Stand up paddling is the new fitness and sports competition craze. But, does it have a practical application? That is the challenge Corran gave us over a beer last October in San Clemente. Jessica and I were anchored out in Dana Point and we would have our morning tea watching people race each other in flat water on surf style SUPs. Corran then curiously asked why we did not bring our Stand Up Boards on the boat? The simple answer was durability. As we mentioned this to Corran, the master of displacing water, he chuckled and said get in the car. He took us to the Imagine factory and showed us his new displacing hull plastic SUPs. Once at the factory our imaginations ran wild with the possibilities of these boards and our 8 month cruising plan. In October 2010 we left San Francisco on our Catalina 34 sailboat with the Sea of Cortez being our destination. This was an adventure full of surfing, kiteboarding, diving, fishing and now Stand up Paddling!
This brings me to the first reason we love the Imagine SUP boards so much- they are made out of plastic and are practically indestructible. We store them on deck when we are underway or down below if we leave the boat unattended. Secondly, the hull is not flat like a surf style SUP so they have a very practical application on a boat. They have become the utility skiff, kedging a stern anchor in refracting swell, paddling trash ashore, prop repairs in Bahia Tortuga, boot stripe and bottom cleaning, fishing, Shore pound surf beach landings in San Juanico without getting pooped in a dinghy and an outboard. Our inflatable dinghy has been sitting dormant for months!!!
Our stand up paddle boards have changed our boat life in many ways; they are practical and fun. On New Years we were kiting Caleta Partida and the wind died, but is was able to stand on the Imagine Sup and continue my session, not powered, but FUN! In addition to using our SUP boards daily for the variety of practical applications mentioned above, they also provide one thing that all cruisers need more of:
exercise!
We have truly enjoyed sharing our boards with fellow cruisers who also dig paddling them as they are ridiculously stable and if you can stand, you can paddle! They are a great conversation starter, and everyone keeps asking us where we got our cool new boards…I believe next year, they will be the standard!
In conclusion, the Imagine SUP boards have been a very practical, fun and reliable, experience- enhancing addition to our trip and we cannot IMAGINE cruising without them in the future. Thank you, Corran and the Imagine team!
