Maui B's Paddle Board in Orlando Blog

By: Dorene Internicola

New York / Monday April 16, 2012 5:09 am EDT

(REUTERS) – Paddle boarding, an ancient form of surfing, is gaining popularity as a high-intensity,   platform for group fitness classes from calisthenics to yoga.

Experts say it may feel like walking on water because paddle boarding works on the flat water of a lake or pond and doesn’t involve waves.

“Paddle boarding is a form of surfing. A paddle board is basically a surfboard that’s thicker, more buoyant, so it can hold you standing up in flat water,” said Scott Bumbalough, founder of Maui B’s Stand Up Paddle Boarding, which is based in Florida.

“For fitness classes we take a one-hour lap around the lake,”he said, which in this case is Lake Ivanhoe in Orlando, Florida.  “Buoys are placed at intervals and at each buoy we do an exercise such as squats, push-ups, squat thrusts on the board.”

Bumbalough encountered paddle boarding, which probably dates back to ancient Polynesia, while living in Hawaii, where it was a popular way for surfers to train when the surf was down.

“It’s a high-intensity, low-impact workout, said Bumbalough.  “The class probably works about 85 percent of the muscles in the body.”

Peace, serenity, and six-pack abs are among the many benefits that have accrued to Nani Sadowski, a healthcare consultant, since she started exercising on the paddle board two years ago.

“I have a very stressful job, so it’s very relaxing to be on the water,” said Sadowski.

She also does paddleboard yoga, which she explained is a complete practice from sun salutations to the final resting pose done on the water.

“I prefer yoga on paddle board because you have to focus that much more on your balance, “said Sadowski. “You look down and see the water below you.  Any fear is more a question of mind over mater.”

Shirley Archer, a Florida-based fitness expert and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise, has tried paddle boarding and finds it is a very effective core workout that requires balance.

“You can’t fake it in the water… It provides you with immediate feedback,” Archer, who is a certified yoga and Pilates instructor, explained.  “Yoga on the paddle board simply expands on this concept because many yoga postures require good balance.”

She said that paddle boarding, while ideal for those seeking a new challenge, would likely work out only for people who enjoy the outdoors and who don’t mind getting wet.

Sadowski said she has only fallen off once, perhaps because there is one instructor for each five students in her class.

“They watch us like hawks the whole time,” she added.

Her devotion to paddle boarding has transformed her body.

“People always comment on how toned my arms are, how great my posture has become,” she explained.  “When I was off work for a couple of weeks I went out every day for two hours, “she said.

The result? I’m 38 years old and I actually got a six-pack.”

Visit us for a paddleboard fitness or yoga class at www.MauiB.com

Article from REUTERS  http://www.reuters.com

Maui B’s open 7 days a week 1-800-671-9905

KM Hawaii Board Company

Maui B’s Stand Up Paddleboarding is pleased to announce we are now carrying the full line of KM Hawaii Stand Up Paddleboards.  Born in Hawaii, KM Boards has evolved into a competition winning Board Company.  The range of boards caters to paddlers from beginner to expert and from kids to adults.

The company’s prerequisite for good boards is three-fold: shape, weight, and color are essentials in the KM line-up.  The Signature round nose boards allow a beginner to utilize the stability of the large surface area while offering surfers a concave nose to take on the waves.

KM’s color range caters to every taste – from White and Earth to our new girlie colors Chic and Sweet Vibe.  Our vacuum lite weight boards make maneuverability and transportation easy.  A new addition to the KM fleet this year is our new Soft SUP, perfect for school and rental fleets.

Check out our product line up at Maui B’s call 1-800-671-9905 to schedule a demo – boards start at $595.00 – www.MauiB.com  www.KMboards.com

The Story of Calusa Paddleboard Paddles

When inspiration strikes

One morning while surfing Matanzas Inlet in St. Augustine, I noticed several paddleboarders using the worst possible paddling form I’d ever seen.

Stand Up Paddleboarding isn’t any thing new, it’s been around over 3000 years.  The Peruvian Fishermen who are highly-skilled canoeists stand upright in dug out reed canoes to effectively pole and paddle in all conditions.  Tricky enough in a canoe, it’s quite another story while on a board trying to catch a wave.

