To ask the question “What size of a paddle board should a woman use?” suggests that women’s paddle boards are a specific shape, design or size. A properly sized paddle board for a woman has to consider the same criteria as sizing a paddle board for a man; the paddler’s weight, skill level and planned activities.

Let’s dispense with the myth that there is a special paddle board size for women. Instead, lets learn how to properly size a paddle board so you’ll get years of use from it.
 
YOUR BODYWEIGHT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR
Your weight will be a primary factor for the size of paddle board you need.

The ratio of bodyweight to board volume largely determines a paddle board’s stability. As a rider’s body weight approaches the board’s maximum rider weight, the less stable the SUP will be. The less a person weighs, the smaller the volume required to maintain an equal level of stability.

To learn more about matching your bodyweight to the size of paddle board, please read our article What Size SUP Do I Need for my Weight?.

SKILL LEVEL
Your skill level also needs to be considered when choosing a SUP size. If you have several hours of experience paddling under your belt, you may feel very comfortable on a paddle board with less volume and less stability. As paddlers gain experience, their balance improves, and their need to maximize the volume/weight ratio is not as important.

Select a board’s volume with the idea that your skill set will rapidly improve. What offers prefect stability today, might feel like an overly cumbersome yacht in a year or two.
 
SIZE VARIES ON ACTIVITY
Manufacturers create different paddle board sizes to do more than match rider weights. Paddle boards have different sizes depending on the activity they are designed to do. Surf style boards are much shorter than touring and racing SUPs. The need to be short and agile, while a touring board is several feet longer, making it easier to travel in a straight line. A racing board will be even longer so it can easily slice through the water.

If you plan on doing any particular type of activity, get a board to match your goals. Once you choose a style category, you then just have to match a board’s volume to your weight and you will have a good fit.

HOW PADDLE BOARDS ARE SIZED
Paddle boards are sized by their dimensions and their volume.

PADDLE BOARD DIMENSIONS
Almost every company will advertise the dimensions of a paddle board. A SUP’s length, width and thickness are measured in inches or centimeters. An example is 10’6” (L) x 32” (W) x 4.5” (T).

PADDLE BOARD VOLUME
Volume is the best variable in determining SUP size. Volume is measured in liters.  A board’s volume tells you how much water the board displaces when it’s placed in the water.  The higher the volume, the more weight a board can support before it will submerge.

Women’s paddle board are more than some pretty graphics or a marketing campaign. Women’s paddle boards can be any paddle board in the marketplace as long as the size matches her bodyweight, skill level and planned activities. A woman who finds a board meeting that criteria will have found the right size for her.

So, you’re shopping for your first paddle board. Maybe your balance isn’t the best and you don’t want to set yourself up for failure. There are hundreds of different paddle board options available. From cheap to expensive and from inflatable to hard boards, the options seem endless. You need a paddle board with great stability. So, what type of paddle board is the most stable?
 
ALL AROUND PADDLE BOARDS
The most stable style of paddle board is an All Around. This type of paddle board is designed with stability in mind. All around paddle boards are stable and manoeuvrable and are designed to be versatile. From cruising on flat water to touring across the lake and even catching waves, the All-Around style can do it all. That’s why they’re stable.

HOW PADDLE BOARD STABILITY IS CREATED
A major aspect of a paddle board’s stability is its width. The wider a paddle, the more stability it will offer. That’s one of the reasons why the All-Around shape provides the most stability. This style is wider than the other board styles. Usually, All Around paddle boards are 32” wide. Touring styles will be less than 30” in width, and racing boards are closer to 20” wide.

A paddle board’s volume also plays a major role in every paddle board’s stability. Volume determines how much weight the board can support without sinking. The more volume a paddle board has, the more stable it will be. However, there is a trade off with volume. While offering more stability, to much volume will make a board feel slow and oversized.

