Custom ARB designs for SUP fitness

It’s no secret that we’re passionate about SUP Fitness. After a gorgeous summer teaching SUP, Pilates and SUP Fitness we took our knowledge to the shop and the results are the new Dean ARB FIT SUP. Designed to be stable while exercising, yet light enough to handle easily, Dean Watersports has manufactured a board as strong and light as our SUP Fitness students! The rails on this board are reinforced with Kevlar for additional resiliency, and constructed with two layers of carbon fiber for extra strength. We utilized our proprietary resin-infusion method and added a bamboo skin for more surface durability and a clean aesthetic. The new Dean ARB FIT SUP weighs only 25 lbs, and is built to last many years. Take one home today for only $1850.

Pictured is a custom 12’ Dean ARB FIT that measures 30 inches wide and 5.25 thick. Using latest software technology, we plug in our client’s specifications to give them a 100% customized board. Call us today to discuss a SUP designed for your lifestyle, and let’s get you on a Dean board today!

Shop: (843) 795-8000

dean@deanwatersports.com

Made in Charleston, SC USA.













Finishing options on this custom board include carbon fiber detail through the Dean logo and a top bamboo skin.

Paddle For The Cure

Today, Hunt Summerford embarks on a 160+ mile journey from Columbia to Charleston, SC to raise awareness for breast cancer. And everyone we know has been affected by cancer in some way, so Dean Watersports wanted to get involved by donating a 14' SUP for the trek. Please keep Hunt in your thoughts and prayers as he braves the rivers, wildlife (there are gators!), and mother nature to accomplish this feat. We plan to be at the finish on Sunday, September 18, as Hunt reaches Charleston.
Follow Hunt's adventure on Twitter: @Paddle4TheCure

BOOM!

Pictured: The DEAN 14' LDR

We threw everything he have at our new race board designs and the end product is the Dean 14' LDR (light displacement racer). Using ship design and 3D modeling software and built with the latest composite technology, the final product has it all— fast on the flats, stable, and super speedy downwind. Welcome to the new generation of Dean Watersports race board design.

Making dreams come true

Photo caption: Dean Watersports recently upgraded to a bigger manufacturing facility in Charleston, SC.

Hands down, it’s been a challenging two years for a one-man startup manufacturing company. But creating a product for a sport that you are absolutely passionate about has kept the motivation and stoke alive and strong. It’s that resolve that, in just 20 months, Dean Watersports has grown from a dilapidated, 400-square foot vacant (and borrowed) room, followed by a warehouse space with no heat or air, finally to a 3000-square foot proper manufacturing facility.

Flashback two years. After a short stint owning and operating a restaurant, ex pro-cyclist Dean Johnson rekindled his competitive nature and started racing standup paddleboards. It was at the September 2009 national Naish race series in San Diego, CA that Dean realized he needed a faster board. At that time, no one in our hometown of Charleston, SC was selling (or paddling) race boards. So with his background in art and construction, he was determined to build a board that was as good, if not better than anything on the market.

We were very optimistic heading in to 2011. SUP was blowing up on the East Coast and starting to gain momentum in Charleston. It was time for us to get serious. Dean met Tony Blakley, a composites engineer, and the two immediately hit it off and began developing high performance technology. Five months later, Dean Watersports welcomed Shawn West to the team who handles all customer relations and sales. With a good crew pulled together, the next step was obvious...we needed a larger space so manufacturing could get underway.

























The future is bright. Dean Watersports is no longer a one-board-at-a-time manufacturing company. We are on the cutting edge of technology and design, and we do it with a passion for the sport of SUP. We welcome SUP retailers, tour/rental companies, and consumers to visit us at our new factory in Charleston, SC. Call us at (843) 795-8000 to set up an appointment.

The Dean Team:
Dean Johnson, shaper/owner/operator
dean@deanwatersports.com
Misty Johnson, marketing/fitness/tours/rentals
misty@deanwatersports.com
Tony Blakley, engineer
tony@deanwatersports.com
Shawn West, financials /sales/customer relations
shawn@deanwatersports.com

Words by Misty Johnson

Get ocean fit Monday & Wednesdays on beautiful Isle of Palms, SC

Don't forget.. Misty Johnson of Dean Watersports will be leading SUP Fit classes at IOP Marina on Mondays & Wednesdays at 7am. Reserve your spot by contacting Ocean Fitness at (843) 559-6073 or BeOceanFit.com. Classes are designed to teach basic paddle technique while building strength, flexibility and balance.
Who said exercise had to be dull? Get ocean fit!

