What is a paddle board?
A paddle board is a type of watercraft, which is also known as SUP and is propelled forward and backwards on water using a paddle system. The rider needs to stand up on the paddle board using a paddle to make the way through the water. You can use your arms while standing to propel your board ahead on the water.
Somewhat paddle boarding is similar to wakeboarding, kayaking and surfing, you can use it for a wide variety of water sports adventures including swimming, surfing, rafting, racing, fishing, yoga and fitness, touring and snorkelling as well.
In the market, there are many different types of paddle boards avaliable, which are discussed below in the blog.
What type of paddle board is more stable?
One of the most important factors to consider while buying a paddle board is stability, especially for those who are newbies and beginner-level paddlers. The stability of the paddle board will allow you to give an awesome and effortless paddling experince. Also, if your paddle board is more stable, your confidence will boost to paddle anywhere on the water.
The large size of the paddle board is more stable and gives effortless manoeuvrability. Also, if the paddle board is wider and sharp in the nose, you’ll experince amazing stability on such type of inflatable paddle boards.
What type of paddle board is best for beginners?
The best type of paddle boards for beginners are those with military-grade construction material and with foldable design. Generally, all inflatable paddle boards come with a foldable design that offers stunning durability, stability and portability.
Also, a paddle board with an ample of deck is better for beginners if they are looking for carrying additional paddling accessories and gear. If you are doubtful with regard to which type of SUP is best suited for a newbie paddler, then simply buy a SUP that comes with a warranty or 30-day return policy.
Try that SUP for a few days. If satisfied with the performance, buy it, or else return it and get your money back and look for other options.
Factors to be considered before buying a paddle board
is surely not an easy task especially if there are different types of paddle boards available in the market. There are loads of things that you need to consider before buying the best SUP suited for you. Before you make your first purchase, here are a few things that you should keep in mind.
- How, where and with you want to go for a paddle-boarding adventure?
- Which type of paddle board are you looking for? Folding, fishing, yoga, or tandem paddle board?
- What is your budget for purchasing a paddle board?
- There are different sizes of paddle boards available in the market. The best paddle board will be different for you that the best SUP for the next paddler. So, determine your size wisely.
- Read online reviews carefully for the paddle board type that you want to buy. Always buy a paddle board for a genuine website.
- Before buying the final product, make sure to test. You can also consider buying a paddle board that comes with 30-day of money-back guarantee.
17 Different Types Of Paddle Boards
1.Inflatable Paddle Boards
These are the most common type of paddle boards that is made with drop stitching technology. Such paddle board comes fully accessorized with a quick inflation hand pump, large-size carry bag pack, tracking fins at the bottom, bungee lacing, and other relevant paddling accessories.
Some of the core attributes of inflatable paddle boards are: amazing stability, lightweight design, durability and foldable structure which makes them easy to be carried anywhere with you.
You can deflate these paddle boards, roll them up and stuff them inside your carry bag which comes along.
Construction Material:
Inflatable paddle boards are made of military-grade construction material and with drop stitching technology which makes them durable and good in longevity.
Best Suited For:
These paddle boards are suited for a variety of purposes on the water including, snorkelling, diving, surfing, fishing, yoga and fitness retreat as well.
Cost Range:
The cost of an inflatable paddle board starts from $200 and goes upto $1000. The cost of SUP generally depends on the brand name, the type of paddle board you are buying and the features associated with it.
2.Paddle Board For Dogs
If going on paddle boarding without your dog makes you cringe, paddle boarding dogs are something that you must be buying. These types of paddle boards are suited for carrying your pet along with you. They are constructed wide and long so that you can carry your dog or pet easily.
Such SUPs are 10 feet long or more and feature a deck width of 32 inches minimum.
These types of SUP come in two different hull types. Planing hull type and displacement hull type. The planing hull SUP is wider and flatter as compared to the displacement hull which is more pointed at the nose.
To enjoy the best ride along with your dog, I would suggest you to buy a paddle board with a planning hull design.
Construction Material:
The overall construction of the SUP for dogs is made with drop stitching construction material, which makes them lightweight and long-lasting.
Best Suited For:
Apart from carrying dogs, such paddle boards are suited for camping and touring adventures on the water. However, they could be better for whitewater and river rapids.
Cost Range:
The cost of a paddle board for dogs starts from $150 and goes upto $500.
3.Paddle Board For River Or Whitewater
As the name says, whitewater paddle boards are designed to give you stunning stability and top-rated manoeuvrability on fast-moving river rapids. They are also called action paddle boards and are generally small, compact and subtle in size.
