Paddle Boards

[joosttx]

we have an excellent ?canal? ideal for paddle boarding down the hill from us. I have been think about paddle boarding for a long time and now am considering to do it. What is the a maintaince, the watch outs, brands and experience of the collective paddle boarders.

[maunahaole]

Keep in mind that these things are really big. Consider your storage. There are rigid and inflatable options. A lot of shops will do a rental/lesson program with credits towards purchase. You’ll probably also need a wet suit most days for your local water.

[cny rider]

We bought a couple this summer and had great fun with them on the lake.
Most important thing is to go try some out, especially if like us you have no experience with them.
Our local shop is right on the Susquehenna , I went with my 8 year old daughter and we tried at least half a dozen models on the water before deciding.

Also vigorously agree with the comment above. I'm the biggest member of the family at 5'6" 150 pounds and the board I use is 10 1/2 feet long!

[Moke]

Lots of things to think about. Stand Up, lay down or on the knees? Speed vs stability? Open water or flat? You or for the family? Body weight matters. Horses for courses in paddle board land out there. Lucky you are in Cali, lots of choices not too far away.

I would buy a board a little more tippy than you think is right when you start. Buying too slow of hull is a beginners mistake and you will regret having that pig in the house. But if you want to have a couple boards around the slow board would be a good choice for friends and family. Lay down and on the knees are way harder than the SUP (stand up paddle boards). They are total grunt sports, you can fly on them but it is work, work, work. You can work hard on an SUP but you can also fish, take pictures and do the family thing on SUPs.

Lay down/knee paddle boards are like buying/riding a TT bike, they go fast and that is what they are made for. If you do race be prepared to suck quite a while. Those surfer dudes are quick and get on waves you only dream about and when they are surfing the bumps and you are still paddling ...away they go. How would I know that?

Storage is a bit of an issue as the epoxy/glass ones don't like to get bumped around in the garage and get dings in them pretty easy in the garage. But they are usually the faster hulls. Figure 10 to 16 feet long. When I had surf boards, a paddle board and 5 or 6 bikes in our 900 sq foot condo, Mrs. Moke was not a happy wife one bit.

I would rent both stand up and lay down boards a couple times and see what you think. It is ok if you feel a bit tippy and frustrated the first few times, the learning curve is pretty quick on all the boards, fun sport too. Good luck to you.

[guido]

There is another term for a too stable starter boat once you have mastered it: The guest boat.

Like most things worth doing, proper technique matters a lot. Any watercraft stable enough to really focus on your technique in (on?) will get boring once you have it nailed. But trying to develop your skills on a go fast unstable model too soon, especially when you factor in wind and waves (rare in CA but...), is very hard and frustrating. And often an impediment to the good technique you seek...

Plus you will want to keep the slower boat around to let your son use to delay the day he beats you...

[jclay]

I recommend a used board initially and I wouldn't get too hung up on the type/brand. At this stage you need to gain experience, stick time, and it doesn't matter much on what as long as it's reasonably suitable. If you stay with it you can sell a used board easily and at little loss, and your growing experience/skill will put you in a much better position to know what you would like/dislike in a new/expensive board. Same comment wrt paddles and as much as it's possible with any other gear you need. Looking into storage and transpo/racks ahead of time is wise.

[TMB]

Just for perspective, we have 3 inflatables. 10 and 10.5 ft. Storage is easy, transport is easy.

Love them.

[72gmc]

We have two 10-foot-ish inflatables, and they're great. We chose for both the lake down the street and the lakes where we like to vacation. Deflated, both boards (along with paddles, vests, and pump) fit in the roof basket next to the roof box. Inflated (always my job) they're easy for my wife and kids to carry and use.

[Jonathan]

I've got two epoxy boards. Like bikes, the "untegra" level board will make you happier long term without needing more. I've paddled all summer and one thing I really like is all I need is a bathing suit. Gear costs are nil after the initial purchase. I'd buy a great paddle though. It makes 3-4 hour paddles so nice and puts less wear on your body.

[deano]

Boarding rules! We've had our golden retriever out with us on boards before. You're gonna love it.

I second the inflatable route unless you already have a surf wagon type vehicle and tons of garage space.

[TTX1]

Houston,

Report back - What did you end up going with? How's it going? What would you do differently?

I'm about to buy a board for 80% lake/flat water, 20% Southern NE coast water. Looking for used, but it's slim pickings and I might dive right in to a new board.

Take me to school.

[sk_tle]

I have been paddling for a few years already, mostly in the mediterranean sea..

I would say the board stability matter very little on lakes and flat water and you can affoard choosing the fastest boards. On open water this is another affair, especially if your area is full of idiots circling around you on jetskis or fast boats. I own a "touring" inflatable board that is relatively long at 12" and a kind of narrow diamond shape. When there are too many wave it is not the best board, I wouldn't be able to surf on it.

Bar a few exceptions I keep mine inflated from late april to end of october in my stairway. In hindsight
I should have bought a rigid for my particular use.

[sk_tle]

Oh and if you go on open water you may want to have a look at the laws. I have no idea about the USA but in some countries you have distance limit feom the coast when you are on an inflatable board. In France it is 300m for example.

[TTX1]

Thanks, Thomas.

I'm definitely going with a rigid board... Seems like there is a lot of rebranding in SUPs, it's sort of like "open mold" carbon frames. And not convenient to demo...

There's a used Coreban Icon (10'6") nearby that is about 50% of the cost of a new ECS Limitless (11'4"). Sorry for imperial units.

Looking at the size and shape, I'm guessing that the Coreban will surf better and the ECS will be better on flat water and more stable in general.

Decisions, decisions.

[sk_tle]

Looking at the size and shape, I'm guessing that the Coreban will surf better and the ECS will be better on flat water and more stable in general.

That would be my assumption tool. The Limitless might be a notch too stable / beginner's friendly and you might outgrow it quickly, I think the inception line of ECS might be more interesting in the long term while still being pretty stable.

I would grab that Coreban if the price is right.

[TTX1]

Thanks Thomas.

In the end, I went with option #5…. VESL Eco Series Ultra-Light with Paulownia wood veneer.

Should arrive in about a week.