Friday, November 23, 2012

Choosing a Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP)

There are lots of areas to consider in selecting your stand up paddle board. SUPs can be versatile and many can also be very individualized for particular tasks and functions. For this reason, it is vitally important to not only take into account the size, weight, shape, design, and color of a board, but in addition what activities it was actually built to do.

Truthfully, many stand up paddle boards may be used for activities it is not necessarily specified for, but it might not be your best choice when reviewing things such as maneuverability, stability, construction materials, and functionality.

Before going inside the particulars of a certain board, you'll find two key elements that anybody ought to think of if you are going to benefit from your SUP at all. The first is you need to be able to stand up on the board with ease. The second element is basically that you need to be prepared to haul the board with little stress. This usually means the paddle board will have to be light enough and small enough to satisfy your transportation preferences.

Selecting a Stand Up Paddle Board you'll be able to stand on.
To be safe, a novice will quite possibly just go and have a good time on any sort of paddle board which is at the bare minimum 10’6” long x 30” wide x 4” thick. That’s 10’6 x 30” x 4” or bigger. Being able to stand up on your board in comfort is a function of volume. Volume is dependent upon the length, width, and thickness of the board. The earlier mentioned measurements supply you with suitable volume for a beginner. If you are looking for an even more stable board go wider, thicker and longer, however recognize that as those things grow, on certain boards you are going to lose some maneuverability in the water.

Another great rule of thumb is often a 9’4” paddle board can handle about 130lbs, 10’4” - 180lbs, and 11’4” - 220lbs. This isn’t correct for all boards, however it offers a good standard to go by.

Finding a Stand Up Paddle Board that is Simple to Transport
Weight can certainly be determined by volume, but it may also be affected by the type of material the board is made from. Logic tells us that the bigger the board is, the bulkier it's going to be. In some instances this is accurate, but there have been some terrific enhancements in design materials which make various boards lighter than others. Therefore, any time checking out SUP Reviews make sure to keep in mind the weight of the board.

We’ve already mentioned what makes a board more stable. An additional aspect is just how a board will perform in its maneuverability in the water. Various boards react different inside the surf as opposed to in flat water. Some boards stay in a lot more of a straight path (track) while paddling up wind. While several other boards make turns much easier as opposed to others. In short, just about all paddle boards will be maneuverable to some extent if not they wouldn’t be out there. Maneuverability is typically considered more severely for anyone with an intermediate to pro skill level for which you could very well be racing near buoys, long distance racing or surfing inside the surf.

Construction Materials
A SUP can be made of wood, fiberglass and epoxy, EPS foam, ACS plastic coatings, many more and a range of these grouped together. Generally, many paddle boards type of foam core and they are covered with a certain amount of hard material to safeguard it from the outside conditions. Certainly, there are far too many to talk about on this page, but when reading through the SUP Reviews make it a point to take into consideration the building components for the reason that some materials make the boards far more durable and many other materials could make the board a lot heavier or lighter than you would probably initially believe.

Finally, there are many things men and women use their particular paddle boards for whether it's cruising, racing, surfing, fitness, or fishing. Each of these various activities have specialized boards while some boards can be used across many categories. It can be beneficial to find a board that is developed for the functions you will be doing, however, not always necessary. If you can’t find that perfect board I often say utilize all of the remaining factors which go into creating a proper SUP for you personally and then make an educated decision.

SUP Reviews can be a great resource when searching for your prefect SUP.  Be Sure to check out our SUP Reviews at SUP Reviews Headquarters.