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!

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

#1 how to snowboard without getting hurt.

These days it is common to see signs around ski resorts that say something like, “easy style it.” What does that mean? This phrase simply means to stay within your limits so you don’t get hurt. The best way to gain respect on the mountain is to stay in control. Here are a few more tricks.

-If you fall fall, move to the side of the run quickly. Always be aware of other people especially when they’re moving fast. Also be ready to get out of the way if you fall exiting the chairlift!

-Try some wrist guards. Its easy to tweak your wrists when you fall. You’re wearing gloves and a jacket anyway, think of it as extra warmth.

-Don’t hit the most difficult trails until you’ve showed the easy ones who’s boss. This goes for parks too, stay out of the superpipe until you can kill it in the kids park.

MASTER THE FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES TO BECOME A PRO-SNOWBOARDER. Just kidding, but you will be in crazy good control if you’ve got these moves down.

Slide turns- you’ve probably seen snowboarders laying into their edges on turns, that’s why snowboards are so sharp. Don’t expect to pull this off until you’ve mastered sliding turns. In a slide turn you lose a little bit of speed speed on each arc. For a great example watch any snowboard contest, right before a hitting a jump most pros do a “speed check!” Practice toe-side to heel-side transitions, with this skill you’ll be in mad control of your line and your speed, the foundation for everything to come.

J-turns- J-turns are a great way to learn edge turning. (Step 1) Give a good look above you to make sure no one is coming towards you. (Step 2) turn toe-side (easier) or heel-side (harder) across the slope and back up the hill. Your line will look like a J!

180 hop- Works great at the end of a J-turn, since you will be pointing uphill and you want to go back downhill. Bend your knees a little and hop, turing your upper body back down the hill. Get ready to re-set your edge since you will land flat. Once you’re feeling confident try this while moving, its the basis for 180 airs.

Ollies- Are a lot like a hop, but with more style and pop. Snowboards are flexible and spring-y, use this to get yourself in the air by leaning back slightly before you jump. Since you’ve already taken the weight of your front foot all you have to do is jump with your back foot, pop it off your tail.

It’s usually a good idea to push yourself when trying to become a better snowboarder. Knowing your skill base is the fastest way to progress. If you’ve got the patience you’ll be bombing double black diamond runs in no time without falling. When you get home don’t forget to throw your shred-sled on your Nice Rack Snowboard Wall Rack. Let your snowboard take a break from riding, but never because you’re healing an injury!

Shakas

-Jason

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

This video shows the Wake World event organizer, and his army of kid shoppers picking up the best toys to donate to Toys for Tots and having fun while doing it!

About the charity

Toys for Tots is Organized by US Marine Corps every year in every state. The charity gets toys to children who otherwise wouldn’t be receiving gifts during the holidays. For the less-privileged kids in our country, Toys for Tots is something to look forward to during this cold time of year. It also provides some hope for a better future. Toys are collected as unwrapped gifts at collection centers in each participating community. They are then distributed to the kids in need within that same area by volunteers and members of the Marine Corps.

About Wake World’s Auction

Who donated in 2011? Big names like Hyperlite, Tige Boats, Rockstar Energy, and smaller operations like yours truly. The prizes were wakeboards, wakeskates, bindings, boat equipment, clothing, amplifiers, wakeboard camp days, and more. The items were placed as up-for auction on Wake Worlds website where fans were allowed to bid for their favorite prize. The winners got to keep their prize, and the money was collected by Wake World to buy toys. The toys were then taken to a collection center and added to donations from others in the community. This year Wake World with the help of its sponsors raised $6,829.95 to buy toys! Those who bid in the auction got some sick deals, and I think its safe to say that some tots will be stoked on the gifts they get this year.

About Wake World

Wake World Covers the full spectrum of wakesports with how-to, training, history, videos, articles, links, reviews and forums. If you want to learn how to set up your boat to make a perfect wake, or if you want to learn to do some epic front-flips it’s the place to go. Stay up to date on the contest circuit and your favorite pros, or chat with buddies from your local lake.

Nice Rack Prize

Nice Rack auctioned off a Nice rack prize. The pack included: the Nice Rack Modular Rack (the best home storage for wakeboards) a Nice Rack T-shirt, and a Nice Rack Trucker Hat. If you have a wakeboarder in your family we recommend hooking them up with the Nicest holiday gift on the market. Or, you’re feeling less charitable hook yourself up, someone will be glad that you got your surfboard off the ground!