-Misty
misty@deanwatersports.com

SUP Fitness classes take off in the Lowcountry

Standup paddleboarding has really come to life here on the East Coast in the last two years. We're proud to be on the cutting edge of that movement as we continue to build and manufacture SUPs locally, offering lessons and sharing the stoke of being on the water. Recently Dean Watersports started teaching SUP Fitness classes through a couple of local rental companies and it has become all the craze! Why not get fit while having fun on the water and exploring Charleston's beautiful waterways? It's a no brainer.
If you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, you should check out a SUP Fitness class designed to help you develop good paddle skill and flexibility while strengthening your core and improving your overall balance. In our classes, we warm up on land and go through core exercises that we then take to on the water. Students are feeling core burns in places they didn't know exist! And the very best part is that we're having a ton of fun.

Sup Fitness has launched all over the East and West coasts. Recently we read this motivating quote from Brody Welte of Paddle Fit Tampa in SELF magazine: "The average male can burn between 800 and 1,000 calories per hour with the average female burning about 500 to 700 calories per hour," he said. "Compare this to running on a treadmill or an elliptical machine where an average male burns between 600 to 700 calories and the average female burns between 300 and 400 calories."

Maintaining a good fitness and nutrition regimen is something that everyone should incorporate into their regular routines. And no one ever said it had to be dull. Hope to see you on the water!

Class offerings, taught by the Dean Watersports team:

Island Paddle Adventure
Brittlebank Park Lockwood Blvd, downtown Charleston, SC 29403
Mondays & Wednesdays with Dean, 7:00-8:15am
Tuesdays & Thursdays with Misty, 6:00-7:15pm
Drop-in: $25
BYOB: $15
10-Class Pass: $200
10-Class Pass BYOB: $100
(save $50 with the 10-Class Pass!)
To sign up: info@barrierislandpaddle.com
More info: http://www.islandpaddleadventure.com/fitness

Ocean Fitness
Isle of Palms Marina 50 42nd Ave Isle of Palms, SC 29451
Mondays & Wednesdays with Misty, 7:00-8:15am
July 11, 13, 18, 20, 25 and 27
6-Series Class Pack: $150
To sign up: (843) 559-6073
More info: http://www.beoceanfit.com/fitness-4


Photos courtesy of Ocean Fitness (top), and Island Paddle Adventure (bottom)

Padding 2,200 miles for two great causes

Will Rich and Mike Simpson paddle in to Shem Creek after 670 nautical miles

Pictured: Mike Simpson, Dean Johnson, David Clifford, and Will Rich

Tonight we had the honor of meeting Mike Simpson and Will Rich from SUP the Coast during their short stop here in Charleston, SC. These guys are paddling from Key West, Florida all the way to Portland, Maine for two great causes- the Wounded Warrior Project and SUP Cleanup. They've been at it since March 1, in hopes to paddle at least 30 miles per day. Most days the weather has not been on their side, but they keep plowing up the East Coast regardless of the sideway rains and strong winds. Paddling 17' Bark boards, they are equipped with camping gear, bug suits, zinc sunscreen, and a leaky waterproof bag carrying an iPhone, GPS and SPOT tracking device. Will uses his iPhone to blog, tweet, and update the SUP the Coast Facebook page. As we shared a bucket of PBR, Dean Watersports got the lowdown on their 670 nautical mile journey thus far. These guys are rock stars! And they are going to have a lot of great stories by the end of this trip.

To learn more about SUP the Coast and this charitable quest, visit:

http://www.supthecoast.com/

To follow their blog:

http://supthecoast.wordpress.com/

Best of luck Mike and Will! We hope to see you in Wrightsville Beach, NC for the Carolina Cup on April 30.

The 2011 Dean SUP design released, just in time for race season!

The 2011 Dean SUP design was released this past weekend on Shem Creek in Mt Pleasant, SC. Making its debut, this hand shaped, carbon fiber and fiberglass hybrid is catching a lot of attention on the water. It's not only stable, fast, and lightweight, it's sleek! Pictured is the new 14' Dean SUP race board. Custom made to fit the specific needs of the 6 ft tall, 220 lb customer, Dean shaped the width at 27" wide and it's plenty stable.

