I’ve always been keen on helping friends try a new sport or at least get a new experience and my growing interest in SUP has many intrigued. I decided to develop a short buyer’s guide (or maybe preference guide since I’m no expert) to help those considering the sport a way to weave through the options. Please be advised, technology changes all the time and so the links and models noted will likely be out of date pretty quickly so focus on the type of board you’re looking for and the core activities you want to do. Most boards will take you just about anywhere you want to go and so keep in mind where you want to use your board 80% of the time, then don’t worry about a specific board for the 20% situation, unless that’s trying to surf a lake board on a huge glassy river wave. Also, don’t be afraid of used stuff – I buy used anytime I can because you’ll often save 50-70%, you’ll be able to get nicer equipment off the bat, and you’re going to put all those scratches on your board eventually anyway.
Now you can’t do SUP all the time, but since you’ll be thinking and dreaming about it a lot, you'll need a place to feed your ambitions. Here is a list of great online resources and magazine to help you dream up your next big adventure. Many of these have digital and printed magazines and awesome social media feeds, as well.
- Standup Journal - http://standupjournal.com/
- SUP Boarder - https://www.supboardermag.com/
- SUP The Mag - http://www.supthemag.com/
- SUP international - http://www.sup-internationalmag.com/
- Standup Paddle Magazine - http://www.standuppaddlemagazine.com/
- Standup World Magazine - http://www.supworldmag.com/
- SUP on Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=sup&term_meta[]=sup|typed
The best part of SUP is that you don’t need too much equipment. You just need:
General use
- A board – Designed for the intended type of water you want to go on and outfitted with accessories that make the day fun. This can be tie down nets, gear loops, leash ring, etc.
- A paddle – The iconic long, tall, and comfortable device that helps move you across the water. However, be aware that this choice may be the hardest one you’ll have to make. There are lots of options to consider and you’ll be shocked at the costs.
- A PFD (lifejacket) – For obvious reasons and also to be lawful in many areas you’ll need one of these. This is especially important for paddling on the river or in cold water.
- Sandals, sunscreen, and shades – Just because.
White water
- A helmet – You need to ensure you protect your noggin if you want to come back to fight another day.
- A board leash – Your board leash basically keeps your body connected to your board when you fall off, which will happen quite frequently. There are different opinions on leash use for safety and comfort reasons but I use a leash on the river and love it.
- A wet suit or dry suit – Depending on where you live, rivers are often cold and I find I wear a mid-weight wetsuit until about June in Colorado. It just makes the day more enjoyable.
- Tennis shoes – An old pair will do and I choose shoes over water socks because the river has a lot of sharp rocks in the bottom and the last thing you want to do is stub a toe when you’re trying to get out of the way of some obstruction in the river.
What you don’t need
- Registration – Unlike canoes or other craft in most places you don’t need to pay an annual fee to register your craft.
- A trailer – Just throw in on your rack or strap it to the top and you’re off.
- Lots of prep – Unlike other boating options you can decide 5 minutes before you go and quickly gather what you need.
Most boards have some similar characteristics and unless you are looking at the high end (e.g., composite; fast, light weight, more unstable) or the low end (e.g., plastic; slow, heavy, like a dock) it comes down to how they paddle for you and where you want to go. I would personally spend a little more on your first board and skip the whole low end starter setups found at Sams, Walmart, or Cabela’s unless you want something cheap and indestructible which is an ok requirement, as well. For those who just want to try it out, I'd suggest renting first if you're seriously considering a low-end board, you’ll immediately want something nicer. Some great SUP brands include:
- Boardworks surf - http://boardworkssurf.com/
- Starboard - http://www.star-board.com/
- Badfish SUP - http://badfishsup.com/
- Bark - http://www.joebark.com/
- Naish – http://www.naish.com/
- NRS - http://www.nrs.com/
- SUP ATX – http://supatx.com/
- Sea Eagle - https://www.seaeagle.com/
- Hobie – http://www.hobie.com/stand-up-paddleboards
- Bic – http://www.bicsup.com/
- Jimmy Lewis – http://www.jimmylewis.com/
Now length is one of those important considerations when looking for a SUP. If you want to paddle flat lakes go long, if you’re headed to the river to shred you’ll want something shorter and more maneuverable. For a first board I would buy something in the 11’ – 13’ range and designed for the lake or flat moving water use. For lake boards you basically have two options, canoe nose or yoga nose (those are not technical terms just what I can them). The canoe nose I comes to a point and the bodies tend to be a bit thicker (see the Raven for reference) and they also tend to be built more for speed. Anything designed to go fast will have a nose like that. For a more all-around fitness board you’ll find a lot with rounded noses and they are thinner bodies in construction and are rounded at the front. They are really stable and decently fast as well. They will ride chop nicely on the lake.
This is another bridge to cross early and there are advantages and disadvantages of each choice.
Inflatables
As you’d expect, these types of boards allow you a greater freedom of movement than with a hardboard and you just “show up and blow up”. I try and take my boards on every trip so that I can play in a faraway river, lake, or ocean. They pack down relatively small and fit into a bag that you can check on a plane or stuff in your trunk. Inflatables allow you the option of starting on the lake and then progressing to a river without concern for breaking your fins or damaging the skin of your board. However, it’s not really quite that easy and you have to be ready for between 190 and 250 pushes on your pump to get the board filled up. I actually keep my inflatables lightly pumped up and then top them off when I go paddling. I also use a specialized attachment for my air compressor so I don’t have to pump at all.
