Let’s face it, paddle boards just look like a lot of fun. You’ve seen them around, paddling out in the water when you’re at the beach and now you’re thinking about buying your first. That’s why DigandFlow.com has looked at the best boards out there and have come up with our choice for Best Paddle Board for Beginners in a couple different categories and gives you all details. Aside from that we’ll cover all the things you should look for and consider when purchasing your first and help you make the best decision possible.
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Considerations
Best Paddle Board for Beginners – Inflatable
Best Paddle Board for Beginners – Soft Top
What to Consider
Okay, so now that your thinking about your first board lets look at what you should consider before you buy.
The first thing to think about is the size of board in relation to your body. You’ll want to choose a paddle board that is a good match for your body type, this will give you good stability and better performance, as well as, shortening the learning curve and making your paddling more fun.
When you’re considering what the best paddle boards for beginners are you’ll need to consider the overall buoyancy and this is affected by the length, width and thickness. Most of the time this will be listed as board volume and will be listed in liters. The buoyancy of a board is important because that will determine how high you sit in the water, higher in the water makes for a more stable board.
The length and width of a paddle board will also affect how it moves through the water. The longer the board the faster, straighter and more efficiently it will move. Generally, for beginner paddlers, you want to find a board at or about 9.5 feet to give you the best stability and performance. The width of a paddle board plays a big role in the side-to-side stability and beginner paddler will want to stick around the 30 inch mark.
There are loads of different boards out there for just about every different kind of paddling you can think of: Recreational, surfing, river, yoga, inflatables, foam, wood, even racing. A great way to think to about finding the best for you is bigger boards = more buoyancy but less agility and smaller boards = more agility but less buoyancy. There are, of course, many more ways to differentiate between boards but this simple step will help you thin out the herd.
For this post we’ll be looking at boards that are great for those just looking to get started and that are forgiving, easy to transport, reasonably priced, and are good quality. And if you’re getting a new board be sure to check out our Best PFD for Paddle Boarding post so you can stay safe on the water.
Best Paddle Board for Beginners – Inflatable
Tower Paddle Boards Adventurer Inflatable 9’10” SUP Package
Tower Adventurer 9′ 10″
Coming with everything you need to get started the Adventurer from Tower Paddle Boards is our choice for the Inflatable Division in our Best Paddle Board for Beginners showdown. This great paddle board fits all of our requirements long enough, wide enough, reasonably priced and easy to learn on.
Tower has created a really nice all-around board that’s great for almost all levels of paddlers but in particular those just learning. The Adventurer is 6″ thick and when compared to most other SUP company’s 4″ inflatables the extra 2″ offers way more rigidity which is what you need for paddling efficiency and stability.
Get more information and buy on Amazon.com
Maximum Durability
The Adventurer is really durable, really. With the more traditional hard paddle boards you need to be more conscious about not damaging your board or other things with it, not so with the Adventurer. This board can handle just about anything you can throw at it, also you can put kiddos on it and not worry about them bashing their heads if they fall.
Perfect Portability
The Adventurer is the perfect board for those looking to take their board without the hassle of mounting roof racks. This awesome board, when deflated, can fit the trunk of your car no problem and weighs only 25 pounds making it way lighter than a hard deck board.
With awesome portability you can take the Adventurer wherever you’re headed. Hiking in to alpine lakes, remote bays, and secluded coves are no problem since with the carry backpack you can throw it on your back and be on your way. And with a setup time of about 10 minutes, once you’re there you’ll be on the water ASAP.
