[Closed] Budget SUP /surfboard cross.

This does not exist.
You can't surf the big inflatable SUPs
You need a foam surfboard and inflatable SUP.
Or rent both when you need them
Or buy the one you will use more.

You can get surfing SUPs but they are not inflatable and proper £££

As above a sup would be terrible to try and learn to surf on. They have about three or four times the volume. Just way too big.

Yes, no really a thing. Though to correct the above, inflatable sups specifically for surfing are a thing though not as good or as popular as rigid ones.

However.......sups are a good way to learn to surf via the sport of sup surfing as you've got the boring standing up bit done before catching the wave and they make tiddly waves real surfers would not be interested in fun so more places and conditions to use and less chance of being in the way for the cool kids. When you can sup surf you can transition to actual surfing if you want to but might well find sup surfing is where it's at anyway.

This is very left field but I've know people use a MConks 9'8" Go Wild for sort of what you are describing (but for sup surfing rather than surfing). They are a beginners white water board for rivers. High volume for their length, wide and robust. The rocker in their nose makes them acceptable on the sea too for catching (very) small simple waves. And their volume and width makes them acceptable for just learning a bit of sup on flat stuff. The fins and the general shape would make them a pain to paddle any real distance in flat water on but for dicking around on, not bad.

McConks are not a premium brand but sit at the mid price range with a reputation for being well made for the money and well thought through designs. A world apart from your supermarket/ebay specials. In a world where we are meant to be cutting back on our throwaway plastic use, huge lumps of poorly made cheap vinyl bought on a whim with likely a short useful life seems like a huge retrograde step. Buy something that with last both in terms of manufacture quality and a design you won't outgrown fast.

I guess when I meant beginner surfing - I meant learning how to stand up for more than 1.5 seconds before falling off. 2ft waves max. Turning was never in scope. Which as sounds like sup surfing as what Convert describes.

I know its not ideal - much like having one bike that needs to do downhill and ride park. But its all about deployment of funds and storage. Already got half of the families bikes hanging on the walls of my son's room and every time we do washing we have to move a bike. Small Victorians iiwii.

Those 2 linked above look very different shaped. I know next to nothing about SUP's.

I have the decathlon 10ft long board wave sup.

It's great in small waves. I used it as both sup and surf board. It has a moulded rail and more rocker, unlike normal inflatable boggo paddle boards.

Yes it's not as responsive as a proper surf board but I'm shit at surfing so that doesn't matter to me anyway.

If you are a decent surfer I'd not bother but for just messing about and having fun in small waves, And messing about with the kids, it's great.

It's small so standing up in the surf as a sup is bloody tricky but I find that part of the challenge. Standing to actually surf was basically like a surf school foamie

Thanks VanHalen - that sound exactly right for me. Have a look now. Cheers

Quick question on a related note for sup surfists.

I tried mine in the sea for the first time the other week. It was chossy and very small waves but it struck me that standing straight on like you do when you're sup'ing seems really weird and unstable when trying to catch a wave.

Do you stand sideways like you normally would surfing, or is it still done in the regular sup stance, straight on?

I'm not sure if they are any good but euro car parts are selling boards for £199

https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/stand-up-paddle-sup-board-red-inflatable-paddle-pump-bag-560999170

Do you stand sideways like you normally would surfing,

Yes, once you've caught the wave (or as you're catching it) you switch to surf stance

Do you stand sideways like you normally would surfing, or is it still done in the regular sup stance, straight on?

from general observation, you fall off.

Do you stand sideways like you normally would surfing, or is it still done in the regular sup stance, straight on?

You do. In fact you stand in that stance most of the time. On my sup surf board I'm only just floating stood still and need to stand in a surf stance to better shift my weight fore and aft to stop the nose or tail sinking just paddling along. You also need to learn how to turn the nose both left and right in the same stance without switching the paddle. The smaller and looser the board the easier this is.

That decathlon 10' sup surf would be a challenge for a beginner at 140 litres unless you are relatively light.

I’ve done a fair bit of supping, those Mcconks boards are great in whitewater - super stable. But going anywhere. Bloody hell it’s hard work. If you can’t do a j style paddle with a twist to stay on one side your buggered. I’d suggest a beginner would soon be deeply frustrated.

I think they are quite fin sensitive. Setup with a big single rather than 4 stubbly river quads I found the quick paddle on one to be ok. Not great if you were off for a multiple mile bimble around the harbour l, but OK.

