Any one on here have knowledge of these.
Seems there’s a few cheaper ones around the £250-£300 mark and then a significant jump to £600 plus.
Are any of the cheaper ones worth bothering with (AquaMarine, North Gear, Tower etc) or a waste of time/money?

Thanks

Were you going for the inflatable or solid?

I would see if you can find a demo day to try them first. They will generally have some of the mid-range boards you can try out. I was going to opt for a JP board, but then tried a Fanatic and the difference was amazing, so I opted for the more expensive fanatic fly air. Plenty of demo days around at the moment, where are you located?

Eventually got mine from here https://supinflatables.co.uk/ after demoing a few down at Studland.

A UK company Red Paddle is the market leader in iSUPs they are quite complex internally with drop stitching connecting the deck to the base which enables the inflation to create a near closed cell effect of universal stiffness. Pricing is denoted by the number of drop stitch rows (you can just make these out on the decks some (cheaper) are just linear and the more expensive have a cross pattern, the more expensive have triple layer outer and side protection and will last longer and permit greater inflation pressure which provides stiffness. Fanatic are quite good as are RRD and other former windsurfing brands.

Inflatables are convenient to store and transport but for purist use like proper surfing in waves, or performance racing etc then solid boards are better and usually more expensive.

Hope this helps

proper surfing

i would’nt call it ‘proper’ surfing, more ‘assisted’.

The Red Paddle durability tests are quite cool to watch. https://venturingangler.com/2017/04/18/red-paddle-co-puts-inflatable-paddleboard-through-durability-tests/

I started a similar thread a few weeks ago and got some good advice. We ended up getting this one from Decathlon.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/inflatable-107-sup-2017-blue-id_8387659.html

Used it once so far and seems good. It’s deeper in volume (6″) than other boards I looked at in this price range. Our friends have an AquaMarine and the Decathlon is noticeably deeper and more buoyant. Comes in a nice backpack too which meant getting it down to the beach was easy too.

I probably would go inflatable for transport convenience etc plus it also seems to be what dominates the market.
Mostly i’d just be up and down the Thames and just fancy a change from the kayak i have currently.
Even the inflatables seem to hold their value well, so it’s not like there’s plenty of cheap 2nd hand deals. So that, plus the limited amount of use is what had me looking at they cheap deals about.
I suspect they’re cheap for a reason, hence asking about real world experiences.
cheers for the info all.

Plenty of S/H SUPs worth looking at on any FB SUP for sale page, eBay is an obvs choice.

Quality? You’ll get some thing hard for £300 with dings, an ex demo/school iSup thats been used properly.

Depends on what you want, hard or soft and where you’ll use it.

Ignore the detractors, its a fun little sport.

If you don’t mind spending the extra bit I’d go with a Red. It will hold its value a bit better if you decide it’s not for you.
O’Shea worth looking at also.

gavtheoldskater – Member
proper surfing
i would’nt call it ‘proper’ surfing, more ‘assisted’.

100% agree, I was trying to be polite about it, the most pointless pursuit ever invented is my considered opinion.

Glad you’ve taken the time and effort to let us know your opinion – really useful.

Sorry – misinterpreted that completely…

Mostly i’d just be up and down the Thames and just fancy a change from the kayak

If you already have a kayak and a way of transporting it, and likely to use it a fair amount, then may as well get a solid touring/racing board?

My only experence is watching the the SUP’ers at the Isle of Sheppy race, and I thought the sailors had a hard time of it!

thisisnotaspoon – Member
Mostly i’d just be up and down the Thames and just fancy a change from the kayak
If you already have a kayak and a way of transporting it, and likely to use it a fair amount, then may as well get a solid touring/racing board?

My only experence is watching the the SUP’ers at the Isle of Sheppy race, and I thought the sailors had a hard time of it!

Ha I had to actually go and talk to the guy that won that one year, I told him I thought he was mental but well done anyway, they left at oh christ hundred hours and finished after us and we’d taken a fair few hours getting beasted as the wind blew up.

what is the crack with em? we hired a couple on holiday last year and was bored after 5 minutes! but later on the week we saw a paddle board race and those guys were rapido!!

Been thinking about a SUP for a while and am currently considering

Red Paddle Co 10.6 ride (seems very popular)

or

Quroc Qi Crossover 10.4 (similar but cheaper)

what is the crack with em? we hired a couple on holiday last year and was bored after 5 minutes!

+1 . I put it down to my inexperience – like riding an MTB slowly along a flat trail would be boring. That said, the experience didn’t inspire me enough to make me want to improve.

mahalo – Member
what is the crack with em? we hired a couple on holiday last year and was bored after 5 minutes! but later on the week we saw a paddle board race and those guys were rapido!!

