Topics for discussion

1. Board and paddle nomenclature used in lessons

2. Leash during lessons; yes/no/when/what

3. First aid kit during lessons: yes/no/when/what

4. Typical frequent accidents that happen during lessons or river inspections

5. Throw bag, the most common rescue tool for canoeists: personal statistics on actual use with sup

6. Clothing and equipment for students and for the instructor

7. Which fins?

8. Which paddles?

9. Which pfd?

10. How many handles on the board?

Paddle

Summary on our discussion about PADDLES for river sup.

Paddle Type

- Andrea only uses one-piece paddles, tolerates adjustable (2-piece) paddles for students, and despises 3-piece ones. Andrea says that each split in the paddle is a weak point and causes localized stiffness. Furthermore, the adjustment point hinders the fluidity of the hands movement during the grip transition.

- Alessandra prefers one-piece paddles, but sometimes uses two-piece ones.

- Tom uses and accepts both: he finds it useful to be able to adjust the length based on water and wind conditions, even though he admits to almost never adjusting his paddle length.

- Marla shares Tom's view and says she uses Leverlock adjustable system.

- Andrea appreciates the Leverlock system, but in his experience it is a delicate system, subject to rust, breakages, malfunctions, blockages.

Paddle Material

- Andrea prefers aluminum shaft and plastic blade

- Alessandra prefers carbon shaft and plastic blade

- Tom also prefers carbon shaft and plastic blade

- Marla prefers full carbon paddle

Paddle Handle

- Andrea uses a non-ergonomic, symmetrical plastic handle with ends designed to be able to attach the handle of a sup or a kayak or a leash or a branch

- Tom uses ergonomic carbon handle but finds Andrea's view interesting

- Alessandra uses ergonomic carbon handle

- Marla uses ergonomic carbon handle

Paddle Blade

- Andrea prefers large blade in line with shaft and slightly concave (spoon-shaped)

- Alessandra prefers medium-sized blade in line with shaft and slightly concave (spoon-shaped)

- Tom prefers medium-sized blade in line with shaft, flat and squared

- Marla prefers small blade in line with shaft, flat and squared

Paddle Lenght

- Andrea and Alessandra: height + 30cm. For students: height + 20cm

- Tom and Marla: height. For students: height + 10cm

Paddle Color

- Andrea, Alessandra, Tom agree that at least blade should be of a very visible color. Tom uses a colored sticker on the blades of his students' paddles.

- Marla prefers carbon blade, thus black

Spare Paddle

No one brings a spare paddle on board.

Leash

Summary on our discussion about LEASHES for river sup.

- Andrea has been using a leash of his own invention for many years, very simple and light: a coil with a plastic hook at one end to attach to the board and a small alu carabiner at the other end to attach to the quick release strap of the river pfd vest. Max extension: 3-4 meters. This is still the best solution for him, although he is aware of the problem that the coil can get wrapped around the body or a branch. Andrea doesn't like fancy, complicated systems, because they can become unreliable under stress. And it's precisely under stress that the leash release system must be able to be activated instinctively, without thinking. The very fashionable waist belt has the drawback that it can rotate around the body. The PFD belt, on the other hand, is a system used for decades by millions of people in canoeing, so it's very reliable and safe. Andrea doesn't want a leash with self detachment under stress: he wants to decide if and when releasing it.

- Alessandra adopts Andrea's system, with similar leash attached to her river pfd

- Tom has tested various systems, but is still not satisfied with his solution for attaching the leash to the body through waist belt. Tom shares the Andrea's views that: the buckle with the ball for releasing the leash should always be at the front and not rotate around the hip under stres, and that the paddler should decide if releasing the leash. Anyway, leash should have max extension 3m.

