Several advices to correctly ride the inflatable paddle board. Even if your home doesn’t have much space for inflatable SUP storage, an iSUP can be packed into it’s roller backpack that fits just about anywhere from the trunk of your car to your closet shelf. It’s OK to store your SUP inflated. Many paddlers wonder; is it ok to leave an inflatable paddleboard inflated? OR, how long can I leave an inflatable SUP inflated? As long as it’s out of direct sunlight, you can leave your iSUP inflated indefinitely. There are a few points to remember. Resist the temptation to stack things or place heavy objects on it. Over time, storing heavy objects on your board could cause a divot or impact the rocker of your board. Also, if you’re storing your board inflated for the long-term, it’s best to release a few PSI just in case your storage area gets too warm. That helps to prevent any damage to the board from the air inside expanding beyond the desired PSI.
Wave Riding vs Paddling: What will you be doing on your inflatable SUP? If the answer is that you will just be casually paddling on flat water, you will be looking for a larger and more stable board. Something that is easy to paddle, very stable and you can even do SUP Yoga on. We highly recommend the Pakaloa SUP. Wanting to hit the waves and surf? Then you need a smaller, less stable board, that will be better on the surf. It needs to be manoeuvrable and able to do sharp turns. You also need to be able to punch it through the surf zone to get out to the backline, so you don’t want a large inflatable SUP. We would recommend the Pakaloa SUP. The last category is for more advanced paddlers, being SUP racing and downwind paddles. If you plan on racing you need a very specific type of inflatable SUP. This inflatable SUP needs to be long and narrow for speed, it will be more unstable at first, but as you get used to paddling it, this will get better.
Back. As you balance on your board, although your legs are doing the work, your back will be supporting you too. Similarly as you move your shoulders to paddle, your back will be moving with them and this will slowly strengthen your back as a whole. Core and abdomen. You use your core to paddle the SUP and this includes your abdomen. Every stroke you make, if you’re doing it right, will contract your abdominal muscles. Balancing also uses your abdomen so it won’t be long before you feel stronger and look leaner.
Inflatable stand up paddle boards are way more fun than other types of water sports as they offer a personalised yet thrilling experience of paddling to adventure lovers. It allows you to have fun on the water and get a full-body workout because moving your SUP paddle board with the paddle requires your whole body to exercise. Moreover, it allows you to operate the inflatable paddle board while standing, which provides you with a different type of walking on the water kind of experience. You can see and take all those shots of the sun which are impossible to capture from the shore.
One more inflatable stand up paddle board trick: Stay out of the way: The ocean is huge, lakes are big and the rivers are wide. Yet we always seem to want to paddle on the same square inch of water! Paddle boards are big and they can hurt when they hit you. Be mindful of other water users and when you’re learning the art of SUP. Make sure you have plenty of room to practice standing, falling and paddling. Look after your board and paddle: Paddle boards for beginners are big. To make them manageable, manoeuvrable and strong they need to be built out of lightweight high tech materials making them expensive. Look after your board and paddle, they are fragile when thrown around on land. Your board will thank you!