Most of the whitewater paddle boards are constructed with a double layer of drop stitching material. Also, they feature a 6-inch thickness and stunning deck rigidity to give you grip even if the paddle board becomes wet.
Another enticing feature of whitewater paddle boards is their large traction pad with raised stomp pad at the back that offers stunning comfort and manoeuvrability.
Construction Material:
The majority of the whitewater SUP are made with a double layer of drop stitching fabric which makes them tough and suited for fast-moving rapids.
Best Suited For:
These paddle boards are suited for fast-moving rapids and must be carefully used only by professional paddlers.
Cost Range:
The cost of a whitewater paddle board is in the range of $200 to $500.
4.Paddle Board For Ocean
Ocean paddle boards are relatively easy to handle in more challenging conditions and are suited for beginners and experienced paddlers alike. Also, they are suited for a wide range of water sports activities like snorkelling, diving, touring, camping and recreational acitivtes.
Ocean paddle boards are also highly stable and their great tracking makes it suited for the beginner-level paddler. There is absolutely no learning curve involved because you can paddle from one side and enjoy straightforward tracking. Newbies can also practice paddle boarding without fear of tipping off.
Construction Material:
The construction material of the ocean paddle board is of military-grade material. Some ocean SUP might also use a double layer of PVC material fabric as well.
Best Suited For:
Ocean touring, sea camping and surfing on the lakeside.
Cost Range:
The cost of an ocean paddle board is between $300 to $400.
5.Paddle Board For Touring
Touring paddle boards are designed for the purpose of long-distance paddling and exploring unexplored water. Also, touring paddle boards are generally long in lenght say about 10 feet long with a width of 30 inches wide.
The nose and the width of the touring paddle board are designed slightly narrower to give it better speed and enhance the overall efficiency of the board.
Most of the touring paddle boards are backed with a displacement hull design which is wider and more arched, allowing the board to ride and cut the waves.
Construction Material:
The construction of the touring paddle board is done with ultra lighweight material with EPS foam core or epoxy fabric material as well.
Best Suited For:
Touring paddle boards are best suited for long-distance paddling.
Cost Range:
The cost of touring paddle board starts at $200 and might go as high as $600.
6.Paddle Board With Seat
Do you want to enjoy paddle boarding and kayaking at the same time? If yes, a paddle board with seat should be on your list. This type of paddle board comes with an adjustable kayak seat, allowing you to easily convert the SUP into a full-flegged kayak.
Such paddle board has D rings attached to the deck pad so that you can affix your kayak seat and convert the SUP into a full-stack boat. You can also lay down, sit, kneel or bend on such SUPs and enjoy a more comfortable ride on the water.
Even if you don’t know a thing or two about paddling, you can still consider buying such SUP because of their amazing stability and balance.
Construction Material:
All the paddle boards with kayak seats are made with military-grade construction material.
Best Suited For:
Paddleboard with seats is suited for a bunch of activities including fishing, fly fishing, kayaking, snorkelling, surfing, diving and lot more.
Cost Range:
The cost of a paddle board with a kayak seat ranges between $200 to $1000 or more.
7.Hybrid Paddle Board
A hybrid paddle board is a convertible SUP, which can be built into a kayak in no time. Such SUPs are multi-purpose in nature, meaning you can use them for a variety of water sports activities including fishing, hunting, kayaking, river rafting and lot more.
However, some of the hybrid paddle boards might not be accessorized with kayak seats. But they do have D rings attached to the deck, so you can buy a seat separately and affix it along the D rings.
Another great SUP of hybrid paddle board is their carrying capacity, which allows ample deck space to keep your gears, accessories and tools.
Construction Material:
The construction of the hybrid kayak is made either with military-grade material, EPS core foam fabric, fibreglass material or PVC construction material.
Best Suited For:
You can opt for a hybrid paddle board for fishing, kayaking, swimming, stand-up fishing, hunting and other recreational and touring activities as well.
Cost Range:
The cost of a hybrid paddle board is in the range of $100 and the maximum is $1000.
8.Tandem Paddle Board
As the name says it, a tandem paddle board is suited for 2 people to ride on the water. They feature an amazing carrying capacity of around 350 lbs or more. Also, the deck space of such paddle boards is wide and made with anti-slip material to give enough confidence to both riders.
In case, your buddy paddler is absent for the day, you can still take a tandem paddle board for a solo ride and leverage the extra space by keeping your paddling or kayaking accessories.
Some of the best brands that make tandem paddle boards are: Body Glove, Freein Paddle Board, Goosehill, Goplus and Sea Eagle.
