Just got one of these in the main

Then you probably shouldn't enter the corporate world.

 

I didn't say it's fair, it's just the way it is.

 

Dunno what you call old, but 31 doesn't seem too old to me, rather young actually.

 

Anyone who doesn't SUP on the East Coast is not getting enough water time, imo. I know I don't have an SUP currently, but would love to buy one. I am tired of all the flat days.

 

Skating isn't on the water, and is not for me. SUP > Sailing. What are you, part of the yacht club?

 

Glad you asked that question. What Brewengineer says is true, having an SUP gets you on the water more often than not. To answer your question directly though, it was a gift from my wife (who was my GF at the time). I had been surfing on and off since I was 15 on short boards up until that point, but I had taken a break from surfing due to shoulder injuries and then life getting in the way (you'll find out what that's like after college), but mostly I just got fat and lazy and wasn't in short board shape anymore... But the SUP got me back on the water and back in shape, and before I knew it I was back on shortboards, which is where I spend most of my time these days.

So, make jokes about the SUP all you want, it's not for everybody, and at 21 years old I probably would have thought it was gay like you, but as time goes on you'll find that you care less about what people think and more about having fun. I can say without a doubt I have more fun on the SUP than I ever thought possible. If you can't take me seriously just because the letters SUP are at the end of my screenname then that's on you, but just know that it's just a screename and not what I identify with as a person, it's just one of my many wave riding crafts.

 

I can affirm brewenginneer & DawnPartrolSUP's assessment. Yesterday was a good example. Knee high, semiclean, low tide, not very good conditions at my regular break. Yet, there were 6 or 7 SUPers, myself included, having a blast at dawn patrol, cut'n up, catching waves, sun, and fresh salty air, in waves that were not inviting to other craft. Additionally, when it's super flat, you can get a super core workout or explore inlets and tributaries.

Granted, I am in my 50's, I do skate (now mainly to cross-train for surfing), and got a late start at surfing, however, a SUP is a nice craft to have, and the designs continue to progress, and they can be surfed well.

I do understand the angst towards SUPs, mainly drawn by some people who are ignorant of or disregard etiquette, but if we are honest, etiquette and safety violations are not exclusive to riders of SUPs. SUPs just can be more dangerous when not handled skillfully, however, I wouldn't want to take a short board in the noggin either.

 

I skateboarded for about 12 years, before I found surfing. Was damn good too, but as you get older you get tired of nursing injuries all the time. It's a brutal sport when you get to the higher skill levels. Sure I get banged up from surfing here and there but falling on water feels a lot better than concrete or wood, and most of all I don't miss racking myself by falling on a rail anymore when doing a board slide or grind.

 

ain't nothing wrong with skating....I opted to stay far far away from the crowds this weekend and got 3 solid days in of longboarding. Good times....

 

Nice, ever heard of Jeff Lenoce? That's my boy from back in the day, ended up going pro, think he was with Birdhouse for a while, not quite sure what he's up to these days. He had a mini vert ramp in his backyard that we use to mess around on and a quarterpipe and launch ramp out front in the culdesac that we would launch from. Dude was always better than me, his parents had the funds to send him to all the clinics and stuff and my parents were just trying to make ends meet, we lost touch when we went on to different schools but I would see him on vids every now and then.

As for getting an SUP when you are old and fat, well, if you think you can do it, it's not as easy as it looks, and 90% of people who are any good on them, are anything but fat, if anything, they are more shreaded than most surfers. But I do see plenty of fat guys on them, but they gotta start somewhere.