What paddleboard should I buy?
Seven reasons why paddleboarders should resist buying their own paddleboard. With bonus 2023 diary events for paddleboarders (see end).
Get a group of paddleboarders together and very quickly they’re asking each other the sort of questions that would impress even a hard-bitten tabloid hack. They want to know what paddleboard to buy and who to get it from. Every who, what, where, when and why question is explored in addition to brand and price.
After the deep research, plus a question to one of the local Facebook groups, you’ll eventually decide between a:
· general purpose 10ft6
· pointy-nosed 11ft tour board
· sleek beast of 12ft6 (or even 14ft) that is narrower and faster than anything used so far, hoping that one day they’ll grow into – or at any rate enjoy.
In fact, you may buy two paddleboards because it’s a lot more fun, and safer, paddling with a friend.
This is not a good decision. If you wanted a game of squash would you buy a squash court? If you wanted to play tennis more often, would you build a tennis court? The answer to both these questions is surely no. Instead, I’d join a club guaranteeing a partner to play the game with, the chance to try all sorts of kit and all sorts of opportunities that come from being around a group who also love what you love.
But when it comes to sup, there seems to be a strange pride in owning your own board. People buy them because they are allegedly cheap (though always above £200) or an impulse purchase in the middle aisle at Lidl or even Tesco.
There’s no shame in having your own board – and lots of you already do. But this post will help you think with your head and heart, in relationship to where you live. If you already have your own transport then some of the seven red flags below are less relevant to your decision. The point is that you might be better off, and make a better decision for the planet by joining a paddleboard club or renting boards when you fancy a paddle rather than buying your own board.
Here’s why I recommend NOT buying your own paddleboard.
1 WEIGHT: Even an iSUP (inflatable paddleboard) is incredibly heavy, when packed into the the backpack that might come with them and carried to your launch point. The average is about 30 pounds (13 kilos). Take one on the tube or a bus and you are going to wear out your back. Every time you turn or move you bump passengers who will get grumpy about this, ruining everyone’s mood. In fact they’re so awkward it won’t be long before you buy a car in order to move your paddleboard around – so please add the price of a car to your original paddleboard cost (and don’t forget the annual running costs which the RAC suggests is about £3,000 for fuel and maintenance costs - including £155-£395 for the MOT; £412 for insurance; car tax of between £10 and £2000; breakdown cover of £10 a month and also the cost of car parking (and fines). And if you don’t buy a car, then maybe add in some physio sessions (approx £50 an hour) to your budget.
2 MATERIALS: I’ve only met inflatable paddleboards made from “military grade PVC”. This suggests they are tough, but no one really knows how long paddleboards last. The good news is that you can patch and glue them. But when a sup refuses to stay inflated it can be impossible to figure out where the leaky bit is and maybe you’ll just give up and leave your board deflated and stored in the corner of a shed, deteriorating even more. But getting rid of a board made from PVC (which includes phthalates) isn’t that easy. In fact, in some countries PVC is banned. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride. It contains dangerous chemicals which are toxic to you and especially children. Over time these chemicals leach out and enter the air stream where they can be inhaled. PVC is linked to a declining fertility rate.
If you want to understand in more detail why plastics are a problem see the ChemTrust’s work here.
3 STORAGE: There’s a housing crisis and many people now have to pay insane prices to rent very small spaces or if you’ve got your own house it’s probably not big enough for the possessions you already own. If that’s you try and imagine where you are going to put your rolled up board in your restricted storage space. Tip: it is not going to fit on top of a bookcase. Unrolled it will be exactly the length it says on the side – even a 9ft8board is longer than a bed! Don’t underestimate just how big these boards are.
