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General

Stand up paddle board

by shibbs » 11 Jun 2016, 17:50

I'm toying with the idea of getting an inflatable SUP to keep on the boat.
Can be used then for exploring and playing about at the beach or wherever we end up.
I've seen them on eBay for about £250 ish but have been told that they won't last long as won't be strong enough.
Anyone here have any experience or knowledge on what is worth getting and what not?
I really don't want to pay loads but at the same time don't want to go cheap if it won't last 5 minutes as its then a false economy.
Can anyone comment?
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by mlines » 12 Jun 2016, 10:12

The guy next to us in studland bay yesterday had one on a Fletcher. He spent an age pumping it up with a manual pump. However it looked ok after it was done and he set out around the bay. It was mirror flat conditions

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by annageek » 12 Jun 2016, 11:02

We have two, and used them extensively on the Fletcher when we had it.

We had an RRD 10'4 lightstrip and a Red Ride 10'6. The RRD is a lot lighterweight, and to be honest, seems perfectly adequately made. The RRD is quite a lot heavier and in my opinion, over engineered. That said, we take them surfing in the winder when there's moderate surf, and they get a real beating but seem perfectly happy - also, they get chucked on the roof rack and driven around at 70mph (probably far too fast considering we have a 'wing' strapped to the roof!) and they are happy, too.

There's a short learning curve with them, but the wider the board, the easier it'll be. Our RRD is 34" wide, and the Red is 32" wide, and the extra 2" makes a noticeable difference. That said, we regularly used them as a tender for the boat, and used them in everything from flat calm conditions to quite choppy, and with a bit of experience, they're really easy to get on with (if you ever get into trouble, just kneel down to lower your COG and they're incredibly stable).

The reason we bought the more 'premium' branded ones was because we were uncertain of quality. As it happens, I've now seen a few of the Aquamarina and similar cheaper SUPs and actually, the quality of the board seems more or less as good as the RRD board (my favourite of our two). The board shape isn't quite as stable (skinnier aft part). It's more the accessories and bags/pumps/paddles that come with the cheaper ones that seems to suffer from the lower prices.

In short, would I buy a cheaper board? If I could find an all rounder one with a decent shape for surfing, then yes. If it was for occasional pratting about off the back of the boat, and to the beach/back, then definitely yes.

One thing though, I'd buy from a proper online shop than eBay as warranty bits and pieces will slightly more reliable (one would have thought). Twobarefeet.co.uk is a good place for these cheaper ones, if interested.

As Martin says though, unless you plan to invest in an electric pump, your upper body will get one hell of a workout, as they do take some pumping!! Never bothered us, though, and I can easily get my RRD up to 14psi without too much trouble, and Andrew can get the RED up to 20psi with his double barrel pump, also withouh too much trouble.
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by shibbs » 12 Jun 2016, 11:44

Thanks for the replies. Anna, a great bit of detail there, really appreciated.
To sum it up perfectly, yes, pratting about on the beach or off the back of the boat.
I will look at the website you supplied and have a think.
As for pumping by hand... :shock:
Err, nope! Electric pump all the way! 8-)
Thanks very much though.
Will let you know what I decide on.
Thanks
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by ChrisH » 13 Jun 2016, 18:50

Don't know much about paddle boards. But did buy a sit on kayak last year. It sits nicely with the bow on the floor between the helm and passenger seats and rests against the rear bench backrest. Can still get 2 people sitting either side of it. Was great when anchored up in bays last year in Spain.

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by NikTheGeek » 26 Jun 2016, 20:18

The Red 10.6 is the single most popular inflatable SUP on the planet and for good reason. It can handle small surf, flat water, anything as it's a true all-rounder. It comes with a twin pump that makes inflating it to 20psi reasonably easy - that said I have an electric pump that can do to 15psi in a couple of mins so I just top it off.

If you are seriously in to SUP, you want a board for different specialities: a long one for flat water cruising, a narrow one for racing, a shorter one for surf. Hard ones glide slightly better, but can't take the punishment and are a nightmare to store. A good inflatable, inflated to the correct pressure will be almost as stiff and glide almost as well as a rigid, but will last a lot longer and hold it's resale value better. After a couple of years it will still look like new whereas a rigid board will be full of dings and scratches.

Jobe also make a range and are the board of choice for many fresh water tourers. Aquamarine make a range of cheaper ones. I know several people with Aquamarine SUP's and they all like them. TJ Huges had the Aquamarine 9.6 (ideal for playing in the surf) at £250 the other day, but they've sold out. But for an all round board, something like the Red 10.6 is ideal and packs away in a brilliant rucksack with wheels.

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