You can get involved too! Simply visit http://www.toysfortots.org/ for information and collection centers near you.

Raddest Santa Surfing Stoke

Do you have an awesome charity that you want to share? Hit us up on www.facebook.com/thenicerack and let us know!

Snowboard powder turn

Compared to board-sports like surfing, which require little more than the ocean, snowboarding often seems burred in equipment. Once you get the basics down however, you won’t need to think twice about gear before you’re on your way up the chairlift. Here’s the essentials:

Warm waterproof clothing. Snowboarding takes place in the mountains where conditions are often temperamental and extreme. Respect the power of the mountains like a surfer would respect the ocean or else be prepared to take a beating. Dress in layers, and don’t forget that the sun will be harsh, even if temperatures are freezing.

Snowboard boots should fit snugly. Since your boots will be strapped directly to your board any looseness in your boots will translate to worse control of your board. Don’t go too tight though, having your feet “fall asleep,” means even worse control of your snowboard!

Bindings are the mechanisms that hold your boots to your board. For beginners stick to basic two-strap bindings. although step-in bindings may look easier, you will never see a pro rocking rocking them. Practice putting your bindings on at home sitting down if you can, this will make it a lot easier when you have clumsy gloves on.

Snowboards come in all different shapes and sizes, you will however notice that most look like a popsicle stick, these are called freestyle snowboards. For your first time out get a freestyle snowboard the length of witch should stand to the height of your chin. Have an experienced snowboarder help you set up your stance. You don’t want to have your legs too far apart or too close together, the same goes for the angle of your stance. If you don’t know if you are regular or goofy check out this post. Another quick method is to decide which foot you kick with, put your kicking foot in back. It will steer you.

Tips

• Wear a helmet. Trust me, snow is not soft, neither are snowboards and trees.
• To accellerate your learning take a lesson.
• Try to learn proper techniques so you don’t have to un-learn bad habits. There are multitudes of books out there and I will cover some basics in the next blog!
• Take breaks, drink lots of water, and pack nourishing snacks. Chairlifts are a great place relax and have a snack, just don’t drop your lunch!

What to do on Your First Day of Snowboarding

Hit the bunny hill. Don’t be discouraged when you see 6 year old kids carving circles around you. It takes a long time to learn snowboarding, but every thing you put in pays off! Be prepared to learn slowly and enjoy the process, just because you’re not Shaun White doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! Don’t be convinced by your nephew or friend that you are ready for an advanced run if it is your first day.

How to use Handle pulls and T-bars

These devices are often used to pull people to the top of the beginner slope. It will often take several tries to get it right, when you do fall don’t hold on and let it drag you. Let go of the handle and move to the side as quickly as possible so the person behind you doesn’t fall too. Relaxing is the key to using tows, just go with the flow.

• Did you know Nice Rack makes snowboard racks, that’s right, we don’t just make racks for SUPs and surfboards!
• Do you have any snowboarding tips? Hit us up on facebook and share them!

Shakas,

Jason

Playlist: you can’t beat having your favorite songs to listen to on your road trip or on a long flight.  Singing out loud with your mates whilst escaping to the surf is what makes friendships and creates the best memories.  So pick some favorite tracks, and mix in some new ones… you’ll always associate the new songs with the surf holiday.

Food & drink supplies: obvious but very necessary.  If you’re heading out on the road taking food and drink supplies within arms reach is essential… There’s nothing worse than feeling hungry, being stuck in traffic and your food sitting in the trunk.

Medi-kit: you never know when you may need a bandage or some disinfectant, and that can go for you and your board.  Make sure you research where you are going and what the risks are.  Stock your first aid kit with supplies to help with things like rock or reef cuts, and patching up dings to your surfboard.

Roof-rack: something that you may over look, but having a portable roof rack for your boards is essential when going further afield.  If you are road-tripping, then a roof rack gives you a whole lot more space in your vehicle.  However, if you are flying abroad, and then taking a taxi or hiring a car, having your own roof rack means your boards can travel safely with you.

