XOSS G/G+ Speedometer and Strava for Paddlers: an affordable speed coach

A $56 USD speed coach for paddling.

The Xoss G/G+ is an affordable solution for live technical feedback during training. Other options marketed to paddlers tend to cost around $400 and are marketed independently for surfski, SUP and outrigger - meaning if you paddle all three you would have to spend around $1200 for standalone units. I spent $37 USD on the Xoss G/G+ and $19 USD for a standalone cadence sensor, which I can use with all of my vessels.

Connected to the foot brace on my Nelo 520.

The XOSS G/G+ is waterproof rated to IPX7, meaning it can withstand heavy water droplets and be submerged to one meter for 30 minutes. I still put it inside a $10 USD Dripac because the rubber plug that covers the USB charger connection could fail. Cheap insurance. (I had this type of USB plug fail on a Standard Horizon marine radio).

The battery life is 25 days with use at 1 hour a day. In other words, take it out for a long paddle and it will last all day.

HOW TO SET IT UP FOR PADDLING:

1: Charge the included lithium battery with the USB cord provided.

2: Turn it on with the right button. Wait for the initial screen to come up showing 00:00 in the data fields.

3: Press the left button once. This initiates the GPS, which scans for a satellite signal. You should be under a clear sky. If you try it inside or under a covering, you might not pick up the signal. While it searches it will flash a little GPS icon on the upper left. It will beep when it locks in and the GPS signal will become steady.

4: Go paddling.

Yes, that’s it. That is all there is to using it as a real time speedometer. The speedometer data is the largest data and pretty easy to read. I prefer km for speed and distance, which is the default setting. If you need to change defaults do this before you go out for a paddle. You can get the pdf manual here: Xoss G/G+ manual.

I was able to adjust my surfski stroke for immediate improvements and gain .5km in speed overall very quickly. I’m fairly new to surfski, which is tremendously technical, so figuring out how to position the wing blade and press down in the water as I rotate to gain speed was very satisfying. It was also very satisfying to have only spent $37 USD to get a speedometer. What I did not realize is that Xoss also has its own app which connects to Strava (and other software). If you want to review your data on your smartphone follow these steps:

1: Download the Xoss app. (You can use the QR code that comes with the instructions to connect to it).

2: Download the Strava app.

3: You will need to have a Strava account and a Xoss account confirmed through an email. Once confirmed you are ready to connect the Xoss G/G+ to your phone via Bluetooth.

CONNECTING THE XOSS to your phone and Strava via Bluetooth.

1: Open the Xoss app. Click on your device. (Bluetooth must be on). It will bring up your device. Click on that, and it will load a page where it syncs to the Xoss. Here you also have to connect to Strava. Be patient. It took me a few tries. VERY IMPORTANT: You can’t sync data if the Xoss is still recording. To stop recording LONG PRESS the left button once.

2: It will recognize the data but there is a little button you have to click for the full sync to Strava.

3: Once synced you can click the Workouts icon and it will open the Strava data inside the Xoss app. Here you can review data and also watch a video of your paddle.

After poking around on the internet and looking at the instructions I soon realized there are add-on sensors. The Xoss G/G+ unit is a speed sensor but you can add a cadence sensor to it. This is what you see in the image above. It can be confusing because they are also sold in 2 packs as speed and cadence sensors. These are standalone sensors that can be synced to your phone, if you were just using your phone as the data screen. They are also identical sensors and each sensor can be used for speed or for cadence based on a setting. I only wanted cadence because the Xoss G/G+ is my speed sensor and screen.

If you want a cadence sensor buy a single unit, remove the battery and reinstall. If a blue light comes on it has been switched to cadence sensor. Yes, that is correct, merely by taking out the battery then putting it back in, you change the function of the sensor. You can use the Bluetooth connect screen in Xoss to find the sensor, and if you swing your arm around in a circle it will start registering the “cadence.”

The cadence sensor instructions show you how to mount it on a bicycle pedal. It put mine into another Dripac bag and just clipped it to the center of my Braca paddle. For outrigger I would tape it to the base of the handle. For SUP tape it below your lower hand on the shaft.

Follow the Xoss directions for pairing your sensor to the Xoss G/G+, and in less than a minute you will be able to see your cadence data while you paddle also. The display for this data is small, so I just review it after I paddle on my iPhone.

