Inflatable fun! (paddleboards ;) )

[bout2buy]

My search for inflatable boats actually turned up 2 winners, so now I'm on the hunt for an inflatable paddleboard to add to our collection. Does anyone have any advice or tips?

My internet research tells me that the 6" thick ones are more stable than the 4" ones, which makes sense, and that wider is generally better, although too wide can be cumbersome to paddle for a smaller person. Again, makes sense. Does anyone here own an inflatable stand up paddleboard, or iSUP?

P.S., if you're interested in which inflatable boats I settled on, it's these:
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Tahiti-2-Person-Fishing-Kayak/dp/B00J0S0DL4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455732750&sr=8-1&keywords=sevylor+hunt+fish+kayak

http://www.amazon.com/Bestway-Hydro-Force-Marine-Inflatable-Boat/dp/B00F0B942O/ref=sr_1_14?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1455732783&sr=1-14&keywords=inflatable+boat

Both have proven to be quite sturdy and have fared very well being packed up in the cargo area of our class C. I love that they are less tippy than a canoe (great for when the kids all lean over one side to see a turtle swimming by!) and they take up very little room deflated. No holes....yet! LOL So much fun, and we get a lot of use out of them since most places we camp are on the water. Might even get one of the little battery powered trolling motors for the bestway boat since it has a mount.

[rexlion]

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.

[Veebyes]

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.

[eDUBz]

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.

[ddndoug]

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

Doug

[the_bear_II]

www.seaeagle.com

[downtheroad]

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

Inflatable....LINK

[Halmfamily]

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.