Inflatable boards used to always be a little heavier and softer (meaning your board slightly tacos under your weight) but that is changing as well. Modern inflatables like my Starboard SUP blow up very stiff and it’s the lightest board we own. Of the three boards we have today two of them are inflatables so you can see where my preference is at today, but I also do a lot more river running than lake paddling.
Hardboards
More like a traditional surfboard these boards are stiff, normally light in weight, and because they don’t flex tend to be a bit faster than an inflatable on the lake. Our first board was a hard board and it is still my first choice for lake paddling. The only issue you have is storage and travel, you clearly need a lot more room and a rack to make everything work. You also need to be a bit more careful with these boards because your fin sits in a box that can break off if you, for instance, take your lake board on the river and hit a submerged tree – not that I would know anything about that or anything. However everything is fixable with about $100 and I was back and running in a couple weeks’ time.
You can actually get a great hardboard designed for the river as well. Over the last few years a number of brands like Badfish have develop a whole line of park and play boards that combine all of the stiffness of the hardboard and the toughness of an inflatable. These boards are used to do skate park types moves and surf on standing river waves. My next SUP will be one of these and will keep my quiver at a 50-50 ratio.
Paddles As noted above, if you think buying a board is tough choosing a paddle might be harder. Cost Don’t skimp, get yourself something light and strong. A heavy paddle will suck after 20 minutes of paddling and you’ll be less likely to want to go out again. Also, a heavy paddle is no fun for a child to try and use if you are trying to get the family convinced to take up a new activity. I have gotten killer deals on both of my paddles but expect to spend $180- $250 for a decent paddle. Most places will give you a deal for a paddle purchase when you buy a board, you should ask for one. Carbon will be lighter but most expensive ($200-$300), fiberglass will be mid-range cost and a little heavier ($130-$200), then they make carbon plastic blends lowest cost and heaviest. For a paddle, buy as nice as you feel comfortable spending but just don’t buy a super cheap one. 1, 2 or 3 piece paddles If you are going to fly with your board (we have taken ours to Mexico for example) I’d get a three piece but otherwise a 2 piece is what you want in my opinion. I take a lot of people out and so I like to be able to adjust it so it is comfortable and people aren’t immediately thrown off using something too big or small for them. You can’t do that with a one piece. Paddle options Werner (2 piece, lake and whitewater blade, $250ish) http://www.coloradokayak.com/Werner-Session-2pc-SUP Starboard tufskin (2 piece, where ever, $175ish) http://www.coloradokayak.com/Starboard-Enduro-Fiber-Tufskin-3pc-SUP-Paddle Ascent (3 piece, wherever, $130ish) http://www.coloradokayak.com/Accent-Max-FX-3-pc-Adj-SUP-Paddle_3 | Paddle options |
Boardwalks, Raven (hardboard, race/fitness board)
Price: New ~$1,400 I got mine used for $750 from Frank at Mountain Rentals
Online: http://www.coloradokayak.com/Raven116-SUP-Boardworks_2
Price: New ~$1,300, I got mine used for $600 from Frank at Mountain Rentals
Online: http://www.coloradokayak.com/Boardworks-SHUBU-MOD-96
Price: New ~$1,200, I got mine on the CKS Outlet for $650
Online: http://www.coloradokayak.com/Astro-Converse-90-Starboard-SUP_2
Here in Colorado we have a lot of options but you can find boards almost anywhere these days. I try and buy local or in the shops I frequent because they’re in the business to help you out. However, I also buy from Cragislist as well and you can find some sweet deals from time to time.
Mountain Rentals – Loveland, CO
Good variety of stuff, has lots of different options, I don’t know if he has $800-$1000 boards in his rental fleet but you can get a board for ALL DAY for $35, you’ll pay that for an hour or two most places. Ask for Frank and tell him Rob Bean sent you and tell him you are looking for a fun all around board but mainly for lake and fitness paddling. He will also apply any money you spend in rentals to your purchase and he’ll make a deal on the right day.
Retail store
401 East Eisenhower
Loveland, CO 80537
Phone: 970.667.2922
http://www.mountainrentalsinc.com/
Colorado Kayak Supply (CKS) – Buena Vista, CO
CKS is amazing. I love these guys because they are so helpful, will spend an hour on the phone with you just to talk about options, and they have a really good variety of options to consider. The best part is that these guys actually paddle and so you’ll get some great real world advice.
Retail store
105 Antero Cir
Buena Vista, CO 81211
Phone: 719.539.6300
http://www.coloradokayak.com/
Current deals at CKS - http://www.coloradokayak.com/Sale_2/Sale-Kayaks-Boards
Good places to look for deals http://cksoutlet.com/ (stuff changes regularly and many times there is only one or two deals, but they can be crazy so keep watching)
SUP ATX (online store)
Their boards are more all fitness types for the most part and for lake or ocean surfing use. I started on a board of this style years ago and they are a lot of fun. They are always running all sorts of deals and you can get a great board and paddle for around $800 and free shipping. This place will likely get you the best board for the money. Just make sure you buy something with deck padding across the area where you will paddle. I don’t like an uncovered deck, too slippery, you often find uncovered decks with yoga specific boards.
Phone: 1-866-4-SUP-ATX or 1 (512) 651-5710
http://supatx.com/
Here are a few videos from numerous trips and learning to run whitewater and surf.
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Arapahoe Bend Natural Area (Fort Collins) Boedecker Lake (Loveland) | Horsetooth Reservoir (Fort Collins) The South Platte River (St. Vrain all the way out to Fort Lupton - pick your spot) |