Inflatable fun! (paddleboards ;) )

Check your local Sam's Club. They had one on display at ours a couple of weeks ago. Was solid as a rock , quite impressed by it. Don't remember the price though.

Saw these at Costco awhile back...still available on line.

Inflatable....LINK

www.seaeagle.com

bout2buy - Sorry no help on your question, but wanted to let you know that we have the Sevylor Fiji and really enjoy it.

Doug

Im in the SUP industry unfortunetley i only work on epoxy & carbon boards and have no input on the inflatables :( as for inflatable boats you can get some awesome Outcast pontoon inflatables. I used to own a few over the float tube by outcast and its a well made product.

A SUP has become the thing to have in the aquatic toybox these days. Sounds like an idea. Trouble is, some places the water is downright cold even in summer.

Seems you are more likely to wind up in the drink using a SUP than a kayak, rigid, inflatable, sit in or sit on. One cold dunking sure will spoil a day.

Just sayin.

The ones you linked to are some low budget watercraft, and I'm not sure you will find any 6" SUP in that price range. I looked quite a bit at them last spring and I think you'll have to pay at least $500 for one with decent rigidity. Tower and Saturn make some that looked good to me. Sea Eagle's SUPs are even more money.

In the end, I saved myself the cost of a SUP. A local company that sells and rents SUPs also holds a paddleboarding class on a nearby small lake every Saturday. For $20 I joined the class and got to paddle a rigid, 32" wide SUP with the group for about 1.5 hours. I discovered that it is work. You constantly are working those leg muscles in the battle to maintain balance. It was hard to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of the day or of the lake because I was too busy concentrating on not taking a bath. And paddling really works the abdominals, too. My legs were so sore by the end of class, I knew I did not want to own a paddleboard. Instead, I only bought an inflatable kayak.

A SUP does not have to be a SUP. It can be a sit down SUP.

All it takes is a milk crate & sit on it.

Still too much work for me. Something powered by a 2hp outboard is more like my preference. Run all day on a gallon of gas & I don't get tired.

I didn't realize that Sam's club had them, I will definitely look into that!

downtheroad, those fishing floats are really cool. I chose the inflatable kayak and paddle boat because I needed to be able to take the kids, cooler and tackle box along, but if I wanted a setup for solo fishing, I would totally get one of those.

veebyes, you are absolutely right, water in the Delmarva area is COLD nearly year-round. But, my kids love to play in the bay at Roaring Point, Tall Pines Harbor, Tom's Cove. We stay in pretty shallow water (terrified of sharks!).

And rexlion, you are right, I did chose some very low-budget options, for the very reason veebyes pointed out. We do get somewhat limited use of the boats, but truthfully I was surprised and impressed by the quality. In addition to using them for camping, we use them at several local fishing holes. I would absolutely go with a rigid boat or kayak if I was doing touring, but we paddle out into the middle of a calm pond and drop our hooks in the water and wait for fish to bite. These little inflatable "ditch dinghys" as my husband calls them are absolutely perfect for that. I actually got the inflatable kayak off of craigslist with the fin included (helps tracking) for under $75!

I figure that even with my bargain shopping skills, I'm going to have to spend between 300-800 to get a good board. We have rented paddleboards several times and they are WORK! Not a bad thing for someone like me who could use a little extra fitness. Plus, the kids just find it fun, and the boats and water keep them entertained indefinitely while camping.

I own two hard sided SUP's and have rented inflatable SUPs. I also own 3 kayaks as well as being a windsurfer. So I think I can lend some experience.

Personally, I enjoy SUPing much more than kayaking if it's a nice day. Standing feels more natural to me, it's a great workout, and you can travel fairly quickly once you get the technique down. Side note: every casual SUPer I see has terrible technique, making it much harder on themselves to move. However, if the wind or swell picks up, SUP's are a pain and I'd rather be in a kayak.

Before you decide to buy an inflatable SUP, here's what I would consider:

1. The inflatable SUP's have really come a long way. They aren't as good as a hard sided board but they're getting closer, and there's obvious the convenience of storage. BUT the flip side is you have to inflate and deflate. iSUP's typically come with a manual pump that takes ~10 minutes to inflate. That's a LONG time to be pumping. Or you can buy a $100 electric pump that attaches to a car battery. So you have to account for the additional time to pump / deflate. With my hard sided boards, I keep them on top of my truck. Two straps off and I'm ready to hit the water.

2. You didn't mention how tall / large you are. Bigger you are, you'll probably want a wider board for stability. If you're only going to us it in flat water (i.e., not for waves or in a river), then I would get a board that's at least 10 feet long. 11+ feet even better. My two boards are 12.5' long. Reason being, a longer board will track straighter.

3. Don't forget the cost of the paddle. I HIGHLY recommend carbon fiber. It makes the paddling experience so much nicer.

Having said all of the above, if I was going to buy an iSUP, I'd get the package below. It includes a highly reputable 12'6" board, a CARBON FIBER adjustable paddle, pump, and bag.

http://www.bigwinds.com/naish-sup-15-sup-package-one-makani