You may not care why the sensor works just as well for paddling as it does cycling, but I will explain anyway: the same sensor that knows whether your phone is “up” or “sideways” for changing the display is called an accelerometer. These are used for XYZ positioning. The computer program then uses this data to perform the next step. In the case of the cadence sensor it basically takes a rotation and calls it an RPM. As long as the sensor can pick up your paddle rotation, it will log the motion.

Read RPM as stroke per minute. This is surfski stroke data. This will work for any paddling sport.

Ocean conditions change all of the time, so stroke rate varies considerably. Here I tried a high rate upwind and a low rate downwind. I expect to vary my cadence during race conditions and will use the speedomter as my guide during the race.

Have fun, stay safe, and see you on the water!

ARDUINO ADDENDUM: I make small electronics and have all of the parts I need for around $25 USD to make a speed coach type of computer using Arduino programming language. The biggest issue is getting a good readable screen in a watertight housing. Apps are also available for iPhone and Android that accomplish the same thing, but the phone battery life struggles during a long race, and the phone overheats in a waterproof case. If you want to make your own Arduino speed coach, you can link to that kind of project here: Arduino.

Black Project Hydro FlowX: Review

IT CAME FROM MAUI!

The Black Project Hydro FlowX sounds like a name for rocket fuel. It looks like it fell to the ocean from a rocket launch and also looks like a paddle within a paddle. I had purchased my NSP Sonic SUP last summer as an alternate to spending money on travel during the pandemic, but was only able to purchase a very cheap and very heavy adjustable paddle from a sporting good chain to get me started. I was also spending more time in my Nelo Surfski and my go to Puakea Kahele outrigger canoe, and the SUP was getting neglected. So, I decided to sign up for a clinic with April Zilg at the Cayuga Lake Cup Race in the finger lakes region of upstate New York in August. Nothing like knowing you will spend a couple of hours with a world pro to get a paddler salivating for personal improvement on the water. But was I really going to go with a paddle that weighed as much as my SUP? (At least that’s how it felt to my shoulders).

I downwind paddle as much as possible. I picked up the brace stroke from Oscar Chalupsky for surfski in 2018 and immediately applied it to outrigger paddling. Spending more time on the surfski this year, the brace came automatically, and when I got back on the SUP this summer, I found myself throwing the paddle out to brace in the surf for stability. My NSP Sonic is a downwind board, and usually I paddle against the wind or surf then turn around to zoom back to shore. Not that I have much of an idea what I’m doing, but my local waters do get considerable medium sized surf and breakers, which are fairly optimal for a novice surfer such as myself. This is a long preamble to how I discovered Black Project paddles in the first place.

Yes, I’d followed Quickblade’s SUP series and also Hippostick’s, but these are made by crossover athletes who also make outrigger paddles. I own a QuickBlade V111 that I absolutely love, especially for downwind (and upwind). I was also familiar with ZRE’s SUP, and I also own a 10oz ZRE outrigger paddle. But when I searched for SUP surf paddle, I was coming up empty. With all price points at $500 USD, which of these carbon beauties was I going to buy? After a series of searches I came upon some minimalist SUP thread where someone suggested Black Project for surf. Since Black Project does not make paddles for outrigger, the brand was not on my radar. Well, it is now. There isn’t any spectacular footage in the video, it’s just my first time out with it. What a difference. If your eyes are glazing here, and you just want to know if the Hydro FlowX shaved a minute off my paddle time, then the answer is yes. Sure. This paddle feels like it weighs nothing, the side to side transfer is a weightless breeze, the power is incredible, and the steering agility was surprising. Love it.

The rest of this article will get rather technical and speculative. Read on if you dare…

A few years ago I decided to 3D print a paddle blade. Or 1190 days ago according to the internet record on SimScale, where I uploaded a model of my blade design and attempted to simulate what happens to water flow around the paddle blade. I’m a better technician than I am a paddler, and while overthinking water flow can certainly distract from the beauty of paddling in my local ocean, we wouldn’t have rockets if people didn’t overthink how to technically overcome gravity. I had not set out 1190 days ago to invent a rocket paddle. I was actually curious about how much of a spoon shape could be incorporated into a paddle. I was thinking about webbed feet and wondering if a webbed paddle might be a logical solution. I also think the days of carbon lay-up are in the sunset and 3D prototyping and printing on a larger scale will be here faster than you can say “internet.” And I did indeed 3D print my paddle, which was called, 1190 days ago, the Brooklyn Paddle, since I lived in Brooklyn and paddled on the Hudson River and in the New York Harbor.

