This photo of Jack Gillen only shows part of his quiver and he rides them all! The luxury of a standup paddle board quiver assures that you always have the perfect board for the site and conditions of the day and for who you are. Men, women, kids and seniors, everyone buying a standup paddle board has different needs. Make sure the first board you get suits your expected needs, here's three things you need to know.
1. Size for your weight.
Study the dimensions of the boards you're considering and make sure you don't go too small. The general rule is that once you're up to paddling speed you don't want the tail to drag. Stepping slightly forward will smooth-out the water release at the tail but if the board is too small your nose will dig in. Watch other paddlers of similar weight, note the tail turbulence and trim of their board when underway. Ask for the dimensions or at least the length of their boards and size yourself accordingly. Board makers generally agree on certain dimensions. For example, 11' boards that are around 29" wide and 4 1/4" thick, or 12' boards that are 30" wide and 4 1/2" thick. The flotation is a combination of the length, width and thickness of the board. If you can't test a board or are inexperienced, listen to the advice and experience of others.
The division between light and heavyweight in windsurfing is 170# and I think it's a good reference weight for standup paddle board flotation. Heavyweights should have the biggest boards around 12'. Paddlers right at 170# do well on 11' boards and very-lightweights can go as short as 10'.
2. Size for your water conditions.
There are three basic water conditions: flatwater, roughwater, and surf. Flatwater is the ideal condition to check for tail turbulence and trim. You can see your wake and actually hear turbulence. You will even be able to trim a board that is too small but don't get cocky and think this will work for you in all conditions. The size and weight recommendations above work well in flatwater.
Roughwater will not be forgiving. The board seems much less stable and the nose will dig into the chop. The board that seemed fine in flatwater will seem too small. Get a bigger board for roughwater, approximately six inches to one foot longer. For all of our paddle adventures around our home in Bend, Oregon we are often on longer boards for stability so that rarely fall in the cold water.
Surfing has contrasting demands. You want speed and stability for paddling-out and catching waves, which favors bigger boards. Once you are riding a wave you want maneuverability and high performance, which favors smaller boards. Beginners in the surf should stick to the same board they use in roughwater. It will catch the waves easier and you won't fall so often. Better surfers will prefer smaller boards. They've learned the nack and timing for paddling out and catching waves so the performance when riding the wave is primary. 11' and 12' boards work fine in the surf for occasional surfers. High performance surfers are using 9'6" to 10'6" standup paddleboards. Stand up paddle boards we love in the surf are all the Paddle Surf Hawaii boards and the Hobie 10'6".
3. Size for your convenience.
There are many other things you do with your board other that riding it. You carry it to the water. You hoist it up on top of your head to load it on your vehicle. You store it someplace.
It's no good to set your heart on a certain 12' beauty if you cannot physically handle it, especially when the wind blows! Try picking it up and carrying it, hoist it over your head. If you have trouble, look for a board with a hand slot or buy our handle kit to attach a carrying handle. Smaller boards like the Amundson 11'3" and Hobie 11'2" are lighter weight with thinner rails and are easier to handle when out of the water, making these boards especially popular with women stand up paddle boarders. It's worth sacrificing some paddle glide by choosing a smaller board if it means that you can carry and load it. Also, check where you have to store it. If it needs to fit into the locking personal storage in your vacation condo, you better test this before you purchase. Having a smaller board in the locker is better than having a big board stolen from the carport rafters! Easy carrying, loading and storing is part of the love affair with your first board.
1. Size for your weight.
Study the dimensions of the boards you're considering and make sure you don't go too small. The general rule is that once you're up to paddling speed you don't want the tail to drag. Stepping slightly forward will smooth-out the water release at the tail but if the board is too small your nose will dig in. Watch other paddlers of similar weight, note the tail turbulence and trim of their board when underway. Ask for the dimensions or at least the length of their boards and size yourself accordingly. Board makers generally agree on certain dimensions. For example, 11' boards that are around 29" wide and 4 1/4" thick, or 12' boards that are 30" wide and 4 1/2" thick. The flotation is a combination of the length, width and thickness of the board. If you can't test a board or are inexperienced, listen to the advice and experience of others.
The division between light and heavyweight in windsurfing is 170# and I think it's a good reference weight for standup paddle board flotation. Heavyweights should have the biggest boards around 12'. Paddlers right at 170# do well on 11' boards and very-lightweights can go as short as 10'.
2. Size for your water conditions.
There are three basic water conditions: flatwater, roughwater, and surf. Flatwater is the ideal condition to check for tail turbulence and trim. You can see your wake and actually hear turbulence. You will even be able to trim a board that is too small but don't get cocky and think this will work for you in all conditions. The size and weight recommendations above work well in flatwater.
Roughwater will not be forgiving. The board seems much less stable and the nose will dig into the chop. The board that seemed fine in flatwater will seem too small. Get a bigger board for roughwater, approximately six inches to one foot longer. For all of our paddle adventures around our home in Bend, Oregon we are often on longer boards for stability so that rarely fall in the cold water.
Surfing has contrasting demands. You want speed and stability for paddling-out and catching waves, which favors bigger boards. Once you are riding a wave you want maneuverability and high performance, which favors smaller boards. Beginners in the surf should stick to the same board they use in roughwater. It will catch the waves easier and you won't fall so often. Better surfers will prefer smaller boards. They've learned the nack and timing for paddling out and catching waves so the performance when riding the wave is primary. 11' and 12' boards work fine in the surf for occasional surfers. High performance surfers are using 9'6" to 10'6" standup paddleboards. Stand up paddle boards we love in the surf are all the Paddle Surf Hawaii boards and the Hobie 10'6".
3. Size for your convenience.
There are many other things you do with your board other that riding it. You carry it to the water. You hoist it up on top of your head to load it on your vehicle. You store it someplace.
It's no good to set your heart on a certain 12' beauty if you cannot physically handle it, especially when the wind blows! Try picking it up and carrying it, hoist it over your head. If you have trouble, look for a board with a hand slot or buy our handle kit to attach a carrying handle. Smaller boards like the Amundson 11'3" and Hobie 11'2" are lighter weight with thinner rails and are easier to handle when out of the water, making these boards especially popular with women stand up paddle boarders. It's worth sacrificing some paddle glide by choosing a smaller board if it means that you can carry and load it. Also, check where you have to store it. If it needs to fit into the locking personal storage in your vacation condo, you better test this before you purchase. Having a smaller board in the locker is better than having a big board stolen from the carport rafters! Easy carrying, loading and storing is part of the love affair with your first board.