4 YOU’LL NEED KIT TO USE IT: I love paddleboarding on a naked board! By that I mean nothing stored under the bungee elastics. But if you are out paddling with your own board, you’re going to also carry a pump so you can inflate the board and some spare kit, including an emergency paddle. You’ll also need to wear a buoyancy aid (tip buy one with pockets so you can carry your keys and a snack safely) Oh yes, remember a waterproof phone case. You might also need to carry water, sandwiches, a waterproof, sun cream, a tent… Agh – the thought of all this weight on my board is putting me off the paddle! The good news is that most of the kit can go in the paddleboard bag, because that’s got to come with you too. Take a photo and you’ll see you are paddling a mini mountain which is going to be hard work, and rather takes the fun out of a paddle.
5 ALL WEATHER PADDLING is fabulous but it’s taken me several years to get the right kit. And now that I’ve got it – a summer (3/2) and winter (5/6) wetsuit, wetsuit leggings and several pairs of bootees - I notice that all are made from neoprene. Although neoprene is good at keeping out the chill it’s not a material that is good for the planet. A few people get giddy or skin rashes from wearing it, but most health problems (from whales to workers) seem to be from its manufacture and disposal. Note that it’s the people like us doing aquatic sports, who keep building the demand. We could be demanding kit that is safer rather than relying on a toxic cocktail developed in the 1950s. See more here on chemical safety facts.
6 OWNING A BOARD IS ANTI THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY: Paddleboarding is the world’s fastest growing water sport. For fans this is a source of pride, but it’s also a big problem. We’re hitting a world where resources are over-used and there’s been a collapse in biodiversity putting much wildlife and even habitats under serious threat of extinction. At this point – 2023 – we’re still all hooked on an old-fashioned financial system where if you can pay for it, you just buy what you want. As objects get scarcer the price goes up so in theory your investment makes even more sense to you and your wallet, even though the big global picture is looking bad. Many clubs sell off their boards at a discount at the end of the season, and although I totally understand the (old-fashioned) economics of this, maybe resist the temptation. Try reading Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth to see if that helps you keep your debit/credit card safe.
7 WATER SPORTS ARE STILL FOR THE RICH. Water sports are glamorous, and fun; there’s adrenalin and beautiful people. It’s good for your wellbeing and it shows off your skills. But most of all there’s a lot of very pricey kit. If you want to be the best, or mix with the best, then it’s quite easy to do so, you just buy it – the fastest race boards are what win you the race. I’ve just had the fun of watching the Cannes prize-winning film The Triangle of Sadness, a rather sardonic (but very entertaining, in the style of White Lotus) about the super-rich set on a £250 million yacht. Yes, such things exist. Even if your £200 board from Lidl isn’t breaking your bank, you can be sure that a paddleboard isn’t a one-off purchase. In fact, if you want to legally paddle on rivers and canals you’re going to need a water licence and probably third party insurance – available with annual membership from British Canoeing (£47).
Summing up
Buying a board is not the bargain you think it is on that late night online shopping session. It’s really tough to walk away from a big gift to yourself, or even stop friends surprising you with what they thought you really wanted. As most of us have two gift giving moments each year – birthdays and Christmas – you need to think through the pros and cons of owning your own board long before you hear of a secondhand board, or are compiling your wish list. In fact, share this post now to anyone who loves paddleboarding, so they can think with their head rather than just their paddling heart.
If you really want something to unwrap, then I do have a bit of kit that I recommend paddlers might add to their wish list, and that’s a carbon fibre paddle. It’s so much lighter and easier to use than a standard paddle, packs down into three-pieces so I can carry it anywhere (eg, on holiday, to clubs), and as it weighs almost nothing it’s easy to carry places.
What do you think: are you going to be a paddleboarder without a paddleboard? If so, welcome to the club.
Nicola Baird is a BC Level 3 SUP (sheltered water) coach and a BSUPA Level 2 coach who loves to be out on the water. Find her every summer Tuesday on London’s Regent’s Canal running Up Skill SUP skill sessions.
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BONUS DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2023
Useful dates for anyone who loves to paddleboard and wants to improve our waterways. Plus some events where you can borrow kit and/or travel by public transport.
If you have a relevant date you’d like to add to this diary, published on NicolaBairdTalksSup then please provide the info in a comment box. Thanks!