The struggling paddleboarders gave me an idea and a challenge: Create a paddle supremely great for one thing only – controlling and steering a surfboard as efficiently, skillfully, and fun as possible.

And that’s how Calusa Paddles was born.

But first, a little history

The Calusa were a thriving, native southwest Florida tribe when the Europeans arrived in the 16th century.  Thanks to those very same Europeans, Calusa are no longer with us, but they once ruled nearly a quarter of the state, surviving mainly on the bounty of the sea.  Historians believe the Calusa traveled as far south as Cuba in canoes often lashed together (similar to our present-day catamaran).  They even constructed canals across Florida.  Their lives depended on the trade and fishing that their cypress canoes and paddles provided them.

I have visited most of the ancient shell mound sites of the Calusa and their ancestors over the past 20 years.

I’ve felt the strain on body and mind while crossing open water in all kinds of weather, water and wind conditions – with nothing but a wooden paddle in hand and a small vessel full of gear surrounding me.

These experiences have given me a deep feeling of kinship with (and a profound respect for) the native Florida peoples.  When I decided to transform my Carolina Carver paddle operation to include the new era of stand-up paddling, I also chose a new name: Calusa Paddles.

How Calusa paddleboard paddles help you

I remembered that as a fitness instructor, I had to work within every individual’s strength curve: the muscle is weakest at full extension/contraction and strongest between the two extremes.  So I focused on the problem that most vertical paddles have today: too much resistance at the top of the stroke.  Paddles like these may work fine in the hands of a professional, but for anyone else, the benefits are diminished.

I figured that those Matanzas Inlet paddleboarders needed a better, more useful paddle.  The answer is a blade designed that everyone – including elite athletes – can benefit from.  And that is an egg-shaped blade instead of the standard teardrop shape.

It’s all in the details

All Calusa paddleboard paddles get the same quality craftsmanship and components of my Carolina Carver canoe and kayak paddles.  The shape of the blade is the only difference.  Here is the list of ingredients:

Western Red Cedar, a wood respected by boat builders across the globe for its strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to decay, is the main component of Calusa Paddles.

ASH, another boat builder favorite and the choice when the strength of oak is needed without the extra weight, is the hardwood I use for the stringers in the shaft.

Basswood, composes the paddle grip in two blocks on each side of the shaft.

Kevlar, is embedded in strands in the epoxy that forms the blade edges.

Every paddle is laminated with West System Epoxy to give it the strength of a paddle made from solid hardwood.  After the final shaping, each paddle receives four coats of epoxy to seal the wood, then five coats of Bristol Urethane Acrylic to protect from abrasion and UV damage.  The final step for all paddles occurs when they are hand rubbed across the entire surface to give you that personal connection of an oiled-wood finish.

But wait – there’s more

Calusa Paddles for paddleboarding are available in three standard versions: Sand Dollar , Wood Luv and Naked Blade.

Wood Luv paddles feature purple-heart for the stringers in the blade – an extremely dense exotic hardwood that stands up well to the marine environment.  The Wood Luv grip also features a front and back face of purpleheart, and the paddle blade features an epoxy edge added for additional strength and durability, you can even choose the color of your paddle edge. Options are Blade size, Handle choice of T or Pear, blade length, paddle shaft length.

The Naked Blade grip features a front and back face of Ash.

Made -to-order custom paddles built to your individual specs are heartily encouraged.

Last but not least, who’s behind Calusa Paddles?

As a motor-free sailor and canoeist for more than 30 years in Florida, I started building bent and straight-shaft paddles in 1990 as Carolina Carver for canoe and kayak enthusiasts.  I’ve canoed more than 50 rivers and streams in Florida, paddled most of the lakes in both Carolinas, spend a summer leading excursions on the whitewater of the Chattanooga River, and solo-traveled months within Minessota’s Boundary waters and Canada’s Quetico.

In 2005, I launched my hand built 28-foot wooden sailboat ibis, based on florida’s first environmentalist Ralph Munroe’s Sharpie design. My love for water, woods and sky was nurtured as a child in Western North Carolina.  It exists in everything I do.