The Optional:

Here’s where the fun items come into play.  You’re ready for your adventure, but you can add some items to your list that will make your trip…

Water-sport equipment: if the waves go flat there is nothing like hitting the water with your snorkel and fins and checking out what’s beneath the surface, it’ll help you feel more confident in bigger waves. Also, take your bodyboard or stand up paddle board for water training and improving your fitness.

Camera: endless hours of fun can be had with a good camera.  Even though most of us have them on our mobiles these days, there is something special about taking photos purposefully.  Printed photos can inspire us when we’re back at home and the weather and waves aren’t co-operating.

Playing cards: if ever there was an easy way of making friends it’s a set of cards.  It doesn’t matter what nationality you are, what language you speak, or where you are in the world, a pack of cards will give you hours of entertainment and will provide the excuse to say ‘hello’ for you and the people around you.

Francesca writes for Surf Holidays, check out links above for more information.

Laird Hamilton- So strong he can paddle with his mind.

What do you think of when you hear the word healthy? Is it hulk-like-muscle, toned lean physique, or the flexibility to touch one’s head to one’s toes? If you answered yes to any of the above, stand-up paddling can help you achieve your goals. Once you’ve got the basics of SUP down you can begin to design SUP workouts to reach your specific health goal. Don’t get me wrong, learning to SUP is a unique work out in and of itself. Let’s break down the health benefits of SUP to help you get control of your SUP-soreness.

Although it may not be obvious at first, SUP is a great aerobic workout. Most doctors and health experts agree that regular and substantial aerobic exercise is key to a healthy life. What does regular and substantial mean to you? For some people it might be a half hour 2-3 times per week, others may want to head out for 2-3 hours every day! A great way to up the Aerobic benefits of your SUP session is to simply paddle faster! Try racing a friend or racing the clock!

SUP is an awesome way to build strength. It is easy to see and feel how paddling an SUP works the muscles of the shoulders, arms and hands. Less obvious are the benefits SUP has for the core muscles of the stomach and back. Muscles like the abdominals are engaged heavily not only in the stoke of an SUP paddle, but also in the act of balancing on an SUP board. Having a strong core is a great foundation for your health, to make your SUP workout more beneficial to core strength try out a smaller board, and take on choppy days!

To get the most out of your strength training working on flexibility is crucial. Stretching will prevent injuries that can be painful and set you back. To get the most from your flex try yoga. Although yoga doesn’t have the reputation of being the toughest sport out there, most anyone who has tried it would agree that it can a real workout! Add a wobbly SUP to a yoga practice and you’ve got a real challenge! Yoga on SUP board combines the aerobics, balance training and flexibility into an awesome outdoor activity.

Tips:

• To reach your sup goals keep a log of your workouts. Google maps is a great way to measure how far you’ve paddled!
• Want to know how Aerobic your workout is? Be mindful of your lungs, they’ll be the first to tell you how hard you’re working them!
• To engage your core paddle on a choppy day, the chop makes it harder to balance, and its a great reason to get out when conditions don’t look ideal!
• Aim for balance in your workout to prevent overuse and injury. Stretching will help you get the most from strength training without painful injuries!
• Mount some of our new Heavy Duty SUP racks to a secure wall and do some pull-ups when you get home!

As with all exercise, know your limits, train with a friend, and increase the difficulty of workouts in small increments. Stand up paddling is amazing because it is a great way to access the great outdoors, but keep safety in mind. Always be cognizant of hazerdous conditions, especially if you plan on doing an exhausting workout!

Got any tips, let us know on Facebook!

Shakas,

Jason

The shape and size of the board are the best place to start, the nity grity if you will. Understanding a little board design can give you’re riding a boost! The best approach to picking a board requires knowing what kind of riding you want to do. A big and wide board equates to easier take-offs and more stability, narrow and short will give you more responsiveness but less stability. Beginners get out your high-lighters! If you have a hard time getting started, err on the side of big and wide. If you’re out every day and killing it, trim that unwanted volume to make your board turn tighter, and respond better. Remember not to take it too far, you still want to be able to have fun when you’re tired or feeling lazy!

