“A Simple and Efficient Paulownia Wood Touring Board For Exploring Your Coastline.” 

I have been proud to work on this Expedition touring board in collaboration with Sunova Surfboards and designer Marcus Tardrew. I think we have created a special expedition board This board has built to explore coastlines, lakes and rivers. It is a stable and efficient board with a simple design that you can load up with overnight gear to take you on your next adventure. My ongoing input into the features and design of this board come directly from the years of experience and thousands of miles of  multi day expeditions, distance races and coastal adventures. 

Key Features of the Expedition

Design: One of the secrets to the incredible stability found on this board is the somewhat parallel rails. This allows for narrower widths which translates to faster speeds and better forward stroke technique. Marcus built this board with just the right amount of rocker making it an ideal recreational touring board as it handles downwinding, upwinding and surfing with relative ease. A simple bottom design make this board user friendly and contributes to the smooth glide in flat lake conditions. It is a fairly simple and traditional design which I really like. A good touring board should not be complicated, it should be functional.

Flat Deck: Maybe it’s my history in the sport but I have always loved the flat decks which provide freedom of movement and quick adjustments in big conditions, downwinding or surfing. The flat deck also provides a stable platform for your gear to be carried. This is one of the easiest surfing, touring boards out there, great for remote outer coast missions.” 

Attachments: This board is well appointed with  a number of attachments both front and back for having  variety of ways to attach your overnight gear. There are 6 attachments at the front including the option of using the handle to tie down gear which I like and there are 8 attachments in the back. 

Paulowina Wood: The Eco Expedition is a full wood board, light and beautiful to paddle. Paulowina is a tree that is native to SouthEast Asia and has the highest strength to weight ratio hardwood on Earth.  It’s also fast growing and is plantation grown in many parts of the world making it an eco friendly wood and the ideal material for building the expedition board which has to stand up to the rigours of coastal expedition life. Wood has a completely different feel when you are paddling it, providing that connection to something naturally made.  It dampens vibration and carries its momentum really well.

Fins: The fin placement is slightly forward which allows for easier turning, especially with a fully loaded board. In order to help with tracking I like using a fin with a bit more rake like the FCS II Kalama or Candace Appleby Touring Fin. The VMG Mako 44 is another great fin for this board.

Other Reviews:

“I love my Sunova!. The volume of the board gives me the option of carrying enough weight, to take off for as long as I want, yet it’s so light weight and easy to carry. Easy to load on the top of my SUV. And it looks sexy! It tracks really well. I love my Sunova!!!  – Mary Wakefield, Victoria, B.C.  12’6″ x 28.5″

“This incredible board is so awesome to paddle – fast, stable and easy to turn. Where the Sunova Eco Expedition really shines is when the wind picks up, the swell rises and this board becomes the perfect tool to go play. From glassy lake cruises with my daughter sitting on the board, to challenging, choppy open water lake crossing – I couldn’t imagine paddling any other board and having as much confidence and fun!”  – Ryan Fowler, Canmore AB  14′ x 27″

Norm Hann Expeditions Crest: The eco expedition is a visually stunning board and although it’s meant for paddling it could also work well as wall art. The Steersman crest is an original design by the renowned Canadian Git’xsan First Nation artist Bo Smith. It depicts a Raven on the left side that symbolizes creation, knowledge, prestige as well as the complexity of nature and the subtlety of truth. He is known as a trickster, and was responsible for creating man and woman and bringing light to the world. Norm has a special connection to the Raven as he has been adopted into the Raven Clan of the Gitga’at People. On the right side of the crest is Bear symbolizing strength, family, vitality, courage and health. Known as the Protector of the animal kingdom the Bear is the most powerful coastal animal. It also represents the Great Bear Rainforest, an area Norm has been passionate about protecting through his Standup4Greatbear and Stand Expeditions. In the center of the crest is the traditional canoe paddle, representing the water, leadership and working together to accomplish a common goal. Norm’s Raven name is T’aam Laan, meaning Steersman of the Canoe. 

Overall: The feedback on this board has been great. It is light yet solid and carries gear really well. I love the flat deck and you can go narrower with this board due to the stability making it a efficient and a joy to paddle.

If your interested in chatting more about the Eco Expedition send me an email and I would be happy to answer anymore questions.

Check out the NHEX Eco Expedition in action on our conservation film HOWE SOUND.