WAPPA PADDLE BOARDS
  • Home
  • Our Bamboo SUPs
    • All Around
    • Wave
    • All Around / Wave
    • Touring
    • Wind SUP
  • Shop
  • Eco-Friendly
  • Bamboo Advantage
  • Technology
  • Wappa vs. Competition
  • Why Wappa?
  • 5 Year Warranty
  • Home
  • Our Bamboo SUPs
    • All Around
    • Wave
    • All Around / Wave
    • Touring
    • Wind SUP
  • Shop
  • Eco-Friendly
  • Bamboo Advantage
  • Technology
  • Wappa vs. Competition
  • Why Wappa?
  • 5 Year Warranty

Picking the Right Paddle Board Length

5/22/2018

 

Picking the Right Paddle Board Length

Picking the right paddle board length is imperative if you want to enjoy your SUP experience. Especially, if this is your first board. Anything to big or to small could lead to a negative experience and the end result could be a paddle board sitting unused in a garage collecting dust. I don’t want this to happen to you, so keep reading, gain some knowledge and go armed into your next paddle board shopping adventure.

Selecting Proper SUP Length

For most people, paddle board length shouldn’t be the primary shopping factor. In my opinion, all length does is provide guidance to the amount of displacement (volume) a board offers. Instead of shopping by length, try to find a paddle board that meets the following needs, and the length will take care of itself.
tape_measure
  • Your Weight. A SUP board should be built for your size if it’s to function as intended. The board should displace the right amount of water for your weight otherwise you will not be supported by it. A board that has to little volume for your weight will be unstable. While it can still be paddles, if you are new to the sport, you might find a board with a small weight to displacement ratio unstable and “tippy”. To large a board on the other hand will be difficult to push through the water despite it being super stable.

  • Experience Level. As you gain experience, you can paddle boards that are close to the lower end of the weight to displacement ratio. These boards will be unstable for inexperienced paddlers, but they offer better maneuverability.
 
  • Expected Activities. What are your plans with the board? Will you be surfing every day? Do you expect to take five-mile-long paddles, or do you just intend to get some exercise and paddle around the lake? What you plan to do with the board will determine its length. If you plan on traveling long distances, a long thin touring style is what you want. Starting at 12 feet, a touring board can be up to 18 feet long. The added length makes it easy to cut through the chop, and to ride the swells down wind. If you plan on paddle surfing regularly, a long touring board isn’t right for you. Depending on the size of the waves and your experience level, you might need a board as small as eight feet long.
turing_bamboo_paddle_board
Wappa Scout 12.6 - Touring Style
 Factors That Shouldn’t be Considered

I chose to write about this topic because it’s a question that’s been asked to me many times. Not only by my students when I taught paddle boarding, but also by prospective customers. Below are some of the factors that customers think should be considered when determining SUP length, but in actuality, are not important at all.

  • People should add about 9 to 10 inches to their height to determine their paddleboard length. When I first heard this, I just about fell over. Height is irrelevant. It’s your weight, experience level and board function that’s important.

  • When picking, you should consider the type of car that you use. Unless you have a convertible, car type is irrelevant to the length of SUP you purchase. No paddle board is large enough to affect a car’s performance or ability to transport the SUP.
carmaped_storage_space
This space is to small for any SUP
  • Your home storage area. If you don’t have the space to store a 12-foot hard board, I suggest you get an inflatable that will meet your needs instead of compromising on length to fit your storage area.

  • The length of time it takes you to walk to the shore or beach. Board length shouldn’t be the determining factor for a long walk. The weight of the board is what’s important for this argument. Get as light a board as you can afford. Paddle boards made from carbon fiber are the lightest on the market. Quality SUPs made from bamboo tend to be the next lightest.

  • Longer boards tend to be harder to carry, particularly if it’s windy.  Quality paddle boards are well balanced with the SUP handle placed in a location that makes it easy to balance the board. While it’s true that the bigger the board is, the easier it is to catch the wind, I would never let that be a factor in board selection.
 
So now that you know what to consider when selecting paddle board length, stop fixating it. Instead, consider what you want to do with your SUP, your weight and experience level. Once you have selected a board based on those needs, the length will take care of itself. Now, take this knowledge you just gained and go buy the paddle board that is right for you.

Comments are closed.
    wappa_logo

    The Wappa Blog

    Written by Wappa's founder Layne Pennell, the blog's aim is to educate and share his love of stand up paddle boarding with anyone interested in SUP.

    Layne has been paddle boarding for 10+ years!

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    March 2017
    December 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Health
    Learn
    Tips

    RSS Feed

    Wappa Paddle Boards

have a question?  1-844-go-wappa (469-2772) 


Company

about
warranty
return policy
terms of service
privacy policy
all prices USD

shipping

shipping
tracking

resources

corporate branding
board performance explained
board care & maintenance
blog
testimonials
FAQ
military discount
great for families
SUP for women
want a deal?

CUSTOM PROGRAM

overview
graphic design service
order a custom SUP

Contact            

support@wappapaddleboards.com
toll free: 1-844-469-2772
contact

RETAILERS

become a retailer
find a retailer

AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

become a Wappa ambassador
terms and conditions

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to provide our customers with the world's best bamboo stand up paddle boards, build them as  environmentally friendly as possible, and in doing so, exceed their expectations for service, quality and value.

ECOLOGICAL STATEMENT

We will decrease our environmental footprint by using renewable energy in our factory. We utilize sustainable materials when building our products and eco friendly construction techniques to reduce the amount of material required to make them. We will continually work towards recycling 100% of our factory waste. ​
Picture

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS wappa SUPPORTs

Picture
Picture