What SUP for a big boy?

We’re looking at getting a couple of SUPs for general family use on the sea and lakes, the plan is to get one ‘normal’ size and one that’s capable of carrying my fat arse (200cm and 95kg ish) – we’ve previously hired SUPs on a lake and they were great (McConk Go Explore I think), however we’ve also hired some French SUPs (cant remember what) on the sea and I really struggled with it – while the waves will have been a factor the board felt much less stable even on the calmer water.

I’ve looked online and there is too much choice, I’m getting a little overwhelmed by some of the conflicting information and I’m more confused than when I started  – any suitable recommendations would be gratefully received.

Budget is around £300-£400 for a full package (plus buoyancy aids etc).

I’m 95kg and the £199 ones in Lidl at the moment are fine.

Waves / chop take some getting used to, especially on an inflatable SUP, and I think doubly so if you’re heavy enough to flex it, rigid boards feel more ‘skittish’ but in a predictable way whereas inflatables feel more planted but in an unpredictable way because they flex and rebound in a very undamped way..

There’s probably an expensive halfway option between the Lidl ones and the rigid boards, but it’s probably more than ~£400.

At 200cm though you will definitely need an aftermarket paddle, the one they come with is only good for people upto about 5ft10.

I’m 100kgs ish and have had an F2 one from lidl for a few years, works fore and also seems to work ok with 4 or 5 kids pissing about on it!

Another vote for the Lidl Mistral one, I’ve got one from a couple of years ago. They were in store a few weeks ago so might still be some around. I don’t think you’ll get better value for a full package board unless you get spendy for …to be honest I don’t know what you’d get for £400 that’s any better. I would maybe upgrade the paddle if I was going to change anything.

I’m 6ft2, 105kg + kit and it’s very stable, doesn’t seem to flex much at the recommended 15psi. It is heavy though so not the most agile and also heavy and big when packed away. My teenage son has a HIKS one which is similar size (maybe 1 inch narrower) and I find that much less stable in comparison. It is a lot lighter though as it’s only single skin I think, but was also only about £130 with various discounts codes and waiting for a good sale price to come up.

When you say big – how big are we talking?

As a bigger unit, board volume and stiffness makes a big difference. Width is also a big factor in stability. A small adult or a kid on a default cheap and low volume board doesn’t really demonstrate the downside of them. But put a bigger bloke on one and watch them banana and become twitchy. Of course if it’s just a floating thing to drift around 20 yards from where you launched from or to fall off of it makes little odds. But it does make a difference if you want to make meaningful progress, especially in lumpy water. Boards are often just sold on length. The cheap boards don’t even quote the volume sometimes which is crazy. 2 10’6″ could have 100 litres of volume difference which is more than significant.

Downside of bigger boards is that if you are a wee nipper, they are a right handful.  The volume that made them great for you is a pita for them. More vulnerable to a crosswind and they can be a pain to turn unless you are bigger/stronger unless they develop a good step back turn.

Since you liked a McConks before why not look at those. I’ve always thought they were a nice compromise between cost and performance. And they seem to have a sale on…..

Probably great for you and your ideal of what you want to do on a board, but slightly over budget -https://mcconks.com/shop/mcconks-go-explore-114i/

Maybe better for the whole family – https://mcconks.com/shop/mcconks-go-anywhere-106-inflatable-sup/

Those two boards have 270+ lt of volume. For reference the McConks 10’6″ all round board is only 220 litres and recommends a maximum intermediate weight of 100kg. Again – what you think ‘big boy’ is makes a difference here. Other than that, it looks a good board – https://mcconks.com/shop/mcconks-go-anywhere-106i-all-round-paddle-board/

Postscript – I’ve pretty much given up bothering with a SUP in choppy water or in a breeze. I’ll go out on my sup surf board in surf obviously but on my touring boards (12’6″ inflatable and 14′ rigid) even with their much better handling in the chop than a cheap and cheerful all-rounder I just think there are better things to be doing. If out on a multi day trip I’ll obviously plug against it if I’ve found myself in those conditions with no choice but it’s not something I particularly enjoy.

We picked up a Bluefin Cruise 10.8 after lots of research. Very stiff and stable for total beginners – inflated to a higher PSI than many, and we picked up ours brand new, but with a couple of marks on it, for around £230.

Thanks All, we’ve now got two Lidl Mistral paddleboards, for less than we’d budgeted for one (even came with the seats to convert to a kayak) – I’ll spend the rest of the money on beer and cider and drink to your good health!

 I’ll spend the rest of the money on beer and cider and drink to your good health!

Mixing booze and open water is a big mistake

Unless it’s rum and you’ve a beard

Another Bluefin owner here.  No expert but seems a very good board and the package we got came with a kayak seat which is great.

Clearcycle on eBay had loads of graded boards last year, ours had 2 marks on the deck but otherwise perfect. They regularly do 20%/25% off codes making them even more of a bargain

You’ll be fine with the Lidl boards, had mine a few years and I’m no lightweight and it’s quite capable of carrying me and another adult!

I’ve pretty much given up bothering with a SUP in choppy water or in a breeze

Me to. I might trying a touring or racing board that cuts through. But the all rounder boards just sap the effort when the slap every single little bump.