Newbie 1st post: Inflatable Tower vs Saturn.

[ultralight]

1st post.  not sure which forum is the right one - hope this is OK here as it is gear talk.

Newbie looking for 1st board.  Realize that many here are probably hard core so apologies for a basic query.

My first SUP has to be:
1. Inflatable
2. Stable as I would also like to test the idea of fishing on it on flat water.
3. Relatively affordable to test the waters.

Currently I'm looking at these two company as high bang for the $.  The Saturn also has 8 d-rings which could be helpful in attaching various doodads. This will only be used for inland lakes and not the ocean.

1. Tower Adventurer. 9' 6" 33" wide.  6" thick.  
2. Saturn 9' 35" wide. 5.5" thick.

Anyone here have tested both - are both basically similar in quality?  Both should be pretty stable.

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

UL

[SaltH2Opaddler]

I have never heard of the two you mentioned.  I did google them and took a look.

If I was you I would look for a used ULI.  They set the standard for inflatables.  It will also hold it's value better than a unknown name brand, so if you decided to sell it later you will get more money back.  That's a good rule in general with SUP's. 

Good Luck!!!

[spookini]

Hmm...

33" is plenty wide.  Do you think you might do standup-fishing?  If so, 35" might be nice.  The longer/narrower board might have better glide... but only nominally.

[JillRide45]

Not sure how big you are or how much gear you will be carrying, but

I think both those boards are too short for much flat water paddling. You would be surprised how much stability length gives you, especially if you are carrying gear.  I would go for the inflatables closer to 11' or even a 12'.   My husband has a ULI 12'6" x 32" and that thing is stable as a rock. 

You say you will be using it on the lake, this can actually be very challenging on a bad inflatable.  If the inflatable is not rigid enough, the short wind chop waves can pull the nose under and just bend the board under.  I had this happen even with the board at 18 psi, just not a stiff outer.

Have fun, Jill

[PonoBill]

As Jill said, there's a lot more to designing an inflatable than meets the eye. they all look kind of alike, but they don't perform that way. Controlling the edge is one of the big issues, when it tucks under chop you're in for a swim. I haven't tried any of the new Naishes, but they do a lot of R&D for anything they build, the ULI boards have always been good, and the Starboards are good.

Most of the low cost stuff is fine for kids playing around, but these folks do NO, Zero, nada  R&D. At best they knock off a shape they don't really understand. You don't see anyone other than trolls and spammers coming onto the Zone extolling the virtues of a knock off board. There's a reason for that. It's a lot more expensive to buy crap, give up on it, and buy quality than it is to buy quality to begin with.

That little lesson cost me a lot of money to learn--in everything from tools to cars to marmalade.

[lucabrasi]

I am 6'4" and 215 (this summer). We got the Tower as an extra "we need another board cuz the kids are home and bringing lots of friends" board. It has sat rolled up the rest of the time. It floats me and is just fine for what we paid for it. I didn't look at the Saturn but the D rings would be way handy for fishing as would the width. I do like the deck pad on the Tower tho but I couldn't imagine going on the lake for an extended outing with it. Both are pretty short for lake paddling.
There are aftermarket loops/rings you could attatch to the Tower but that would run your $ up another 50-75 or so.
What Jill and Bill have said here is true and should be considered. The Ulis are supposed to be way nice boards and I have caught myself looking at them more than once. I do think the length for fishing will be very important
This will probably be just a stepping stone for you to get into it and you will be getting a better board if you go this route. Trust us.  
You could look at it as the season is almost over wherever you are so get that first board now so you can get on the water now. Then spend the winter figuring out just what you want and daydreaming about next season.

[Waterwalker]

Hi there,
I actually bought the Saturn 12ft as my first board, so I can tell you all about it...I have "lovingly" named it The Beast....
#1 its stable as can be. I did my second paddle with 2 kids (7 and 10) on this board and didnt even wobble.
#2 If you're paddling with a group you WILL be at the back struggling. After 2 mo of training I was doing 6mi (in a slight headwind) in 3hrs. The second I bought my Raven I dropped to 2:10! It is slow slow slow and almost stops if you hit any chop at all head on.
#3 it's made well, I did accidently over inflate it, by leaving it in the backyard for a few days in 100* heat and it expanded and started to leak at the seams. I got some TearAid and fixed it up no problem at all.
#4 if you're new to the sport and dont know any better they feel good under your feet, but once you get a little experience and jump back and forth to a real board you will really notice the softness under your feet with the inflatable.
it's a great all around board if you absolutly HAVE to have an inflateable. I was scarred of putting a board on my car by myself (that was a STUPID fear) and wasnt sure how much I would end up going out, being new to the sport (2-3 times a week now!!!) and didnt want to spend much money....
I can guarentee you will most likely out grow this board VERY fast. It only took me a few weeks and I was itching for a "real" board. Ended up buying a Raven a month later and am now itching for a race board after finishing my 3rd race this month. Unless you really have car issues with transporting a board, I would stay away from the inflatable and just go for a real one.