Order yours today at http://mauib.com/CALUSA_SUP_Paddles.php 1-800-671-9905

Yours in adventure,

Wayne Holbert

Designer-builder, Calusa Paddles for Paddleboarding

- Handmade in St. Augustine Florida

Founder, Carolina Carver canoe and kayak paddles

Expert canoe guide, wilderness survival instructor, strength-conditioning specialist

Maui B’s has all NEW 2012 Rental Fleet of Boards and Paddles in and ready for the Water – Only the best from NSP, McTavish, Walden, Tahoe, KM Hawaii and many more.   You will always be on the latest and most up to date equipment with Maui B’s – Open 7 Days a week from 7am til 7pm 1-800-671-9905 www.MauiB.com

Here’s the Paddleboard /SUP weather and surf report for Orlando, Daytona, New Smyrna and Cocoa Beach for today (Friday June 3rd, 2011)

Partly sunny. Highs around 90. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Daytona: SURF: 2-3 ft knee to waist high. Similar easterly windswell/swell continues today for the region. The surf may be just a touch smaller. Winds are light onshore and will pick up a notch later today.  Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

New Smyrna: SURF: 2-3 ft + thigh to chest high. Similar easterly windswell/swell continues today for the region. The surf may be just a touch smaller. Winds are light onshore and will pick up a notch later today. Mostly sunny. Breezy. Highs in the upper 80s. East winds 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.

Cocoa beach: SURF: 2-3 ft knee to waist high. Easterly windswell/swell continues today. Light onshore breezes are expected to increase some later. Looks pretty much the same as yesterday – maybe a touch smaller. Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Call Maui B’s Paddle Boarding for all your SUP / Stand Up Paddleboarding needs 1-800-671-9905 or visit us on the web at www.mauib.com

Our new retail location: 116 S. Semoran Blvd. Winter Park FL, 32792 inside the Fitness Showcase Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm

Hours for Lesson, Rentals, Eco-Tours, SUP Fitness, SUP Yoga 7am – 7pm 7 days a week. 1236 N. Orange Ave (Gaston Edwards Park – Lake Ivanhoe) Orlando FL. 32804. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

Here’s the Paddle Board weather and surf report for Orlando, Daytona, New Smyrna and Cocoa Beach for today (Sunday 29th 2011)

Orlando: Mostly sunny through late morning then becoming partly sunny. A slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Daytona: SURF: 1-2 ft knee to thigh high. Partly sunny. A slight chance of late morning showers. A slight chance of early afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

New Smyrna: SURF: 1-2 ft knee to thigh high. Partly sunny. A slight chance of late morning showers. A slight chance of early afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Cocoa Beach: SURF: 1-2 ft knee to thigh high.  Mostly sunny through late morning then becoming partly sunny. A slight chance of showers late in the morning. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms early in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Call Maui B’s Paddle Boarding for all your SUP / Stand Up Paddleboarding needs 1-800-671-9905 or visit us on the web at www.mauib.com

Our new retail location: 116 S. Semoran Blvd. Winter Park FL, 32792 inside the Fitness Showcase Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm

Hours for Lesson, Rentals, Eco-Tours, SUP Fitness, SUP Yoga 7am – 7pm 7 days a week. 1236 N. Orange Ave (Gaston Edwards Park – Lake Ivanhoe) Orlando FL. 32804. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

Here’s the Paddle Board weather and surf report for Orlando, Daytona, New Smyrna and Cocoa Beach for today (Saturday 28th 2011) some surf in NSB.

Orlando: Partly sunny. A slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Daytona: SURF: 1-2 ft ankle to knee high. Smaller background swell in the water today for the region. Barely any surf in the water with clean conditions. Paddleboards & Longboards may find something at the right spot/tide. Light S breezes. Partly sunny. A slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming east 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

New Smyrna: SURF: 1-2 ft knee to thigh high occ. 3 ft. Smaller background swell in the water today for the region. Barely any surf in the water with clean conditions. Paddleboards & Longboards may find something at the right spot/tide. Light S breezes.  Partly sunny. A slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming east 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Cocoa Beach: SURF: 1-2 ft ankle to knee high. Smaller surf in the water today for the region. Winds are light S/SE at first light and conditions are clean. The right spot may have enough of a wave for the paddleboards & longboards.  Partly sunny. A slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 80s. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming east around 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Call Maui B’s Paddle Boarding for all your SUP / Stand Up Paddleboarding needs 1-800-671-9905 or visit us on the web at www.mauib.com

Our new retail location: 116 S. Semoran Blvd. Winter Park FL, 32792 inside the Fitness Showcase Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm

Hours for Lesson, Rentals, Eco-Tours, SUP Fitness, SUP Yoga 7am – 7pm 7 days a week.

