The SUP community is growing fast. What started as an beachside activity has quickly sprouted in lakes, rivers and waterways of all sorts across the USA and world! With all this growth people are taking the idea of Stand Up Paddling in all sorts of directions. Check out the Nice Rack SUP Buyers Guide to break down the increasingly wide (and heavy) world of SUPs.

Racing Boards: What the Hull?

Danny Ching SUP racing champion shows us how it's done!

Those familiar with boats know what I’m talking about, hulls are the most efficient way for a board to cut through the water. Instead of having a flat bottom a hull is a convex bottom, think of it as a board with a belly. Racing stand up-paddle boards take full advantage of this design. Why doesn’t every SUP have a hull then? Hulled paddle boards are harder to turn and less stable than other craft.

What’s the best Nice Rack for your speedster racing SUP? We suggest the SUP Ceiling Rack. With enough clearance for your hull this rack will open up a lot of space in your home or garage!

Surfing Stand Up Paddleboards

SUP surfer charging!

Surfing SUPs have bottom much like a surfboard which looks flat compared to a hull. Variations are usually single or double concaves which help the rails of a board grip into a wave. Although being slower in a race than a Hull bottomed Racing SUP, these boards are far more pleasant to surf. The bottom design allows the surfer to control the board and predict its movements while gliding on the steep face of a wave.

What’s the best Nice Rack to show off your big-wave catching SUP? The Nice Rack angled SUP Wall Rack will hold your board close to the wall and keep it looking good!

Touring Stand Up Paddleboards

Dave Cornthwaite paddled 2,400 miles down the Mississippi!

Touring boards are stable like a surfing SUPs but do not require rails and bottom contours which are useful for waves. These boards may also have a hull bottom but it is likely to be less prominent than with a racing board. Touring boards are perfect for cruising lakes and rivers because they are a balanced mix of stability and speed.

What’s the best Nice Rack for your Touring SUP? Try the SUP Wall Rack Horizontal! Lay your paddle and hydration pack, and sunscreen on-top of your set-up and you’ll be ready for your next adventure!

River SUP

River boards are usually adapted touring or surfing SUPs. These boards sometimes have different fin set-ups as collisions with river rocks lead to frequent broken fins. In rivers a greater amount of control is desired so these boards are often closer to their surfing cousins. Some brave river SUP masters even surf river rapids as if they were ocean waves!

What’s the best Nice Rack for your rapid-charging SUP? Try the SUP Ceiling Rack. This heavy duty rack will keep your SUP out of the way until your next trip to the river. When you’re ready to take off, it’s easy to unload too!

Yoga SUP

Say what? Yoga SUP is a quickly growing sport, it is exactly as it sounds, yoga on an SUP. What better way to find tranquility and quiet than out on your favorite lake or bay? Yoga poses often require a ton of balancing, adding an SUP to the mix makes for an excelent work out! Yoga SUP boards are often a bit more stable than your average surf or racing board. This means less attention to speed and control, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fun to paddle!

What’s the best Nice Rack for your down-dog SUP? Try the SUP Wall Rack Horizontal. Keep your practice regular by taking your SUP out often!

Let us know on the Nice Rack Facebook page!

If you didn’t grow up drooling over surf magazines like some of us, the world of surfboards may seem dauntingly complex. Fear not! This Nice Rack guide will help you with the basics so you can hold your own the next time you’re in a surf shop or talkin’ story in the parking lot of your favorite surf break. Think of this as the basic guide to surfboards where we will discuss avoiding kook behavior on an equipment level. Let’s get started.

Shortboard

The modern shortboard is the key ingredient of the modern surfing recipe. White Shortboard+Black Wetsuit+Three fins=Surfing (for those in warmer climes substitute wetsuit for trunks). You can’t really go to a surf break without seeing a shortboard. They’re sleek, fast, performance, and predictable. This cocktail of traits is what makes shortboards the go to board for competitions, trips to perfect waves, and showing off your moves. But, don’t be too fast to wish away all other boards, these boards only reach their stride under the right feet. Shortboard surfing isn’t for everyone. Even for those who excel with them they may not work for every condition.