This is where the paddler’s weight plays a factor with a paddle board’s stability. A paddler’s weight has to be paired with the board’s volume to get the best match for stability and performance. A typical 10.6 All Around paddle board is around 190L in volume. A rider weighing 130 lbs will find the board to be very stable. A rider weighing 230 lbs will experience less stability.
To learn more about matching your weight to volume, please refer to our article:
https://www.wappapaddleboards.com/blog/what-size-sup-do-i-need-for-my-weight
 
INFLATABLE PADDLE BOARD INSTABILITY
Shoppers looking for the most stable paddle board should not consider inflatables.

Inflatable paddle boards do not offer the same level of stability as hard paddle boards for two primary reasons. They support the rider with air, and they have flat bottoms.

Board stability is directly related to its rigidity. Inflatable paddle boards are essentially plastic bags that are held rigid with air pressure. If the pressure isn’t sufficient, an inflatable paddle board becomes less rigid and softer. A hard paddle board keeps its rigidity at all times. Standing on a hard paddle board is like standing on a sidewalk. Standing on an under pressured inflatable is like standing on a mattress.

A paddle board’s bottom also plays a role in its stability. Because they’re rigid, hard board bottoms can be shaped to have concaves similar to a catamaran which enables the water to flow easily past the board. Easy water flow improves glide and stability. Inflatable paddle boards can’t provide the stability of concave bottoms. Because they are held stiff by air pressure, it’s impossible to create concave bottoms in inflatables. Their flat bottoms do offer strong stability on calm flat water. Other than that environment, the stability of flat bottoms is inferior to concave shapes.

Shoppers looking for the most stable type of paddle board should consider a hard paddle board in the All-Around style. Just make sure to size the paddle board to your weight and don’t get anything to large for the extra stability. As your paddling skills improve, your balance will too. That oversized All Around board that offered great stability at the beginning might feel too large in a year or two.  A properly sized All Around board will keep you happy for many years.

The idea of a family paddle board is a single paddle board that works for the whole family.  Each member of the family should be able to excel at the sport and receive enjoyment from it. Is it possible to get a single paddle board that the whole family will love? Armed with the proper knowledge, it’s easy to get a board that will make you the super parent to the fam!
 
SAFETY
Keeping the family safe is always important during activities. When out on the water, safety is even more important. For that reason, buyers shopping for a family paddle board should not consider inflatable paddle boards.

There is an increased risk to drowning for users of inflatable paddle boards. Inflatables have been known to suddenly deflate while out on the water, leaving the paddler without a solid surface for support with no choice to either swim to shore or drown.
The sudden deflation of inflatable paddle boards is such a risk, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom issued recalls. For more information about the recalls and the safety issue with inflatables please refer to the following article:
 https://www.wappapaddleboards.com/blog/inflatable-paddle-boards-are-dangerous

The safer option is to get a hard paddle board as your family board. There is no risk of a hard board suddenly disappearing underwater and stranding your family member.

A SIZE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
The key to getting a family paddle board that everyone will love is to get one that’s properly sized. A size that works for one family will not necessarily work for another.

To determine the proper size of paddle board for your family, you have to take three things into account:

• The weights of your family members
• Their experience level with paddle boarding
• Their general athletic ability

The heavier the paddler, the more board volume will be needed for the same feeling of board stability. However, if the board is to big, lighter paddlers will feel that the board is slow and oversized. The key is to find a board size that will meet the family’s fun level while maintaining a level of buoyancy and balance to make it fun for the whole family.

For more information of how to size a paddle board, please refer to the following articles:
https://www.wappapaddleboards.com/blog/what-size-sup-do-i-need-for-my-weight
https://www.wappapaddleboards.com/blog/how-do-i-choose-a-sup-size

BOARD STYLE / SHAPE
Without a doubt, shoppers for a family paddle board need to get an All-Around style paddle board.

All around paddle boards perform exactly as the name suggests. They are pretty good at just about all paddle boarding activities. From beginners learning to balance and taking the first strokes, to going cruising for hours and even catching waves. The All-Around style can do it all.

