“It opens up a whole new world for you,” says Tim Ellis, aboard his Stand Up Paddleboard. [Photo: Eddie Pitts]

YOLO’s Explorer hand-shaped board is 14 feet long, 33 inches wide and weighs 45 pounds. It costs $1,850. The Shaka Pu’u paddle sells for $339.

Lately, 57-year-old attorney Tim Ellis has been putting aside his surfboard in favor of his SUP, or Stand Up Paddleboard. The SUP, born in Hawaii, is a combination surfboard and traditional canoe or kayak. The boards range from 9 feet to 14 feet depending on whether you’re paddling on flat water or open ocean. They’re wider than traditional surfboards, giving them more stability.

“The sport is so dynamic and so inclusive,” says Jeff Archer, co-founder of SUP maker YOLO. It’s an activity for all ages and levels of fitness, he says. YOLO makes one board that can accommodate up to 360 pounds. Archer, along with Tom Losee, started YOLO (You Only Live Once) in Santa Rosa Beach in 2006. Their boards are mostly geared toward flat-water paddling. The company, whose sales grew 350% in 2009, plans to expand its line to nine types of boards this year.

Several brands and styles are made for catching ocean waves as well, which is gaining popularity with lifelong surfers who may feel a bit past their prime but are reluctant to leave the surf behind.

“If you’ve surfed 30 to 40 years, it opens up a whole new world for you,” says Ellis, who has been surfing off the beaches of north Florida since age 12. “It’s not as hard on your body, but it’s a great workout; in a shorter session, you can catch a lot more surf.”
The board’s versatility means you don’t have to rely on conditions being just right.

Tim Goering, 43, is president of Seaside National Bank & Trust by day. He also has two kids. “To have a Saturday morning when the surf’s up and I can get out is rare,” he says, “but paddleboarding is perfect because if there’s no surf, you can still get out and paddle, and relax on the water.”

Goering is also excited about all the other activities cropping up around SUPing, like SUP yoga classes, SUP fishing — the first ever south Florida SUP fishing tournament was held last month in Pompano Beach — and open ocean and flat-water racing. “The racing makes it fun,” says Goering. “There’s a reasonable chance I could be competitive again in my age group.”

Profiles in Surfing

Jason Norcross, 30 TruBamboo / Vice president of sales and marketing Palm Beach Budding Interest: Norcross got into surfing in high school because a girl he liked was dating a surfer. He figured he could pick up the sport, and he did, going on to compete at Eastern Surfing Association events. He surfs as often as he can. “It’s definitely a lifestyle.” Favorite Board: FIRO, an up-and-coming shaper in West Palm Beach. He prefers a high-performance short board to go fast and do tricks. “I don’t buy boards from surf shops. I go directly to the shaper for a custom board.” His Custom Board: $300 to $450

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Raphael Clemente, 41 West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority / Associate director First Wave: Clemente rode his first wave at age 10 and got his first board from a neighbor at 11 for mowing his lawn — a 1965 Gordon and Smith that’s a classic squaretail longboard of that era. The board hangs in the front foyer of Clemente’s home. “Occasionally I’ll pull it off the wall, wax it up and go surfing; I’ll never get rid of this one.” Surf Philosophy: “Florida surfers have always been apologetic for the lack of quality waves, but I’m a firm believer in loving what you got. I would say if I pick my top 10 surfing experiences, half of them are right here in Florida.”

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Brady Cobb, 28 Tripp Scott law firm / Attorney Fort Lauderdale Surfing Since: Age 10 Perspective: “Getting thrown around by Mother Ocean helps you keep a good perspective. My life is about an addiction to the ocean. It keeps me in check.” Work and Play: Cobb does pro bono work for the Surfrider Foundation and helped them win a legal battle against what he says was an ill-thought-out beach refurbishment project in Palm Beach that would have done more harm than good to the local wildlife and beach. Cobb’s Ride: A 5-foot Starr surfboard, hand-shaped in Cocoa Beach