Paddle boards come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, but choosing the right board doesn’t need to be an overwhelming decision.
There are 3 basic types of standup paddle boards:
- Surf specific models
- All around boards
- Touring or race boards
Watch the video to see the differences:
Surf specific standup paddle boards
These boards are typically shorter, narrower, and have a narrower nose and tail than all-around and touring or racing boards.
The surf specific boards are great if you’re going to spend most of your time in the surf zone.
However, The disadvantage of the narrower board is that they’re going to be much less stable.
All around boards
All around boards are the most versatile types of standup paddle boards.
Their shape is typically thicker, wider, and longer than surf specific models.
They’re great in all kinds of conditions; surf them in the surf zone and excellent for flat water paddling as well.
Touring boards
Touring boards are typically quite stable, so they are really good for beginners. They are longer and typically have a pointy nose and are designed specifically for flat water paddling.
If you’re going to spend your time cruising around on your lake, river or even open ocean touring this is the model you want.
A version of a touring board is a race board.
- Race boards are just like touring boards, but they’re much narrower.
A race board is going to be much more difficult to stand on, so it’s more of an advanced board.
How to choose a board that is right for you?
- Most importantly is your size in relation to the board.
- There’s a certain amount of volume inside every board. The longer, wider and thicker a board is the more volume it’s going to have.
- Having more volume is great because it means it’s going to float you better.
- The disadvantage however, it’s going to make the board less responsive.
- Chose a board that has a volume suitable enough for your body weight and your style of paddle.
In addition to volume, width is one of the most important aspects of a board to consider. You’re going to need a board with a certain amount of volume, but also that’s wide enough for you to be stable and comfortable on when you’re out on the water.
Construction and materials
The construction of the board and the materials used determines the quality of the board. Factors to consider:
- Price.
- Weight.
- Durability.
- Performance.
Taking all these things into consideration, you really should be able to narrow down your board selection.
Finally, no amount of research can compare to taking a board out for a test drive, so be sure to check with your local outdoor store or surf shop to see if they have demo boards available.
See if they have any on-water demos plans where you can try and test many different boards all at the same time and in the same conditions.
After you do that, visit our store and get the board that best suits you!
