Thinking about getting one, anyone else use 'em?


Also, rigid vs. inflatable? Living in an apartment, an inflatable would be awesome, but I don't know how durable it would be.

7/2/2012 3:30:54 PM

I've been paddling a Bark Competitor (12' 6") for about a little over a year now.



Looking at picking up an Expedition next season.

7/2/2012 3:36:19 PM

I think inflatables are sort of lame. I mean, I guess I understand their purpose, but to me they seem like they're more for casual/recreational paddlers. I'm on mine at least once every week/two weeks for a few hours at a time.

I keep a 12'6" board on its edge in my hallway between my living room and bedroom, and it's never in the way. Though I guess it depends on your layout.

I mostly use mine for flat water, though I will be taking it to the beach for the first time in October. I've seen people on the inflatables, but I just personally prefer the stability and rigidness of a fiberglass composite or solid board. I do want to pick up the 14' Expedition though because, again, most of my paddling is on flat water for distance. I mainly split time on the water between the Potomac/Anacostia rivers and Eastern Shore estuaries. It's just tough to justify owning two $2k+ boards...

[Edited on July 2, 2012 at 3:57 PM. Reason : .]

7/2/2012 3:50:03 PM

This is something I want to try, but I've never done it before so I don't want to just go buy a board first. We have a place at emerald isle. Can you rent them down there? I would think so, but I've never looked into it.

7/2/2012 3:56:19 PM

Google is your friend:

http://www.hotwaxsurf.com/rentals.htm

7/2/2012 4:02:06 PM

thanks! and yeah, like i said, i hadn't looked into it at all yet. it won't be something i get to do this summer anyway.

7/2/2012 4:04:37 PM

I never saw these before a couple months ago, now there are people riding these are all over the delaware river! Looks like fun!

7/2/2012 4:04:44 PM

I saw one for the first time yesterday at Atlantic Beach and thought to myself, yeah, I can do that.

7/2/2012 4:06:36 PM

You definitely can.

It takes about 10 minutes to stand and learn to move. Another 30-45 and you will have the basic stroke and turning figured out. It's fantastic for your core and depending on where you paddle, a great way to see your waterways from a perspective that you don't really get from a kayak so close to the water.

It's cool to be in three feet of water and see all the stuff swimming around underneath you. These things have essentially ZERO draft (minus a fin).

7/2/2012 4:10:20 PM

Can you qualify lame? I mean, is there a substantial performance difference or do you just have a bias against them (which is perfectly legit, I'm just trying to quantify your measurement of lame )

7/2/2012 4:15:32 PM

There is definitely a substantial performance difference in my opinion. Though there is also a substantial performance difference between a standard SUP board (flat hull) and a board like my Bark, which is shaped and much faster on the water (as well as more stable through chop by cutting the waves instead of riding over them). The Competitor is definitely more of a racing board, and requires much less "thrust" to get moving. It's also substantially lighter than a flat hull board. I can carry it one handed, while my buddy who has a similar sized flat hull solid board has to two-hand carry his balancing it on top of his head. A racing board like the Bark is also a bit slimmer. You're not doing yoga on that board. You would need one of the wider flat hull ones for that.

If you just want something to fuck around with once in a while, go inflatable if it fits your needs. But if you think you'll get in to it, I would go with a rigid board, and then really it just depends on your budget. You can start anywhere from $800-$1k and end up into the mid $2k range for a quality board. Mine was something like $2k + paddle (anywhere from 300-500 depending on size and material).

For reference, I'm somewhere between 6'1 and 6'2 and about 175-180 lbs.

7/2/2012 4:23:13 PM

Here's a better view of the hull differences from two different Joe Bark boards.

7/2/2012 4:28:42 PM

I don't know, always seemed like a twink sport to me. No offense.

7/2/2012 4:42:00 PM

You said you live up around DC, where did you pick your board up?

7/2/2012 4:42:59 PM

I've done this a couple times recently and I'm contemplating getting a board.

I don't know how "fun" it is...but it is a great workout and a lot more fun than running. And you can get a tan while doing it and jump in the water to cool off at any time. I also guess it depends on where you are, but the cool aspect doing it down here in Charleston is all the dolphins. I see at least 5 or 6 every time I go and most of the time they'll play with you by swimming around and underneath your board.

I'm also debating purchasing a board. I have to decide whether or not I want to use it to do some surfing or like half-day trips (which I've yet to go on...usually do 2 or 3 hour rides in the inlets). But if I can find some cool little spots to go on for half-day trips, I might splurge for a couple boards for me and the lady.

I'd also like to add that it's 1/10 the pain in the ass that it is to kayak. Although I said it was a great workout, it doesn't destroy your back and shoulders like kayaking does. I thought I was going to be dead after a couple hours, but I was fine and just a tad sore the next day. Also much better for your core, as Agent mentioned.

Another random is that there are actual Paddle Board Yoga events down here...which I think is ridiculous. But the girlfriend does yoga and was actually able to do some hand-stands on it the other day.....so I guess its legit.

