You may have noticed that paddleboards come in different shapes and sizes. What's the difference? Which one is ideal for you? In this blog post, we'll talk about the different shapes of paddleboards and what they're suited for and other design features to look out for. The length of the paddleboard is also something to consider and we go in to that topic in more detail in this blog post.
There are two main designs of paddleboards: All-Around and Touring. They feature slightly different designs and come with their own strengths to consider when thinking about how you will use your board.
All-Around
The All-Around paddle board design features a rounder nose (or bow for you boat people) and is designed for cruising and exploring lakes and rivers. The board's nose is slightly higher or raised above the water, which helps you handle waves or wakes that come your way. All-Around boards are typically a bit wider which makes them more stable and easier to balance on. This makes the All-Around board design ideal for beginner boarders.
They are also ideally suited for:
SUP Yoga
Recreational Paddle Boarding
Children and Teens
General Recreational Paddle Boarding
Relaxing with a drink!
Most of our boards would fall in to the All-Around design category, including:
Are newer to the sport of paddleboarding and want a board you can grow in to. The All-Around design are great beginner boards and will be comfortable and practical as your skill level grows.
Want to use your SUP for yoga, stretching, chilling
Are looking for a board to explore with.
Plan on sitting or kneeling more than standing. While all board designs can be used standing or kneeling, the All-Around board design tends to be a bit wider which provides more room to sit, move around, and is more stable.
Touring
The Touring paddleboard design has a pointier nose, or bow, and tends to be a bit longer. It is designed for longer trips and tends to be a bit faster on the water. Touring designs will usually be a bit narrower to increase speed and tracking in the water, however our Touring design is a more stable width which helps give it the best of both worlds.
The Touring board design is featured in this board:
Want to go on longer paddles. Half or full day trips on lakes or rivers are better suited on a Touring board.
Want to try SUP camping. Touring boards tend to have more deck space and a higher weight limit, which allows one to haul backpack-type camping equipment.
Are looking for a faster board. The pointed nose glides through the water faster.
Another design feature to look for in a paddleboard is a large, detachable fin. Larger fins will help your board track better in the water. One of the more annoying things that new paddleboarders have to deal with is the constant switching of paddling sides to try to keep the board straight in the water and avoid zig-zagging. All our boards feature a large, detachable fin and in most cases, they also have two additional, detachable fins. This ensures your board will track as straight as possible.
As always, if you have any questions on the right design for you, send us a note!