As your family gains experience and develops interests, additional specialized board like Touring, Racing or Wave boards can be acquired. However, to start out, the All-Around style works perfectly.

A great family paddle board would be a hard paddle board in an All Around style that is large enough for the whole family but not to large that it becomes slow and boring. Hard paddle boards offer a better level of safety and better balance than inflatables. For the best experience a family board has to offer, get an All Around style hard board. Your family will thank you.

Paddle boards tend to look very similar. Especially, if you’re new to the sport and have begun shopping for your first SUP. Considering most of the products look pretty much alike, prices can vary by several hundred dollars between brands. So, what is the difference between paddle boards?

The difference is paddle board technology.
 
PADDLE BOARD TECHNOLOGY
Paddle board technology is all of the things that go into producing a paddle board. It consists of the processes and techniques that are used to construct a board, as well as the types of materials that are used as part of the construction process. Paddle boards built with advanced processes and materials, and require more skilled labor to be produced will be more expensive.

TECHNOLOGY AND RETAIL PRICE
The retail price of a paddle board is directly related to the technology level of the paddle board. The more advanced the technology, the more expensive the paddle board.

That’s why inflatable paddle boards are inexpensive compared to their hard board counterparts. There is simply less technology in inflatable paddle boards which means that they are cheaper and easier to build than a hard board.

Hard paddle boards all start with some sort of foam core which then has a variety of martials placed over top to form a paddle board. Inflatables are simple a polypropylene material sheet sewn and glued together to form a paddle board shape when inflated.  Even the cheapest hard board with minimal technology requires more effort to build than an inflatable. Hence the difference in price.
               
HARD PADDLE BOARD TECHNOLOGY
Hard paddle boards can range in price between $800 - $4000. The big swing in price difference is due to the technology.
While all hard paddle boards are rigid, two main factors make the difference in price points; the materials being used to build the board as well as the manufacturing techniques used in the construction process.

Below is a quick explanation of the various types of construction methods used to build hard paddle boards.

SIMPLY LAYERING
This is the original way of building surf boards and later paddle boards. Start with a foam core and then apply layers of fiber glass and epoxy until the desired strength is desired. While a tried-and-true construction technology for surfboards, paddle boards can be quite heavy with excess epoxy. Small local builders tend to use this method.
 
INJECTION MOULDED
Injection molded paddle boards tend to be very tough, very heavy and at the lower range of the hard board price point. With injection molding, a hard plastic shell is molded in a form, and then injected with foam to make the board buoyant.
Companies that build kayaks will often build paddle boards by the injection method.  Pelican or is a good example of injection molded paddle boards.

THERMO MOULDING
Thermo Molding is often marketed as ABS Construction

With thermo molding, a foam core is placed in a mold and a plastic sheet (ABS) is heated and compressed in the mold around the core. The result is a very hard paddle board with an outer plastic shell. Although lighter in weight than injection molded boards, boards made by injection, this construction method has limited paddle board technology and is at the lower end of the hard board price points and quality.
 
COMPRESSION MOLDING
Compression molding is often marketed as ACT or Advanced Compression Technology.

This building technique is the new kid on the block when it comes to paddle board technology.  Created as an alternative to hand shaping epoxy paddle boards, ACT boards are built by compressing layers of fiberglass, epoxy and other materials around a foam core and compressing it in the molded shape.

Similar to an epoxy board in quality, paddle boards built with compression molding can be considered to be better than either of the injection or thermo plastic molded boards.
 
ESVC
ESVC is short for Epoxy Sandwich Vacuum Construction and is the grand daddy of building paddle boards, and the top boards in any brand’s line up will be built with ESVC methods.

Built around a foam core, this technique consists of building layers of fiberglass and epoxy. Often with this construction method, other materials will be substituted for fiberglass. Bamboo and carbon fiber are the most popular alternatives.  For example, Wappa uses a layer of bamboo in this process.

