How to choose your first SUP board

Every person that tries Stand Up Paddle gets hooked to this sport. Once you tried it probably you want to buy your first SUP board. In this post we give you some tips to choose the right board for your needs.

We will give you the basic information to purchse your first Stand up Paddle gear and all the accessories needed.

Once you try SUP for the first time you get impressed how easy is to practice this sport and enjoy it from the first minute. Then after using it, probably you want to fid out what is the best equipment that will suit your needs

Is important to know all the features of the different boards lke the shape, technology and sizes. Then find the perfect paddle for you and maybe one or two accessories.
 

What SUP board should i choose?

When we start to SUP and we have no watersports background we have to find a board that has enough volume to let us enjoy from the first day. More volume will give us more comfort and stability. Is important to choose the size and volume of the board depending on your weight and height. There are different ways to calculate the ideal volume, we give you a tip to do it:
  To calculate the volume we say that 1 Liter = 1 Kilogram.

Comfort volume chart:
 

Rider Level	Comfort volume (L)
Beginner	50 Lts
Basic	40-45 Lts
Intemediate	35-50 Lts
Advanced	30 Lts
Expert	20-23 Lts

This tip is a good starting point to calculate the volume of your board. In the beginning is better to have more volume and more stability and comfort.

As an example, if you are a beginner rider that weights 80 Kgm, you add a 12 Kgm board and a 500 grm paddle + 50 Lts comfortt volume = your board need a minimum volume of 142 Ltrs

The best thing that you can do, anyway is to try some boards to feel the difference. In hoeNalu we have a huge range of demo boards, so if you come to visit us feeel free to try some ;)
   

AllRound SUP Board for beginners

Another important point is the shape of the board, depending on what we want to do with it we will have to choose the right shape; When we start to SUP normally we do medium distance tours and we use to progess to longer trips or waves. For this purpose the ideal shape is the Allround, which is ideal for all the conditions.

The allround boards use to be wide in the stance area (middle) with an outline that reduces the width through the nose and the tail. 

The allround SUP boards use to b stable and comfortable for beginners.

Normally we consider that a board is an allrounder when the lenght is beetween 9' and 12' and the width is beetween 30" and 35"
 

What is the right size for my SUP Board?

To decide the right size of our SUP board is important to know in what conditions you will use it and think in the next weekd and months fo use. As in an easy sport, probably you will progress quickly, improving your balance and stability. so si better to think in a long term board. In this chart we give you some examples:
 

Rider Weight	Suggested board size
< 70 Kgs	9'
70 to 80 Kgs	9'5'' - 9'6''
80 to 95 Kgs	9'8'' to 10'
95 to 100 Kgs	10' to 10'6''
+ 100 Kgs	11'2''+

If you decide that the inflatable technology is the best for you the sizes are exactly the same. If you want to focus more in waves buy a shorter board with a surf shape, if you focus in cruising then is better to go to longer sizes with more allround shape or touring shape.
   

What is the best construction technology for my board?

Usually the weight of a SUP board is beetween 9 and 12 Kgms. This value changes depending on the ize and contruction technolgy.

The manufacturers allways try to have a few construction options to give tho the riders different boards to choose depending on their needs and budget.

The 90% of the cmposite boards have an EPS Core wrapped with different layers of material (like a sandwich): These are the most common constructions:

• Composite AST: Thisis the most common construction. se to hav a mid weight and are quite solid but they can be affected by scratches.
• Soft Top: These board are AST board wrappedd with EVA foam all around the board. They are more durable and can resist scratches and bumps.
• Inflatable: The main feature of this construction is the easy transport ans storage when the board is deflated. It uses different layers of PVC and Dropsitich. If you hvno space at home and a small car without roof raks, this is your option.

Any of these technologies are perfect to start to SUP, the final decision will dependend on your budget, shape, size and volume that suits your needs. Rememeber that you will need a paddle and some accessories. The perfect decision is to purchase a SUP Packs that includes all the necessary to play. We have packages for all the budgets.

If you are looking to buy a board to start to practice Stand up Paddle don't think too much and find your board in the wide range that we offer to you. If you have any question please feel free to contact us and we will give you the best advice. 

We want that everybody enjoys the water . Start to paddle today!!!

KeepSUPing