Here's an excellent interview with the Grand Master of Downwind Paddling Mark Raaphorst

The only one thing I totally disagree with what Mark says is about the Hollow Boards yes they are a lot stronger but 100% styrofoam board goes way better in the ocean, I hate hollow boards.

Mark also talks about Prone Paddleboards I agree with what Mark says Prone Paddleboarding is fun I do both, it's great all round fitness to mix it up (using different muscles) plus it helps you read the ocean better, but Stand Up is way more fun.

Just look at the size of Marks brain you can see why he's a Genius.

Thanks Phil.. great vid.

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Downwinder said..
Here's an excellent interview with the Grand Master of Downwind Paddling Mark Raaphorst

The only one thing I totally disagree with what Mark says is about the Hollow Boards yes they are a lot stronger but 100% styrofoam board goes way better in the ocean, I hate hollow boards.

Mark also talks about Prone Paddleboards I agree with what Mark says Prone Paddleboarding is fun I do both, it's great all round fitness to mix it up (using different muscles) plus it helps you read the ocean better, but Stand Up is way more fun.

Just look at the size of Marks brain you can see why he's a Genius.

Why you'd hate hollow boards is beyond me......

I've got no experience with hollow boards. On the face of it, a hollow board would bother me because of the thought that in an extreme event like if you folded your board or a catastrophic ding you could be left with nothing to hold onto to float you. How much inherent flotation do these things have?

Do hollow boards make a lot more noise than styrofoam ones? What is the typical weight saving, and how much more ding-resistant are they, and how hard to fix are they?

Mark Raaphorst is a class act. Him and Jim Terrell are both masters of using video formats to promote their brand. They put in the effort to communicate with their potential customers in that way and it has paid dividends. These videos really make me feel that Mark (and Jim) understand the issues I am dealing with as a regular SUPer, and are doing everything they can in terms of innovation to address them in a sensible way, rather than just trying to part me from my money by presenting the latest gimmick and maximising the distance between per unit production cost and the price I'll pay at the shop.

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PeterP said...

Downwinder said..
Here's an excellent interview with the Grand Master of Downwind Paddling Mark Raaphorst

The only one thing I totally disagree with what Mark says is about the Hollow Boards yes they are a lot stronger but 100% styrofoam board goes way better in the ocean, I hate hollow boards.

Mark also talks about Prone Paddleboards I agree with what Mark says Prone Paddleboarding is fun I do both, it's great all round fitness to mix it up (using different muscles) plus it helps you read the ocean better, but Stand Up is way more fun.

Just look at the size of Marks brain you can see why he's a Genius.

Why you'd hate hollow boards is beyond me......

From memory of phils writings I think he hit a reef or something on a hollow sic in his first crossing and it sank

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laceys lane said..


From memory of phils writings I think he hit a reef or something on a hollow sic in his first crossing and it sank

Paddled new F16 yet?

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Nozza said..

laceys lane said..


From memory of phils writings I think he hit a reef or something on a hollow sic in his first crossing and it sank

Paddled new F16 yet?

tomorrow in the flats- easy. come back from a hernia operation

I've got a Naish Javelin MC which is full carbon monocoque - it's amazing. 4-5 years and not one hole in shell despite being run into concrete walls etc etc. The carbon must be 3mm thick in the shell and the board weighs 11kg for 280 liters. It's super stiff and does make some noise if you jump on it. I'm not sure if it has separate airtight chambers so it might sink if punctured. I reckon they could have made that board 2kg lighter no problem.....

Help me please Mr Wizard

i have heard stories of hollow boards still being paddled when full of water, you still have a fair amount of foam in the skin in most cases along with other internal structures so you do have some buoyancy there and it wouldn't be hard to have a lot with the aid of some small bladders inside. skin strength depends on the construction but generally you have a sandwich so its going to be a lot stronger than a single skin. A eps core is 3-4 kg so that can go straight into the outer skin if you want it stronger. As far as dings go you are better off with hollow as you can fully dry it out and the repairs are better than that of a standard board however they are a little more complex. The main problems with hollow is molds are expensive and once you have the old made you can't change the design. You can also only build one board at a time in them so it makes manufacturing slower than that of foam core which is most probably why you don't see more hollow boards being made.