One of the key features of sandwich construction is the differences in the materials between layers. Fiberglass sheets may be run in in different directions in different layers to add strength. Different materials will be used in different layers for add strength and to reduce weight.  Once all of the layers of the sandwich are built, the board is than placed in a vacuum bag to compress the layers and drive out any excess epoxy to create a very strong and very lightweight paddle board.

Please note that not all epoxy paddle boards are vacuum bagged and even more aren’t sandwiched. There is a reason why boards built with the ESVC method are more expensive than other technologies. They are built by hand, and not simply placing material into molds.

While paddle boards also differ on shape, those difference are related more to the board’s function. When it comes to the quality and price of paddle boards, its all about the technology. Higher quality materials and the more craftsmanship that goes into producing a paddle board, results in a better quality and more expensive paddle board.

Fiberglass paddle boards are better than inflatable paddle boards. In fact, inflatable paddle boards strive to be as good as fiberglass boards. Like everything, you get what you pay for, and there are several reasons why fiberglass paddle boards are superior to inflatables.
 
TECHNOLOGY
The technology that goes into building a paddle board is a primary factor in a board’s price. The better the technology and materials, the better quality the paddle board and the more expensive the price.

As a general rule, Inflatable paddle boards are less expensive than their fiberglass siblings. The reason for this is that they are easier to build, and are made with less expensive materials. Inflatables are simple a sheet of polypropylene that is stitched and glued together to form a paddle board shaped bag that holds air. No matter how inflatable paddle board companies present their technology, it all boils down to it being a plastic bag containing air.

The technology of fiberglass paddle boards is more complicated. All fiberglass paddle boards start around a solid foam core and then layer different materials such as fiberglass and epoxy to make a sturdy platform.

The days of poorly made, inexpensive fiberglass boards are disappearing. Superior companies like Wappa who manufacture fiberglass paddle boards are doing more than simply layering fiberglass over foam. Foam cores with special densities are used. Technologies using compression techniques such as sandwich construction and vacuum bagging result in fiberglass boards that are very lightweight and very strong. A lot more time, energy and craftsmanship go into building a fiberglass paddle board than any inflatable.
 
STABILITY and GILDE
Fiberglass paddle boards offer better stability and glide than inflatables.

Fiberglass board designers shape and contour the bottoms of their boards to improve the board’s performance in the water. Fiberglass paddle boards can be shaped to have concave and double concave hulls like a catamaran to provide stability while not losing speed and glide.

Inflatable paddle board designers do not have the option to create contoured bottoms on their boards.

Because they are essentially bags of air, it is impossible to have a concave shaped bottom. The air pressure required to hold a person will not allow it. As a result, all inflatable paddle boards have a flat bottom. Flat bottoms  provide stability and good glide on FLAT WATER ONLY. Once the water is no longer glassy, flat bottoms quickly lose stability and glide. Concave bottoms are not affected by water chop.

SAFETY
Safety is another aspect that makes fiberglass paddle boards better than inflatables.

Fiberglass paddle boards are built around a dense foam core. Fiberglass and other materials are applied in layers with epoxy resin to make a hard sturdy platform. While out on the water, nothing outside of a very large wave crashing down onto it will break a fiberglass paddle board. Even if a wave did break the fiberglass board in half, the two pieces would float, offering safety and support for the paddler.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about inflatable paddle boards. It’s possible for inflatables to suddenly deflate while out on the water, leaving the paddler stranded and at risk of drowning.

Inflatables are held together by glue and the glue can suddenly give out causing rapid deflation. There have even been product recalls issued by the United States and United Kingdom because of such incidents.

To learn more about the product recalls and how inflatable paddle boars are dangerous, please read our other article on the subject:
https://www.wappapaddleboards.com/blog/inflatable-paddle-boards-are-dangerous
 
DURABILITY
Ask yourself the following question:

What is more durable, fiberglass and rock-hard epoxy resin, or a bag of air with seams held together by glue?

