Superskiing with German Shepherd Roller on Saimaa SUP boards

This time I had the following as test boards Saimaa SUP series Lily 10.0  and Pike 11.0 sup board. The Lily is slightly shorter than the one used the previous time Joben Yarra 10.6. The Pike board is slightly narrower and longer than the Yarra. I decided to try the boards myself before I took the dog on board. 😉

This summer I was accompanied by a new frogman, Rolle, a German Shepherd! So it was exciting to go out with a new dog and try funnelling. Rolle is a very active and lively dog and it was assumed that there would be no big problems with him on the board.

I tested Saimaa sup Lily first. Lily was really easy to paddle, definitely a nice board for those who like a calm paddle. Lily would also be suitable for yoga and as a first sup board for kids. However, for my own use Lily is a bit too slow. But as a cottage soup and as a recreational board for everyone, it goes really well. My mother, who had never tried funnelling before, liked Lily, quite surprisingly even more than the very stable Joben Yarra, who was also on the same trip.

Next I tested Pike. I was able to paddle faster and the directional stability was really good. So the board went straight even after several paddling strokes, and I didn't have to change my paddling hand so often. The Pike sup-board was also stable enough and I decided to go ashore quickly and take Rolle the dog on board. Rolle at first clearly wondered if I was serious about bouncing the top of that board out of the water, but after a little persuasion I got the dog on board and off we went. Rolle relaxed really quickly and took his place in front of me really well. It was easy for me to get up on the board to paddle on my knees and we practiced on the beach at the cottage first. When things started to feel smooth, we went for a short jog. Pike glided really well considering the big dog and the price of the board, Rolle clearly liked the ride and the birds were singing :D

After landing on the beach I said that this will be the number one sport for us this summer besides all the other training. At the same time I thought that I would get Rolle a life jacket for the next time, so that we can go for a longer jog, so that the dog swims next to the sup-board and can get back on board to have a swim. I will tell you about this in my next blog post!