7/2/2012 5:50:00 PM

I bought mine from www.paddlesurfwarehouse.com only because I couldn't find the board I wanted locally. Actually, Amazon as them as well.

Check Annapolis for local board sellers. Don't know any specifically but there are shops that sell them.

7/2/2012 5:57:02 PM

Quote :

"I've seen people on the inflatables, but I just personally prefer the stability and rigidness of a fiberglass composite or solid board."

This is what I thought too until I rode an inflatable. Just as stable and rigid. In fact you can't really tell it's an inflatable. You can run them over with a car and they stay inflated. My mom bought one last year and takes it everywhere in her car and still fits 2 kayaks on the roof.

http://www.ridestride.com/

Company she bought from. We did a Groupon demo and she bought one right after the class. They're pretty amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X08nFOWP_Ug

[Edited on July 2, 2012 at 6:42 PM. Reason : s]

7/2/2012 6:36:00 PM

there's plenty of places in Annapolis with SUP's...off the top of my head

East of Maui in Riva Festival
Annapolis Canoe and Kayak on Severn Ave in Eastport
Ski Haus on East College Parkway (service road next to Rt. 50 heading to Sandy Point State Park)

also, there are a lot of rental/tour places in town that could let you get a taste before buying

[Edited on July 2, 2012 at 6:41 PM. Reason : .]

7/2/2012 6:40:55 PM

I dunno, I feel like inflatables don't ride as smooth and drag in the water compared to a comparable fiberglass board.

7/2/2012 6:46:28 PM

Different uses. I think they still ride fine and are waaay more durable if you want to take them on a river or around rocks/etc. Plus they're obviously more portable.

-and you can't run over a fiberglass board with a ford excursion. heh.

[Edited on July 2, 2012 at 6:50 PM. Reason : s]

7/2/2012 6:49:40 PM

having just moved near a body of water, this is relevant to future interests.

7/2/2012 7:19:59 PM

Just learn the rules of the water, and if you board in a heavy boat area use some damn common sense.

There is a rental place for these in one of the most popular creeks in charleston harbor, and i swear to god I get so aggravated at the tourists who insist on boarding side by side across the entire creek.

You almost have to get aggressive with them to get them to let you through.

7/2/2012 7:36:10 PM

I don't always bring my board when I go to the lake


But when I do, I prefer one with a sail

7/3/2012 12:49:04 AM

In the last 2 cities I've lived in, I've found a great rental option for these things. They're a little harder to find than regular kayak and boat rentals, but they're also a bit more fun. The stability also differs a great deal from one type to another, so you need to be very familiar with them and your own preferences before you think about buying one.

7/3/2012 10:39:37 AM

Going out for a 530AM paddle tomorrow morning on the Anacostia.

7/3/2012 3:20:24 PM

So, LunaK and I went today and I rode both a rigid and a inflatable. The rigid was def more stable but I suspect that is partly because they are rentals. That being said, I really enjoyed it and I think I'm going to go with an inflatable for the sheer portability of one.

So, Stride has been mentioned, any other brands people recommend?

7/23/2012 4:59:08 PM

One thing to note with the inflatables is they really need to be pumped up to a high pressure. Think jumping on it and it hardly compresses high. The biggest problem is people don't blow them up enough.

One thing NOT to do is try to sea kayak on the waves at the ocean on a windy day. I got demolished last week at the beach. I was trying to keep up with my friend who was on a sea kayak and it just wasn't working out. Ended up ditching the paddleboard for a sea kayak.

7/23/2012 5:04:07 PM

Any issues with the standard Stride pump in doing that?

7/25/2012 1:49:15 PM

I've only done this once, but it seems like you need to bring a small cooler of beer for it to qualify as fun. It would be a cool way to get to less-traveled beaches/islands.

7/25/2012 1:55:39 PM

I was under that impression before I tried it for the first time (thinking you need a couple of beers). But it really isn't boring, although I can see needing to add some "spice" to it if you want to do it on a consistent basis.

If you're doing it just for the workout...then it's great.

If you're doing it as entertainment AND a workout...then you need to do a little planning and put in some wrinkles that will add enjoyment each time you go.

7/25/2012 2:04:03 PM

I think it also depends on where you have available to paddle.

If all you do is go out on a smallish lake, I can understand how it gets boring. I think the ever changing conditions of rivers adds a wrinkle (tides, current direction, current strength, etc).

7/25/2012 2:36:24 PM

Ok, next question . . . paddle recommendations?

7/27/2012 8:04:13 PM

That's more of a preference for each individual rider.

I paddle with a carbon fiber QuickBlade, with a medium sized blade (100 sq in). It's a nice balance between speed and power. A buddy I paddle with has the larger blade size, 110 sq in., and its a slower paddle but he gets more from each stroke.

You might want to consider an adjustable length paddle if you have other people who might want to use your board (sig other or whatever)

7/28/2012 10:12:10 AM