By TOM KNOX, Business writer

PONCE INLET — Scotty Bumbalough was a mortgage broker in New Smyrna Beach five years ago.

R.J. Murray and his brother Justin were working for an Orlando hedge fund in 2008.

And a month-and-a-half ago, Jeannette Hopkins was a stay-at-home mom in Daytona Beach.

All lived comfortable lives, and could have stayed that way. But a desire for the sea and an activity growing in popularity drew the local entrepreneuers to start their own paddleboard businesses in the Volusia County area.

Stand-up paddleboarding is rowing or surfing on a giant board, a paddle in hand. A small learning curve makes it more accessible than surfing, as do the beautiful views, exercise and walking-on-water feeling. Yoga and eco-tours are also popular on the boards. If boats are the airline jets of the water, paddleboards are the crop-dusters.

Its origins lie in Hawaii, and Americans on the West Coast in the early 2000s started to bring it national recognition. But only recently has the sport’s popularity grown on the East Coast.

Hawaii is what led Bumbalough to the sport, and its lack of exposure in Volusia led him to ditch his job as a mortgage broker. In 2006, the mortgage and housing industries began to show signs of turmoil. So that winter, he journeyed to Maui to surf.

“I did some soul searching,” said Bumbalough, 44. “I said, ‘What do I want to do as a career? Because I see the mortgage broker position coming to an end.’ This sort of fell into my lap. When one opportunity ends, another presents itself.”

A longtime skateboarder, surfer and personal trainer, Bumbalough has homes in New Smyrna Beach and Orlando and was turned on by the ability to be more active, and not just lay on the board and wait for a wave.

“As soon as I stood up on the board I said, ‘Wow, this is like the evolution of surfing.’ ”

He soon realized that while the sport was well known in Hawaii, the West Coast and Europe, he couldn’t find a paddleboard in Central Florida. So he started his own company, Maui B’s Stand Up Paddle Boarding.

For the first two years, he took a lot of people out for free to gain exposure. He found them by using low-key marketing, handing out fliers in churches and relying on word of mouth. Each year it caught on more and more, and now he offers classes and tours along the shores of Volusia County and in Orlando.

In 2009, R.J. Murray, 31, and his brother Justin, 29, left the financial industry to launch a paddleboard business called Three Brothers Boards.

They chose the name to honor their younger brother Jason, who died the previous year. His death was a wakeup call to the two surviving brothers to quit procrastinating and pursue their dream of forming their own business.

They started in a warehouse on Ridgewood Avenue, focusing on building and selling boards that are assembled in Asia and shaped by the brothers. They make and sell three designs each year.

The Murray brothers noticed paddleboarding’s increasing popularity and wanted to expand into their own storefront and offer rentals and lessons. Two months ago, they moved to Beach Street in Daytona Beach. Last month an online coupon for two-person tours attracted 240 buyers.

“The sport’s grown so much in one year that everybody knows what it is now,” R.J. Murray said. “You were having to explain what it is.”

Hopkins, 46, didn’t come from the business world. She’s a mother of two teenagers who first discovered paddleboarding a year-and-a-half ago when her friend, Cobb Cole attorney Rob Merrell, took her to Ponce Inlet. She immediately loved it, and took classes on paddleboarding and business training to learn more. She decided to start her own company called Daytona Paddle Board.

Like Bumbalough, she operates without a solo storefront. She works as the Daytona Beach distributor for YOLO, a Santa Rosa Beach-based company, and works out of Daytona Beach Parasail in Ponce Inlet. It was a perfect fit for her and owner Matthew Dvorak, who was looking to add paddleboarding to the repertoire of parasailing, boating and other staples of Ponce Inlet businesses. He also appreciates the day-to-day business that the yoga part of her company can bring when the peak tourist season is over.