While it is true that a fiberglass paddle board can be cracked, the likelihood of that happening is quite small. As long as you’re not dropping your board from the top of your vehicle directly onto hard pavement, cracking isn’t an issue.

On the other hand, inflatable paddle boards often come with patch kits to deal with punctures and other air leaks. No fiberglass paddle board needs to come with a patch kit.

Fiberglass paddle boards are better than inflatables in a lot of important metrics. They are safer and offer a better paddling experience with superior stability and glide. While fiberglass SUPs may be a more expensive paddling option, like everything in life, you get what you pay for.

A sustainable paddle board is made using materials that are renewable or won’t be permanently depleted, and built using manufacturing techniques that do little damage to the environment. Just because you say that something is sustainable doesn’t mean that it is. Unfortunately, the word “Sustainable” has been developed into marketing jingo and many brands or products call themselves sustainable when it isn’t actually true.
 
“SUSTAINABLE” DEFINED
The adjective “sustainable” has several definitions, however, we will only examine the ones closest to the manufacturing of products.
Sustainable:

• of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged – Merriam-Webster
• pertaining to a system that maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow for continual reuse – Dictionary.com
• causing, or made in a way that causes, little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time – Cambridge Dictionary

The common theme of these definitions is production by using resources and techniques that allow for reuse and do little or no damage to the environment.

The Concept of “Sustainability” Applied to Manufacturing
To build a sustainable product, it must be made using resources that aren’t permanently depleted and using technology that allows manufacturing to build products with as little damage to the environment as possible.

There is more to building a sustainable product then joining a few environmental organizations and planting some trees. A lot of thought and effort has to go into building a sustainable product.

To build a sustainable product, the following factors need to be taken into account

• Energy used to make the product
• Materials used to make the product
• Techniques used to make the product
• Disposal of manufacturing waste product
• Packaging of the product
  

What Makes a Paddle Board Sustainable?
A sustainable paddle board is made using renewable materials that aren’t permanently depleted, and built using paddle board technology that enables manufacturing to minimize the damage to the environment.

For shoppers interested in purchasing a sustainable paddle board, they need to examine the factors that go into a products manufacturing.

A sustainable paddle board will be built with renewable energy. If the factory is powered by coal, then the product isn’t very sustainable. Look for factories that are powered with green renewable energy like hydroelectric, solar, wind or geothermal.

Sustainable paddle boards are built using materials that are renewable and aren’t easily depleted. Look for materials like wood or bamboo. Bamboo is an excellent choice for sustainable products because it can be harvested more regularly than wood, and when it’s cut, that action actually spurs the bamboo plant to spread and grow even more. 

​Other building materials that are factors of sustainable paddle boards are the board’s core and the materials and resins that are applied over the core. The best paddle boards are made with layers of carbon fiber, or fiberglass and bamboo. They are held together by epoxy resins. Sustainable paddle boards use plant-based resins for their epoxy. Cores will also be made with recycled materials and be recyclable.

Paddle board technology plays a large role in a board being sustainable. Cores should be precision formed. This eliminates waste in core shaping since the cores are cut perfectly the first time. Sustainable paddle boards will be built using manufacturing techniques like sandwich construction and vacuum bagging. These methods reduce the amount of epoxy required to make a board strong.

A part of a sustainable product is it’s packaging. If you can’t easily recycle the products packaging, then the product isn’t as sustainable as it could be. If packaging can’t be recycled, then environmental damage has been done.
​
When shopping for sustainable paddle board, it’s important to remember the definitions of “sustainable” and how that concept relates to manufacturing. With that thought in mind, it will be easier to determined which products are sustainable and which one are just making claims. Checking into key factors such as the energy used in the manufacturing process, the materials used to build the paddle board, and how it was built will enable the smart shopper to look past the hype and find the real sustainable paddle boards. 

