This attitude really scares me about Stand Up Paddle Boards. Coming from a surf board legacy the idea is that you wear a tether but I watched dozens of people paddling at the outdoor retailer show with no attempt to use a tether or a PFD. The SUP goes one step beyond a sit on top for the yuppie "I am free" feeling with no thought of safety.

: This reminds me of a situation I found myself in last week. Y'all
: remember Keith, the guy who I helped build the WD Solace 17EX.
: Well, Keith asked me what part of the river was the best to
: paddle on. He was thinking of taking his son and himself over to
: a nice launch point and paddling a 5-hr stretch of the river. I
: was somewhat put aback at his request but I was damned glad he
: asked me. I immediately suggested that he wouldn't be paddling
: the river without me. I spoke with him for a solid hour about
: the differences between lake and river hydrolics. I worked hard
: to put the scare in him so that he would stick to lakes until he
: got more experience. He is a natural paddler but still pretty
: darned green in my eyes. I am comfortable with letting them go
: on the river if and only if I am with them because I can use
: that occasion to teach them how to understand its currents and
: how to respect the safety gear they need but don't have yet. I
: am the last person who wants to read about two kayaks who
: disappear on the river during a nice quiet family outing. I
: think there are too many businesses selling kayaks without
: proper safety instruction and even more folks who think kayaks
: are fun watercraft that require no real skill to paddle. Yes, it
: is easy to get into a kayak and make it move but hey, when that
: thing tips over, you have less than one minute to think about
: your situation. I suggested to Keith that he needs to learn to
: bail and then to know what to do next: he is definitely a little
: more sober when he thinks of kayaks. I'll leave the rolling
: classes to someone else somewhere down the road.

: Robert N Pruden