As someone new to the sport, this has been the most helpful video in determining which board to get. Information in this video can be applied to boards in any price range. Thank you
Thanks for the feedback, really happy to hear that you found the video useful. Hopefully our other vids will continue to assist as you progress further into your paddleboarding. Enjoy the journey!
Are you familiar with the new NRS boards and their "Integrated Shaping Technology" (IST) which allows them to be more creative in shaping/design of the boards. I'm a first time paddle boarder and actually bought one of their boards the Jukdo 108 and it seems really nice from my very limited experience with it. But I have no frame of reference or prior experience with other boards to compare it against. Curious what your thoughts are on that as it seems really cool. Enjoying your videos btw, super informative!
Excellent tech info. It's been hard to find content like this. Can you tell me what would be the best inflatable for Great Lakes surfing (say 2-6' waves)? I had a Jimmy Styx Extreme Scout that I think was 10'6 or 10'10". It was built like a tank and bulletproof but sort of heavy and it didn't want to turn much with waves, I think partly because it was a single and small fin. I'm now looking at inflatables that are 10'6" x 6" by 31" or 32". I have pretty good balance and am wondering what's best for the back end: rounded mali, squared end, or sharper point. I'm also wondering if I should target something smaller like a 10' versus going to a bigger 11' seeing that inflatables are so lightweight. I'm afraid of going longer for the sake of nosedives in bigger waves and hoping a 3 fin system can make up for the shorter length by tracking better.
OK, quite a lot to unpack here. Firstly, why do you want 6" thick? Instantly, that's making any sort of proper surfing really hard. You'd be far better off on something 4.7" thick. Also, what sort of weight are you? That's quite an important factor here in making the choice. As for length, for sure, shorter is always going to be better if you want genuine surfing performance. Anything 10' long will give you more than enough tracking, you really don't need any more length. As you say, it just makes nose-catching more likely. (Although ideally, catching waves on an inflatable you really want to be doing an angled take-off anyway, because the board just won't have enough rocker to cope with anything else.). And as for fins, yes absolutely, 3 fin every time, when it comes to surfing. Indeed, it's absolutely crucial on an iSUP. Round tail definitely better than square tail. Again, the over riding point here is that the inflatable board is so thick, that you need all the help you can get in encouraging turning. We are actually just about to post a very detailed review on the new Honu Bondi iSUP surfboard that we are really impressed with, it should be online at www.supboardguide.com in the next week, and that will have a huge amount of detail about iSUP surfing which I think you'll find very useful. You might also want to just have a quick look at our blog article on surfing iSUPs, check out www.supboardguide.com/blog, although that's a bit more generic.
@@supboardguide I'm not looking for something that is 6" thick; rather it seems that's what's most available. I did find a board that is 4" thick and 10' but I guess there I'm concerned about stiffness. I thought I mentioned weight. I'm about 185. Thanks so much for the links!
Ok cool. Yes, for sure, as you say, the vast majority of iSUPs are 6" thick, and we discuss the reasons why in the vid. And it's not that it's impossible to surf a 6" thick board but you are very much limited in what can be done. Whereas a thinner board does perform so much better. The Red Paddle Co 10'6 Ride that we reference in the vid quite a few times is 4.7" thick and I've surfed that board in 4-6' waves on numerous occasions and had a whole lot of fun on it. Yes, the nose can still stick in if you go straight down the wave when it's steep, but it will go down the line just fine and you can flow some turns together. It has the twin (or three, depending on the year) fin config which works well and a good tail shape too. The difference between that and a 6" board for surfing is dramatic. However, it's still essentially an all round board that you're using for surfing, rather than a board that is actually designed specifically with surfing in mind. Moving on to something like the Honu Bondi 9'5" is another massive improvement again, chalk and cheese really. . Don't buy anything till you've read our review on that, which will be coming out in the next few days.
Very good question! Normally the only option for fin customization on iSUPs has been with the center fin if a US finbox has been used. Whereas the side fins are either permanently fixed on, or a proprietary slide-in/click-in system that doesn't really allow any other options (not that there are any anyway). Whereas, again, one of the many reasons we're delighted with the new Honu iSUP surfboards is because the boards have Futures mounts for the side fins, so you have a huge array of options out there. Although the board comes with a really high quality pair of volans side fins anyway. So we're starting to see some progress in this direction. But realistically, brands are unlikely to put high quality side finboxes onto their boards unless the design has some reasonable potential for genuinely proper surfing - which sadly, rules out the vast majority of iSUPs right there.
