SUP - MOVEMENT JOY FOR AN ACTIVE LIFE

If you are buying your first SUP board and do not know everything you can use a paddle board for, we recommend choosing an inflatable all-round model. These can be used for most things and are often a little lower in price compared to a board for specific purposes.

The quality of inflatable SUP boards often varies in line with the price as what you pay for is the construction itself, as well as the type of material and the amount of material it is made of. This is also related to the board's lifespan and function as the cheapest SUP boards usually cannot be paddled by an adult as the construction of these boards is too weak.

The length of a SUP board depends on the purpose and the user. A shorter board is more maneuverable and easier to turn, while a longer board is faster and more stable. A board for beginners should be around 10-11 feet, while a board for more advanced users can be up to 14 feet.

Well-designed SUP boards with a thickness of 15 cm should be able to be paddled functionally with a body weight of up to 130 kg. The most common all-round inflatable SUP board usually has a length of 10'8" and to make these boards functional for as many people as possible, they should be able to handle a body weight of up to approximately 90 kg. If these boards are well-designed, they should also be able to handle an additional load weight of 40 kg, which means that if you weigh 90 kg, you can have a child or dog weighing up to 40 kg on the board.

Why the rider cannot weigh 140 kg is because it becomes too much of a load on a small surface. Extra load is usually placed on another part of the deck, thus distributing the load. Other types of paddle boards with the same length but with stronger constructions can also be paddled by people who weigh up to 120 kg plus a load weight of an additional 50 kg. These boards can handle a total weight of 170 kg.

En SUP-bräda i bra kvalitet kan med lätthet bära och paddlas av två personer samtidigt. En vanlig paddelbräda i längden 10’8”-fot bör klara en totalvikt på upp till ca 130 kg. I många fall är en lite längre SUP-bräda att föredra om man ska vara fler på brädan då den ger större utrymme.

The most common all-round model SUP boards typically have one fin, which is usually located at the stern. Inflatable boards that can't have a centered center fin because of how it's rolled up during transport have instead two smaller fins that are located on either side. Paddle boards that are more tailored for example to SUP surfing and downwind paddling can have 1-5 fins.

A SUP board, or paddle board as it's also called, is a surf or canoe-like board that you stand on and paddle with a single-bladed SUP paddle. SUP boards come in two categories, inflatable SUP or hard SUP. Inflatable SUP boards offer the advantage of being easy to handle, store and transport as they can be easily packed up and placed in a bag or backpack. All SUP boards come in different lengths, widths and thicknesses so that they fit each user as well as possible.

Today inflatable SUP boards are made of PVC based on a so-called "dropstitch" construction, which also makes them very durable against impacts and hits. In most cases, a repair kit also comes with the inflatable boards. The more advanced inflatable paddle boards are now also approaching the performance of hard SUP boards.

A hard SUP board means that it is built of composite materials that in most cases include glass and carbon fiber. This allows them to be shaped exactly as desired, resulting in that they can be built completely based on the properties that you want for the board. A hard paddle board responds better to the paddle stroke through its stiffness and thus become faster than inflatable versions.

There are hardly more efficient training forms and leisure activities than SUP. More and more of us have now realized how quickly and effectively our whole body and brain are strengthened by just standing on a paddle board on the water. If we also learn to paddle with the right SUP technique, there are few activities that combine strength, endurance and balance as well as SUP. That it's also so enjoyable and relaxing is no disadvantage.

SUP is probably one of the safest activities and training forms we can do. If we also use a safety strap also called a "leash" which is a type of safety band that connects us to our SUP board. This is the most important safety detail for SUP, it ensures that the board stays close to us even if we fall off. It's also important to wear a personal flotation device (PFD) when you are out on the water. As long as you take the necessary precautions and use the right equipment, SUP is a very safe activity.

All but the most of the SUP boards on the market today are made in Asia because the fastest development in production and technology has occurred there.

In order to get the best effect and stability when we paddle SUP, we need to hold the paddle in a certain way. For example, if we first want to paddle on the right side, we hold the left hand on the handle and the right hand a bit down on the shaft.

A good starting point is to measure the distance between our hands when we first stretch out our arms straight out to the sides and then angle our elbows at 90 degrees. A tip is to make a mark on the paddle with tape or similar so that we keep the same distance between our hands even when we paddle on the left side.

The best starting point for paddling our SUP board or paddleboard is to stand so that we have the board's carrying handle halfway between our feet and our toes pointing straight forward towards the bow. We get the best balance if the width between our feet is about the same as the length of one of our feet. As we develop, we will also be able to move our feet on the board while paddling. This way, we can also use our center of gravity to steer and trim the board.

Pumping up a SUP board to around 15 PSI by hand with a regular SUP pump normally takes about 5-10 minutes with a two-way pump known as "Double action". The fastest pumps their board in under 3 minutes! There are also more advanced SUP pumps, known as "Tripple action" pumps, that make it even easier and faster to fill your paddle board. With a compressor and air adapter for SUP, this is much faster.

The air pressure you need in your SUP board depends on the construction and your own weight. In cheaper paddle boards with simpler construction, the air pressure is the only thing that gives any form of stiffness. For these to be able to paddle functionally, a high pressure is needed, usually over 20 PSI. SUP boards with the right construction rarely need to be pumped more than 15 PSI. If you weigh less than around 50-60 kg, you usually get by with less, around 12 PSI.

The air pressure in a well-designed all-round SUP board rarely needs to be higher than around 15 PSI. This type of board can probably handle a pressure of over 30 PSI but such a high pressure will not make the board more stiff.

A high-quality inflatable SUP board can be left fully inflated for as long as we want. Keeping the board fully inflated but with full pressure can also prolong the board's lifespan.

If the pump's manometer does not show any pressure, it is in most cases because no pressure has yet developed in the inflatable SUP board. Before air pressure can be created, the board must first be filled with air, which means that the board is pumped until it feels hard. After that, you need to continue pumping so that a pressure can be created. The pressure gauge will only actuate and show pressure when the pressure reaches about 2-3 psi.

For this reason, you don't have to worry about the pump being broken, but instead continue pumping. There is absolutely no risk of creating too much pressure and thereby damaging the board if you use the supplied hand pump.

An inflatable SUP board can be stored rolled up in its backpack when not in use. If it is to be stored for a longer period of time, it is good if it is washed off with fresh water and is relatively dry beforehand, otherwise mold can form or dirt and seaweed can grow in.

It is optimal if the board can be stored inflated but not with full pressure. Regardless of whether it is rolled up or inflated, the recommendation is that it be stored in a cool place where it is not exposed to sunlight.