If you're looking to take your racing to the next level, this is the board for you. (Or if you're looking for a few honks and hollars, well, we have helped clients achieve that too :)

Board color options are available. All 2011 Dean SUP boards are outfitted with Larry Allison fins.

Stay tuned to our blog posts where we'll release photos of the 12.6' Dean SUP team boards in a couple of weeks.

It's been a long winter! Race season officially kicks off in Charleston on Saturday, February 26 on Shem Creek. Charleston Watersports and SUP Nation will host the first of this six-race series. It's $5 for the recreation class, and $10 for the elite. For more information about the race, prizes, or to sign up, please visit: http://www.meetup.com/supnation/

For more information about Dean boards or to get a quote, contact Dean Johnson:

dean@deanwatersports.com

Dean Watersports Knows Good Design!

We know our board design, but we also know our graphic design! Just announced today, Dean Watersports logo designer Jay Fletcher (of J Fletcher Design), has won an ADDY® Award for Best Logo Design. The awards ceremony and event takes place on February 18 here in Charleston, SC.
http://adfedcharleston.com/2011/02/01/addy®-awards-party-coming-up/


Thanks to the talented Jay Fletcher! And as he says it, "Dean Watersports 4-eva!"

Laid back in St Augustine, Florida

November 20, 2010

After a late-night, epic drive south to St Augustine, Florida, we made it just in time for a benefit paddle race through some amazing intracoastal creeks. Through our friend David Slemp, we met some really great people who are eager to jump start the SUP scene and Dean Watersports is excited to be a part of this up-and-coming community.

Along with our personal race boards in tow, we delivered two new Dean boards to Surf Station, the local shop for everything surf and skate.

Pictured at top is the Dean 9'8 designed for SUP performance surfing. This lightweight board is fast paddling out and with the unique rail design, is easy to maneuver, turn and carves much faster than a typical SUP surf board. This board is great for any size wave.

Next up is the Dean 12'6 SUP race board. Weighing in at only 23 lbs, this displacement hull board does it all. Expect a stable and fast board in all conditions.

Both boards are constructed from EPS foam, fiberglass and epoxy. Full carbon models are also available.

If you live in central Florida and you'd like to take a Dean board for a spin, please contact Tory at Surf Station.

1020 Anastasia Blvd, St Augustine Florida 32080

http://www.surf-station.com/

(904) 471-9463

Or toll free (800) 460-6394

For all other inquiries, email:

dean@deanwatersports.com

SURF'S UP! New Dean SUP surf board just in time for Hurricane Earl

Charleston, SC- Just in time for Labor Day weekend and Hurricane Earl, local SUP shaper Dean Johnson introduces a true performance SUP surf board. At 9'4 in length and weighing only 15lbs, this SUP surfs like a short board.

Check it out at Charleston Watersport on Coleman Blvd, Mt Pleasant SC. (843) 884-9098

Since most mass-produced boards ride like boats, Dean's focus was to keep it light, durable and super ridable. Hand shaped using carbon fiber, fiber glass and epoxy, this Dean SUP surf board is 28.5 inches wide, 4 inches thick, with a thruster fin set up.

$10,000 In Cash & Prizes Awarded At Shem Creek Shootout

Charleston, SC—The first annual Shem Creek Shootout on Saturday, July 17, had a great turn out from SUP pros on the East Coast. A good- and enthusiastic- crew from Wilmington, NC really brought the heat! Also in town and representing Starboard, East Coast champ Iain McFarland from Cocoa Beach, Fl. In all, there were 36 racers from Fl, NC, VA, and NJ racing amongst others from SC and Charleston. It wasn't all about the pros though- there was a "Kids" division and they all had a blast! Thanks to Dave at Charleston Watersport for really pulling this together! And special thanks to John from Distressed Mullet for helping us get the word out and rallying the Wilmington crew. Conditions on the water were pretty rough, but in all, a great race. Red's Icehouse on Shem Creek were great hosts of this family-friendly affair- thank you.

Stay tuned for details about the October 9-10 SUP surfing contest, and our regular race series beginning late August.
Dean + Misty Johnson
Dean Watersports