Rigid or inflatable SUP?

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diver dave

diver dave

Guru
Joined
Jan 13, 2017
Messages
2,570
Location
United States
Vessel Name
Coquina
Vessel Make
Lagoon 380
this is not whether to SUP or not to SUP. But, experiences with the lighter ones vs the epoxy/hard ones.
I'm about to pull the trigger on my first buy. I worry about barnacles and sunlight UV. The boat will have lots of underdeck storage, but only for deflated SUP.s All aspects welcome. Surfers, dog transports, going to restaurants, etc.
 
I've used both. I honestly feel there is a bit of a compromise here.

I feel rigid are better for paddling, but cumbersome for handling and storage.

Inflatable are easier for handling, transportation and storage, but don't paddle as well.

UV: I've seen them both fade and I've seen inflatables de-laminate

barnacles and other marine growth/fouling would only be an issue if they were stored in the water for long periods of time.

I've seen dog transports, but those dogs all appear calm and seem to have the ability to sit still. It wouldn't work with any dogs I've ever owned.

Restaurants?? Anything is possible. I wouldn't be trekking around fully clothed on a paddleboard and don't typically go to restaurants in a bathing suit.
 
We have both and use the inflatables 100% of the time.

They are lighter and easier to handle, just fine for dog transport (65 pound mutt), and better for rocky beaches and barnacles because they don't scratch or crack the fiberglass.
 
We bought an inflatable after seeing a number of them at last year's Miami show. We had always thought them to be flimsy plastic and overpriced for what they were. But seeing how sturdy they are we decided to buy one for now and take it to the Bahamas with us just to see if we would use it (and could use it!).

We used it a lot. First towing it into the beach so that if we fell off (which we initially did a lot) we could hop right back on. Eventually my wife just hopped on from the swim platform and off she went at nearly every beach we visited.

I wasn't as good so continued to do it it shallow water. I am a lot heavier than her (225#, but working on it :) ), so I felt it was a bit light for me. We are going to rent a couple of the solid ones here next spring and see if that would help me. Maybe that is a way for you to go - rent one for a couple of hours and see.

The inflatable was great for us. It came in a bag that sat under the table on our FB while we were traveling out. And, believe it or not, it went back into that bag easily when we were done with it! The best part was that we just bungeed it to a boat deck rail for the three months we were out there, and then tied a dock line to it and threw it overboard from up there. It was easily handled. We simply deflated it and stored it again when leaving to come back.

Neither of us managed to get on the board from deep water though, it kept tipping up, probably a lot more than a fiberglass one would.

BTW, keep an eye on Costco - they usually have them in the spring.

(slapping sound is the dinghy)
 
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We have inflatables, specifically for easy storage. Got both from West Marine. Around holidays you can find them super cheap! We love them!
 
Hi Dave. Get the inflatable, but be sure of what you are buying as they are not all created equal. Look for one that you can inflate to 14-15 psi, some of the lesser quality boards stop you at 10-12 psi. That small increase in pressure makes it ever so close to a solid board and is very noticeable. You will also need a quality pump for that last little bit, but they are easy to find. I can tell you from experience that it is prudent to deflate a high pressure board, just a little bit, if it will be sitting dry in the hot sun for any prolonged period. Better yet, don’t leave it sitting in direct sun for long periods. When in the water overheating and over expansion is not an issue. Boards come in different lengths and different widths get a larger model for yourself and maybe a smaller version for you wife. Some are large enough to be stable fishing platforms and Costco even has one that will hold six persons! Enjoy!
 
One last hint Dave. When paddling, you are much more stable when keep you eyes on the horizon ... looking down at the board is the precursor to a swim.
 
Mark Laurnen said:
One last hint Dave. When paddling, you are much more stable when keep you eyes on the horizon ... looking down at the board is the precursor to a swim.
Click to expand...

So is stopping, keep moving until you are ready to dismount (dismount is used on purpose)!
 
I've owned two different inflatables and now own two 13' Boston Whalers. The inflatables are easier to handle when tying up to a boat but they're not as stable when getting in and out from a boat or off a dock.