Is there anyway to message you? I’m 5’1 and 120 lbs. I’m looking for an iSUP to use on the ocean and lakes. I might do some yoga on the board. I like to use it as a kayak also but have not felt the need to add a seat when I do this.. I’m looking at Gili boards. Do you have any recommendations? I enjoy your videos. Thank you!!
@katherinebeachy1971 Ok, so you've got quite a tricky set of requirements there. On the one hand, because you're petite you really don't want too big a board. However, the yoga/kayak requirements both kinda push in the other direction. If all these requirements have about the same importance then an all-round board of around 32" with an all over deck cover would be ideal. But if it's primarily about paddling I'd suggest something just slightly narrower; 31" or even 30" wide.
Yes, it should be fine, assuming it's also reasonably wide in the nose and tail as well. (As we discuss in the video, it's not just maximum width, the plan shape matters also, particularly when it comes to determining stability.). If you're going to be carrying a whole lot of weight when you go fishing (food, drink, tackle, clothes etc!), or indeed you're planning on catching a whole lot of fish, you may want to go a bit wider still. But overall, 34" would be a sensible starting point, for sure.
As someone new to the sport, this has been the most helpful video in determining which board to get. Information in this video can be applied to boards in any price range. Thank you
Thanks for the feedback, really happy to hear that you found the video useful. Hopefully our other vids will continue to assist as you progress further into your paddleboarding. Enjoy the journey!
Great video, very informative and easy to understand when you have no clue!
I’ve just started pb. This is the best channel in TH-cam if you really want to learn it. Best teacher for sure
I believe you. Best explanation I’ve heard so far.
Thank you for this very useful and explanatory video! It was a pleasure to watch!
got a Tahe with a seat foot step and paddle you can change to kayak style, total game changer, gets so much more use
Absolutely excellent video, exactly what I wanted. Perfect explanation. I am about to buy a board and my questions are answered 🙏😊
@edwingramba8743 thanks for the feedback, great to hear that you found it useful. Good luck with that board!
Useful information, very fine explained!
This was very well explained,thank you.i subscribed.
Thanks for the great video
Thanks you for the information.
Fantastic video.
Are you familiar with the new NRS boards and their "Integrated Shaping Technology" (IST) which allows them to be more creative in shaping/design of the boards. I'm a first time paddle boarder and actually bought one of their boards the Jukdo 108 and it seems really nice from my very limited experience with it. But I have no frame of reference or prior experience with other boards to compare it against. Curious what your thoughts are on that as it seems really cool. Enjoying your videos btw, super informative!
@CrushGravel We have not had the opportunity to check the NRS boards out yet so can't give you any thoughts on them, unfortunately.
Excellent tech info. It's been hard to find content like this. Can you tell me what would be the best inflatable for Great Lakes surfing (say 2-6' waves)? I had a Jimmy Styx Extreme Scout that I think was 10'6 or 10'10". It was built like a tank and bulletproof but sort of heavy and it didn't want to turn much with waves, I think partly because it was a single and small fin. I'm now looking at inflatables that are 10'6" x 6" by 31" or 32". I have pretty good balance and am wondering what's best for the back end: rounded mali, squared end, or sharper point. I'm also wondering if I should target something smaller like a 10' versus going to a bigger 11' seeing that inflatables are so lightweight. I'm afraid of going longer for the sake of nosedives in bigger waves and hoping a 3 fin system can make up for the shorter length by tracking better.
OK, quite a lot to unpack here. Firstly, why do you want 6" thick? Instantly, that's making any sort of proper surfing really hard. You'd be far better off on something 4.7" thick. Also, what sort of weight are you? That's quite an important factor here in making the choice. As for length, for sure, shorter is always going to be better if you want genuine surfing performance. Anything 10' long will give you more than enough tracking, you really don't need any more length. As you say, it just makes nose-catching more likely. (Although ideally, catching waves on an inflatable you really want to be doing an angled take-off anyway, because the board just won't have enough rocker to cope with anything else.).
