Gear
Santa Monica Pier and the Honolua Surf Co. kick off the summer of 2012 with the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race
SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2012 - ALL DAY
The world famous Santa Monica Pier and the Honolua Surf Co. kick off the summer of 2012 with the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race and Ocean Festival, featuring paddleboard races, dory competitions, live music and a surfing, lifeguard and paddleboard "museum for the day."
The event is a benefit for Heal the Bay and its public marine education facility, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. Heal the Bay will receive a portion of net proceeds from the event.
The waterman "museum for the day" on the pier deck will feature antique surfboards, paddleboards and lifeguard equipment. Paddleboard racing was a popular Santa Monica sport in the 1940s with two paddleboard clubs headquartered on the pier.
All races start and finish on the sand immediately south of the pier. The standup paddle and traditional or prone paddleboard races feature a 5.5 mile long course and 2 mile "fun paddle," both of which take paddlers around the historic Santa Monica Pier and hug the coast. The SUP-only 4-person relay will pit teams of paddlers against each other. Each team must have at least one woman paddler.
PUMA/Laird Board Selected for Gear of Show Award by Outside Magazine
Title: Laird Hamilton stands in front of the PUMA/Laird Board at the Outdoor Retailer Demo Day. The board was selected by Outside Magazine for a 2011 Gear of the Show award. [CREDIT: Chris Aguilar/Soul Surf Media Productions]
The new PUMA/Laird Board, a limited-edition carbon fiber stand-up paddleboard (SUP), was selected by Outside Magazine for a 2011 Gear of the Show Award .
BOSTON, MA (August 8, 2011) – The new PUMA/Laird Board, a limited-edition carbon fiber stand-up paddleboard (SUP), was selected by Outside Magazine for a 2011 Gear of the Show Award at the Outdoor Retailer trade show on Friday. Outside editors named their favorite 10 outdoor gear products from Outdoor Retailer, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the PUMA/Laird Board was the lone watercraft to make this year’s list. PUMA, professional surfer Laird Hamilton and surfboard manufacturer Surftech introduced the PUMA/Laird Board at the trade show.
Hamilton teamed with renowned boat designer Juan Kouyoumdjian (Juan K), of Juan Yacht Design, to create the unique SUP. The board features the same Volvo 70 boat hull design – both ergonomically and through the use of the same ultra-lightweight materials – seen in PUMA’s Mar Mostro, the yacht set to compete in the nine-month around the world Volvo Ocean Race. Built in the United States by Clear Carbon and Components, Inc. (Bristol, R.I.) and distributed by Surftech (Santa Cruz, Calif.), the board marks the first time that boat hull design innovation have been used in stand-up paddleboards. The boards will be available at select retailers beginning in January 2012.
Read more: PUMA/Laird Board Selected for Gear of Show Award by Outside Magazine