Look at that - and then tell yourself 'It's inflatable' - Just check it out. The board may start off life in Asia but the guys at ULI spend hours applying and custom tuning the rocker strips, which are what makes a surf board surf, and then fitting the paddle carries, the leash rings and the deck grip all sourced from stateside suppliers. Nett result a 18 lb, travel easy, FULL ON stable wave magnet.
At least I hope so - conditions have been pretty dire since my Lopez arrived. Desparate to get out and have a bash but the forecast is not looking good for the week. Have to slake your thirst with some ULI porn
First impressions - I did not see what the fuss was about. I was expecting something super thin and fragile but the build of the Lopez did not seem any different from the Steamroller UNTIL I put it our scales -
18lbs !!!thats lighter than my Naish and that's lighter than a very light celebrity that's just discovered the joy's of Bulimia.The pump is new too - the old pumps shift a fair amount of air but get a little bit under geared as the boards get to full pressure 15 - 18 psi - the new one may take a few more strokes BUT it's soooo easy - no more swinging off the handle like an Olympic Pummel horse master. Wth little down force and about 250 strokes I got the board to 11psi - did not go any further but the pump is excellent.
Black fibre glass full length rocker strips run from end to end top and bottom. and contrast boldly with the grey board material. The deck grip mimics the rocker strip.
Regarding the rocker strips these are Jim Weir's words 'The three layers are applied by us in San Diego, they set the rocker and stiffen the board . . . . We assemble the fins, D-rings, tie-downs for carrying, and the deck pad.'
He then followed that up with 'Back to work, tomorrow, early surf with Steamroller, Lopez, Chris Koerner and Munoz, hope there's waves.'
So I guess it should be just fine!!
Which means I'm reluctantly going to be selling My 11' ULI - Great travel board - bomb proof construction 18 months old - Excellent condition £575 - includes Pump and canvas bag - pictures all over this site http://csx355.blogspot.com/2008/01/uli-11-stand-up-paddle-board.html more if required. The board is white with a white and blue logo'd full deck grip and blue rocker strip. The grip is just beginning to lift at a few edges but easily re-stuck down. Three fin thruster set up.
5 comments:
so... have you ridden your lopez yet or just taken it out for a spin? report in when you can. i'm itching to buy one but only if it's fairly stable ie not an ordeal to stay on top of. and: what about glide? you know, the usual. thanks and keep up the good work!
Hi Erik - the weather here has been shocking since the board turned up - not just bad but vile - I thought 'Tonight's the night' - checked it out after work but no waves and a howling westerly cross offshore smack on low tide - just did not stir my soup in the least. Soon - promise. Thanks for staying with me.
no problemo. can't wait to hear how you like it!
Been hitting your site lately. Good work. I figured I'd shoot you my site.
http://web.me.com/lauders/Particle_Debris/
James_Blog/James_Blog.html
I've been doing a lot of gopro video work. Most footage is kiteboarding and mountain biking but I will be taking some SUP footage here soon. Let me know what you think of the footage. I'm always looking for new ideas. Later.
-James
Hi James - thanks for stopping by and taking a look - I am not the person to critique anyone's site really as I'm fundamentally lazy, which is why there are so few images on my blog - i'm more of a talker than a picture taker. Some thing I should address. Your's is image rich and very good ones. Might be because I don't use a Mac or down to my browser but some of the links end with this 'we can't find the iWeb page you've requested. It's possible that:' etc etc
Regards Steve
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