SUP What to know first board.

[troubleshooter]

Looking to add on to the kayaks and try out a little SUP.

Does anyone have any tips on what to look for in a first board that will keep on giving after you learn.

This question sounds oh so familiar from when I first started kite boarding. Anyway, most likely alot of the SUPing will be Bayside coastline, waterway, and maybe some small surf. Need room to carry an extra little person every now and then. Are these things weight specific also? I guess another question would be fin depth. May cruise into some shallow water also.

Need a good stable board that won't break the bank.

Any help would be appreciated.

[garrym]

Based on the needs, Coastal Cruising, Small Surf and Passenger, here is my recommendation. There are tons of boards to choose from each with it's own branding, building technique etc. Depending on your weight, the Jimmy Lewis Cruise Control in either the 11'6 or the 11' range would be great. It has a ton of glide, great stability and plenty of volume! It is the longest running shape in the industry. This simply means it works. It is built completely in an epoxy sandwich construction. This means long term durability, especially compared to the" mid line boards "$1200 to $1400". This is the area you have to be careful with. Spend the extra hundred or two. The other boards are generally plain foam core boards with a laminated wood deck and a bunch of glass. This equals short term durability and added weight.
For more info check out the following link.
http://redefineyourride.com/products...0.0.0.0?pp=20&

[ARCSrule]

coming from a long time kayaker (1990 -2012)---class 5 whitewater and distance touring, take this for what it is worth. i tried the sup with a very good board and kevlar paddle. it was just a lot of work compared to a good kayak. terribly inefficient. i had heard of 'the workout'. yep, it was a big workout loading it on the car and back as in way heavier than a kayak. stroking hard was less speed than kayak. any wind made it impossible. but consider i did not come from a stand up surfing back ground but i've surfed many a storm in my surf kayak and whitewater kayak. so my advice, try to use one for at least 3 session before you write the check.

[troubleshooter]

Good advice from both of you. Thanks.

Arcs I figured the workout was for the same reason especially since you paddle like a canoe.. I think they are more fun in surf and the cruisin around aspect on flat water is more a workout then anything. I think I would enjoy both though. I love just paddling and looking around. I think Garrym has it right on the size and volume. Knowing what I know about Kayaks, I would think over 11 feet is what you would need.

I have no intention on spending anywhere near $1500 for a SUP. Some on Craigslist that are selling used SUPs think they can sell a $5 bill for $10. They just get reposted every other day. I'll keep an eye out for the right one.

Thanks again for the advice. I will probably hit ASM up for a rental just to get a feel for them.

[ricki]

Garry gives good advice and thanks for providing it. Phil for heavier guys, like me, we may want a longer board with more wetted area and flotation for cruising. It is nice to be able to stroke and glide for a while. If not, your board might be too short and have too little displacement if you aren't ok with short interval stroking. This isn't necessarily all bad because in the waves you want something shorter and more turnable. Even on flat water it makes it more of a workout and again for lots of us, that isn't a bad thing. My wife weighs something like 45 to 50 lbs less than me. Despite that we can use some of the same boards. The big difference is she glides nicely, handles distance paddles in fairly good time. In my case, I glide far less per stroke and if I want to maintain a similar speed I will need to stroke more frequently and exert more energy or shift to a larger board.