And as for fins, yes absolutely, 3 fin every time, when it comes to surfing. Indeed, it's absolutely crucial on an iSUP. Round tail definitely better than square tail. Again, the over riding point here is that the inflatable board is so thick, that you need all the help you can get in encouraging turning.
We are actually just about to post a very detailed review on the new Honu Bondi iSUP surfboard that we are really impressed with, it should be online at www.supboardguide.com in the next week, and that will have a huge amount of detail about iSUP surfing which I think you'll find very useful. You might also want to just have a quick look at our blog article on surfing iSUPs, check out www.supboardguide.com/blog, although that's a bit more generic.
@@supboardguide I'm not looking for something that is 6" thick; rather it seems that's what's most available. I did find a board that is 4" thick and 10' but I guess there I'm concerned about stiffness.
I thought I mentioned weight. I'm about 185.
Thanks so much for the links!
Ok cool. Yes, for sure, as you say, the vast majority of iSUPs are 6" thick, and we discuss the reasons why in the vid. And it's not that it's impossible to surf a 6" thick board but you are very much limited in what can be done. Whereas a thinner board does perform so much better. The Red Paddle Co 10'6 Ride that we reference in the vid quite a few times is 4.7" thick and I've surfed that board in 4-6' waves on numerous occasions and had a whole lot of fun on it. Yes, the nose can still stick in if you go straight down the wave when it's steep, but it will go down the line just fine and you can flow some turns together. It has the twin (or three, depending on the year) fin config which works well and a good tail shape too. The difference between that and a 6" board for surfing is dramatic. However, it's still essentially an all round board that you're using for surfing, rather than a board that is actually designed specifically with surfing in mind. Moving on to something like the Honu Bondi 9'5" is another massive improvement again, chalk and cheese really. . Don't buy anything till you've read our review on that, which will be coming out in the next few days.
@@supboardguide how versatile are the fin mounting shapes throughout the industry, and is it possible to do fin mods to up the iSUP surfing game?
Very good question! Normally the only option for fin customization on iSUPs has been with the center fin if a US finbox has been used. Whereas the side fins are either permanently fixed on, or a proprietary slide-in/click-in system that doesn't really allow any other options (not that there are any anyway). Whereas, again, one of the many reasons we're delighted with the new Honu iSUP surfboards is because the boards have Futures mounts for the side fins, so you have a huge array of options out there. Although the board comes with a really high quality pair of volans side fins anyway. So we're starting to see some progress in this direction. But realistically, brands are unlikely to put high quality side finboxes onto their boards unless the design has some reasonable potential for genuinely proper surfing - which sadly, rules out the vast majority of iSUPs right there.
Is there anyway to message you? I’m 5’1 and 120 lbs. I’m looking for an iSUP to use on the ocean and lakes. I might do some yoga on the board. I like to use it as a kayak also but have not felt the need to add a seat when I do this.. I’m looking at Gili boards. Do you have any recommendations? I enjoy your videos. Thank you!!
@katherinebeachy1971 Ok, so you've got quite a tricky set of requirements there. On the one hand, because you're petite you really don't want too big a board. However, the yoga/kayak requirements both kinda push in the other direction. If all these requirements have about the same importance then an all-round board of around 32" with an all over deck cover would be ideal. But if it's primarily about paddling I'd suggest something just slightly narrower; 31" or even 30" wide.
do you think 34" is wide enough if im a beginner, 200lb, and just using the iSUP for fishing?
Yes, it should be fine, assuming it's also reasonably wide in the nose and tail as well. (As we discuss in the video, it's not just maximum width, the plan shape matters also, particularly when it comes to determining stability.).
If you're going to be carrying a whole lot of weight when you go fishing (food, drink, tackle, clothes etc!), or indeed you're planning on catching a whole lot of fish, you may want to go a bit wider still. But overall, 34" would be a sensible starting point, for sure.
Very usefull video. Thanks. Just a cuestion please: if i'm 191 cms and between 130- 150 kgs, what kind of Sup would be suitable for me?
Hi there, I would recommend a larger board that is very rigid. The Isle Switch Pro would be a great board for you. geni.us/Isle-Switch-pro
Thanks!
Mahalo!