- Marla uses the Palm leash. It has a hook-and-loop (Velcro) fastener at each end, and by adjusting that fastener Marla sets how the leash releases — either so that it opens by itself once a certain pull is reached, or so that it can only be released via the quick-release, that is, the quick-release at the hip belt or at the quick-release system of the PFD (life jacket). Unlike a coiled leash it is an elastic strap, and that is exactly what Marla values about it: in her experience it is far less likely to wrap around the body. Marla attaches the leash to the ring of her PFD using a quick-release system. She considers this superior to attaching it to a waist belt, because at the PFD ring it cannot slip, so the quick-release reliably stays in its intended position. When it comes to instruction, Marla’s view is clear: a group she only trains for a few days should use a leash attached to the back of a proper river PFD. If, however, she trains a group over a longer period, she deliberately works towards them being able to manage without a leash — particularly when training on slalom courses.

Helmet

Summary on our discussion about HELMETS for river sup.

- Andrea wears a kayak helmet with ear protection, worn with a synthetic cap to benefit from the protection of the visor for sunshine and rain. He recommends a water sports helmet to his students.

- Alessandra uses the same system as Andrea.

- Tom uses multisport helmets without ear protection. He appreciates the guidance Andrea gives his students about watersports helmets and will do the same in the future.

- Marla wears a kayaking helmet that fits very tightly and therefore has a function similar to neoprene: it holds the water against the head, warms it and allows little water exchange. For participants in a whitewater SUP course, however, water-sports helmets from kayaking, water skiing or wakeboarding are usually sufficient.

Shoes

Summary on our discussion about SHOES for river sup.

- Andrea wears regular barefoot shoes with synthetic socks or neoprene socks. He recommends light walking boots in a larger size for his students, so that the ankles are protected and blood circulation is maintained despite thick socks or neoprene socks.

- Tom wears low-top sneakers in a smaller size, removing the insoles when wearing neoprene socks.

- Alessandra wears light walking boots in the right size with thick synthetic socks.

- Marla says it is important to wear shoes with a firm sole. She has already tried shoes from the kayaking range, but what she likes wearing most are her diving thick neprene boots.

PFD

Summary on our discussion about PFD for river sup.

- Tom: After a rib fracture, I use an impact vest because, in my opinion, the most important thing in rough water is getting back on the board as quickly as possible after a fall. With a regular life jacket, that's not so easy. The other advantage of an impact vest is that it protects the body all around. The disadvantage is that it offers less buoyancy, and hitting a rock is definitely not fun. For his students he recommends normal PFD without quick release strap.

- Andrea and Alessandra use and recommend proper river kayak PFD, then with quick release strap.

- Marla says that especially for beginners, it is important to have a PFD that is not too bulky, so that getting back onto the board remains easy. For advanced paddlers, a PFD with a quick-release system and ring is definitely recommended, so that the leash can be attached to it and no waist belt with a release system is needed. Marla also finds it helpful to have a pocket at the front of the PFD, in which a phone or cereal bars can be stowed and which is quickly at hand should an emergency arise. Marla cannot give a figure for the required buoyancy of the PFD.

Knee-pads

Summary on our discussion about KNEE-PADS for river sup.

- For Marla the ION K-Pact Select soft knee pads have proven to be the best. These are mountain-bike knee pads that cover both the knee and the shin and are at the same time marketed by the manufacturer for surfing. Marla would not recommend knee and shin guards with a hard shell — the reason being a shin bruise caused by a hard-shell protector that took several weeks to heal. Yet, for cost reasons, her beginners in whitewater are equipped by Marla with a pair of hard shell knee pads that include shin protection.

- Andrea does not anymore use knee-pads often, but when needed he prefers and recommend to his students hard shell knee-pads for downhill. 

- Alessandra uses knee-pads often, same kind of Andrea's.

- Tom uses knee-pads often, same kind described by Andrea.

Throw-bag

Summary on our discussion about THROW-BAG for river sup.

- Tom takes his 20m throw-bag always with him, secured with a strap to the stern of the board.

- Andrea and Alessandra take their 15m throw-bag in their waist-bag.

- Marla has attached her throw bag to a waist belt, to which she could in theory also attach the leash. The waist belt has a quick-release system to get free of the belt as fast as possible. It is a system by Level Six with the matching waist belt and a throw bag is 16m in length.