Stand Up Paddle Board 101: How to Choose The Right Paddleboard

Hey guys, Q here, Inside Stand-On Liquid, and this video is about helping you select the right board for you. As you scour the internet, you're going to come across a slew of boards ranging in lengths, widths, colors, thicknesses, you name it, it's out there. It can become overwhelming, extremely quick. So we want to help you refine your search, figure out what board is going to work right for you, where you paddle, how you paddle, what your aspirations are as a paddler. So every paddle board is going to come with some standard features. This is going to be the same across the board. You're going to get a handle. That's going to help you pack the board to and from the water. It's typically in the center, so it's a nice balance point, so you're not dragging the nose or the tail. The other thing is you're going to get fins. It may have multiple fins, it may have a single fin, but you should get fins. The other thing that you're going to get in your SUP or your stand-up paddle board is a traction pad. That is a, that's the spot where you stand. It's going to be a nice, cushy area. It lets you have grip and remain in contact with your board at all times, unless you fall off. But it's a water sport, don't worry. You're going to get wet, and that's cool. So first, as you go through this whole thing, there's shapes. So there's two distinct shapes out on the market, one of which is like this Latitude 44 Cascade that has a V-shaped nose that is either a touring board or a displacement board. There's different nomenclature out there for it, but really what that nose does is it allows the board and yourself to pierce through the water, whether you're going upstream, so through the current or through chop, it's really efficient, and it's just going to maintain holding a line, get a good, consistent speed as you paddle. The other shape you have is an all-around or a planing board that has more of the traditional rounded shape to the nose. These boards work great, either one of them, out on the water. It just depends on how you want your board to perform for you while you're out there. Now, that's two things. That's easy. There's length. You're going to see boards that vary from 10 1⁄2 feet to 14 feet. So, and they're going to be, they're not just in six-inch increments. You're going to get three and four and six-inch increments, and it's going to be like, oh my gosh, what do I do? So you want to figure out what board length is going to work right for you. If you want a board that's a little bit more nimble and easier to turn, a shorter board is going to enable you to do that. If you want to be efficient and go straight while you're out there, a longer board is going to, there again, enable you to do that. So figure out how you want the board to perform, where you're paddling at. If I'm going to paddle surf, I want something that's a little bit shorter. It's going to have more of this rounded nose to it, and I'm going to be able to maneuver in the wave like I want it to. If I'm going to be flat water, rivers, lakes, bays, wherever you're at, and go straight, no surf, the touring board is a great way to go about it. This Palahana, the Big Easy, great board for a crossover, super stable, and just a fun all-around board. So that's the length. Width really plays a key role in how stable a board is. You're going to see boards that are anywhere from 26 inches wide to 36, even 42 inches in width. 42 inch wide board, that's going to be a sidewalk. 26 inch wide board, that's more like a slack line. So depending on your skillset, you want to get a board that's going to be right for you. For a first board, somewhere in that 30 inch range is a pretty typical width of a board in a touring board. In an all-around, you're probably looking somewhere 31, 32 inches wide. So you're going to have some variances there, but finding that right board for you is what this is all about. The most important feature, I think, aside from length and width, is the volume. What volume is, is it's a calculation between length, width, and the thickness of a board. You don't want to be on a board that doesn't have enough volume to float you, because if you put a bigger paddler on a stand-up paddle board with low volume, they're going to sit very low in the water. It's going to become very uneasy out there, and honestly, they're going to end up swimming, most likely, more than they are paddling. So, get a board that has enough volume in it that's going to help float you. So, in this, we've got the Latitude 44 Cascade and the touring board, the Palhana Big Easy, and an all-around. You've got various lengths and widths and sizes, and what we want to do here at Stand On Liquid is help pair you up with a board that's going to suit your needs for the long-term. We want to get you on a board that you're going to want to go paddle on, tell your friends about, and get everybody in your circle involved out on the water. Paddleboarding's for everybody of all ages. If you can stand and paddle, you're a stand-up paddle boarder. I'm Q, I'm inside Stand On Liquid. This is a little 101 on how to pick the right board. So, if you have questions, check out our website, StandOnLiquid.com. Give us a call here at the shop. The fellas and the gals, everybody's well-versed in products, and we'll help you pick the right board. Thanks for joining me.