THE PENETRATOR

The paddlers muscles strain as he stands and digs deep into a solid six foot of South-East swell and 15 knots of following breeze, condition are perfect and the shoreline a blue smudge as he surges forward yet again. His Hi-Tech 16 foot craft triples in speed as it guides down the powerful open ocean swell. Master paddle craftsman and five time world outrigger champion Eugene (Woogie) Marsh is in his element. He rides the same swell for near a kilometre before resuming paddling only to sniff out another runner minutes later.

Welcome to the world of open ocean Stand up Paddle, the Sharp edge of the worlds fastest growing water sport.

Australian leaders, in stand up paddle board construction Laguna Bay Longboards utilises its team of waterman & craftsman to create Australia’s first 16ft open ocean stand up paddle board. Paddling one of these boards can offer everything from a light workout in the river to an aquatic marathon. It has been named the ‘penetrator’ and it has caused quite a stir amongst the waterman community with many people seeing the fitness benefits of a great core workout and an adrenalin rush to go with it

The advanced hull has been designed to drive through choppy conditions and glide for kilometres on open ocean swells. The project has been headed by Laguna bay Longboards Stuart Campbell, he brings to the table over 35yrs of surfboard and boat building experience. Also master paddle craftsman and 5 times outrigger world champ Eugene [Woogie] Marsh, not to forget stand up paddle freak world tandem champ Chris de Aboitiz and the backing of the whole Noosa surf works team.

The board has a Styrofoam core with a chambered red wood stringer; it also features a carbon Kevlar rail lay up to dial in the perfect flex to flow ratio. The board is finished in an epoxy gel coat to keep it light and super strong. The board only weighs around 13 kg pretty amazing for something that big. It also features carry handles, life jacket holders and a foot rudder system for those looking to get real serious.

With stand up paddle surfing becoming the fastest growing water sport ever quote New York times 15/06/06 front page, this is defiantly a sport worth keeping an eye on. Also we would like to thank the Hawaiians for keeping the tradition of the true water man alive.

TSJ