“It’s a way to expand the business when people are tired of sunburn and mini golf,” Dvorak said.

“It’s just amazing,” Hopkins, an avid fan of yoga, said of paddleboarding. “It’s the new yoga.”

She has 10 boards for lessons but is looking to add more.

Three Brothers chose their Beach Street location across from the Halifax River because of its proximity to the river. It’s a good spot for beginners to learn without the heavy wind and waves of the ocean.

All three paddleboard companies run eco-tours, which are especially popular among couples and families, and focus on manatees, dolphins and other marine life. Last month, paddleboarders on a guided tour with Three Brothers near City Island in Daytona Beach saw a manatee give birth to twin calves.

Bumbalough said he welcomes the new competition and the subsequent exposure paddleboarding is getting.

“It’s come a long way,” Bumbalough said. “Last year I’d say is the first year it caught on in the mainstream. I expect this year to be the best year by far we’ve had.”

Article by the Daytona Beach News Journal http://www.news-journalonline.com/business/local-business/2011/05/22/paddleboarding-businesses-popping-up-all-over.html

Start your SUP / Stand Up Paddleboard experience today with Maui B’s Paddle Board Daytona 1-800-671-9905 or visit us on the web at www.MauiB.com

Here’s the Paddle Board weather and surf report for Orlando, Daytona, New Smyrna and Cocoa Beach for today (Saturday 21th 2011) some surf in NSB. 

Orlando: Mostly sunny through late morning then becoming partly sunny. A slight chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 90s. Southeast winds around 5 mph becoming 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Daytona Beach: SURF: 1-2 ft ankle to knee high Small background swell in the water today. Not much surf but could be a little sup surf at the right spot. Light S breezes.

New Smyrna Beach: SURF: 1-2 ftankle to knee high occ. 3 ft. Small background swell in the water today. Not much surf but could be SUP surfable at the right spot. Light S breezes.

Cocoa Beach: SURF: 1-2 ft ankle to knee high Small background swell in the water today. Conditions are clean with calm winds. The right bottom may be producing something for the longboards or sup surf.

Call Maui B’s Paddle Boarding for all your SUP / Stand Up Paddleboarding needs 1-800-671-9905 or visit us on the web at www.mauib.com

Our new retail location: 116 S. Semoran Blvd. Winter Park FL, 32792 inside the Fitness Showcase Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm

Hours for Lesson, Rentals, Eco-Tours, SUP Fitness, SUP Yoga 7am – 7pm 7 days a week.

Maui B’s Paddle Boarding “Orlando” is pleased to announce that we have a Retail Store / Showroom Location.

The New Location is:

116 S. Semoran Blvd. Winter Park, FL 32792 (Inside the Fitness Showcase)

After buying my fitness equipment since 1998 from David Hatch, Greg Pecor and the great people at the Fitness showcase I have decided this would be the ideal location to display and retail Maui B’s – Stand Up Paddle Boards aka SUP’s.

Our showroom hours are Monday – Saturday 10 am til 5 pm and Sunday by appointment only.  We will be providing all your SUP needs including boards, paddles, leashes, DVD’s and much more.  You will also be able to choose from the excellent inventory of fitness equipment that the Fitness Showcase has been bringing to Orlando since 1979.  This has been my go to store for Fitness equipment for over 13 years and now I am very happy to say that Maui B’s will be part of the fitness showcase.  We are accepting pre-orders for Walden, McTavish, NSP and several other lines that will be announced this week.  Stop by and see what’s SUP!

Maui B’s Paddle Boarding since 2007 & The Fitness  Showcase since 1979… Fitness & Fun, what a great combination!

Thanks Fitness Showcase www.Fitnessshowcase.com

As always you can find us at www.MauiB.com – 1-800-671-9905

Lessons, Rentals, Eco-Tours: 7 am – 7 pm (7 days a week)

Paddle Board Fitness: 7 am / 9 am / 5 pm / 6 pm (7 days a week)

Paddle Board Yoga: 8 am / 4 pm (7 days a week)

New & Used Boards