Sorry if this is a stupid question...

I want to get a prone board to give me some variety to my stand up race training. I’m trying to decide between a 12’ stock Bark Commander or a 10’6” club style board. I live in the U.S. so most people around here have 12’ – 14’ stock boards but I can’t help but think the 10’6” would be really fun to play around in the surf and downwind with and be a lot more convenient to store and transport.

I was just hoping to get some opinions from people who own or have paddled both. I don’t plan on doing any prone distance racing but there are a few short “in and out” surf races with beach runs that I’ve been eyeing up. My main goals with the board would be cross training, playing around in the waves and downwinding.

Thanks for your input!

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JMarkel9 said..
Sorry if this is a stupid question...

I want to get a prone board to give me some variety to my stand up race training. I’m trying to decide between a 12’ stock Bark Commander or a 10’6” club style board. I live in the U.S. so most people around here have 12’ – 14’ stock boards but I can’t help but think the 10’6” would be really fun to play around in the surf and downwind with and be a lot more convenient to store and transport.

I was just hoping to get some opinions from people who own or have paddled both. I don’t plan on doing any prone distance racing but there are a few short “in and out” surf races with beach runs that I’ve been eyeing up. My main goals with the board would be cross training, playing around in the waves and downwinding.

Thanks for your input!

G'day JMarkel9 yes Downwind Prone Paddleboarding is fun I have a 10'6'' Lifeguard board I paddle all the time on the Gold Coast when the wind is NE small wind chop short period wind swells. It's good to mix up your training from Stand Up to Prone paddling for your muscles, as you get to use different muscles from Prone to Stand Up it's great fitness.

But if you're a hardcore Prone Paddleboarder I'd get my hands on a 18fter for Downwind and a 10'6'' for playing in the surf.


This was my first ever Unlimited 18fter Prone Paddleboard from 2003 before I defected to Unlimited Stand Up in 2007

If you've never done it, then you find out quickly that you'll need a strong neck and lower back, if you plan on knee paddling, then you'll need those plus very healthy knees. That is more of an age affected sport than SUPing is for us older types.
That's one reason that many of us (me included) got into SUPing, because our bodies couldn't take the prone anymore.
Good luck.

Think I understand where you are coming from JM. There is a lady around here (Kirra/Alley) who rides a "clubbie" board and really has a ball in the surf. Makes me (almost) want to get one and give it a go!

Hi JM

If for playing around on waves and fitness only, a clubbie 10'6 will mean lots of fun. If for downwind, start at a stock 12' and move up in length as your weight and distance intended require. You can also get a 12' clubbie style board. Hobie makes one, or get a custom shaped.
Either way, you need to master knee paddling, since once on a bump, or wave, surfing is much easier on knees.
If you have a swimming background you will have a blast of a crosstraining effect. Upwinds are easy on a prone paddleboard, actually, eliminating the need to shuttle upwind on some downwind courses.
As for age, as long as one takes care of strength, flexibility and balance, prone paddling is quite tame on the body. Many neck and low back issues that flare up on a prone paddleboard come from pre existing postural deficiencies and, if taken care of in the gym, will be easier to resolve on the prone paddleboard. Just don't attempt to go from a full time desk job to a prone board.

there are a few of us here as well who have been doing a bit of cross training prone paddling our narrow race boards during training to mix it up a bit, when its windy we prone up wind and stand back down and if we do bop training we alternate the legs one prone one stand one prone ect, with a lot of paddlers not having any back ground in surfing I think its pretty important to be able to prone to say the least!

However this has now inspired me to build myself a prone board to do a little more and maybe instead of doing some of the very short down wind runs we do standing to maybe start doing them prone but I have no real knowledge of what boards going to be most suited. I think I will go 12' for ease of transporting to start with. Most that I have seen seam to have ether a very wide tail of a complete pin tail like a ace but cant decide what is best to start with for a bit of everything so any advice from you guys that prone would be great.

Google kracka or Bennett surfboards. Surf clubs here compete on 'prone' paddle boards.

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charlieuk said...
there are a few of us here as well who have been doing a bit of cross training prone paddling our narrow race boards during training to mix it up a bit, when its windy we prone up wind and stand back down and if we do bop training we alternate the legs one prone one stand one prone ect, with a lot of paddlers not having any back ground in surfing I think its pretty important to be able to prone to say the least!

However this has now inspired me to build myself a prone board to do a little more and maybe instead of doing some of the very short down wind runs we do standing to maybe start doing them prone but I have no real knowledge of what boards going to be most suited. I think I will go 12' for ease of transporting to start with. Most that I have seen seam to have ether a very wide tail of a complete pin tail like a ace but cant decide what is best to start with for a bit of everything so any advice from you guys that prone would be great.