Paddle boarding is a great way to get out on the water and enjoy the outdoors. But when it comes to choosing the right board, there are a few things to consider. One of the biggest decisions is whether to go with a hard or inflatable paddle board. While both have their advantages, many people wonder if hard paddle boards are actually easier to use. Let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of hard paddle boards and see if they really are easier.

Advantages of Hard Paddle Boards

One of the biggest advantages of hard paddle boards is that they are more stable than inflatable ones. This makes them great for beginners who may not be as comfortable in choppy waters or for those who want to try out different activities like fishing or yoga on their board. Hard boards also tend to be faster than inflatables, so if you’re looking for speed then this is definitely something to consider. Finally, hard boards have better tracking capabilities which means they will stay in a straight line better than an inflatable board would.

Disadvantages of Hard Paddle Boards

The main disadvantage of hard paddle boards is that they can be more expensive than inflatables. They can be difficult to transport since they are solid and can’t be folded into a back pack and stored inside a vehicle. This means you’ll need a car roof rack in order to transport your board from place to place. Once you have the roof rack, it only takes a couple of minutes to attach and remove your board from the rack. Outside of the initial cost of the rack investment, transport is no longer a disadvantage.

Are Hard Paddle Boards Easier?

When it comes down to it, hard paddle boards are easier. If you want a superior experience or you just want something stable and easy to maneuver then a hard board is the way to go. However, if you have limited transport options and a smaller budget then an inflatable might be better suited for your needs. Enjoy your next paddle!

Carbon fiber is the best material for a SUP paddle. Stiff, strong and very light, this material has the properties that paddle makers want.
 
WHAT IS CARBON FIBER
Carbon fiber also known as graphite fiber is a polymer. It’s made of thin, strong crystalline filaments of carbon that is used to strengthen material. Carbon fiber can be thinner than a strand of human hair and gets its strength when twisted together like yarn. Then it can be woven together to form cloth and if needed to take a permanent shape, carbon fiber can be laid over a mold and coated in resin or plastic.

It’s five times stronger than steel and twice as stiff. This gives it an incredibly low weight to strength ratio.

THE TYPE OF CARBON FIBER USED IN SUP PADDLES
Carbon fiber SUP paddles are made by laying and pressing carbon fiber fabric over a mold then coating it in resin.

One of the differentiating factors of carbon fiber SUP paddles is the grade of fabric used. The two most common grades of carbon fabric used in paddles are 3K and 12K. 3K means there are 3000 carbon filaments in a strand (tow). 12K means that there are 12,000 carbon filaments in a strand.

3K carbon fiber is the workhorse of carbon fibers. It's light, relatively stiff, and has a higher elongation to failure and better strength than 6K, 9K or 12K. 3K fabric has a smaller bundle of fibers, which means thinner fabric and filament wound tubes can be produced.

12K carbon fiber is cheaper than the others. Many brands use this fabric to keep their costs low. 12K is easier and cheaper to produce as it only takes 1 layer instead of three. 12K fibers are not always preferred, as they have a big and robust look. By definition, the larger the weave, the stiffer and heavier it is. 12K carbon fiber has higher tensile strength than 3K fabric but is less flexible.

The best carbon fiber SUP paddles use 3K fabric.

BENEFITS OF CARBON FIBER PADDLES
Many SUP paddle options exist. Prices range from as little as $40 to more than $400. Most of the price variation is due to the materials used to build the paddles.

Paddles made from aluminum and plastic are inexpensive but they are also heavy. The lighter and stronger the SUP paddle, the more expensive it will be. That’s why, carbon fiber SUP paddles are the most expensive in the marketplace. They have the best strength to weight ratio of all paddles, and as a paddler, that’s what you want.

A carbon fiber paddle lessens the loss of energy transfer during the stroke. The strength of carbon fiber will let your paddle handle the power of the waves and tides without breaking.

