How to choose a Performance All-round Paddle Board

Let’s start with the classic performance all-round shape first, as this is the board shape most riders will choose. The classic performance all-round width and thickness ideally follows the width and thickness of the classic 10’6 shape at 32” wide and 4.7” thick, with the main design changes being a squared-off tail, touring fin and a pointed nose, with Red Paddle Co offering an 11’3 sport and Gladiator offering the 11’4 Pro and Elite. These are the only 2 brands offering this performance all-round shape at the moment as other brands are choosing to move up to a 6" thick dropstich in similar design shapes, which is manufactured to a premium level does support the heavier rider will but is ideally too buoyant for riders under 85 kilo’s.

SUP inflatables truly believe in a high density 4.7 (5inch) thick board thickness so don't sell any brand that doesn’t offer this shape in their performance all-round range. Choose a board from Red Paddle Co or Gladiator to gain this technology in the performance all-round shape.

There is an unfortunate miss-conception of ‘bigger is best’ within the SUP world and this marketing is unfortunately sometimes bigger than the premium brand voice, ‘Bigger is best’ isn’t great for the average size paddler either but it really does affect the shorter lighter rider to a higher level, as a shorter lighter rider is more prone to difficulties paddling longer distance if the board is too wide and too thick. 

Here are some guidelines for the shorter lighter rider picking a board.

Width of a shorter lighter rider board - If the rider is under 5’5 and definitely under 5’4 it is really ideal that the rider will choose a board that’s 30” wide as an absolute maximum width as this allows the shorter rider to gain a ‘straight down’ paddle stroke.

Length of a shorter lighter rider board - If the rider is planning on paddling more than an hour and still wants maneuverability, then choosing a board that is about 11 feet long is ideal.

Thickness of a lighter rider board -  If the shorter rider is under 12 stone (or 80g) it is pretty crucial that the board is 4.7 (5inch) thick. This allows the board volume to sit within the waterline which allows the rider to paddle successfully without being caught by side wind or waves.

Heavier riders have to be cautious too, as sometimes a rider thinks they are heavier than they are, so still fits into a premium quality 4.7 dropstich range. If the rider is heavier they will prefer a 6” thick board made from a premium high-density construction as if it’s a cheap 6” dropstitch unfortunately the board will still bend under the heavier weight.

The way to confirm the construction is premium, high density is to check the brand is offering a 26 psi rated product with an inflation of 20 psi. A larger rider will prefer a board that is 34” wide and 6” thick in performance all-round shape. SUP inflatables only sell high-rated PSI boards, providing heavier riders with the confidence to ride a board without it bending.