Slightly OT, but are iSUPs that much fun? I've done a bit of river (Wye mostly) and sea kayaking, and used to surf but haven't for many years. Quite fancy a go, but are they actually any good for getting anywhere or mostly just an easy was to bob about on the water?

What would be a decent paddle for you? Ten miles is pretty doable for most people over a few hours. It’s a nice way to explore the path less trodden.

Yep surf stance as much as possible when trying to get waves. It's really hard to stay upright in the normal sup position with a shove from a wave from behind!

The 10ft board is definitely tricky! But if it was easy it would be boring. Haha b

but the 300l one (traditional isup style) we have is totally unwieldy in surf- it's basically a supertanker. It's actually hard to get a wave. The decathlon 10ft one is much easier to catch and surf on.

It paddles nicely on rivers too and is much easier for the kids to use as its smaller and doesn't catch the wind.

With the big one I don't even need to think, with the small one I feel my core working after a decent go on it.

You can get touring sups which are longer and even more stable for longer journeys with tie downs for drybags etc. It's a huge market now.

The cheapo ones do feel a bit like a lilo are inefficient to paddle and are tricky to keep straight after you've been on a decent one or a rigid board.

10 miles sounds like a good distance. The last paddle I did in the sea was about 4 miles each way which didn't feel to far but was plenty enough to feel like a good explore and to actually get somewhere.

I did ten miles on mine Saturday on the river Avon.

I didn't mean to, but I was Strava'ing it (who knew you could Strava SUP'ing) and noticed when I had stopped to portage a weir that I had done 3.5 miles. I was going upstream so I could return to where I'd parked.

So I thought, well, I've got to do 5 miles so that I hit double figures when finished, so I carried on.

It was a headwind and upstream too so I stood a bit, knelt a bit and swapped.
Much more chilled on the return downstream but yeah, I was feeling it by the end.

An all downstream trip would be much easier I think.

I've only got a 10.2 board as well so a longer board might be better.

SUPing is scary wind dependent. I think i can do about 4.5 km/h on a iSUP but it wouldn't take much of a head wind to reduce that to zero

4 days a year will be fine for flat water SUP. I find it hard to believe much progress in stand up surfing could be made at that rate.

Are you lot getting permits to go on rivers or just jumping in and going?

Re iSUP being a good way to explore - I'm not exactly sure how you plan to make yourself safe in one. Where we camped this year there was a great cove, and another one next to it with no human access so it would have been a great place to visit. But from the top of the cliffs you could see the tide boiling away like mad all along the coast so I really didn't feel confident venturing out of the cove. I've no idea how you make yourself safe when just wandering along the coast.

SUPing is scary wind dependent. I think i can do about 4.5 km/h on a iSUP but it wouldn’t take much of a head wind to reduce that to zero

We did a sesh on loch Ken a few weeks back. Five miles upwind into 13mph winds gusting to 33mph. It’s quite doable but a bit of technique and power is needed to make headway.

Re tides and such like. That’s voodoo. I’m lakes based.

Are you lot getting permits to go on rivers or just jumping in and going?

I've been kayaking for years and access to rivers is still debated and argued over as it always was. I've lost touch a bit these days as I'm far more a cyclist than a kayaker at the moment.

9.5 times out of ten it'll come down to fishing rights, where the landowner naturally wants to protect their right to charge maggot danglers for fishing off their stretch of land.

They will usually try and say that kayaking etc damages spawning beds and such but there really isn't the evidence for that. Kayaks and canoes scare the fish apparently.

I wonder what landing a massive salmon with a hook through its face, thrashing and writhing and struggling and slapping the water, fighting for its life does over a plastic boat floating overhead? 🤔

It kind of comes down to your own attitude I think.
I cannot see that I am doing any harm floating along a river quietly and so I personally take no notice of any signs put up by angling clubs etc telling me that I can't.. Same as I sometimes choose to ride footpaths, with courtesy and respect for anyone and anything else while disagreeing with a blanket exclusion.

Of course I only get on and off where I am allowed, leave nothing, take nothing, all that sensible stuff, but much like the stuff surrounding footpaths in this country, much of it is archaic, out dated and unfair.

Saying that, the last couple of years have seen an explosion in pretty much all forms of countryside use and that pressure and often misuse, has made it more of an issue.

You can get a waterways license I believe to use the canal, but for rivers, I'd just be courteous and respectful and use common sense.