Today #2minutebeachclean picking up litter see
https://2minute.org/
22 April 2023 World Earth Day
21-30 April – SPRING WATER WATCH to help protect your local river. Take 15 minutes to monitor the health of your nearest river, see how on https://planetpatrol.co/water-watch/
29-31 April WATERWAYS FESTIVAL AT LITTLE VENICE
The Inland Waterways Association IWA Canalway Cavalcade at Little Venice. This three-day festival will begin on Saturday 29-31 April 2023. It is a family-friendly venue, with free admission, at the starting point of the Regent's Canal. Over a hundred colourfully dressed boats are expected and there will be live music, refreshments, craft stalls and family fun throughout the weekend. Nearest tubes are Warwick Road and Paddington.
https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-get-involved/events/iwa-canalway-cavalcade-2023
26-29 May SUPFEST
on Coniston Water, run by Lake District Paddleboarding, low key camping and paddling – fabulous! https://lakedistrictpaddleboarding.co.uk/sup-fest/
27 May-11 June 2023 for the BIG PADDLE CLEAN UP
The Big Paddle Clean Up is organised by British Canoeing, more info at https://www.britishcanoeing.org.uk/news/2023/the-big-paddle-cleanup-returns-27-may-11-june-2023
15-21 May INVASIVE NON-NATIVE SPECIES WATER WEEK
Find out how to clear floating pennywort – lots of opportunities run by the Canal and River Trust.
29 May-4 June LONDON RIVERS WEEK
Info from Thames21 https://www.thames21.org.uk/events/category/london-rivers-week-2023/ Theme is climate-resilient rivers and how river restoration can reduce the impact of climate change for both people and wildlife, through restoring habitats and reducing the impacts of drought and flood. We need to work collectively to find solutions to the climate emergency – a crisis we are facing ‘in common’ with each other.
7 June and many other dates in 2023 and 2024 SUP, BIKE, RUN (you can rent the equipment) in Exmoor, Northumberland, Wales, the Lake District. See
https://www.supbikerun.co.uk/
8 June 2023 WORLD OCEAN DAY, see
https://worldoceanday.org/
- only 1% of the high seas are protected which means that oceans and marine life is threatened by “unsustainable and illegal fishing, shipping traffic, noise pollution, plastic and chemical pollution, deep-sea mining and acidifying and warming waters as a result of the climate crisis.” Note that the ocean feeds billions of people, covers more than 70% of the planet and provides 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
24 June – 2 July 2023 Climate Action Week #LCAW – harnessing the power of London for global #ClimateAction Twitter @london_climate
11-13 August 2023 Summer Cabin Fest in Boston, Lincolnshire run by the Paddle Cabin https://www.paddlecabin.co.uk/cabin-fest-adventure-festival-uk/
21-22 October SUPFEST run by Water Skills Academy at Fort William, Scotland
https://www.facebook.com/waterskillsacademy/?locale=en_GB
Regular LITTER PICKS – beach clean ups and surveys run by the Marine Conservation Society, see details at https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/join-a-beach-clean/
Now until end of 2030 – the Million Mile Clean mobilising 1 million volunteers to clean more than 10 million miles of the UK. Details from Surfers Against Sewage, see https://www.sas.org.uk/plastic-pollution/million-mile-clean/
ON YOUR READING LIST FOR 2023
There are lots of opportunity to read about climate change in novels. Have a look at the selections on Twitter @climate_books and take their book club challenge. Given that the sea level is going to rise paddleboarders would do well to pay attention to what that means. Novels include The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak (set in Cyprus and London), Overstory by Richard Powers (set in the US), The High House by Jessie Greengrass (set in Devon) etc. There’s even a new genre of story, inspired by sci-fi called cli-fi (climate fiction). Use the hashtag to search on Instagram.
LOST WEEKEND through injury, weather, lack of planning, other commitments etc…
Here are three ideas: read a book, sign a petition, watch Cal Major’s Scotland: Ocean Nature (free on STV player). All ideal if the weather is playing up or you can’t make time to get on to the water.
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