Build a prone board, yes !
Allow me to provide a rough description of my favorite prone board: soft rail, with a roundish bottom front to back, voluminous plumb bow, a slight rocker on the front half with wide point just ahead of center, behind which point, the rocker is dead flat on the spine, ending on a sharp pintail. Knee wells, chest rise and deep cockpit. This, on a 12', Surftech Bark Commander.
This design seems to produce endless glide, ease to catch tiny bumps and surprising maneuverability. It goes so well, that my peers on sup have started to look into the concept.
That said, there's also the LahuiKai shape, which I am trying to demo locally, and has a very interesting design. It features a narrower piercing bow, single concave bottom with chined rails, ending on a square tail.

how do the pin tails fair in the surf? I was watching some vids and the pin tails look a lot more tippy but im not to worried about the learning process.

There is a 10'6 in the shape 3d warehouse of a recue style wide tail board which provides a bit of a staring point if I go that direction.

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charlieuk said...

how do the pin tails fair in the surf? I was watching some vids and the pin tails look a lot more tippy but im not to worried about the learning process.

There is a 10'6 in the shape 3d warehouse of a recue style wide tail board which provides a bit of a staring point if I go that direction.

I had a 10'6, racing mal ( rescue board design ), which I surfed in small weak waves several times. The square tail provided more stability on the wave, and with a forward finbox, was very maneuverable. Lots of fun !
That said, the 12' pintail is my preferred design for unbroken swells, downwind and any types of ripples, because the glide is never ending.
Tippinness is to be expected on any 20" wide board, specially on knee paddling, even prone at first, and particularly, coming from wide sup designs. One has to develop very specific postural reactions.
But, I have found that the rounder design of the 12' offers better secondary stability than the flatter bottomed racing mal. Initial stability, less on the rounder bottomed design,, with practice and a nice skeg, is very doable.
If for surfing tiny waves, go the rescue board way. For distance and downwind, the longer 12' + boards are missile fast.

Cheers thanks for that I'm struggling to deside my ocean sup is 24 wide and my flat water 21" I know it defeats the object a little bit I'm wondering if I build a 20 or 21 wide vershion of my ocean sup which is very prone like so I could learn to sup it too, there would be no way of doing it on something with a rounded bottom though. But then maybe I should just do a proper 12' pin tail and go all out.

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charlieuk said...
Cheers thanks for that I'm struggling to deside my ocean sup is 24 wide and my flat water 21" I know it defeats the object a little bit I'm wondering if I build a 20 or 21 wide vershion of my ocean sup which is very prone like so I could learn to sup it too, there would be no way of doing it on something with a rounded bottom though. But then maybe I should just do a proper 12' pin tail and go all out.

I believe that even though prone and stand up boards share general design features, if you're going to shape a dedicated prone board, go for the rounder bottomed shape, specially if only 12 feet long. This will give glide and the least drag possible, even though the idea of standing on it will not be feasible. Don't despair, the balance you will gained by knee paddling a rounder bottomed prone board will carry over into sup paddling.

My prone Bark, in the center area, under which one kneels, is less rounded than the bow and stern, and the rails just there shaped into a " tumblehome "configuration. I believe this helps with knee paddling stability. The rails on the bow are quite rounded, to reduce windage, and the rails on the stern are a combination of flare and spine, allowing for tracking and maneuverability once the tail is sunk to initiate a change of direction.
Got some pictures I can share if you want.
Keep us posted on your proyect!

Cool cheers yea some pics would be great I haven't ever realy studied there shape for a long time. I think your right a full on 12' pin tail it will be.

I'll be going in my first Prone Paddleboard race since 2007 almost 10 years.

My best mate Blair Thorndike has talked me into the 4th of July race on Oahu, I'd say I'll be borrowing a 12ft Bark.

Blair is a very hard core Prone paddle boarder (does M2O ever year since day one) & we are the same age so I'll have someone to challenge with, loser shouts a carton of corona's for $18 it's a good bet because the loser gets to drink the beers as well.

My favourite Prone Paddleboard of all time plus it was super fast weighed under 12 kilos 18 feet by 20'' inch wide

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charlieuk said...
Cool cheers yea some pics would be great I haven't ever realy studied there shape for a long time. I think your right a full on 12' pin tail it will be.

Pictures coming, just a few perspectives on the Bark rocker and cockpit. A few more of the bow and stern coming. The carrying handle is the reference point for the middle of the board, and deepest area of the knee wells. Also, from there, the bow rocker increases and the stern rocker, as seen taking the central spine as reference, flattens.

