My first couple of attempts at paddleboarding was in Colorado, years ago, 2015 to be exact, and they were hard boards on a calm reservoir. Not the most challenging experience, but I was able to do a little yoga and had not heard of inflatables at the time. We also had two kayaks already that we barely used. I’ve said it before, it wasn’t that we didn’t want to get out, we just weren’t as motivated in CO for the things we wanted to do beyond offroading.
When we started to look at Florida as a potential place to move back in 2019, I started following more Florida-related pages on Instagram and I started to get excited about the idea of paddleboarding. When we got serious about the move, I started researching boards and came across the inflatable paddleboard. The idea appealed to me because we also love to travel and just thought that this would be perfect.
I WAS HOOKED
When we came out for a month in March 2021, my husband and I did a tour with one of the paddleboard tour companies at Lido Key for our first mangrove tour. We had the pleasure of having Orion as our tour guide, who is educated in marine sciences and that just got me all happy because it ended up being a private tour and lots of questions, to which he didn’t fail to provide a satisfying and easy to understand answers.
That first tour with Surfit USA was the inspiration for leveling up with paddleboarding, following all the eco-tour places nearby, and getting on the water. Orion on the other hand was my inspiration for becoming a guide myself as a part-time job between teaching. It was the best way to keep my brain in teacher mode AND get out on the water, meet people, and have my own adventures. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t Michael’s inspiration for being my right-hand man on my tours, but he surprisingly enjoys getting out there. He actually gets a little fidgety when he hasn’t been on the water in a bit. I’m not complaining ;-).
We left and made our way back to our rental discussing paddleboards and how Amazon can get them to us in a couple of days. We were highly hooked and wanted to find more places to launch. In the end, we found our favorite place to paddle and that was our guiding light as to where we wanted to look for housing. We looked within 30 minutes of that launch site, in any direction.
OOPS THERE GOES GRAVITY
So, I pretty much nailed my first iSUP board. No real complaints. I decided I eventually want a BOTE hard board and when I found that DRIFT was made by BOTE, I thought this board would be a good beginner board. If I like their inflatable, then I may know what I want in a hardboard.
My board is 10’6″ and 33″ wide. It only has bungee cords in the front and it didn’t take long before I knew I want cords EVERYWHERE!!! Beyond that, it’s been great.
My husband did not get so lucky with his first board. His was 11′ and 32″ wide. The biggest takeaway for him was the width. The width helps with stability and that was a lesson quickly learned as he had the worst time staying on that board. I tried it once and I can vouch for him. I can’t remember if I fell in or if I spent so much energy NOT falling in.
His second board is the same length as mine, 10’6″ but it is 33″. It is amazing how much of a difference that one inch can make. With my board, straddling it so that my legs hang in the water, much like a surfer sits waiting for a wave, ya, I can’t do it comfortably. Michael’s first board is too narrow, can’t enjoy the ride. His second board is perfect. Easy leg hang.
THAT AIN’T RIGHT
A few weeks ago, at work during a tour, I noticed that my board has been feeling a lot like I am dragging something behind me and I was getting everywhere really slowly. It was frustrating but I chalked the first couple of times that I was just physically tired.
A couple of weeks ago when we did our clean-up trip with my work and a co-worker’s wet suit company, to clean up the mainland side of Boca Grande estuary. We picked up a total of about 56 lbs of trash, so it was productive, but my paddle game was over. I was slow and this time I’m paddling with my husband AND my boss who is on his hardboard. I couldn’t keep up and I was paddling just as hard.
At one point I stopped to feel under the back and make sure my fin was still attached…it was. Then I switched boards with Michael so that he can feel what I am feeling and let me know if it was me or the board. It was the board. We had noticed that the board was starting to warp with the nose and tail pointing more downward with the center being high. I attribute this to why it felt like I was dragging something or that it was so hard to move through the water. Well, the nose and tail were doing just that.