Check out other great features on Amazon.com
Features and Specifications
Features
- The Adventurer has a weight limit of up to 350 lbs on the water
- Military-grade PVC material with drop-stitch construction means you never have to worry about dings and cracks on your board
- It’s easy to transport at 9’10” x 32″ x 6″ inflated and
- It’s easy to store at only 1 foot in diameter and 33″ wide when deflated and rolled up
- Includes everything you need: The board, a pump, and adjustable 3-piece aluminum paddle
- 2 year manufacturers warranty covers everything outside of normal wear & tear so you can sleep good knowing you’re covered
Specifications
- Weight: 24 lbs
- Dimensions: 9′ 10″ L x 32 W x 6 H
- Volume: Unknown exactly, but probably 300 Liters plus
- Weight Capacity: Up to 400 lbs
- Nose Rocker: 4 inches
- Tail Rocker: No tail rocker
- Fin Configuration: 2+1 plastic fins, with large detachable center fin
- Onboard Accessories: Carrying handle, front towing d-ring, rear surf leash d-ring
- Included External Accessories: A detachable center fin, a Tower deck pad and repair kit
- Construction: High-pressure inflatable
Customer Reviews
It’s no secret that Tower knows what they’re doing and reviews know it too. “Makes it easy to for anyone to get into SUP”, “Couldn’t be happier”, “YOU NEED TO GET THIS ONE!!!”, and others like that are found all over Amazon. Read more reviews here Tower Adventurer Reviews. Tower has the most review and highest rated products for SUP on Amazon.
With incredible reviews and even better specs it’s no wonder that the Tower Adventurer won our Best Paddle Board for Beginners shootout for the inflatable division. Portable, rugged design, and easy to learn on means we’re stoked to recommend this board.
Best Paddle Board for Beginners – Hard
ISLE 10′ 8″ Soft Top Classic
Isle 10’8 Classic
The Isle 10’8 Classic is our choice for the Best Paddle Board for Beginners in the Hard category. This board is super stable, reasonably priced, and comes ready to go with a paddle. Just grab your PFD and head for the water!
This soft top board is the ideal board for those just starting out or those who want a board for the whole family to use. It has a smooth plastic bottom that’s really great on smooth, flat water and it’s planning hull provides a great ride.
Get more information and buy now on Amazon.com
3S Construction
Isle’s 3S construction is a waterproof composite core with 3 wood stringers (3 stringers, 3S… get it) inlaid for rigidness and a polyethylene lined bottom that glides effortlessly over the water. The top (or deck) and sides are wrapped in a patented, ultra-durable foam covering that provides good grip and added traction so you don’t slide off.
Versatility
Isle’s soft top Classic is the perfect board for those who are looking for a board that can grow with them. The surf shape, non-slip surface on the deck, and soft rails make it a great choice for the novice paddler and versatile enough for people with higher skill levels.
It’s non-slip deck makes it a great choice young ones just starting and for paddlers looking to bring their pooch. It’s these kinds of features and it’s amazing price ($595.00 & FREE Shipping on Amazon) that are getting us stoked to be highlighting this board as our Best Paddle Board for Beginners.
Features and Specifications
Features
- Comes with great components for those just starting an adjustable aluminum paddle and center fin
- 3 stringer core construction for added stability
- Inset carry handle for easy transport to and from the beach
- Free shipping straight to your door
- Great intro price keeps your wallet happy
Specifications
- Length: 10’8″
- Width: 31″
- Thickness: 5″
- Volume: 206 L
- Weight: 27 Lbs
- Max Capacity: 360 Lbs
Check out more details and buy now on Amazon.com
Customer Reviews
People are really like the Classic 10’8! It’s super stable and beginner friendly design allows people to jump right on and get paddling without feeling like a fish out of water (see what I did there). The lightweight design of the Classic makes it the perfect choice for a family board. Reviews like these keep popping up “I ordered this board for my daughter. It is perfect!“, “As a beginner level SUPer, I appreciated how lightweight this board is“.
Check out all the customer reviews on Amazon.com
The other factor that people dig is the Classic’s ability to perform on flat water. The feature allows even the newest paddle boarder to get on and start enjoying the sport. The approachable nature of the Classic make this a heck of board at a reasonable price.
Why We Love It
Easy to transport, stable in a wide array of conditions, beginner friendly make this our all out winner of the Best Paddle Board for Beginners – Soft Top. Fitting into all of our criteria the Classic from Isle really hits the mark for a great starting paddle board and we’re stoked to recommend this great board.
I really like that inflatable board but have some questions: how long does it take to inflate? I really like the portability but I’ve had a boat that needed inflation before and it took forever to get it fully inflated…
Great question! The Tower board takes 5-10 minutes (100-200 pumps) to inflate with the supplied hand pump. You can really decrease time and energy if you’ve got one of those pumps that plugs into your cars cigarette lighter.