I love kayaking. But I love my paddleboard more. Given the option I will always choose a board over a yak. It takes a little practice but once you get comfortable having the ability to paddle standing up, kneeling, sitting down or even laying down to stretch out when you feel like it, is really nice.
11’ BIC Tough Tec Cross - .5mm NRS Hydroskin full zip jacket and pants - NRS Cove Gloves - O’Neill 3mm surf boots - Kialoa carbon fiber paddle.
In addition to the board itself you’ll need a few other pieces of equipment to get started. Like kayaking, you’ll need a paddle and a pfd, but with paddleboards you also need a board leash. The paddleboard leash connects the border to the board so that in the event you did fall over the board doesn’t get away from you in any current. The type of leash depends on a combination of border preference and water conditions. One end of the leash attaches to the leash plug on your board and the other end of the leash can attach via a velcro strap around your ankle or calf, depending upon the style of leash you want. Depending on where you’re paddling you’ll need a straight or coiled leash. Straight leashes are used in open, deep water, such as the ocean. Coiled leashes stretch when needed but otherwise stay on the board deck “coiled” so they don’t catch on any underwater objects like tree stumps, rocks and other obstacles you might encounter under the surface at a lake or river. The leash should equal board length, so for an 11’ board you would use an 11’ leash, for a 10’ board use a 10’ leash and so on,
Prana 3mm full zip wetsuit jacket, NRS .5mm Hydroskin “capris” - BIC 10‘ 6” Tough Tec Performer surf sup.
As with kayaking, it makes sense to try a board out from a friend or a rental to see if it’s something that you like and want to continue doing. Once you’ve made the decision to pursue paddleboarding you have to decide what kind of board you want - to do so you have to decide what kind of paddleboarding you want to do. There are many different types of boards available depending on the intended use. If you only ever plan on one type of boarding than one board will suffice. If you want to dabble in multiple aspects of paddleboarding you could get a more universal type board. Or, like surfing, you could, over time, accumulate several boards to keep in your quiver and pull the appropriate board for the conditions you’ll be in.
Heading out - ocean paddle, bay side.
One consideration is how you plan to transport your paddleboard and your ability to store it. If you don’t have roof racks on your vehicle or somewhere like a garage or shed to store it securely you may want to consider an inflatable board. These have come along way and are greatly improved from the early iterations. The nice thing about inflatable paddleboard‘s is you can deflate them, roll them up and store them in a closet in your home or apartment and put them in the trunk of your car to transport and inflate them when you get to your location. The drawback, in my opinion, to inflatable boards, is that I find them to be significantly less stable than a hard board and they tend to be more limited in your ability to customize and accessorize them. But given your situation they may be the only option. If you have the ability to transport your board on a roof rack on your vehicle and somewhere you can securely store it such as in your home, garage, or even a rack in your backyard where they can be secured then I prefer and recommend a hard board.
Single hard board on crossbars.
Triple. Two hard boards and an inflatable loaded on a Thule SUP Taxi locking carrier.
Hardboards come in many sizes and styles from traditional surf shapes for ocean use to “all-around” recreational boards for yoga, fishing or even just cruising. They can also be purchased in single or multiple fin configurations. My primary board is a BIC 11’ Tough Tec Cross single fin, great for all-around recreational use. I’ve paddled hundreds of miles on it on lakes and have also had it out on flat ocean water (think harbor/bay side) and also small surf on open ocean water. Anything larger than small surf and you would need to switch to a traditional surf shape. The 11 attachment points on the deck allow for all sorts of accessorizing, from attaching full coolers to the deck to smaller items like Go-Pro cameras, GPS, speakers, fishing pole mounts and more.
Running the deck rigging on a BIC Performer Tough Tec surf sup.
Dry-bag and paddle gloves.
Powerade, Altec Lansing Mini H2O speaker and Kialoa carbon fiber paddle. I always bring a drink.
Like any water sport you should always dress for the water. I paddle from the moment the water begins to open up in spring right up until it’s completely frozen over in December. So having a variety of paddle gear is important in order to match the conditions. If you only paddle in peak summer warmth you could go in just a bathing suit, but in early spring or even early winter you’ll want either a full wetsuit or wetsuit separates. Over time you’ll certainly wind up acquiring a full paddle wardrobe. I go in just a bathing suit with a rash guard (for sun protection) in the warmer months and slowly move to wetsuit shorts, pants and full zip jacket as the temps begin to dip (along with the water temperature). When the water begins to get really cold I’ll add neoprene paddle gloves and 5mm neoprene paddle boots. You might not want to paddle when the temps drop, thinking you’ll be cold, but dressed appropriately that won’t be an issue. I’ve had my 10” fin catch a stump during the low water levels in December which sent me over into the ice cold water, but I was always warm due to the wetsuit pants, jacket, gloves and boots. I can not stress enough, how important it is to always dress for the water temperature not the air temperature.
NRS Hydroskins .5mm neoprene paddle gloves.
NRS 2mm Maverick gloves for colder water paddles.
3mm O’Neill surf boots and NRS Hydroskins .5mm neoprene pants.
O’Neill short sleeve thermal rash guard.
NRS Hydroskins .5mm full zip neoprene paddle jacket.
The inside of NRS Hydroskin 1.5mm pants lined with soft fleece.
When I paddle I always bring along a little tech, besides my waterproof speaker, I wear an Apple Watch and run the Paddle Logger app. Together they track all of my paddles...route, duration, distance, speed, calories burned, etc. When you start paddling 100+ miles per season it’s nice to be able to track these data points.
Paddle Logger logbook screen. I never pause my timer if I pull ashore or take breaks to float, but you can.
Paddle Logger map / route screen, satellite view.
Mahalo and I’ll see you on the water.
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