4 Steps To Ensuring You Choose The Right Board For You

Choosing a stand-up paddle board is a very personal thing. Just because a touring SUP is ideal for your best mate does not necessarily mean it’s the right SUP for you. So how do you ensure you’re finding your perfect match?

Well, we can work through four simple steps to get there...

Step 1

When I am helping a paddler from the She SUPs Community choose what paddle board is right for them, I normally start by establishing their style of paddling or what kind of paddle experience they would like. This normally determines the style of the SUP they should get from the options below...

All Round Paddle Boards

If you’re starting out, start here. All-round SUPs are ideal for pretty much everything and everyone! They are normally a nice rounded shape, focusing on stability and providing a great paddling experience for all shapes and sizes of paddler. The 10’6 Ride SE was my first board and continues to be my top recommendation for all paddlers. It’s an All Rounder that I have not only learnt on but continued to travel with all over the world!

Touring Paddle Boards

For many paddlers I work with, touring paddle boards are the next step up after an allrounder. If you’re looking to go faster and paddle longer distances, a touring or sports paddle board is great fun if you’re a flatwater paddler. I also own a Red Paddle Co 11’0 Sport SUP, which I used on the She SUPs Sydney Expedition where I paddled 30 waterways of Sydney in 30 days. With 10km paddles becoming my average daily distance on that expedition, I was grateful for the glide and efficiency of my 11’0 Sport.

Racing Paddle Boards

Racing paddle boards are an entirely separate league of SUP designed to cut through the water, gain great speeds and get maximum potential glide. There is a lot to explore in more detail about racing boards, so reach out to Red Paddle Co or me directly if you’d like to explore more! 

Surfing Paddle Boards 

Many SUP surfboards are actually the same or similar in shape and style to all-rounders. However, for optimal use in the surf, you may find that surf-specific SUPs are more tapered at the tail and often a little bit shorter, enabling the paddler to easily carve through the waves. 

Speciality Paddle Boards 

Yoga SUPs and fishing paddle boards are typically wider boards making them extremely stable. You also often find that yoga-specific board, such as the Red Paddle Co 10’8 Activ, have a deck pad that covers the majority of the board, providing a super-soft cushioning for those extended yoga poses. 

Windsurf Paddle Boards

Similar to racing SUPs, windsurf paddle boards can be a whole new category of SUP, so I suggest you reach out to Red Paddle Co directly if you’re a pro-windsurfer looking for your next ride. However if like me you’re simply curious, the easiest way to explain windsurf boards is you typically have either an all-rounder board with a universal windsurf mount or a daggerboard style board. Both are available via Red Paddle Co so go and check them out to see what I mean!