I've always stored dinghies under cover. The Whalers are impervious to fading and don't suffer from the other problems already mentioned.


The downside to Whalers is they're darned expensive.
 
GFC said:
I've owned two different inflatables and now own two 13' Boston Whalers. The inflatables are easier to handle when tying up to a boat but they're not as stable when getting in and out from a boat or off a dock.


I've always stored dinghies under cover. The Whalers are impervious to fading and don't suffer from the other problems already mentioned.


The downside to Whalers is they're darned expensive.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh, read the OP again!
 
Looks like a couple of inflatable SUPs are in the Christmas mix this year! thanks for all the input.
 
I've owned/own both. We currently have two Starboard hard SUPs, a "Drive" which is 10' 5" x 30" and an 11'2" x 30". We had an inflatable Hobie, but I made the mistake of leaving it on our FB inside the enclosure while inflated and it delaminated at the seams. It was less than a year old, but Hobie did not cover it under warranty.



Both of our current boards are hybrids that are designed to be used either in the surf or on flat water, which means they probably don't do either one as well as a board designed for a specific task. I tried quite a few boards before we settled on these two. I grew up surfing, and thought that I would use them in the surf more than I have, we mainly use them for paddling around in anchorages. I'm considering rigging one out for fly fishing.


Personally, I thought the inflatables paddled really poorly, though I think they have come a ways since then. As an earlier poster said, in some ways they are more durable than a hard board. Hard boards scratch and ding really easily. After 5 or 6 years, ours look like crap and I've done some extensive ding repair. Neither my wife, my sons nor I enjoy a wide, super stable board, it's gets boring really quickly, and we tend to fight over the 11'2 which is faster and more responsive but less stable. I don't think either of my sons (17 and 21 years old) would willingly paddle an inflatable at this point.



Our 90 pound lab/pit bull mix rides on our boards with us for short distances, but only when we know we are going to all end up swimming anyway. She's good on the board and sits still, but she's just too much weight for it and makes it really slow and unstable. When we get close to the beach she wants to stand up and jump off, which makes it tough on the paddler to stay upright.


One thing to consider is what you will do with the board (s) on the boat when it is inflated. They take up a lot of space and I doubt you will want to pump them up every time you use them. We went with rail mounted board racks from Magma, they work really well and are easy to attach. Unfortunately, because the stanchions on our gunnel rails have a dog leg in them, they only work on the aft FB rail, so we have to lift them up and down from the swim platform. It's a bit of a pain, but is the best solution we have found.


Anyway, my advice is to not sell yourself short by getting a big, slow board. You will get better quickly and may enjoy it more on a fun board in the future.
 
I use Red Paddle Explorer inflatable boards, with the fin mounted they track better than a 15' sit on top kayak and when paddling shallow water I just leave the fin off. I also use kayak seats and sit down on the board most of the time, they are surprisingly utilitarian that way

I have a high speed electric inflator pump to fill and deflate, and top off the pressure with the hand pump. Usually I have just one inflated, if we are actually going to paddle I inflate both. I also have kayak paddles in addition to the SUP paddle.

They are SO much less effort than kayaks!
 
Lots of good advice here. We've had inflatables for around eight years (on our second) and I'll add two more points. First, the inflatables can be left in the water tied to the boat and you don't need to worry about it hitting the boat. A hard board can get chipped and can also chip the boat if they are bumping into one another. This was the primary reason my wife did not want to switch to a hard board when we replaced our first one. Second, make sure you have some sort of cover for the board if you are going to leave it outside all the time. We inflate ours in the spring and it lives on top of our pilot house roof when not in use. We cover it with an inexpensive kayak cover to protect from UV. We don't worry about it when using it on the weekends, when it sits uncovered while we are on the boat, but leaving it in the sun all the time would really be tough on the material. For these reasons and those already stated, I would vote for a good inflatable. BTW, the suggestions to watch Costco are spot on. We got our second board from them at a very good price.
 
We got a Body Glove and love it. Keep an eye on Amazon for deals as well.
 
A lot of places have demo boards and/or rentals that you can try before you buy. The dealer we buy from offers demos.
 
