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.

[captnjack]

rexlion wrote:
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.

I think you should give it a second chance. It should not be that much work, especially for the legs. I suspect you are too big for the board they rented you. They are not one size fits all. That is what happened to me. I spent all my time and energy fighting to keep from falling (unsuccessfully) off of a first time rental. No fun at all. Meanwhile my wife and daughter were fine. Next time I was able to use a bigger board. Night and day difference. Incredibly enjoyable and I prefer the standing to the sitting position of a kayak. It can be a great workout but you DON'T have to beat yourself up to do this. When done properly it's more of a core workout. Technique matters but it's easily learned. Plenty of videos on the net.

It appears that a good inflatable, especially for bigger people, will cost almost as much as a hard board.

[bout2buy]

How long have you had yours, ddndoug? We have had the kayak longer than the boat, probably around 20 trips including camping and fishing at the local ponds. Almost always have 2 people in it, and i have squeezed 3 (myself, 6yo son and my 5 yo nephew) in. They were both hanging over the side trying to snag a turtle with a net, and i was very thankful for the extra stability the inflatables have! I really like it a lot and hope it lasts.

[ddndoug]

Here's a picture of our kids enjoying the Fiji.




Doug

[bout2buy]

Thank you BarneyS! I will follow those very helpful instructions in the future.

The inflatables, especially cheaper ones, do have several disadvantages, but in my opinion, they can't be beat for ease-of-portage-ability (this mom can carry both the kayak and the boat to the water in one trip!) and storability. They take up so little space packed into their bags.

Incidentally, I did learn a valuable lesson in the trip in which this picture was taken. I now bungee the fishing poles, paddles and nets to the boats, or attach a floatation device (one of those swim floats that go on a toddler's arm works great in the middle of the kayak paddle!). We found out the hard way that not all paddles float. And fishing poles sink too. LOL! And of course I keep PFD's on the little kids too even though those little turds float. 😉

[BarneyS]

bout2buy wrote:
Snip...
Maybe this link will work, but I'm not sure how to imbed the picture in my response... (p.s. the boat in the background belongs to my nieces. I wouldn't recommend that one as it only lasted one season. Definitely spring for the multiple-ply vinyl).

http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/tackoverload/media/Mobile%20Uploads/_20151024_090317.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

It is very easy to post a picture in your post on this forum.
1. Click here to go to the forums photo posting app.
2. Upload your photo from your computer or website.
3. Copy/paste the resulting URL into your post without making any changes or additions.

That is all there is to it! 🙂 Your picture will appear and be properly sized for our forum.

Here is the photo you linked to in your post quoted above and then uploaded to our forum photo posting app.
Barney

[bout2buy]

Veebyes those pictures are hilarious. Timmac that is a very nice boat!

We went with a sevylor inflatable kayak and a bestway inflatable boat. If I have time I'll try to link pictures later.

Thank you so much for the tips, Drew K. As soon as it warms up I'm going to see if I can't improve my paddling technique. I think I understand what you mean because I'm pretty sure that is what I do with the kayak...it's not so much pulling the water, but rather I put the paddle blade in and use my core to "scoot" the kayak forward. I don't feel the pain in my shoulders now like I did when I started.

Maybe this link will work, but I'm not sure how to imbed the picture in my response... (p.s. the boat in the background belongs to my nieces. I wouldn't recommend that one as it only lasted one season. Definitely spring for the multiple-ply vinyl).

http://s1093.photobucket.com/user/tackoverload/media/Mobile%20Uploads/_20151024_090317.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[Veebyes]

I want something that can take everybody



This would do too

[timmac]

bout2buy wrote:
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?
.

What inflatable boat did you decide on ?.

Check out what inflatable boat I went with, can do 35 mph.

[Drew_K]

Incidentally, the notion of pulling yourself up to the paddle also applies to kayaking or any paddle sport. Don't push water. PULL.

[Drew_K]

The only advantage to the rounded nose and tail is for surfing waves. Otherwise, the pointy nose and straight rear are more efficient for paddling. The pointy nose punches through swell and moves water aside better, similar to a boat's front end, and helps to keep the board moving in a straight line. One of my boards is traditional shaped and the other is pointy, so I've seen these differences first hand.

The pointy nose doesn't help with stability though. That's an issue of board width. The wider the board, the more stable, but it'll also be slower. Stick with around 30 inches or wider and you'll be fine.

The inflatable is definitely softer if you fall on it. Another advantage is they don't get dinged up if you run into something hard, like a rock. The obvious disadvantage is a puncture 😉

As for SUPing technique, hard to explain in words but the idea is NOT to push water past the board. The idea is to visualize sticking your paddle in the water and PULLING yourself and the board up to where the paddle is. So both arms should be almost straight, and you use your core and shoulders to move the paddle. It should feel kind of like doing a sit up. If you bend your arms while paddling, you're doing it wrong.

Another quick check: for the hand on the top of the paddle, open that hand completely. The top hand only needs to push, so there's no reason to have a complete grip on the paddle with your hand closed.

Youtube also has some good videos.

[bout2buy]

Thank you Drew K, that was all very helpful. I'm 5'5", and like most females I won't disclose my weight but I'm "average." LOL We do sometimes travel with teens and I know that some of the husbands will want to "play" on the paddleboard, so I want something that has at least a 225 or so weight limit. I do take my kids with me on the kayaks and boats, so a higher weight limit on the board might be good too. If we are coordinated enough, I could see my son sitting on the board while I paddle. Mostly I can just see us falling into the water. 😉 Haha

As far as the board you linked, most of the ones I have used have a more rounded nose and tail. Are the pointy ones stable? I'm looking for stability over ease of maneuvering at this point.

I have only paddleboarded a handful of times, but I'm pretty sure my technique is bad. My shoulders, arms and core never got sore, but my calves were really sore each time. None of the friends who paddled with me had that issue. So weird. Some of the places I've rented have boards without fins or skegs, and I have found that without them, the boards do not track well at all. I'm guessing that they don't put them on at rental places because people break them when getting on in the shallow water, but I'm definitely going to get a board with fins, it makes a huge difference.

I wonder if the inflatables hurt less when you fall on them? I've fallen every time so far boarding, and while I try to fall clear of my board, I'm not that coordinated!

I've gotten a lot better with the kayak technique, and I can actually keep up with my kayaking friends in their hard-side kayaks in my inflatable. Because it's inflatable, I can paddle on my knees. I actually take the seat out and straddle a foam roller. They do make true kneeling kayaks, but my friends who attempted it in their sit-in or sit on kayaks couldn't do it...way too hard on the knees and uncomfortable. But in the inflatable with the foam roller as my seat, I can do it and it makes paddling easier. The inflatable kayak does catch more wind, and it doesn't continue to glide after each stroke like some of the better touring kayaks, but if I keep paddling, she keeps going, and the kneeling position is a lot easier on me. So, that might be a helpful hint for those who find traditional kayaks uncomfortable!

[Drew_K]

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

[bout2buy]

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.

[Veebyes]

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.