I spent countless hours learning to model the complex inner and outer curves of a paddle blade (using Fusion360 if you’re interested). And this is where the technical design of a paddle really gets into, let’s call it, flow. As a downwind paddler, I spend a lot of time paddling upwind also, so I need a blade that can really pull the boat (or SUP or surfski) past the blade. The blade must also be very quick in and out of the water on the downwind attacks. (Ducks are no longer my model here because as much as they might upwind, I’ve yet to see one actively surfing). Yet it was the ducky V-indentation on the QuickBlade V111 that first got me interested in that paddle, along with its flatter bottom.

Pictured above are the conditions I love, and the ones I aim to graduate to with my SUP. The indentation in the Hydro FlowX (or DPS “deep power scoop” as Black Project calls it), immediately reminded me of the QB V111 indentation as well as my early attempts to make a paddle with a flatter bottom edge and deeper spoon. But what is really amazing is how small the blade is. How in the world can I be so far from the blade and get so much power out of it? How in the world did I suddenly get a steering paddle in such a small package? Enter the paddling and engineering duo behind Black Project of Chris Freeman and Tom Hammerton. As soon as I landed on their website and was able to scroll through line after line of technical data about the different paddles, I was hooked. I went through their step-by-step how to choose a SUP paddle guide and really felt I had the information I needed for sizing. However, at this point, since SUP is what I spend the least of my paddle time on, I thought I would go with the Lava, an all around paddle with a slightly lower price point. However, the clinic with April Zilg was pending, and I knew I had the option either to relegate SUP to hobby or to take it to where I take the rest of my paddling: the surf!

---

“Paddle=Board. Both are equal.”

— a Geek

Really, why have a fancy downwind SUP and not go all in with the paddle? The paddle is half the sport isn’t it? I read every single review I could find of the Hydro FlowX (which were maybe two total) and reread them. The more I scrolled through the data on the Black Project website, the more I realized this was a truly engineered project. These were geeks like me, in love with the ocean and willing to apply math and physics to it. Below is an image I got trying to model flow around my 3D paddle concept before I printed it.

You can basically see how the paddle slices into the water and some volume flows up past the blade and over the top. The hole is where the handle connects. If you add the ridge and peak onto the top of the handle, like Black Project did with the Hydro FlowX, that is going to change. The water is both going to flow up and also be held like ice cream in the scoop. Does any of this, stroke by stroke, need to be visualized to make us faster paddlers? Maybe. Like nature we need to be master adapters. If, when we put the blade in the water, our body is more comfortable, we have more power and more steering agility, then the technical analysis pays off.

Black Project hails the Hydro FlowX as the first 3D paddle. Of course all paddles are 3D, but this one has volume, which means the water is getting displaced while the blade slices in, and the water is flowing into the scoop in that instant of forward thrust. And this is great food for thought, but as I ran my credit card through for the Hydro FlowX, I thought it best to send a query to Black Project. After all, what do I know about SUP paddles? I was also anxious that the paddle get to me on time for the clinic with April Zilg. I got a call from Maui not long afterwards, and the next day Chris Freeman and I spoke. He suggested I take a look at his article Smaller, Softer, Shorter, which you can read by clicking on that link. I was already aware that downwinders could benefit from a smaller paddle, and Woo had a small paddle for us to try at downwind camp in 2020, just before everything got shut down due to the pandemic. I think we may have tried this one, which they sell as an emergency paddle. Let’s focus now on smaller. How small could we get?