The best compromise in my opinion is the plastic SUPs found at most sporting goods stores. No issues with leaks from grounding, they can take UV for a long period of time, they can sometimes be lighter than the low end composite SUPs. I would still invest in a SUP bag and a quality light weight paddle. There are mounts to hang a SUP to the rail. Tie the bag off and it's easy to slide the SUP in and out. Just make sure the bag is tied off in a way that helps hold it open.


Link for reference.
https://www.amazon.com/Lifetime-Hor...014ae262b9acd692fff4aa0b1189e7&language=en_US
 
We have snap on seats and kayak type paddles for our inflatables.
Terrific for longer runs through the mangroves.
 

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There are rings and handles mounted on the SUP's, I use carabiners to match them up. Loops of tubular web or line to match up the lengths to the seat snaps, the seat snaps have adjustable loops built in as well so finding a happy point is pretty easy.
 
We went with the Hobie Mirage 11s as it is a "triple threat." Can use it as a SUP with the seat removed and a skeg fitted. Or as a traditional kayak. Or as a pedal kayak! The pedaling is totally effortless. I like it because it leaves my hands free for photography. My wife has a bad shoulder so SUPing and traditional kayaking are out for her.

The engineering is really incredible, everything is super high quality.

At the bottom of this web page:

https://www.hobie.com/kayaks/mirage-i11s/

They show the "drop stitch floor." Once inflated, all those fibers become stressed and the craft is just rock solid.

You might have guests that aren't comfy SUP'ing so this gives more options, and with this higher seating position, they are much easier to get in and out of from the swim step than a rigid kayak.

I have been very happy with these boats.
 
On the topic of small tenders I've got a question. We just recently purchased a 16 ft aluminium tender we plan to tow behind our trawler. The question is has anyone had an issue with the idiots who speed by in large boats completely oblivious to the large wake they leave behind? I'm concerned that it is possible that thoughtless people like that could sink the tender! Has anyone ever had that happened?
 
Turner said:
On the topic of small tenders I've got a question. We just recently purchased a 16 ft aluminium tender we plan to tow behind our trawler. The question is has anyone had an issue with the idiots who speed by in large boats completely oblivious to the large wake they leave behind? I'm concerned that it is possible that thoughtless people like that could sink the tender! Has anyone ever had that happened?
Click to expand...
Yes, while I was in the damn thing. I lost almost $1000 in fishing gear. I learned two lessons that day. 1) Tie everything down. 2) Make sure the flotation foam in the seats hasn't been eaten out by rodents or insects. Only the bow was left above water.
 
JustBob said:
We went with the Hobie Mirage 11s as it is a "triple threat." Can use it as a SUP with the seat removed and a skeg fitted. Or as a traditional kayak. Or as a pedal kayak! The pedaling is totally effortless. I like it because it leaves my hands free for photography. My wife has a bad shoulder so SUPing and traditional kayaking are out for her.

The engineering is really incredible, everything is super high quality.

At the bottom of this web page:

https://www.hobie.com/kayaks/mirage-i11s/

They show the "drop stitch floor." Once inflated, all those fibers become stressed and the craft is just rock solid.

You might have guests that aren't comfy SUP'ing so this gives more options, and with this higher seating position, they are much easier to get in and out of from the swim step than a rigid kayak.

I have been very happy with these boats.
Click to expand...

That's a great option! The only thing I may like to play with are sails. We have a Hobie Adventure Island and Tandem Island and the sailing ability is so much fun. The other blowup Mirage have a sail option, but not outriggers and they're not flat like a SUP. I suspect they'd sail pretty badly so the i11s may be the right one...
 
mcarthur said:
That's a great option! The only thing I may like to play with are sails. We have a Hobie Adventure Island and Tandem Island and the sailing ability is so much fun. The other blowup Mirage have a sail option, but not outriggers and they're not flat like a SUP. I suspect they'd sail pretty badly so the i11s may be the right one...
Click to expand...

At least when I bought mine, there wasn't any sail option for this model...
 
Thumbs up on inflatable that goes to 14 psi plus. Also look at width and length. If just putting around consider shorter/wider = stable/ slower. If wanting todo distances consider longer/ narrower = faster/lower stability.
 
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