'Just hop on and ride out'

MOSES LAKE - Chris Hodge has the laid back demeanor of a California surfer, a style that at first seems out of place in a Moses Lake park on a somewhat chilly spring day.

But as he unloaded a couple paddleboards from the roof of his car at McCosh Park last week, Hodge, 21, explained how he plans to bring a little beach town flavor to the Columbia Basin this summer.

"Stand up paddleboarding is a trend that's kind of sweeping the West Coast right now," he said. "It started out in Hawaii big time and now it's over here. It's a blast, it's a lot of fun and great exercise."

Stand up paddleboarding, also known as "SUP'ing," involves a long, flat board often made of the same dense, plastic material found in kayaks. Participants stand up and use a long paddle to propel themselves across the surface of the water.

Hodge hails from Brookings, a southern Oregon town just a few miles from the California border. He's been playing on the water for as long as he can recall - surfing for years before a friend introduced him to paddleboarding a couple years back.

"I've been surfing forever, but then my buddy brought some (paddleboards) back from Hawaii and started his own rentals business," he said. "Once I started I couldn't stop."

Six months ago, when Hodge moved north to help his sister open up a Moses Lake coffee stand, he decided to follow suit and try offering his own paddleboard rentals here.

"This town is honestly perfect for this sport and I think people will love it," he said. "This lake is perfect for it too. It's flat, there's not much wind and all the sun is nice."

Hodge brought his plan to the Moses Lake City Council in early May.

"I would like to do something to get Moses Lake's youth more active and into water sports," he wrote in a letter to council. "(Renting paddleboards) would give people the opportunity to have fun on the water while getting exercise. What I'm asking is permission to use public parks as a spot to rent my boards from."

After some discussion about city liability and the legalities of such an arrangement, the council approved Hodge's request with the understanding he'll contribute 15 percent of his profits to the city and meet certain insurance requirements.

Councilman Dick Deane applauded Hodge for his efforts, saying it will assist the city "in developing our goal of providing activities" for people wishing to use the lake.

"I'm certainly in favor of seeing this opportunity afforded to our community," Deane said. "If he makes it, wonderful. If he doesn't, well, he's had our support anyhow. I think it's a great step forward and an opportunity for our community to try something new."

Hodge said last week he planned to get insurance coverage finalized and have everything approved by the city before the weekend. He also said he's happy to give the city a percentage of his profits.

"I'm OK with it because I don't have to have a shop to rent from and the parks are perfect," he said. "I just think it's awesome they're letting me operate from (the parks)."

He's so far put a few thousand bucks into startup costs - purchasing five of the boards, a hitch and trailer for his car and some advertising materials for "Washington Sports Rentals." Starting this week, Hodge plans to start renting the paddleboards at Cascade Park Wednesdays through Sundays from 12:30 to 5 p.m. The boards will be on loan for $20 an hour, $40 for a half day.

Hodge said he thinks most people who try it will take to the sport as quickly as he did.

"It's a lot of fun and it's super easy to learn," he said. "You launch right from the beach - just hop on and ride out. I've gone out with a bunch of my friends and co-workers up here and no one's fallen in yet."

For more information, call Hodge at 541-661-9351 or find Washington Sports Rentals on Facebook.