SMALLER

So how is it that I am so far from the blade on a SUP, yet have so much power with such a small blade? Why are SUP blades smaller? Possibly there remains the mentality that bigger is better. I can definitely state that my coaches are all in principle agreement (that is the ones like Guy Ringrave and, as I’d find out, April Zilg) that a long stroke is not necessary. And yet you hear the chant all the time in outrigger paddling: long and strong! I’ve literally had a SUP paddler call out to me I should try a bigger blade. As I paddle more and more downwind, blessed by conditions from tropical Atlantic Ocean storms, my QuickBlade V111 starts to feel sluggish on the catch. The waves are moving so fast, I can literally feel the canoe slowing down when the blade enters the water. Subsequently I don’t bother trying to bury the blade or even stroke from my toes to my hips. It’s more of a knee to thigh explosion to position the bow at the bottom of the wave trough. This same explosion comes naturally with the Hydro FlowX. For surfski, with its two-blade wing-spoon, a couple of quick powerful grabs are required (and I’ve a long way to go at that!). But the surfski blades are also small. Why is the outrigger blade so big by comparison? All I can say is I wish I had another $500 to gamble and to have Black Project make me a super short, outrigger length version of the Hydro FlowX so I could find out.

Be safe, and see you on the water!

MetaLeash Quick Release Paddling Leash - SUP, surfski, outrigger, foil, prone

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Leg Leashes!

Generic leg leash worn loosely around the ankle. Too loosely.

In January 2019 I had a leg leash fail on me in big water. It was a short leash, like the length made for surfski. Trying to move around a 21’ canoe I did not have enough length to maneuver, and the tension pulled the leash off my leg. It shot off like a giant rubber band. In that instant I witnessed how quickly a technical failure could lead to dire circumstances in the ocean. I knew if my canoe and I separated by one meter the wind could take it away. I would not be able to swim to catch it on its westward journey perhaps a thousand miles to the next land. I also would not be able to swim to the beach. I could see the beach. It was upwind from me. I raised my paddle to alert the other paddlers in my group I had a problem. I waited until they were close enough so if I lost contact with the canoe they were right there to help. We got the canoe back over. The last kilometer I paddled then to our destination was the longest ever mentally for me. Why? Two days earlier I had learned of a drowning death of a paddler in my circle. Someone who should have been paddling with us.

When I stepped onto the beach my goal as a paddler had shifted: to stay alive. As long as we are alive, we can paddle. One cubic meter of water weighs around a ton. We will never be stronger. We have to be smarter. We have to be wise. When in doubt about the conditions, just don’t paddle. The ocean will be there tomorrow, and we should be too.

That night at the villa, I pondered two problems: (1) how to resolve the leash wrapping around the hull that makes us outrigger paddlers take a leash off after a huli and (2) resolve the loose, slippery cuff problem.

105 days later my downwind coach Guy Ringrave was separated from his OC1 in big water in southwest France, and he also drowned.

It is at once horrifying and unacceptable to see my friends lose their lives paddling in the oceans we love. We must change our culture and include safety training as invaluable.

I had not feared drowning because it had not been real to me. I started my season this year by using a rope I trusted as my leash. I sewed webbing by hand. I stopped using the cheap leashes for good. I don’t know how Guy was separated from his canoe, but there are only so many scenarios. I just can’t believe he’s gone. This should never happen to any of us. Guy’s family posted through Woo that they would continue his outrigger business in his spirit.

in this spirit I continue to paddle with the deepest respect for the ocean and wind. I want to make this increasingly popular sport safer for all.

And finally I found someone who could help take my rope (Dyneema) and jacket it into a retractable cord. I’ve spent months agonizing over details to make a superior leash. It is not meant to save your life. It is made to keep you with your boat, which is a flotation device that at all times is functioning to keep you alive while you enjoy the wonders of our water world. Pay attention to the weather report and always keep communication on your person. Don’t attach it to your boat.

I present to you the Meta Leash. It is smaller, lighter and stronger than any other leash on the market. It has continuous engineered strength and is stronger than steel, outlasting it in a marine environment 3:1. It’s core is Dyneema, jacketed in rubber (1600 pound, 730 kg average strength). It fits better above the calf and can also be worn at the waist. It is superior in every way to any other leash. The second video shows you how to recover from a huli WITHOUT having to remove the leash.

The Meta Leash is for sale on my website shop. If you have any custom needs or concerns, email me.

MetaLeash Quick Release Paddling Leash - SUP, surfski, outrigger, foil, prone

from $64.95

LIGHTER: at 4.5 ounces weighs half of other leashes, floats

SMALLER: 50% smaller than other leashes but still extends just as long

STRONGER: heavy duty webbing, stitching and YKK buckle system, 1600lb jacketed Samson Dyneema retractable leash, stainless steel clasp system (no hidden mystery hardware or plasticware like other leashes)

SAFER: easy to inspect, high contrast (red, orange, hot pink, lime, yellow or black cuff), red, yellow, orange or pink leash, dual quick release/connect for either race start or getting out of tricky situations

SIZING FOR OUTRIGGER, SUP, SURFSKI, FOIL, PRONE: Retractable leash comes in 9’ or 6’ length.