Avoid Kooking Out: by saving a shortboard until you know how to get vertical or plan on getting shacked.

Longboard

The longboard of today is far more predictable and easy to ride than in surfing’s early days. These boards are perfect for small, flat or mushy waves because they pack a lot of volume. They’re also harder to store and carry to the beach because of that volume. Don’t despair though, having a longboard on the right day can make all the difference. Today many shredders will ride longboards on larger waves and can surf them aggressively enough to put many short boarders to shame.

Avoid Kooking Out: by saving the longboard until you can leave the leash at home and cross-step your way to the nose. By the way, nose-riding (a.k.a. hanging-five/ten) is something every surfer needs to experience.

Funboard

The outline of a funboard is similar to a longboard, but they usually have a thruster set up (three small fins). The most noticeable difference is that these boards will generally be in the 7-8ft range. Other differences in rocker and rail make the board friendly for beginners. Great for fundamentals such as take-offs, bottom turns and top turns. I would recommend that every beginner start on. Drawbacks: these board’s will hold you back on advanced maneuvers where a shortboard or longboard wont. For example, the increased entry-rocker on a funboard will mess up your nose-ride.

Avoid Kooking Out: Don’t be a wave-hog if you’re riding a fun-board. Think you’re too cool for school? Don’t forget that there’s always a time for honing your core-skills.

Guns, Logs, Fishes, Bonzers, and Twinzers, Asyms… Oh My

Although some from the strictly short-board or longboard camp will often dismiss the odd shape, don’t be fooled. There is a whole world of speed and glide to be found in these boards which I will cover in an upcoming post.

Storing your longboard short-board or Fun-board is easy if you’ve got a Nice Rack. Check out our Heavy Duty Racks for funboard and longboard surfboards. Don’t forget that Nice Rack Modular Racks are the most customizable short surfboard rack out there! Nice Rack has your whole quiver covered.

-Shakas-

Jason

Who is your favorite Aussie Pro? If you’re like me you may have grown up with a blend of Aussy and US surf heroes. Sometimes these days its hard to imagine how fierce the rivalry between these two nations has been in the past. The following article will highlight for you some of Australia’s most competitive surfers. For a country with over 2.5 million surfers and some of the best waves in the world we shouldn’t be surprised that world tour rankings are saturated by these names each year.

Looking back on this years pro tour I think it’s safe to include Owen Wright on this mini list. Born in 1990 in Beach, New South Wales, Wright has definitely proven himself as a charger at Teahupo’o and as a competitor by sparking up showdown’s with Kelly Slater. At only only about 21 years of age Owen Wright also makes the author, only a few years his senior, feel like an old man.

Taj Burrow born of Busselton West Australia was born in 1978. For many Taj defined the progressive surfing that we still see today. With an entire bag of aggressive aerial and carving And many are still dying to see Burrow pull a world title win. Check out this clip above from the surf film Fair Bits, this is a great video to check out, it even has a Ben Stiller cameo.

Joel “Parko” Parkinson was born in 1981 in Nambour. At ten wins in ASP events and two-perfect tens at 2008 Pipe-Masters event Parko is a force to be reckoned with. Check out this clip from Free as a Dog a movie dedicated to Parko and friends. This film was made by legendary surf cinematographer Jack McCoy

Mick Fanning born in 1982, Pennith NSW, is known as one of the fastest surfers on tour. He’s also the proud owner of two world titles. Watch his speedy lines in this clip of his contest surfing. It’s not hard to see why his nickname is “White Lightning.”

With plenty of up-and-comers nipping at their heels Australia is assured a future of crazy talented rippers in professional surfing. Don’t even get me started on all the crazy talented guys and gals who aren’t on the World Tour… maybe next time.

Who else should be on this list?

Do you call your leash a leggie?

Can Koalas swim/surf?

Did you know that Rob Machado was born in Australia?

Let us know on www.facebook.com/thenicerack

Did you know that Nice Rack is now being distributed in Australia? It’s true, check out www.theecosurfer.com.au to see the goods! If each one of those 2.5 million Australian surfers were to buy one modular rack it would be the best Christmas present ever. I’ll start writing thank you cards now.

Shakas~

Jason