Most importantly, the lightness of carbon fiber, is the greatest benefit to paddlers. Paddlers will take hundreds if not thousands of strokes during a paddle session. A lightweight paddle makes paddling easier and extends the strength and range of the paddler. A carbon fiber paddle weighs about 2 lbs or 900 grams. Cheaper paddles made from inferior materials are heavier by pounds, not grams. A paddle that weighs two pounds heavier doesn’t seem like much, but after 100 strokes, the difference is noticeable.

There is no doubt that the best choice for a SUP paddle is carbon fiber. Yes, it costs more, but the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.

The explosion in popularity for stand up paddle boarding led to massive growth in paddle board brands over the last 10 years. New technologies were developed and paddle boards could be purchased for as little as $300 to more than $3000. In a world where there seems to be endless paddle board options, a common question from shoppers is “What type of paddle board is best for beginners?”.
​
The best paddle board for beginners is a hard paddle board in an All-Around style.
 
THE BENEFITS OF HARD PADDLE BOARDS
Hard paddle boards are exactly that – HARD. When you’re on the water standing on a hard paddle board, it will feel as rigid as cement. This rigidity makes it easier for a beginner paddler to stand and maintain balance. Inflatable paddle boards on the other hand are filled with air. If not inflated properly, they will sag and offer less rigidity and stability to the paddler. 

Beginners are also affected by a paddle board’s bottom. Inflatable paddle boards have a flat bottom which is good for flat and glassy water. However, with any waves or water chop, flat bottoms become unstable. Beginner paddlers enjoy stability which hard paddle board bottoms offers. Hard paddle boards can have their bottoms shaped into concaves. Concaves allows for better water flow and better board stability. These types of bottoms are only available on hard boards. It is impossible to inflate a concave shape.
 
ALL AROUND STYLE
Now that it’s been determined that hard paddle boards are best for beginners, the next part of the answer is to determine which paddle board shape is best for beginners.
​
Beginners should use an All-Around style of paddle board. All around styles are relatively wide. Averaging 32” in width, they offer strong stability and plenty of space for beginners to get comfortable on the board. 

The All-Around style is designed to perform all paddle boarding types, which is exactly what beginners want. At first, simply getting up and cruising is every new paddler’s goal. However, once basic stability is conquered, a paddler might want to try catching a couple of small waves, or going for a tour across the lake. All Around paddle boards enable the beginner try and do it all. This style of board is welcome in every paddler’s collection, and should be the chosen style of every first-time owner.
​
Beginners who use an All-Around hard paddle board will have a better experience than the beginner using an inflatable. Hard boards offer better stability and rigidity, and they flow over the water better than an inflatable. The All-Around style offers plenty of width for balance and. To start off on the right foot, beginners to paddle boarding have the best chance of success on a hard paddle board in an All-Around style.

So, just what is the difference between a SUP and a paddle board? The short answer is NOTHING. The anacronym “SUP” means “Stand Up Paddleboard”.

The long answer to the question is that the term “SUP” can have multiple meanings, but they all relate to the sport of paddle boarding.
 
THE DEFINITIONS OF SUP

SUP as a Product
As a noun, the term “SUP” is a synonym to “paddle board”. It is an anacronym like LASER and represents the words Stand Up Paddleboard. 
Example: “I am going to the surf shop to buy a SUP.”

SUP as an Activity
The term SUP is also used to describe the activity of stand up paddle boarding.
Example: “Do you want to go for a SUP this weekend?”
 
SUP as an Action
“SUP” can also be used as a verb.
Example: “I’m SUPing to Jim’s cottage across the lake.”
 
When you hear or read the term “SUP” you know that paddle boarding is involved. It may refer to a board, the sport or even the act of going paddle boarding. Context is important. Rest assured, when a people are shopping to purchase a SUP or a paddle board, they are shopping for the exact same thing.