to be punctured (let's hope that never happens!) then it would NOT take on water! The closed cell core is just one more layer of protection for your board to keep it from suffering any irreparable damage. 
This particular board has ample nose to tail rocker to make for cleaner turns when surfing and helps prevent you from pearling the nose on a wave face!  The beauty of this board is that it does not have continuous rocker (the middle of the board is flat).  This gives it fast acceleration and good glide, without sacrificing surf capabilities.
Definition Alert!
Rocker: The term rocker refers to the curvature of the board from nose to tail.  The greater the rocker, the easier it is to turn in surf.
Pearling: When the nose of the board digs into the wave.  Pearling is more common with boards that don't have enough rocker!
Cruiser SUP Founder/President Mike in Porto, Brazil
The Cruiser Nalu All-Wave Platinum Edition comes in four sizes ranging from 8'10" to 10'8".  Choosing a board size is entirely dependant on your weight compared to the volume of the board.  Now I'm sure you're asking yourself "what do they mean by comparing my weight to the volume of the board".  Well it's fairly simple actually.  Essentially a board with 145L of volume (the amount of water displaced by the board when submerged) will support a 145lbs beginner in flat water.  It does get a little more complicated once you have more experience and are surfing, so when it doubt call or e-mail our experts to find the right size for you! (1-888-291-9905 or info@paddleboarddirect.com)

Tips and Tricks

Fin placement makes a big difference!

  • For cruising move the fin towards the rear of the fin box
  • For small surf move the fin all the way forwards in the fin box
  • For better control in head high surf and bigger put the fin in the middle of the fin box


Follow this link to see the Cruiser Nalu All-Wave Platinum Edition on our website
http://www.paddleboarddirect.com

Also be sure to 'Like' our Facebook page for paddling tips, contests, and more!
www.facebook.com/pages/PaddleBoard-Direct


Friday, July 12, 2013

Summer is here and with comes SUP season!

After a long hiatus since our last post we're back with lots of new and exciting information to share with you!  We've been developing the Cruiser SUP boards and have a ton to tell you about each individual board to help you determine which one is best for you!  In the coming months we will post some great information about the best places to stand up paddle and what each one of us loves most about the sport.  Here at Paddleboard Direct and Cruiser SUP we're avid stand up paddlers ourselves and we look forward to sharing our love of the sport with you!

Little known SUP tip!

Most Cruiser SUP boards come with removable side fins. These side fins are to increase the performance of your board when SUP surfing.  If you're not going to surf your board, we suggest you don't use the side fins as they create more drag and slow down the board.

The 'Stand Up Paddle Into Summer Photo Contest' has begun!

Enter for your chance to win a Cruiser SUP 100% Carbon Adjustable Paddle ($299 retail value).   The paddle offers awesome power and control, and only weighs 1.6 pounds!
The photo with the most 'Likes' will win.  Contest ends July 24th and the winner will be announced the following day.
We're looking forward to seeing your great pictures with your Cruiser SUP! 

Have a great weekend of stand up paddling fun!

From the team at Paddleboard Direct and Cruiser SUP