THE BIG CHAD REPORT: THE NEW QUAD ON THE BLOCK

First off lets do a cedar paddle update. The wood was cut the morning that I left Oregon and all experts in the field tell me that I need to let it cure before trying to make a paddle out of it. It is killing me watching it sit there, wetting it down every couple of days to make sure it doesn't cure too fast and split. I can't wait to cut into that thing and see how it goes. The story is coming trust me no one is as anxious as I am.

Pinky has the new quad being sold by Isle Surfboards. Isle is coming on strong with a whole new line of stand up paddle boards- definitely worth checking out. The one he had was a nice looking shade of grey with green pin striping. It stood out and looked good. It was only his second day on the board but you wouldn't know if he didn't tell you. He was charging as always and doing it without a leash, what a stud!

I have seen Isle boards before, two friends down here started off on some, bet they weren't like this. I decided to walk in John's footsteps and and take a little investigative field trip. I had never been to Isle before so I got the address and put it into my Garmin, off I went.

I was pretty impressed. The shop was actually different than I expected. It was small but real cool and they have some great racks that actually hang the boards by plugging into fin slots which allows them to feature a large number of boards with no clutter. Their heavy output to online customers works out great for those of us in San Diego though because we get to take advantage of killer prices and avoid the shipping charge. But with the prices these guys offer and with the package deals they sell I have got to say that even with shipping charges you are going to get a lot for your money at this place. If you are out there checking out this site, interested in getting a board for exercise, enjoyment, or to surf this place is worth checking out.

This is Isle's second model of stand up boards and it looks like an interesting one. Their first model came in three different sizes, 12'0, 11'0 and 10'6. Their new deep swallow tail board comes in two different sizes, 10'0 and 11'0. I was really interested in the 10'0 which is 28 and a half inches wide and 4 and a quarter inches thick (the 11'0 was 29" and 4 and a half). This board felt really light for its size. It is made with perhaps the next generation of epoxy (?), EPX2, closed cell foam core and 8 oz. glass. It feels solid, yet light. The board comes with a future quad fin set up and includes all four fins.

Another thing that Pinky showed me out in the water yesterday and that I had to check out in the store was their new Isle brand stand up paddles. These look very similar to the C4, they are made with carbon fiber and seem really nice. The shaft is what I was impressed with. It feels thick. Not thick as in bigger or more difficult to grip, it just feels like when you grab it, there are a lot more wraps of carbon fiber between your thumb and fingers. It felt nice and sturdy. Compared to my hyper light C4 paddle it seems that the shaft Isle has made is a bit thicker. Will that translate to a longer lasting and more difficult to break paddle for those of us who are frustrated with the short life of paddles out there today? I'm not sure, but I would say the thicker shaft is a good start.

They also add the package deal. When you buy a board you have the option of paying an extra $299 and you get the traction pad (I paid $120 for mine), a paddle (mine cost $320), a paddle bag (didn't buy one because they were $79), and a leash (about $30). When I bought my first new board it would have cost me $598 for all that gear. In fact I just added a 10'0 quad fin board and the package deal a shopping cart online and the total was only $1094. Hard to beat a package deal with everything you need for a little under $1100 bucks. My wife wants to get into paddling flat water with me and I think Isle may be the place to get her started in the sport. Check it out!

Lessons and rentals are still available. Take advantage of summer! Cool off after a hard days work, schedule an afternoon lesson. It gets dark late, take a weekday paddle lesson now! The water is warm and the conditions are perfect. Give it try. Rentals are also available. Think you want to try it on your own? Give it a shot. Contact paddlesurfbaja@gmail.com, or call John at 619-213-6622.