[mtmilam]

I have a Saturn Dinghy we pull behind our sailboat and they are good quality, but for a Paddleboard, I doubt they are that great... We have the two UlI's and they are pretty good for inflatables, some people don't know they are inflatables, very little flex....

For FISHING though, You may want to look at BOTE boards.....I have the HD Fish Surf Paddle......I Really like it.....If you want to save some money, just get the Regular surf style...you can get Rod holder rack, ice chest and its a cool looking board....double concave bottom, tapering to flat on rear....12' long so it will be decent on trips flatwatering.



This is how stiff a ULI is

[JillRide45]

If you buy a good inflatable I am not sure you will hate it and want a "real" board in a week or two.  I have a 12'6" x 27" (pin tail) ULI with a wiki rail that paddles great.  I have a full on race board, but a lot of days I just take the ULI.  The inflatable is just easier, no worries with rocks or surf.  And unless you are on a super narrow race board I can keep plenty close, so no real worries about speed.  Sure I would not win a race on it but it is a lot of fun to paddle. 

The funny thing with the inflatables they just bring out the playfulness in me.  I will try helicopters (standing on the back and spinning the board as fast as possible), paddling the board backwards, jump turns, jump on starts, whatever!! Hey on an inflatable you can play bumper boards!  With the race board it is just step on and paddle.  And you know what, not every day needs to be a race.

Have fun, Jill

[Waterwalker]

TOTALLY agree with Jill about the fun factor. I will take the inflatable on the rapids on the river and never wonder about rocks or hurting the board.And it doesnt hurt when you do wipeout on them! It really just comes down to what you want to do with the board and not wasting your money if you do intend to upgrade soon.
The Saturn is a CHEAP decient board that you can definatly have fun paddling around on. There are some amazing inflatables out there much better, but they're going to come close in price to a non-inf.

[ultralight]

THANKS everyone for taking your time to respond.  I'm a big believer of the wisdom of the collective community so all the comments weight together is generally very very helpful.   Much appreciated.  I'll go back and reread each post carefully but off the top of my head:

1. It has to be inflatable due to space reasons when traveling.  i.e. May want to use these hiking in the Sierras for example.

2. Appreciate the suggestion that we go upper end such as the ULI.    For that kind of cash, it seems that the MCIT would be ideal?  As a former engineer, I had in my mind a design that's more of a dual pontoon and then saw the MCIT online.  

3. At this point however, just wanting to 'get my feet wet' with something affordable and durable.   With a family of four, if we get 4 boards, the cost adds up very quickly . That the difference between $2K and $6K.   But yes, I do believe that one generally gets what one pays for, with some exceptions.  Still, in the midst, there are some better values.

4. Regarding stiffness, it seems that the Towers at 6" is extremely rigid lengtwise.  They show a 220 lbs guy standing in the middle of one suspended at both ends.  Is that not sufficiently rigid?  Or are you all taking about a different kind of rigidity?  The Saturns are not far behind in rigidity of the Towers.

Obviously it is a big fat unit so I assume it will travel slowly....

Keep the comments coming.  

Thanks!
UL

[surf4food]

My wife and I are also in market for a couple inflatables.  We are apartment dwellers and that's not going to change anytime soon (if at all), so space is an issue.  On top of that we like the added plus of being able to travel with them.  Bottom line, we want good quality inflatables that we will not quickly grow outgrow and want to graduate to a "real" board.   An expensive board now might pay for itself in the long run.

We tried the Towers a couple weekends ago by renting them from the Paradise Point Resort on Mission Bay and we did actually like them, but absolutely want to try more out.  The Naish line and Starboard line look promising.

[mtmilam]

I have some ULI's and Like them, but I too would like to try the Starboard and Naish's inflatables....I think the Availability is the problem with some of the newer ones.....ULI's can be bought on line and shipped to your door....thats nice!!

[surf4food]

I have some ULI's and Like them, but I too would like to try the Starboard and Naish's inflatables....I think the Availability is the problem with some of the newer ones.....ULI's can be bought on line and shipped to your door....thats nice!!

Not sure where in Louisiana you are but in New Orleans there's:
http://nolapaddleboards.com/


Also:
http://www.masseysoutfitters.com/SUP/Search

It couldn't hurt to give those shops a call.

[SUPra]

My wife and I are also in market for a couple inflatables.  We are apartment dwellers and that's not going to change anytime soon (if at all), so space is an issue.  On top of that we like the added plus of being able to travel with them.  Bottom line, we want good quality inflatables that we will not quickly grow outgrow and want to graduate to a "real" board.   An expensive board now might pay for itself in the long run.

We tried the Towers a couple weekends ago by renting them from the Paradise Point Resort on Mission Bay and we did actually like them, but absolutely want to try more out.  The Naish line and Starboard line look promising.

I tried a few inflatables from Boardworks etc but I think ULI is still better. It is noticeably stiffer and seems would last a long time. I pump mine to 16-17 psi and it does not lose air over time. If you are in San Diego, Jim from ULI give demos in Mission. He is super nice guy and you can try any of ULI boards on the bay or beach.