Having continuous rocker means that the bottom of the board is flatter, it allows for easier acceleration. A progressive or steeper rocker will be more forgiving in rough water, or on rough landings. Imagine a skateboarder rolling towards a rock. If the skateboarder lifts up the front wheels they can cruise over the rock, but if they do not see it, they will meet pavement. Rocker is what gives a wakeboard the “lift” to get over obstacles. Are you all about carving fast turns on glassy mornings? Try a flatter rocker. If your main objective in wakeboarding his to launch huge flips, you will benefit from a progressive rocker. Also remember that a little length can also help your landings.

Other bottom features include concave, channels and fins. Concave will affect how the board turns and how much it will lift out of the water at speed. Channels and fins both help the board turn and keep it going in the direction you want it to go. Larger fins are something to look for in a beginner board, as they will provide more directionality. For better turning results look for fins that won’t create a lot of drag. A board without fins will travel very fast, but it will also send you spinning out of control. Look for a balanced fin that can handle your turns.

As far as materials go, you won’t find too much variety these days. Most manufacturers have settled on using lightweight fiberglass and graphite to construct boards. These materials have a neutral buoyancy meaning it doesn’t float nor sink. Early wakeboards were built more like surfboards, but when you’ve got a boat pulling you, you don’t need the same kind of float that a surfboard has. In addition these materials are super durable, and can last a very long time depending on the type of care and how hard you ride.

Don’t forget that Nice Rack Wakeboard Wall Racks are the way to go when storing your board. You can keep your investment safe and looking pretty without breaking the bank.

Shakas,

Jason

Rob Machado inspects an eco-friendly board shaped by Brian Syzmanski

The Supa-Basics

Nose: forward point

Tail: back of the board (where fins are placed)

Deck: top of the board where you stand

Rails: edges of the board

Foam: is the most common material for surfboard construction.

Fiberglass and resin: are the most common materials for the outerlayer of a surfboard although there are other contenders such as epoxy. This layer adds greatly to the strength and determines characteristics such as flex and durability.

Stringer: the strip of wood glued between the two pieces of foam which runs from nose to tail. One is most common number of stringers but there are variations.

The Good-Stuff

Length and width and thickness are most essentially measures of volume over space. A surfboard with more volume is typically easier to surf. This is why most soft beginner boards are long, wide and thick while pro-surfers typically ride short thin and narrow boards.

Usually more volume equates to less maneuverability, but a balance must be struck since maneuverability means nothing if you can’t catch a wave or generate speed. When you look at a surfboard’s design keep in mind that there are many different styles of surfing and levels of ability. The absolute best way to find what’s best for you is to trade boards with your friends!

Imagine tracing a surfboard’s shape onto a piece of paper, what you would be left with is a 2-dimensional outline of the board. This outline is called a template; shapers will often create templates of boards and write in other important measurements such as thickness. Templates are a good place to start when thinking about how a board will perform. Imagine how water will flow past the surface, will the water meet resistance as it pushes past the board or will the board glide with minimal resistance?

Comparing the widest point to the center of the board is a good use for a template. The further back the wide point is the more maneuverable the board will be, but with maneuverability you often forfeit predictability. This is why performance short boards often have a wide point close to the tail, while big wave guns will have it closer to the midpoint.

Maneuverability vs. predictability is a big binary in surfboard design. It comes up again when you look at the rails of a surfboard. There are two poles of rail design: hard and soft. Hard rails are rails that come to a point near the midline of rail. Soft rails come to a point below the midline (towards the bottom) of the surfboard. Hard rails are very common on long boards, they are predictable and forgiving, but they are not responsive like soft rails. Many surfboards blend the two designs.

Bottom contour is the shape of the board from rail to rail. Most commonly boards will have some concave, but they can also have a reverse concave or belly to them. A “V bottom” is similar to a belly and it means that the center of the board will be higher than the rails. Modern performance short boards often use single to double concave, with a single concave closer to the midpoint and a double concave near the fins. This design gives a healthy grip on the water for turning but not so much that you get locked into a path, aka the dreaded phenomena of “tracking”.

The nose to tail curve of a surfboard is referred to as rocker. It determines how the board will plane over the water’s surface.  If a board has a flatter rocker or no rocker it will move fast across flat sections of a wave, but it will also be less responsive in critical situations, like on a steep wave, or when turning. Keep in mind that rocker on a steep wave will keep you from nose-diving and taking a dive into the sand!

Got any home-shaped boards you’d like to share? Hit us up on Facebook!

Shakas

-Jason