The Mule - an answer to carry your stand up paddle board.
One of the most physically exhausting things I have ever done is, after a good 2 hours stand up paddle surfing session, tried to carry my Jimmy Lewis 11ft up the beach to the car park (about 1/2 mile walk) against a force 4 off shore wind. I was already knackered after the surf session and battling against the wind was a nightmare.
The fine people at Stand Up Paddle Surfing magazine have just carried out a review of a neat little device that looks like it might solve my problems. Its called the MULE and it seems to be a nifty bit of kit.
It looks like a bag that has wheels on and it strapped onto the back of the board. You could even use it to tow your board behing a bike. Once you go surfing you can put the MULE through the cycle lock so no light fingered scally nicks it.
I hope we will be seeing some of these in the UK. I can see myself using one in the summer to get to spots on my bike.
I got one of these, ordered from the States. It claimed to be the model for paddleboards (and longboards). But the axle was too narrow for it to take my Jimmy Lewis 11′ 0″ - the tail of the board was too wide to fit between the wheels of the Mule. So I made my own wider axle and now it is OK. But if you are going to buy one of these for a SUP board, make sure you check when you order that the model you are getting is definitely wide enough for your board, or else figure on some DIY, which is a pain given the cost of shipping etc.
It is a great invention, though, and works well once you’ve got it working.
Comment by Paul — December 17, 2007 @ 12:35 am
Thanks for that tip Paul, as a JL 11ft owner I will look out for that !
Comment by SUP Matt — December 17, 2007 @ 5:07 pm