Construction Material:
Construction of tandem SUP depends on the brand to brand. For example, Body Glove Tandem is made with Ethylene Vinyl Acetate material, while Freein paddle boards are made with military-grade material.
Best Suited For:
If you want to take your friends and family members for a paddling session, a tandem paddle board is best suited for you.
Cost Range:
The cost of a tandem paddle board starts from $200 and might go upto $1000 or more.
9.Fishing Paddle Board
Yes, you read that right. You can also take a paddle board for fishing and duck-hunting activities as well. The fishing paddle board comes along with rod holders, mounting points, wide deck space, bungee lacing and storage space so that you can enjoy fishing on the water.
Such type of paddle board is best suited for stand-up fishing, fly fishing, bass fishing, duck hunting and other adventurous activities on the water.
The only drawback of the fishing paddle board is that they are slightly costly compared to other traditional paddle boards.
Construction Material:
The overall construction of the fishing paddle board and SUPs are made with inflatable drop stitching material.
Best Suited For:
These SUPs are only suited for fishing and hunting activities on the water.
Cost Range:
The cost of a fishing paddle board stands from $400 and goes upto $2000.
10.Kids Paddle Board
Kids paddle board are small, compact and lighweight SUP that is specifically designed for beginner, newbie, kids and teen paddler. This type of SUP offers an immense amount of stability, tracking and better manoeuvrability as compared to other SUP.
The size of kids’ paddler is anywhere between 8 feet in lenght to 30 inches in width. Most of the kids SUP are inflatable in nature allowing the newbie and kids to carry and transport it anywhere without much effort.
Construction Material:
Military-grade construction material + drop stitching technology is used to make such paddle boards.
Best Suited For:
Such paddle boards are ideal for kids who want to learn paddle boarding, or for beginners with less than 1 year of experience.
Cost Range:
The cost of a kids’ paddle board is $100 to $200.
11.Women’s Paddle Board
Who says paddle boarding is only for men? Today, there are a growing number of female paddlers with a knack for water sports activities using the best female paddle board. Women’s paddle boards are not very bulky and are made lighweight and easy to carry by keeping all the needs and requirements of female paddlers.
Such a type of paddle board is made very stable enough for practising yoga or fitness session in the water. Besides, women’s SUP is also made sturdy and rigid on the deck to give stunning stiffness and a high level of traction for female riders.
For performance and manoeuvrability, women’s paddle boards are made long and narrow in shape which enhances their ability to glide through water efforlessly. Also, their tracking and manoeuvrability are great compared to traditional paddle boards.
Construction Material:
The construction of women’s paddle boards is done with Korean drop stitching material which makes them durable and lighweight at the same time.
Best Suited For:
These sups are best suited for women for touring, camping and recreational rides on the water.
Cost Range:
Women’s paddle board starts at price of $199 and goes up to $300.
12.Paddle Board For Yoga
Do you want to practice yoga and fitness session on water? If yes, then the Yoga paddle board should be your choice. Such types of paddle boards are made wide, sturdy and rigid on deck to give you enough confidence to strike a yoga pose on the paddle board.
Additionally, yoga paddle boards are also suited for camping, touring and a variety of fun recreational activities on the water.
You’ll also get wide deck space and ample storage capabilities on the yoga paddle board, allowing you to carry additional gear and accessories.
Construction Material:
Premium drop stitching construction materials are used for making yoga inflatable paddle boards. Some might also be made with a combination of drop stitch and PVC material.
Best Suited For:
They are best suited for fitness, yoga and recreational activites on water. Both males and females can use yoga SUP.
Cost Range:
The cost of a yoga paddle board is between $150 to $300.
13.Lighweight Paddle Board
As the name suggests, lighweight paddle boards and made with ultra-light construction material which makes them easy to carry and lift. The weight of the such type of paddle board is not more than 20 lbs, which makes it easy to transport without using a kayak rack or trailer.
Another great benefit of lighweight paddle boards is that they can be used by newbies and beginner-level paddlers alike.
Construction Material:
The construction of the lightweight paddle board is done with very ultra-light materials by leveraning state-of-the-art technology.
Best Suited For:
This type of paddle board is suited only for touring and recreational activities.
Cost Range:
The cost of a lightweight paddle board is between the range of $100 to $300.
14.Non-Inflatable Paddle Board
Inflatable paddle boards are great and best known for their foldable design and portability. However, it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tear to inflate those paddle boards. This is where a non-inflatable paddle board comes into the picture.