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Downwinder said...
My favourite Prone Paddleboard of all time plus it was super fast weighed under 12 kilos 18 feet by 20'' inch wide

Downwinder, that's a very nice looking board! I imagine, that, being that long and narrow, it had to be super fast.

A local peer is selling an 18'×18", flatwater design. I haven't taken advantage of his offer because the 12' is so easy to store and transport. Besides, the rudder and tiller thing keep me away from it's potential speed, and i love downwinders more than flatwater.

...how did you compare your board with rudder vs a rudderless in general?

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Jouba said..

Downwinder said...
My favourite Prone Paddleboard of all time plus it was super fast weighed under 12 kilos 18 feet by 20'' inch wDownwinder, that's a very nice looking board! I imagine, that, being that long and narrow, it had to be super fast.

A local peer is selling an 18'×18", flatwater design. I haven't taken advantage of his offer because the 12' is so easy to store and transport. Besides, the rudder and tiller thing keep me away from it's potential speed, and i love downwinders more than flatwater.

...how did you compare your board with rudder vs a rudderless in general?

I learnt on the Unlimited so the Rudder became second nature

WOW 18''wide is Bulk Narrow I think you'd wanna be under 75kg or 165 Pounds Jamie Mitchell's boards where all 20'' inches wide and he is the best in the world 10 times M2O champion but his boards weighed in at 9 kilos (the board only had a life span of say 6 months before falling apart)

12ft Proneboards are fun but Unlimited Proneboards are faster and way more fun.

Yes I love Downwinding MORE THAN Flatwater, to.

I guess at 18'' inch wide would be excellent in the flat

My very first Unlimited Prone board was 18ft by 17'' inches wide (see photo up top of page) but it was for Prone only not Kneeling up, when I first started I couldn't Kneel (it was brutal learning how to Kneel) it took me about 2 years to master it as I've just been a surfer all my life with no Clubbie back ground.

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Downwinder said..

Jouba said..

Downwinder said...
My favourite Prone Paddleboard of all time plus it was super fast weighed under 12 kilos 18 feet by 20'' inch wDownwinder, that's a very nice looking board! I imagine, that, being that long and narrow, it had to be super fast.

A local peer is selling an 18'×18", flatwater design. I haven't taken advantage of his offer because the 12' is so easy to store and transport. Besides, the rudder and tiller thing keep me away from it's potential speed, and i love downwinders more than flatwater.

...how did you compare your board with rudder vs a rudderless in general?

I learnt on the Unlimited so the Rudder became second nature

WOW 18''wide is Bulk Narrow I think you'd wanna be under 75kg or 165 Pounds Jamie Mitchell's boards where all 20'' inches wide and he is the best in the world 10 times M2O champion but his boards weighed in at 9 kilos (the board only had a life span of say 6 months before falling apart)

12ft Proneboards are fun but Unlimited Proneboards are faster and way more fun.

Yes I love Downwinding MORE THAN Flatwater, to.

I guess at 18'' inch wide would be excellent in the flat

My very first Unlimited Prone board was 18ft by 17'' inches wide (see photo up top of page) but it was for Prone only not Kneeling up, when I first started I couldn't Kneel (it was brutal learning how to Kneel) it took me about 2 years to master it as I've just been a surfer all my life with no Clubbie back ground.

I can see the rudder being a must for an Unlimited board since, i had the chance of paddling surfski years ago and the rudder was definitely necessary, although the foot operated rudders were a pleasure to handle on those skis. On a prone board, the tiller assembly on the deck, and the knee paddling, seem a bit awkward to me. I feel i could go up to a 14 ft and keep the rudderless simplicity. Or maybe i'm just plain ignorant on the subject and need to demo a ruddered prone paddleboard !

The peer who is selling his 18'x18" assured me the board was for flatwater only, he told me it's a very twitchy beast, and, now knowing about Mitcho's board's width confirms this. And i don't paddle flatwater much. I'm always either downwinding on the open waters or on a particular spot where i paddle where an opening to the ocean allows swells to come into a small bay.

I can relate to your very narrow first Unlimited Prone because at the time i paddled surfski, i had a 21'x17" Epic V10, which, for me, was for strictly flat water or glassy ocean use only. So tippy, yet, so fast !

This is what i love about prone boarding, which i also felt as a very positive trait of surfski: the endless glide of the long and narrow hulls. That said, i have to admit that the possibility of prone or knee paddling combined with a swimming background won me over surfski. And knee paddling to surf runners is just so cool !