By the looks of the exhibit floor at this year’s Outdoor Retailer convention in Salt Lake City, stand-up paddleboards are here to stay.
The fun and easy sport offers an enjoyable workout for even the least athletic. For performance paddlers, there are boards with sleeker designs that cut through the water like a hot knife. Today there are more varieties and accessories than ever before to fit any style and skill level.
After surveying the stand-up paddleboards at Outdoor Retailer, here are the five best SUPs we could find.
Body Glove
The hottest new trend within the field of paddleboards is the inflatable SUP. New to Body Glove’s line of SUPs is their Raptor board, new for 2017 and designed by Luke Hopkins, winner of several gold medal GoPro awards. An inflatable SUP is really ideal for anyone who doesn’t have a vehicle with a lot of hauling capacity. No need to worry about a roof rack when you can deflate the board and back it up. Weighing less than 24 pounds makes it extremely easy to handle outside the water. And this Body Glove board comes with a patented handle that allows you to carry your paddle and your board with one hand no problem. If you can’t wait until next year, available now is the Body Glove Performer 11. MSRP $900
Lakeshore Wet Woody
We’ll be honest, the Lakeshore Paddleboard Company’s Wet Woody SUP caught our eye because it looks gorgeous. With a fully wrapped beautiful wood matte finish, this board hearkens back to the old woody days in original surfing. At 29″ wide can accommodate a wide range of paddlers with a board that oozes class. MSRP $1,350
Pau Hana Endurance
With the Endurance SUP from Pau Hana you get a board with gorgeous finish as well as plenty of practical amenities that make this the perfect SUP for touring and even multi-day adventuring. With plenty of mounts there are lots of places to attach rod holders or other accessories. The board is wide enough to carry extra weight but still with a narrow nose to cut through the water on long paddles. Plenty of tie-downs offer spots for bags and coolers. And with the board’s “ricochet armor” impact resistent coating, it won’t scratch or dent when hauling it onto the beach.You can find Pau Hana boards at REI and specialty retailers throughout the US.
Bote
For the ultimate beach fun board that combines all the great features of a long board, cruising board and surf board, Bote delivers with its 12′ Flood model. This stylish board has a multi-textured deck pad offered in various styles including faux teak. Tie downs on the front and back offer plenty of places to store gear. At 30 lbs, the board is made out of EPS foam care and can carry up to 350 lbs of gear. MSRP $1,400
Hobie Mirage Eclipse
If you’re tired of using your arms to paddle you can always go with the new Hobie Mirage Eclipse, the first hands-free SUP. Using the company’s patented Mirage drive technology that it uses in its kayaks, the Mirage Elite delivers an extremely stable board. Just pump your feet like you would an elliptical machine and steer with a rudder controlled by what look like handlebar bike brakes. MSRP $2,500