SIZING FOR FIT ABOVE CALF: Leash cuff is to be worn above the calf or connected to waist strap.

COLOR CUFF:

Select COLOR CUFF ORANGE CUFFBLACK CUFFLIME CUFFPINK CUFFYELLOW CUFFRED CUFF

ORANGE CUFF BLACK CUFF LIME CUFF PINK CUFF YELLOW CUFF RED CUFF

SIZE:

Select SIZE 9' LEASH REGULAR CUFF6' LEASH REGULAR CUFF

9' LEASH REGULAR CUFF 6' LEASH REGULAR CUFF

COLOR LEASH:

Select COLOR LEASH ORANGE LEASHYELLOW LEASHPINK LEASHRED LEASH

ORANGE LEASH YELLOW LEASH PINK LEASH RED LEASH

HARDWARE:

Select HARDWARE 40mm Snap Hook60mm Snap Hook

40mm Snap Hook 60mm Snap Hook

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Manu'iwa Milford Gulf OC1, OC2, SUP, 9 Mile Race, 2018

At the start of every race, I question my sanity. There is no harder work than trying to beat the ocean at its own game. Soon the heart rate builds, the power propels the canoe forward, and I get lost in some kind of alpha wave trance with flickers of beta - where my brain analyzes the waves, conjures some distraction then ultimately sinks into a meditative state. I pull myself, stroke by stroke, forward across the water and eventually, around forever minus twenty-two minutes to be exact, I cross the finish line between two yellow buoys.

The Ghost Hope, a Puakea Kaku Elua, origin Hawaii, exact circa per Johnny Puakea: “Back in the day.”

Ted Taylor, head honcho at Manu'iwa Outrigger Club, introduces himself before the race as an Englishman, coaching outrigger, in Connecticut. Nothing like hearing a Hawaiian Mahalo with a UK twang on the sands of an ocean inlet in the USA. Later at the luau, Ted requests a plug on social media (click here for media/photo links). Was this race better than last year's, he wants to know? For me, yes. And it isn't just because I took first place (for finishing in 2018 the race I started in 2017) nor because I took first place in the $175 canoe class. It was, dare we utter its name, because of the Milford Triangle.

The Legendary and Deadly Milford Triangle

I personally find races that follow a coast a little difficult to mentally tag. Coastline unfolds like a rocky rope with nothing terribly remarkable. The triangular buoy set up gave me a mental check and a goal with enough frequency to keep me motivated. It also gave me three different wave and current patterns - four actually - because the southerwestly wind (that some of us surfed after the second buoy turn) tapered off near Charles Island. So the overall pattern was 1: flattish , 2: turn into the wind with bigger waves (ama bouncing up), 3: turn and surf (bow lifting high, ama rolling under the swell) and 4: calm and flat for a dash to home - then repeat. On the second round we all had a learning curve down, and mentally it wasn't just another 4.5 miles but 1.1 mile (buoy turn = Pavlovian reward), 1.5 mile (buoy turn) and 1.9 mile (beer is in sight).

A first place trophy for a first place race!

I have raced in Milford four times. The first two were OC6 races, and after training on the stinky Hudson River in New York City, let's just say I was astonished by the beauty of the Gulf, a tranquil little curve tucked into the greater ocean inlet of Long Island Sound. This is a five star race, where the quality of the food down to the quality and craft of the prizes are not forgotten. Manu'iwa's own novice Nicky not only came in first for women's OC1, she got to take home one of the first-prize, bottle-opener-paddles she made--and the rest of us got to choose from Monique's thoughtful and unique commemorative tiles. Thanks for a great race and bringing us, no matter our accent or World Cup favorite, together. Mahalo, Manu'iwa. Mahalo, ocean.

This one matches the heart-shaped squeaky toy my dog ripped out of a stuffed Cat-in-the-Hat. Concidence? The secret lies in the Milford Triangle.

Salem flyin' the ama. Well, sort of...

Nicky rockin' the Hurricane and snatching 1st place!