Stand-Up-Paddle-Boards-Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-SUP-Gear-Starboard-Paddleboarding-Cover-Mobile

Stand Up Paddle Boards

Every Thing You Need To Know About Sup Gear

Stand Up Paddleboarding is the world’s fastest-growing water sport, and has gained immense popularity in the past 2 years. Why? Paddle boarding is a fun way to be close to nature with the added benefits of a full-body workout, meditation and also socialization. SUP is a low-impact sport and with wide board versatility, makes it a good sport for everyone to enjoy, no matter your skill level, where you are or what type of paddleboarding you’d like to do.

For your first time out, we recommend you begin by taking a SUP lesson or renting a beginner paddle board at a local Starboard center, or simply borrow a stable paddle board from a friend. After the first session or two, once you’ve got the hang of paddle boarding, let’s consider buying your own. There are many types of SUP boards, each type will determine performance and discipline.

 

Not sure which paddle board is best for you? Try our board selector tool

Types of Paddleboards

To begin with, there are two main types of paddle boards:

  1. Hard paddle boards are rigid and are made of composite materials. Hard boards offer great performance and improved stability, however, they take up a lot of space and need to be transported by car on roof racks and stored in a garage or wall rack.
  2. Inflatable paddle boards (blow up paddle boards) on the other hand are a great option if storage space is limited, or transportation has size limitations. While they are not a firm as hard SUPs, when fully inflated iSUPs are stiff and offer causal paddlers a fun, convenient option for getting out on the water.

Once you know the benefits of a hard vs inflatable SUP and have determined which type is best suited for your needs, then you need to choose the appropriate model based on usage requirements. You need to consider what your skill level is (are you a beginner or intermediate), what style of paddleboarding you are interested in, and perhaps who is going to be using the board (just you alone, or is it a board for the entire family?) Here are key categories of paddleboards and the respective Starboard models:

Beginner Paddle Boards

If you’re just getting started in paddleboarding, then you are going to need a board that is stable and easy to learn on as the sensation of standing on the water can get some getting used to. Entry-level SUPs are wide and long, with a high amount of volume which makes them stable and easy to learn paddleboarding. Beginner SUP’s also have parallel rails to help track a straighter line while the thick, boxy rails keep your feet out of the water so they’re dry and warm.

iGO

Inflatable Paddle Board

Club

SUP Schools & Centers

GO

Beginner SUP

GO Surf

Just go surf

All-Round/ Wave Paddle Boards

All-round SUPs are the most popular type of paddle board which can do a little bit of everything. Also known as surf ‘n cruise, these boards can catch fun waves yet have enough glide to take on flat water as well, and most of all, can be easily shared with friends and family.

Generation

3-in-1 Paddle Board

Wide Ride

Surf ‘n Cruise

Generation Inflatable

3-in-1 Paddle Board

iCON

Inflatable Paddle Board

Touring Paddle Boards

Touring paddleboards are designed for long-distance paddling, exploring and expeditions. These boards are often long with a flat rocker line for extra glide, and have added volume and bungees to to carry gear. If you’re an adventure seeker and spending a day or two on a paddle board exploring the wild, then these feature-packed touring paddle boards are made for you.

Touring

Inflatable Paddle Board

Touring

Expedition SUP

Waterline

Specialized Touring SUP

The-Wall-Inflatable-Touring-Stand-Up-Paddle-Board-Starboard-SUP

The Wall

New Innovative SUP

Race Paddle Boards

Race paddleboards prioritize speed and performance. They are characterized by their long, slender, and lightweight design. Skilled paddlers can achieve speeds of up to 20 km/hr (12.5 mi/hr) on these boards. However, they may be challenging for beginners due to their narrow and less stable build. Starboard has the World’s most versatile and winning race board designs. All our pro athletes ride stock boards, that means they ride what you ride.

All Star

All-water Race Board

Gen R

Flatdeck Race Board

Sprint

Flatwater Race Board

Sprint Expedition

Crossover Touring Option

All Star Airline

Fastest Race iSUP

Sprint Airline

Flat Water Race Board

Junior Racer

All Star & Sprint (hard)

Junior Racer

Inflatable Range for Kids

Surf Paddle Boards

Surfing has been enjoyed around the world for many years now, however, it has typically been limited by the riders’ skills or surf breaks. The introduction of stand up paddleboard surfing has been a game-changer and has made wave surfing more accessible than ever before. Now you can catch more waves and surf for longer with a surf paddle board, and with a wide selection of surf SUPs available on the market, now everyone can enjoy time on the ocean no matter your proficiency, age or weight – simply jump on the water and start riding!

Spice

A quiver killer

Pro

High-Performance Surf

Wedge

Intermediate Surf Range

Hyper Nut

Innovative Surf Design

Longboard SUP

Evolution of the classic surf shape

Longboard Surf

Prone surfboard

Surf Inflatable

Surfing on air

Longboard Surf

Prone surfboard

Foil Boards

Foiling is taking the world by storm and people are enjoying this new sport in a variety of conditions and riding styles. Thanks to rapid technological innovations in this field, there is a wide variety hydrofoils and foil boards available for every type of rider and across a multitude of foil sport disciplines.

2023-Ace-Foil-foil-hard-stand-up-paddle-board-Starboard-SUP-key-feature-main-top

Ace Foil

Downwind Foilboard

Take Off

Crossover Foilboard

Wind Convertible Paddle Boards

The SUP Windsurfing range offers a great choice for sharing windsurfing and paddle boarding with friends and family. The new Wingboard 4-in-1 is ideal for those who want to learn to handle a wing, but can also go paddleboarding when the wind dies down. These easy-to-use and stable stand up paddleboards have additional features that make them wing/ windsurf convertible ~ such features include mast track, centre dagger insert and/ or side fins, as well as footstraps & Rail Edge Release for full speed planing on some options.

SUP Windsurfing

Inflatable Paddle Board

SUP Windsurfing

Hard Paddle Board

Wingboard 4-in-1

Multi-Use Wind Board

Speciality Paddle Boards

There are also a more specialised paddle boards made for specific activities like yoga, river paddling, under water viewing and multi-persons paddle boards to name a few. They still have all the basics that make a SUP a SUP, however they have additional features and designs that improve their functionality for that particular activity on the water.

Vision

Underwater Viewing Window

Team

Take 2 – 8 Paddlers

All Starboard inflatable paddle boards feature Welded Rail Technology

The welded rail uses a new & advanced heat-welding process whereby the top and bottom layers of the board are mechanically bonded. That means there is no glue used to join the top and bottom along the rails (where leakage can occur) therefore these joins are now bonded for life – making our boards the most durable on the market!

Learn more about Starboard's proprietary Welded Rail Technology used in our Inflatable Paddle board range