It’s a marmite sport, in truth if you can do something else well, don’t bother, but if you have no other sport that gets you on the water, then why not? They are what you put in, they have some value in waves, particularly small waves that short boarders wouldn’t look at and then it’s an easy entry into surfing. They pick up a wave further out which pisses folk in the line up off so steer clear of proper surfers who will practise localism if you drop in on them, particularly on a SUP. As an access to canals and waterways they are similar to kayaks except you stand up and paddle with just one end which seems stupid to me if you’re going down canals and rivers why not just sit and use both ends, it’s a fad and affectation of the moment imv They exercise core muscles so have some relevance as such, racers also tend to be super fit, many ex windsurfers and windsurfing businesses and brands pretty much run the industry and there is currently a battle between various organisation for the role and gravy train of governing body.

There’s definitely more practical alternatives in most situations..but at least on canals/review you do get more of a view.
I don’t see it as a replacement for a kayak or a surfboard, just an option to do something different when you feel like a change.
Sometimes i ride the full suss – sometimes the fully rigid single speed.

Local bloke to me does regular Friday night SUP trips down the Tyne as well as stuff out to sea: http://www.kitesurfinglessons.co.uk/sup/

I’ve been on a couple of the Tyne ones and they’ve been good fun. Going upstream is ruddy hard work, but drifting downstream on a nice sunny evening is pretty special.

There are also Sup-Bike-Run triathalons if you want to throw in some pedalling.

HOME

.. similar to kayaks except you stand up and paddle with just one end which seems stupid to me if you’re going down canals and rivers why not just sit and use both ends

Why paddle at all when you can get a proper boat and use an outboard engine?

Eggsakerly.

Get a motor and an ego, ohh hang on that’s a jet ski..

Here’s me on the Tyne a while ago:

My technique leaves a little to be desired.

They pick up a wave further out which pisses folk in the line up off so steer clear of proper surfers who will practise localism if you drop in on them, particularly on a SUP.

if you’re constantly dropping in on people, you deserve everything you get…

Why paddle at all when you can get a proper boat and use an outboard engine?

Why get an engine when you can get a sail and do an actual sport rather than advertise the inadequacy of your cock to everyone on the beach?

if you’re constantly dropping in on people, you deserve everything you get…

If you’re on the SUP surely it’s everyone else dropping in on you?

Still possible to be a dick and not wait your turn hogging every wave.

Why get an engine when you can get a sail and do an actual sport rather than advertise the inadequacy of your cock to everyone on the beach?

I knew I should have added a smiley.

if you’re constantly dropping in on people, you deserve everything you get…

If you’re on the SUP surely it’s everyone else dropping in on you]
Depends where you’re taking off from!

Had a number of waves ruined one day last week by an un-skilled SUPer who was sitting further out than everyone else but away from the peak. He’d then paddle in and ride left until he hit the whitewater or the surfer who had actually taken off on the peak, completely oblivious to the fact that the peeling wave was a right…….

There are people who are dicks on every kind of wavecraft though to be honest.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/11/california-police-warn-paddle-boarders-helicopter-spots-15-great/

Looks shit

[video]http://youtu.be/WIsO2mD0JN4[/video]

Mostly i’d just be up and down the Thames and just fancy a change from the kayak i have currently.

If you’re going on the Thames, please, please make sure you use lights* once you get anywhere near dusk. The rowers are pretty drilled on it now, and most of the kayakers are members of clubs so aware. But we’ve had trouble reaching out to the SUPs as lots are not linked to clubs and completely oblivious of the PLA rules for the Thames. It’s really not fun if you come down a stretch at 40+ knots in the dark and then realise there’s one or more people in the middle of the river without any lighting.

In the friendliest way, we really don’t want to run anyone over and add another casualty to rescue!

*More than one. They fall off/get wet easily and you’d be amazed how many people are surprised that a light on the front of their body doesn’t help them be seen from behind!

I’m getting pissed off with all this “dropping in” “local rules” “local breaks for locals only” “unskilled SUPpers should piss right off”

1) breaks are not yours
2) there are no local rules
3) wave SUPers have the same rights as anyone
4) dropping in happens more with proners than SUPers
5) the Sport is gathering more people into all aspects of SUPing, so it’s here to stay

If you don’t like SUPs at the place you surf, go somewhere else.

True. Goatboaters are worse. 😉

I’m getting pissed off with all this “dropping in” “local rules” “local breaks for locals only” “unskilled SUPpers should piss right off”

+1

Try teaching your girls to surf (in all forms) and enjoy the water when they’re being perpetually having to avoid being run down by those deeming themselves more ‘worthy’ due to some mysterious criteria (and hence unilaterally outside any norms of etiquette).

It’s better to just get the family out of the sea than getting wound up by it.

@blitz, how are you getting on with the Decathlon one? The reviews seem good. I want a couple for me and the G/F to use on inland and coastal exploring. If the surf is any good I’ll be on my surfboard but not averse to trying it out on some waves, providing it’s quiet enough.