Choosing the right board for you

We have so many people coming into the store wanting to buy a SUP board, with no idea which one is best for them. Everybody is different. Height, weight, balance ability and how and where you intend to ride your board. So here is a few pointers when considering which board to buy...

All round- versatile and multi purpose. Fantastic first time boards as they allow you to explore all facets of the sport with one board. Long enough to obtain a nice glide, tracking in flat or exposed waters and offers rocker and rail shape to allow for jumping on a wave. All round boards are generally wider to aid stability and equal to or longer than 10 foot. An example of all round boards we have instore is the SUP ATX 10'6 Scout, BIC SUP 10'6 Performer, Starboard 10' Whopper or Starboard 10'5 Wide Point.

Touring/Race- optimized for flat water, down-winders or ocean paddling. Longer and narrower than an all round board achieving speed and greater tracking. They have a nose area that is often shaped like a "V" on the bottom to enhance the glide. The rails are squarer to provide more speed. Most touring boards are stable enough for beginners however race boards can be a bit more challenging for beginners due to the narrow design. An example of race board in store is the Starboard 12'6 Carbon All Star.

Surf- SUP surf boards are usually shorter, narrower and have more tail and nose rocker (curve in the board). These attributes allow for greater performance when surfing waves, however the trade off is that the boards are slower in flatwater, less stable, and don't track as straight. We don't usually stock Surf SUP's in Cairns due to the ahem.... lack of surf. They are available to order on request, and the 10'6 All Rounders are perfect for catching the available waves in our area.

Inflatable - The inflatable SUP (ISUP) range is becoming more popular day by day. People who have storage issues, live on a boat, want to travel with their boards or run freshwater/whitewater locations are looking more towards inflatables. ISUP's have become the way to get around these little head aches. The trade off with ISUP's is performance. They don't have the same performance as a hard board, however with enhancements in technology the gap is narrowing rapidly!! An example of ISUP's that we sell are the Red Paddle Co 10'8 Ride and BIC SUP River Boards.

Well there you go.......some short and sweet information on the different types of SUP boards available. However the easiest way to get the best SUP board for your requirements is to head in to our shop and we'll sort you out with the right gear. Make sure you get the right size board, the right shape and one that you will love to ride! Demo's are available for most of the boards if you just wanted to get the right feel before you buy.