Do not waste your money on a 10' board. Longer boards are more stable, better glide, better tracking and speed. If over 170lbs, I recommend an 11' board for the extra room for carrying gear, kids, or dog. The 10'6" boards are fine, but before you buy, do test paddle both and see which feels better. Most paddle boarders are more than happy to answer questions or offer a test paddle. EDIT: forgot to add that one should look for a board that has the extra D-rings on the side and near the middle of the board. This way one can add a stadium seat or small beach chair and strap it to the D-rings. Best of both worlds to sit when tired or when you hit rough water. Simply flip the seat backwards or forward to stand.
Had my eye on an old town kayak for $180.00. Slept on it and told the guy I changed my mind in favor of a sup. I looked up a rental and asked about that and went to Amazon and saw what I wanted for $300.00, then I saw one comparable for$300 with a $40.00 coupon, it’ll be here monday. Now I can ride my motorcycle to the river or lake and paddle or fish. I already am comfortable standing in my canoe and this should be awesome!
To be fair, you can buy inexpensive paddleboards that are wider and have the same dimensions or close as the more expensive boards. These less expensive boards are great for people to get out on the water and find out if it is something they will really enjoy before investing a lot in it.
To be honest, because most boards use the same Chinese manufacturer, you could probably find a cheap version of your expensive board in a different print.
I bought *FunWater* and am amazed at the value. The 11'6" ×32 Manta Ray series is quite suitable for fishing ( I've caught 85 so far, mostly Spotted Bass, up to 3.5 lbs.) That board has become my favorite. I use it every day, on my local Tallapoosa River. When I found the $229.99 board for about $180, I bought a second one; then found it for $98...I bought 4 more, for a total of 6! I couldn't be happier with my boards from FunWater.
I so concur with what you say here. I bought a 12' 6" HYDRO-FORCE FASTBLAST economy board, 30" wide. I'm putting almost all my energy into balance. My 2nd board will be another econ board, the HYDRO-FORCE FREESOUL 35" wide. It is also set up for a windsurf sail, which for my windy lake, seems like the direction I need to be heading. We don't have glassy mornings to start the day.
I got the Skatinger Octopus iSUP one just recently $300....Im getting used to standing on it being a big girl - Im getting there. Mines 11' 34"wide. It's great quality just need to work on balance
It seems like being even lighter than regular iSUPs would make it attractive for people doing a lot of portage with their board, even if it does come with the trade-off in stiffness and stability.
Haha the bridge looks familiar. I think that's where I caught my catfish on the fly the day we met lol. Would you recommend a wider and longer board for fishing? Being a fly fisher, I might be moving a lot more because of the way we cast.
Not really longer. Wider will be more stable. At least the 32". My irocker is a little heavier and that adds to the stability. We can be the only paddleboard fishermen out there!
I bought 2 irocker isups due to the quality and guarantee offered by the brand, one of them failed after 2 months under normal use conditions and irocker did not want to honor the guarantee with childish and unpleasant behavior. So spending more than $600USD on an isup and having to throw it in the trash doesn't make sense, buying a good one for $300 does, especially if it fails before a year and the brand still honors its warranty.
Could you throw a castnet off one of these paddleboards ? If not , do you think those kayak stabilizers could be rigged to fit a paddleboard for stability to throw a castnet ?
I have a Body Glove Performer 8:23 board from Costco and with an included electric pump I thought it was a great deal. I’m 6’4” 180 lbs and with the board being 11x34 it’s quite stable. The problem is it tracks terribly (or at least it feels that way cause I’m constantly switching sides lol) I can’t imagine being on a 30”, but maybe 32”.
I know a couple people with that board and they really enjoy it. There are some paddling techniques that allow you to stay on one side longer. It's more about angling the paddle to draw yourself to the same side compensating for the natural turn when you paddle. This is the technique I use. It should work on your body glove. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ETC2CFEQYdE.html
It's not your imagination the body glove has a very small center fin. The stability takes away from the speed, which may be fine depending on your needs. I used mine a few times per week but decided to upgrade to a touring board because i like longer distance stuff. 28X 13'. Really excited to get out there.
I just got a 2022 Starboard Single Chamber Touring 12.6x30. I’m looking forward to trying it out this Friday. I tried their Double chamber and figured I’d save some $. Will see if I notice any difference in stiffness. If the one I just got is anything like the one I tried it’s sure going to be better than the Body Glove. I also purchased a Aqua Glide Challenger 85 paddle. But that won’t be here by the time I go out this Friday 😄
@@MrBalas3 wow haha guess i am not the only one upgrading. mine is the hydrus paradise X. really wanted a starboard airline sprint but not ready to commit $2000 to go faster
the paddle does get tighter you need to open the lock and give it a turn and ck turn more until it locks tight but not over tight very simple but common complaint ! great review im a newbie got me a cheap board yet to get out and try
I think you're right about the paddle tightening. My paddle came with rails on the handle end section that prevent it twisting which is a nice feature.
Thanks for the Video! I'm looking into getting a SUP for casual Canal/Lake/RIver use, Sunday morning activity type stuff and cant justify paying the higher end scale of some boards, so this is a welcome review knowing i can still start and enjoy paddle boarding from a cheap starting point. Maybe if i really get into it i'll upgrade as the years go on
Great review. I have never SUPed before and just bought two of these from Walmart for $160 and are looking to take it up to Lake Diablo. This lake is glacial fed and will likely be freezing cold water which Im a little concerned about. Should be an adventure lol
The reason why it is more unstable is because more expensive boards have a more rigid internal structure, more weight, more material, more time to build, more better.
@@LadybugAdventures I see that's how that part came across but its not what i meant. I disagree with that conclusion. All i was trying to convey is the structural design is far superior, but that means it would have to weigh more all that extra weight is the structural rigidity which is why it is more stable. The weight just comes with the superior design
