ISUP Board: Which Is The Best Board Size For You?

Now that you have finally made the call to buy a paddleboard, here are some things to consider when looking for the best SUP size and specifications for yourself. It is easy to get frazzled with so many options in size, but there is no need to worry, for WOWSEA will guide you through the entire process.

WOWSEA is proud of its work to further adventure sports and recreational activities out on the water via paddle-boarding. We have been offering advice, other services, and high-end products for all our customers that are interested in ISUP and wish to spend quality time in nature with their friends and family.

This article will inform you of all the important aspects you must consider when looking to buy a paddleboard that suits your specific needs. This includes taking into account your height, body weight, and a variety of other factors that impact the overall paddle-boarding experience.

What To Look For In An Ideal PaddleBoard

According to the expertise at WOWSEA, there are four major areas that you should take into account when looking at paddleboards for yourself. Briefly, these factors are buoyancy, stability, maneuverability, and portability.

1. How Well The Board Floats – Buoyancy

Generally speaking, buoyancy refers to the ability of any object to float in water. How well or how easily a paddleboard can float in water is a crucial feature of every paddleboard, as it is one of the key requirements for a safe, enjoyable experience out on the water.

As physics informs us, paddleboards that are bigger and wider in size tend to have more buoyancy as opposed to smaller ones because larger boards can hold a greater volume of air. Another aspect that affects the floatability of the board is its carrying capacity, which can be known by the total of all the weight that will be atop the board.

An important point to remember here is that for beginners and even professionals, the lighter the weight atop the board, the better you will be able to maneuver in the water. So, as a rule, try to carry as little weight with you as possible, especially if you are new to paddle-boarding.

Finally, you also want to take into account the board’s thickness, as it also determines how well the board will float. Typically, most ISUP boards that WOWSEA is known for are five to six inches thick (five inches for kids board), with people normally sitting atop them with half of the board’s width submerged in water. This keeps the board balanced, allowing you to move around easily.

2. How Steady The Board Stays – Stability

The next thing you should be looking into is the stability of your paddleboard. A stable paddleboard is generally wide, but depending on your skill level, i.e., how comfortable you are going fast on the water, you will have to find the right balance between stability and ease of movement for your board.

WOWSEA recommends its Trophy series of inflatable SUP boards for users that are looking for greater stability, as these boards are on the wider end of the spectrum. Alternatively, you can also look at our Traveller W1 12'6" Sport SUP Board if you have some experience paddle-boarding and want a faster board.

A stable paddleboard will make it easier for a lot of recreational and sports activities to be safely conducted out on the waters. For example, for those of you who wish to do family time, yoga, fitness, fishing, hunting, touring, travel or even have some silly fun out on the water, a stable paddleboard is your best bet.

3. How Smoothly The Board Moves – Maneuverability

Yet another important aspect of an inflatable paddleboard is how well it moves in the water. But the movement in this case, or maneuverability, depends on what type of activities you wish to do, as well as other considerations you need to take for an ideal experience; your height, weight, and skill level.

The most significant aspect here you should be concerned with when looking at maneuverability is the board's length about your height. While shorter boards allow you to make sharper and faster movements, longer ones have greater buoyancy and stability.

If you are looking to paddle longer distances, WOWSEA suggests that you opt for longer boards. The standard length for a paddleboard for recreational use is between 9 to 11 feet. But make sure you take into account your height concerning the board you pick because that will impact the overall maneuverability of the board.

4. Portability

Finally, portability is a new facet that many paddleboarders are becoming increasingly concerned with. Many folks have to drive or fly to certain water bodies for paddle-boarding and thus wish to easily carry their paddleboards and supporting equipment with them when they do.

This is why WOWSEA is in the business of providing inflatable paddleboards instead of solid boards. In particular, our boards usually come with an entire kit in which you can store the board and all its supporting gadgets, making your paddle-boarding experience a relaxing and worthwhile endeavor.

Inflatable boards are better because they offer much better portability, as they can very easily be deflated and then packed into a bag to be carried. From WOWSEA’s Bionics range to its Bluesky series, all our boards have comfortable and spacious bags that you can also opt for when buying your inflatable paddleboard.

If your weight is around 150 lbs and you wish to prioritize maneuverability as well as portability, then a board within the 9’6 feet length range should work best for you. However, you must remember to consider that all these features do not work in isolation to provide the best ISUP experience on the water.

This is why if your board is within this range (9 to 11 feet), then the width of your board should typically fall within 30 to 32 inches. Any wider than this, and the board will move around slowly, while narrower boards will making balancing atop it more challenging.

Ultimately, you want a board that balances all these features to achieve the best results. However, the extent to which each feature is needed for your unique experience will vary, so you must have some clarity on the following areas:

• What type of activities do you wish to partake in when going paddle-boarding?
• Your body specifications: weight and height, for example
• Your skill and/or comfort level when out on the water

Why Opt For Inflatable Paddleboards Instead Of Solid Ones?

The innovation in paddleboard technology that we see today, i.e., inflatable paddleboards made from a variety of materials, often with multiple layers or coats for protection, is not a coincidence. These developments reflect the need of the hour, as more and more people wish to improve upon their overall paddle-boarding experience.

This means that being easy to carry from place to place is one big reason why people opt for inflatable paddleboards over solid ones. But this is decidedly not the only advantage of WOWSEA’s ISUP boards. Our expertise lies specifically in making sure you find the ideal paddleboard to work with your expectations and experience out on the water.

We combine eco-friendly and socially responsible approaches with our knowledge to bring you paddleboards that are affordable yet of the highest quality available in the market. Overall, our boards are between 30% to 40% cheaper in comparison to those made by our competitors while still maintaining our high standards in terms of performance, durability, and portability.

Get In Touch For Expert Guidance

So, now that you have some idea on what areas you must carefully inspect to buy the perfect paddleboard for yourself, check out WOWSEA’s multiple series via our catalog, because WOWSEA value: “Simplicity, Affordability, Friendliness”. Here, you will find our incredibly successful Trophy series, as well as the Bionics and Bluesky series.

Our catalog also has multiple other supporting items to make your paddleboarding experience safe yet enjoyable. These include adjustable paddleboards, repair kits, ankle leashes, kickboards, inflation pumps, waterproof bags, and many other items.

Still, feel like you need help? Not a problem at all. To send us your queries regarding inflatable paddleboards and their various features, you may visit our contact us page underneath the about section. Here you can either send us a direct message by entering in a few of your details or email us at info@wowseasup.com.

Soon after your queries have been received, a customer’s sales representative will get in touch with you and help you through the process of finalizing a paddleboard to invest in. That’s right, a paddleboard is an investment, for it can last as long as a decade when cared for properly.

To learn more about how to care for inflatable paddleboards, you can visit our blog here: https://wowseasup.com/blogs/news. Additionally, if you are looking for more information on how to decide which inflatable paddle board will work best for you, there are plenty of articles to help you with.