What Board Size is Right For You?

AllRound SUP

All round Paddle Boards are the choice for the majority of paddlers as their length and width make them super stable and easy to turn. The all round paddle board shape is great for people new to paddle boarding and wanting a family SUP board that will do everything from having family fun at the beach, to catching a small wave, to enjoying a longer distance paddle. Brands like Red Paddle Co have done an amazing job of designing the perfect 10’6 x 4.75” thick x 32” wide all-round SUP board and with many brands choosing to agree with this shape and thickness there is plenty of awesome all round boards to choose from at different budgets and graphic choices..

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Performance Allround SUP

The all-round performance SUP board is for people wanting every thing the all-round board gives, stability and manoeuverability but with a bit of Oomph! A perfect performance all-round should mirror the width and length of the brands all-round board but with an added point on the nose which gives more glide and speed. For example, A 10'6 x 32" x 4.75" all round shape in most brands is between 11’2 too 11’4 long with a width of 32” and thickness of 4.75”. For heavier riders, or riders looking for extra stability the 10’8 all round board becomes 11’6 x 34”.

More details can be found below on the 'Which board is right for you' section

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Touring SUP

Touring paddle boards offer amazing versatility and with some brands offering touring boards at a similar price to the all-round option, making touring boards accessible to family fun and the budget conscious as well as touring and adventure paddle boarding enthusiasts . A touring SUP board is longer to allow for the board to go in a straight line more easily, this mean’s less paddle strokes so less fatigue when paddling longer distance’s. If you and your family love lake, river and sea paddle boarding and like paddling more than a mile, then you may prefer to be unconventional and go for a 12’6 touring board instead of a 10’6 all-round paddle board. The touring board shape has some key qualities for family and adventure paddle boarding fun, Its longer, so much more room for kids to sit and chill out on the front of the board, there is a bungee on the back (as well as the front) of most touring boards and this is great for adventure paddling as well as paddle boarding with kids as the weight of your picnic, water and spare cloths pushes down fin and allows for great tracking.

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Race SUP

The term 'race' is a little misleading for the wider of the race boards with a width of 29"-30", as they provide plenty of stability for long touring paddles. They are not just for racing. If you are sporty and have good balance these inflatable sups will be excellent fast touring boards. They are one of our boards of choice for distance paddling. The narrower Race SUPs at around 26" are incredibly fast, but are really best for those with experience or the best of balance!

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Kids SUP

Kids paddle boards have become more accessible with more brands designing kids specific SUP boards within a budget that doesn’t break the bank. When choosing a Kids board think about what they will be using it for? Chilling at the beach? Touring along side you? Or catching a wave? How old are the kids and will you sell the board on when they get older? or does it need to last them until teenage years?? If your child is partial to a bit of SUP surf or hanging at the beach with friends, look at board shapes around 8-10ft long (depending on their age) and about 26”-30” wide. Its pretty key to make sure the board is between 4” & 4.7" thick in high density dropstitch and definitely NOT 6” thick as the volume of a 6” thick board is too high and pushes the board out of the water and bobs around on the surface of the water creating instability in anything other than perfect flat water weather. If your kid is ready for his or her own board to allow them to paddle more than an hour, look at boards that are specific kids touring boards and depending on their age about 26-30” wide, again choose a board no thicker than 4.7 thick, in high density drop stitch, which will give them a sleek stable SUP board.

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Fitness SUP

Fitness Paddleboards are a relatively new introduction to the SUP market, feeding the rise of paddleboard yoga as it's very own discipline. The prefect yoga SUP is nice and stable, offering the additional benefits for the core that practicing yoga on a SUP creates, without being too unstable so that you fall in! With an allround, shape, these paddleboards are also good for allround flat water paddling, most fitness paddle boards will have the handle moved to the side as not to affect your yoga poses and also be slightly wider than the standard all round shape to aid balance.

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Surf SUP

Inflatable Surf SUPs can offer performance on a wave that you wouldn't have thought possible from an inflatable. Developments in design and construction mean they are super stiff so ride a wave extremely well. They are short and hence very fast turning. The low volume means that overall stability is not as great as longer boards. They are slowest to paddle in a straight line. Best suited for those who will primarily use their Inflatable SUP in waves.

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White Water SUP

White Water SUPs are fairly niche; you know who you are if you want one! Specifically designed for running rivers, they are the perfect tool for this exhilarating type of paddleboarding. White Water SUPs are wide for stability and very short for the utmost maneuverability. They are made with the most bombproof constructions for rigidity and durability in the most extreme environments.

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Muli-Person SUP

These things are an absolute hoot! Giant paddleboards designed to carry multiple paddlers at the same time; whether on flat water or in the waves they are a real blast. A great addition to the fleet for watersports centres, a unique tender for yacht owners or be the envy of every family on the beach!

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- Quick Guide to which paddleboard is right for you? -

Once you've narrowed down what type of paddle board you're after, you will find that there are other options that can affect your paddle board choice. Your height, weight and wether your paddling with kid’s or dogs and where your paddling? sea, river or lake or all of them…This quick paddle board guide will get you up to speed on which board is right for you…

Which Paddle Board Is Perfect For You?

