Stand up paddleboarding on Old Hickory Lake
I read about standup paddleboarding a couple of years ago...it's been big in Hawaii and on the west coast for years. I always thought I'd like to surf, but knew those big waves would scare the living hell out of me. If you're not familiar with SUP, it's a big ol' surfboard-like board, that basically, you stand up on, and paddle. Now, there are those that surf with them, and some ride them down the river rapids...here in lakelizardland, I paddle up and down these back coves and hope I don't get a big wake off of a boat....HEY, don't laugh, it's a work in progress.
I decided to get an ULI board, which is made in California, and is an inflatable board, but it ain't you're average blow up raft. I got the 11' Steamroller Uli, which weighs 32 lbs, and you wouldn't know it's an inflatable (well, once inflated!) The Uli has a reputaion for being bulletproof...we'll see. The advantages of the inflatables are storage, this one deflates to fit in a standard duffle bag, and portability, it's actually carryon size for traveling. This would have been a lot of fun on island trips.
I got in touch with the company owner, and he recommended the Uli Steamroller 11' board for me (for the large and clumsy, no doubt!) I wound up buying from Stand On Liquid out of Oregon...they made somewhat of a deal for me with a board/paddle package...the deal clincher was free shipping. The boards seem to be about the same price, maybe more in some places. I dealt with a nice guy, Nolen, who was very informative, and within a week, I had my board.
Within 20 min of getting the package, I was in the neighbors pool with the board and paddle. Very little room to maneuver, but enough to get the feel of what I was trying to do. What followed was about 30 min of ass-busting falls...the good thing about this is, when you fall, you hit water. And then, you start to get the feel...and you feel it in your feet, legs and back.
The next day, I took it to the lake, and slowly got a little more steady until I could make it to the end of my cove and back. Now, a month or so later, I'm paddling with a lot more confidence...making some back cove trips up to about 4 miles or so. If you get tired of standing, you can always kneel and paddle, or just sit on the board and take a break. Too hot?...take a cool off dip in the lake.
I just hate to see winter coming, I don't think I'll be a winter-time paddler. But it'll be a good reason to look forward to next summer, or maybe take an island trip and try it out over the reefs. Probably one of the best things about SUP, it's great exercise for those of us who are allergic to exercise.
See you on Old Hickory Lake...I'll be the only one in my area paddling 'round on a surf board...listening to folks saying, "what the hell was that?!"
hbsongs 948 overandout
Hey HB. Couple weeks ago while we were at Centerhill a guy from Lebanon that has houseboat down from Jimmy's was paddle boarding! He has two custom made wooden ones very cool!
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