As compared to normal SUP, the non-inflatable boards are made with rock solid and hard construction material which makes them tough and durable enough to carry the additional load and perform to the maximum capacity.
Such types of paddle boards are also highly agile, flexible and good at speed. The average speed of non-inflatable SUP is anywhere between 5-7 knots KPH, which makes them glide more swiftly as compared to inflatable paddle boards.
Construction Material:
Fibreglass or epoxy material is suited for making the non-inflatable paddle board.
Best Suited For:
They are only suited for camping, touring, surfing and gliding on water.
Cost Range:
The cost of a non-inflatable paddle board is high which is between $400 to $1000 or more.
15.Paddle Board With Motor
Do you want to take the speed of your paddle board next level? Are you looking forward to buying a SUP with a motor? If yes, then the Motorized paddle board is waiting for you.
This type of paddle board has motor mount capability to them, meaning you can buy a paddle board motor separately and mount it along the SUP to take the speed next level.
Apart from that some of the paddle board comes with pre-attached motor capacity in the fin, which makes even ride against the current with ease without compromising the speed and stability of the paddle board.
Construction Material:
The construction of a motorized paddle board is made with ultra-durable material and not with drop stitching material.
Best Suited For:
Such paddle boards are long-distance paddling and paddle boarding competition.
Cost Range:
The cost of a Motorized paddle board starts from $500 and goes up to $5000.
16.Foldable Paddle Board
As the name directs, a foldable paddle board is a type of iSUP that can be folded into multiple parts or collapsed for easy storage and transportion. They are similar to foldable kayaks with the obvious difference of being paddle boards.
The foldable paddle boards are remarkably built strong enough to withstand any daunting condition on the water.
Also, not many paddle boarding enthusiasts have access to garage space, store or shed. So, if you are living in a small apartment with limited storage space, a foldable paddleboard should be the best option for you. Also, most of the paddlers choose foldable SUP for their performance and responsiveness.
Compared to hardshell paddle boards, folding SUP is also well-optimized for flatwater and whitewater which makes them seaworthy and suited for any environmental condition.
Construction Material:
The construction of a foldable paddle board is made with drop-stitching material which allows the paddle board to get easily folded without any tension or causing dings or dents.
Best Suited For:
Because of their lightweight nature and foldable design, this SUP is suited for beginners, newbies and paddlers who are running tight on storage space.
Cost Range:
Foldable paddle boards are not that experience and they cost anywhere between $100 to $400.
17.Portable Paddle Board
One of the greatest and best inventions in the paddle boarding industry is portable paddle boards. And not just because creative behind this type of paddle board will blow up your mind, portable paddle boards have made paddle boarding accessible to many of us who, otherwise, could not store or carry a SUP from home to shoreline and back home again.
With portability and easy-to-carry and transport as their core feature, this type of SUP or paddle board will surely double your fun on the water.
Following are the different types of portable paddle boards available in the market.
Inflatable portable boards:
This type of paddle board is the most common and widely used for a variety of paddling acitivtes. They are inexpensive and crafted for high-end performance on the water. They rely on air chambers for inflation and delfation.
Folding paddle board:
This type of SUP is a combination of inflatable and plastic construction material, which allows them to collapse into bits and pieces.
Construction Material:
Portable kayaks come in several different categories, so So their construction materials also vary. For example, inflatable portable kayaks are made with drop stitching and PVC material, while foldable portable SUPs are made with plastic materials.
Best Suited For:
This type of inflatable paddle board is best suited for those having limited storage space and looking to buy a SUP that can be easily stored or carried anywhere.
Cost Range:
The cost of portable SUP starts from $100 and goes up to $1000 or even more.
FAQs About Different Types Of Paddle Boards
There are more than 10 different types of paddle boards currently available in the market. Some of the paddle boards are fishing paddle boards, yoga paddle boards, beginners paddle boards, hybrid paddle boards, paddle boards with kayak seats and a lot more.
Paddle board with ample of deck space and wide and long length that offers stability are best suited for beginner-level paddlers. Such paddle boards are known for their stability and safe ride on any type of water. Therefore, beginners will enjoy gliding and surfing with those types of SUP.
While out for paddle boarding, one should carry a life jacket, cooler for long-distance paddling, GPS system, watch, depth finder and dry storage bag if possible.
There is no difference between a paddleboard and a stand-up paddleboard. Both are the same watercraft available in many different types.
Solid paddle boards are also called hardshell paddle boards which are made with rock solid and plastic construction material. They are not inflatable in nature. Many of them are also made with fibreglass materials.