Once we got it out of the water we had a better look and we discussed possible issues. So here is the ‘low and skinny’ of it and it is totally our fault for not thinking of this earlier. Well, mostly our fault, as this isn’t happening to Michael’s board. We strap our boards on my Jeep’s roof rack and we will leave them up there for days…in the heat. Our guess is that it is being strapped down in a way that will make the warping I’m experiencing happen, with the ends moving in the opposite direction of the center, where the straps are.
Solutions are being experimented with as I type. We deflated it for a couple of days and then refilled it. Still bent. My suggestion is to put it back up on my roof but in the opposite direction for a few days. If that doesn’t work, I could try to add weight on top of the board at the warp points and leave it in the heat for a few days as well just on the ground.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
Other things to consider when getting new boards would be how many bungee nets it has and if we will need more than the board offers. Storage is important, like really important. I personally would rather load everything behind me so I’m not getting everything wet as my paddle crosses the deck. The weight is nice so no worries there. Length and width are important for balance and stability. The wider and the longer the board, the more stable but that isn’t always the best option for the type of boarding you will want to do.
Another thing to consider is the locations we will be paddling. Most places are fine for us if we are mindful of where our board is headed. Here in the mangroves and among the trestles, we were cleaning fishing wire from during our clean-up, which is covered in oysters and barnacles, both of which can puncture our boards. That would suck. I mean, really, really suck.
The clean-up was another nudge into wanting a hardboard. I don’t like things to interfere with what I want to do. I was able to get some fishing line off with another mate helping so I can focus on keeping my board from hitting an oyster cluster on a pylon. I wouldn’t say it was overly frustrating for me as much as it took away from being able to get to more and it divided my attention.
NOW WHAT?
I’m not going to get mad if you say I planned this scheme weeks ago and set in motion this elaborate plan to warp my board and stage obvious environmental hazards and then make it impossible to fix my board just so I can get a hardboard. Nope, I won’t get mad because I’m wondering the same thing.
Well, now, we are looking at hardboards. I used my boss’s (Yolo-Hammerhead) a couple of times and the first moment I launched, I FELT IT. I felt the difference right away and it’s almost difficult to express what it is precisely, but you KNOW! First, the deck feels more stable and this one was a 32″. So there is a difference in stability not only in width but whether or not they are hard or inflatable. Speed and the way it cut through the water were so much nicer. I’m also capable of moving my feet around more on the deck as well as not having to stand with as wide of a stance.
So now the research and board search has begun. Thankfully I have a friend who owns her own paddleboard tour company nearby (Paddleboard Adventures) to help me with questions and suggestions. Now, I just have to decide if I am going to purchase USED or save up for a NEW board. Then I have to find the type of board that would be best for me and my goals to cross into sup surfing. THIS is why I write. I have questions and this is what keeps me focused on answering them.
AND THEN SHE PADDLED AWAY
Michael is going to wait a bit to replace his board since there isn’t anything wrong with his board. He also thinks I should save up for the BOTE board because he is now enamored by them himself. So, while I am starting my new teaching career, in a new district and grade level, I’m going to be pretty busy, only being able to get out on the water while providing guides, I’m going to just save up for that new board. I’m not saying it going to be a BOTE, it may be a YOLO or any board that fits my requirements. I have time…I guess, but we wanted to go before Michael took off to CO for a month and we realized we couldn’t. I didn’t have a board. We felt that!
So, if you have suggestions or ideas you want to share, leave a comment or visit my social media pages. In the meantime, if you are in the market for a board, keep these key points in mind…
- Length
- Width
- Storage/Bungee
- Weight
- Inflatable or Hard
- Your paddling environment
- Your paddling goals
- Transporting
- Vibe (you know you just have to connect with that board)
Until you find your perfect or almost perfect board, don’t let it stop you from getting on the water and having adventures. I am currently on my new teaching adventure, but that won’t stop me from getting on the water. I’ll be giving a tour a couple of Saturdays from now and I can’t wait. The water…she truly does call her children back to her. As always,
Stay Salty and Stay Connected
Kelley (Salty-Mhic)
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