downside to inflatables?

[newbySUPer]

I am ready to pull the trigger on my first board. But I live in a postage stamp sized apartment, and would have a hard time keeping a solid board either in the apartment  or otherwise out of sight of sticky hands. So I have been looking at inflatables. The good folks at Uli have recommended their 11' model. Are there any downsides to an inflatable? I live in San Francisco, if that matters, and would like a board for cruising around (no racing) and learning to surf. (no experience either prone or SUP) What do you think? Will I be missing something by going blow-up?

[SteamboatBORN]

If you do not have the space then an iSUP is your best bet. You could always keep board in vehicle if you have a truck or larger SUV with a shorter hard board.

[hdearing]

Uli makes a good board. You can also check out new offerings from Starboard and Naish. I recently had the chance to paddle the inflatable Starboard Wopper and was really surprised at how well it went.

Same thing should apply to inflatables, try before you buy. When you say you want to "cruise and surf" that means two different boards to me. Decide which you will do more (surf) and base the board shape on your answer.

[newbySUPer]

Thanks. Good advise. I actually don't own a 4 wheel vehicle, only a motorcycle, but my GF has a small 4 door car. By "cruise" I mean just playing around in the water, no long distances, so I guess I should focus more on surfing qualities. (60/40 surf/ paddle about?) Keep those responses coming!

[corlot]

I have an older Astro Whopper and really like it for surfing. It is very stable for choppy conditions. Surfs suprisingly well. i live in an area that ou have to travel to surf so an inflatable makes sense. The pump is the only let down but all the big companies have crap pumps from what I have heard. The exception being Uli. Even though I have never tried one, I have only heard good things about uli. Had my eye on a Fat Ass Quad for a long time.

[beaner]

I have a 14' hard board and just picked up a JP CruisAIR 11'4" for my wife and travel purposes. I mostly tour, but believe this should be surfable in small waves, although I have not tried yet.

I'm impressed with it's performance and think you would be happy with one of the latest generation inflatables.

[crkrider]

In my short SUP career, I've had 3 different iSUP's, and being a hillbilly who gets to the ocean 2 or 3 times a year, I love e'm. I've horse traded several different models just to experiment with styles, and keep up with the technology.

I've took my C4 waterman iSUP to Tortola and had a ball. Then the sharks showed up.
It was brilliant.

I've surfed my Badfish iSUP at both Virginia Beach, and the Outer Banks of N.C. For an extreme geezer, I feel that I'm finally moving away from the grommet stage.

The only downside I can see, is that some people may not see you as committed enough ,
but you'll just smile past the stink eye with every tasty wave. Plus it's good for aquatic work outs in the local rivers and lakes,  you can put it in a rolling duffel, and check it like a suitcase on an airplane. Get a 3 piece breakdown paddle for that one.

As for the pumps, a reputable mfg like C4, Boardworks, or ULI, should supply a good, aluminum shaft pump with what ever board you get, that will allow you to get the board up to decent pressure.

My first iSUP was a Seyveyor Somoa, that came with a thing called a Wonder Pump. It was only good for about 5 p.s.I. The board improved markedly when I got a serviceable, 15 p.s.i. pump from C4 Waterman. Uli makes an electric job that alligator clips to your car battery and goes to appropriate pressure, but last I looked, it was about
$135

[viatormundi]

SB, Red Paddle and Mistral released this year narrower and longer pumps that can easily pump up to 20 psi.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[bigdom]

for what the OP wants (beginner on flat water and small waves) there
is really no downsides to inflatables

for surfing the fat rails and slight lack of rigidity shows up in bigger
faster waves

[Wood_Ogre]

One thing that I have never heard discussed here is long term durability. There are 2 kinds of material used for building inflatable SUPs, PVC and Hypalon. The ULI is the only SUP that I know of made of Hypalon all of the other inflatables are made from PVC.  The good side to PVC is that the joints are heat sealed and lends itself to mass production. The down side of PVC is it does not last a long time especially PVC made in Asia. It is reactive to UV, in about 2 year it becomes sticky and brittle and once it gets to that stage it can not be repaired . Also the drop stitching tends to detach. I would not expect the PVC SUPs to last much more than 3 years . The Hypalon  ULI  is made from Hypalon material made in the USA. USA Hypalon material is the best in the world and can be expected to last 20 years or more if cared for properly. It is UV resistent and extremely durable. My brother has a Hypalon Avon inflatable boat that is over 30 years old and is still being used. When a hypalon boat is warn and starts leaking it can be re-coated . My brothers boat was done at 25 years. Hypalon boats are very easy to repair and patch.
I bought an ULI 11 ft steam roller about 2 weeks ago. I ordered it from Meg on a Tuesday and had it shipped to Hawaii by USPS and had it in the water for a test drive on Friday morning. I have been surfing , windsurfing ,kite surfing over 40 years , Stand up paddling for 5 years. I paddle 6 days a week, used to paddle 7 days a week but now take a day off. I got the 11 ft ULI so I can paddle when I am in Vietnam every year,mostly flat water and a little small surf . You cant go wrong with the ULI . Catches waves easy and is very stable and goes well on flat water. Tracking is good to if you stand way forward of the center of balance. Hard boards you stand slightly behind center of balance ! The new ULI pump gets the job done no problem. PS I have been able to compare the ULI to the Sevylor, Sumoa, Shubu, and C-4 waterman. Not even in the same ball park !!   

[Wood_Ogre]

The PVC SUPs can be made in endless color combinations so they can look very sporty. Hypalon comes in limited colors so do not look so flashy, but you can see the quality of material and craftsmanship in the ULI  !

[SteamboatBORN]

Great post above ^^^^^. Learn new things on here everyday. PVC will wear down and you have to be careful when rolling to make sure and not create creases. Its like you should never fold a tent, but stuff it into a bag to protect the waterproofing. Same things goes with iSUP minus the stuffing ( ) , make sure to roll its properly each time.

Also, you will buy a new board within 12 months anyways. You will be obsessed like the rest of us and have to find a new place to live with a bigger car or trailer. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! (evil mad scientist laugh)

[bigdom]

true of any 'beginner board' inflatable or rigid

[steepcreek]

The Hypalon  ULI  is made from Hypalon material made in the USA. USA Hypalon material is the best in the world and can be expected to last 20 years or more if cared for properly. It is UV resistent and extremely durable.  

Can anyone confirm this?  I'm thinking of buying a race/touring inflatable SUP and hypalon would be a big selling point.  The website doesn't specify the constuction material.  It just says "constructed from the same sturdy materials that are used in military/commercial inflatable boats"

I've got a couple hypalon IK's that I've had since the late 90's that are still going strong.  It was my understanding though that Dupont maker and patent holder of hypalon stopped manufacturing it a number of years ago.  Since that time most whitewater rafts not made of PVC  are using other foreign made synthetic rubber material mainly Pennell Industries "Orca" (France) or various CSM material from Toseh (Japan) or urethene coated fabric.  Some say these products aren't as robust - Orca or prone to blistering.

Any ULI reps or dealers who follow this forum know for sure?

[JillRide45]

I would say call ULI direct.  Leave a message if they do not answer, it is a one woman office but she is great an will get right back to you.  Steve, one of the owners, is at the Vista shop almost every morning and knows everything about their manufacturing.

Jill