All Round Paddle Boards

The all round paddle board is for everyone who wants a great fun stable paddle board, Size’s ranging from 9’8 for the shorter rider too 10’8 for the heavier rider. The most popular size been 10’6 x 32" x 4.7" thick for most families. If your looking for an all-round board and everyone is under 100kg its pretty key to look for a board that is 4.7” thick with high density paddle board drop stitch, This will allow everyone to have fun even in windier weather. (Try keep away from 6” thick boards) If your under 5’6 you may be tempted with a specific shorter rider boards thats 28-31” wide x 4.7” thick, these boards give the shorter rider a board that’s more reactive as these boards offer the shorter rider a straight down paddle stroke. These boards are also great for taller riders wanting to catch a wave. If your over 100kg, look out for 10’6 x 10’8 boards that are 6” thick in high density dropstitch, these boards are between 32 x 34 wide. If your over 100kg with good stability and balance go for a 32” wide board but if you prefer a higher degree of stability go for 34” wide board. When searching out a great 6” board look for a board that has high density drop stitch and stay away from brands that claim ‘Military Grade’.. its completely made up and only used by brands that are bending the truth of there capabilities and your board will bend with it! :)

Performance All Round Boards

The all-round performance SUP board is for people wanting every thing the all-round board gives, stability and manoeuverability but with a bit of Oomph! A perfect performance all-round should mirror the width and length of the brands all-round board but with an added point on the nose which gives more glide and speed. For example, A 10'6 x 32" x 4.75" all round shape in most brands is between 11’2 too 11’4 long, with a width of 32” and thickness of 4.7”.

For heavier riders, or riders looking for extra stability the 10’8 all round board becomes 11’6 x 34”. Performance All-round paddle boards are a new breed of allround SUP's, the Standard all round board shape has been around since the birth of long board surfing era, this shape made its way into the paddle board market as a larger version, but the fundamentals remained the same, wide enough to balance on, long enough to go in a straight line but most importantly the rails were kept fairly parallel which helps keep the board heading in the right direction.

There have been a few attempts to improve on this all-round shape by placing a point within the length of a 10’6 all-round but unfortunately it doesn’t work, the secret to the round nose and tail on a 10'6 all-round board is that it gives a parallel rail that is needed for keeping the board going in a straight line, if the nose of a 10'6 is designed to be pointed and the length isn’t increased, then the curve in the rail of the board is increased, which makes the board zig zag left to right, rather than an efficient forward motion.

The longer and thinner a board is, the faster it is, hence a racing SUP shape and the shorter a board is the better it is for surf, as its more manoeuverable. The All-round performance board gives a little more speed but keeps the manoeverability and stability of the all-round width allowing this board to be great on flat water, still able to catch a wave but is a little faster to paddle and has more glide from the pointed nose.

Kids Paddle Boards

Kid's specific paddle boards have the characteristics that make them perfect for children who love to paddle. They tend to be shorter than you may choose as an adult, and usually use lightweight or double lamianted construction to make them easy for kids to handle. Kids SUPs can come in allround, touring and race shapes.

If your kid’s want an all-round SUP board, choose a a kids allround shape thats often between 8' and 10' feet in length, the board will have a thickness that is no more than 4.7” thick and will be about 26"-30" wide, This will give them a great shaped board that is very stable and lots of fun. Try not to buy anything 6” thick, The 6” thick SUP board tends too be too high volume even for most adults and for children wanting to paddle on flat water or catch a wave will be too unstable. If your kids have got the adventure bug and love's paddling next to you on longer paddling adventures a Kids Touring Paddle Board a great option, Keep the width too about 26" - 30" wide and make sure the board is no thicker than 4.7" thick to give them stability whilst enjoying there paddling adventure.

Surf SUP boards

Most of us are very happy to catch a wave on an all-round SUP board, SUP Boards between 9'8 and 10’6 x 4.7 thick love catching a small wave, especially for newbies that are having lots of fun at the beach, for anyone taking SUP surf seriously and want a SUP specific board, Red Paddle Co, Fanatic, Gladiator and Shark do great specific SUP Surf boards or look at Red Paddle Co’s 9’8, Fanatic’s 9’8, Gladiator 10'4 or Shark 10'2 for great slightly larger options that are still smaller than the all-round shapes. 

Touring Paddle Boards

Touring boards are great for the adventure seekers as well as families looking for a little extra room on the front of the board for kids and dogs. If your a shorter, lighter rider, look at touring boards that are 4.7" (5"inches thick) and for everyone else a touring baord that is 6 inches thick is a great option. If your planning to go full adventure paddle boarding look at paddle boards that are longer and at lest 12'6 in lenght , This longer shape is a must for holding camping equipment and picnics and been out on the water for days on end. Again dropstitch is pinnacle on these longer boards and if your budget doesn’t stretch too a Red Paddle Co, Starboard Double Chamber or Fanatic Premium, Look for boards that have high density drop stitch, high SO rating of 26 and triple rail edges and are premium quality long warrantes. Gladiator is a good brand too look at as well as Anomy and Shark in the 12’6 touring boards.

Race Boards

If you ever get too wanting to race on a paddle board you will either want be part of the N1SCO events, so will need a Naish One Race board or you may want to be part of the Red Paddle Co Dragon Races or you will want to race in the 14’ or 12’6 SUP races series. Board length and width are key in these events and you will want too balance your need for stability with your want to win too find the ultimate and perfect race board of yourself.

Thickness

One more thing to consider when choosing your Inflatable SUP is the thickness of the board. There is a lot of rubbish about thickness out there on the internet from POP up brands buying the cheapest materials they can. Each thickness option has it's advantages which we have outlined here, but for full details on board thickness click the link below - Allround review - where the 1st paragraph goes into detail about thickness.