Help deciding on an inflatable SUP please - which ULI?

[JillRide45]

I am about your size and have race boards and a ULI 12'6". My ULI is a one off 12'6" x 27" pintail. I love the ULI. Fast and stable. My husband has the newest 12'6" x32 ULI. Very nice board but I have to say that is just too much board for someone your size.

I also do not like the 6" thick 12'6" x 26" boards, that is just too thick of a board for you. I would suggest calling Meg at ULI and ask if she has any demo boards that are smaller. They had a 28 recently that would be nice. 5" thick is max I would put you on. Mine is a little over 4" thick with double Kevlar bottom Kevlar top strip and rail strips. Works for me at 110 lbs open ocean, flat water and loaded touring.

Have fun. Jill

[Wendy]

Jill,

While searching the archives prior to posting I found many of your posts to be helpful - especially since you are not 6' and 280#.  It seems as though 40# or so of paddler weight can make a big difference in whether a board is great or a barge.

My husband has the newest 12'6" x32 ULI. Very nice board but I have to say that is just too much board for someone your size.

That is the exact board that is/was at the top of my list (and indeed I would have to commit ASAP to get into the production schedule if I wanted one soon).  I, too, had some concerns about the size - especially after reading some of your past observations.  It seems that many boards are either quick thick, or beamy (or both).  And yet I don't want to end up on something (now anyway) that requires utmost careful balancing and concentration at all times.  I wouldn't mind some of that when just out for a long paddle, but I also want to be able to use it to poke around, maybe haul a small bag of groceries from shore, etc.  I know you don't know me, and then there is hull shape which maybe isn't always just in the measurements, but is there a length/width/thickness point at which you think someone my size would cross over from "being able to relax and poke around, ferry gear sometimes, etc." to "this board demands 95% concentration at all times"? I realize all "boats" are a compromise and the true compromise will do nothing well, but I'm still trying to figure out my best board for now.

I would suggest calling Meg at ULI and ask if she has any demo boards that are smaller. They had a 28 recently that would be nice.

 
That's a good idea.  Meg is the woman I've been talking to at ULI, and she's been great.  I'll call her and ask.  Seems like something around 12' long, 4" thick, and 30" wide might be ideal, dimensions-wise.

One thing I'm finding slightly confusing is this:  In the kayaking world, a boat for whitewater or surfing would be completely different than one for touring or "wildwater" (straight/fast downriver paddling).  Although you can paddle on for the other, no-one "would" unless they absolutely had to, and it would be slightly ridiculous (although sure, I've taken my whitewater boat out for a long paddle with friends on flat water once or twice).

But in reading many of the products pages, it starts to sound like all boards are pretty good for everything.  I'm pretty sure that can't be true, but...? Someone in this thread mentioned liking a Gerry Lopez 10' special edition, and I see okay, it's not too wide and not too thick, but.... that would really be more of a surf style board, no?  Or are they not as specialized as kayaks, and that type of board would be good for me simply due to my not being as large/heavy as most guys.  (In kayaks the whole hull design would be different, so this wouldn't be true.)  Certainly a board 2' shorter would be nice to handle around the "bigger" boat, in terms of hauling it aboard, etc.

Thanks to all who have contributed - very helpful!

Wendy

[spookini]

Wendy:

I'm 5'7" male... in my experience w/ SUPs,, 30" is pretty easy once you get past the novice stage.  You can still fall off, but not often unless you're looking backwards and not paying attention.  28" demands a bit more concentration; you can relax but it's still a focused relaxation.  26" means you gotta pay attention all the time

I don't think you'd be bored at 30".  At 28", not sure how many groceries you'd be hauling; you could give it a try but it'd probably make more sense to stash them in a backpack rather than risk dunking them off the deck.

Stressing about what board to buy is a key element of SUP addiction  .

[MtnSUPSKI]

Stressing about what board to buy is a key element of SUP addiction  .

HAHAH! Its like a drug. Once you go there, you can never come back from the darkside!

[capobeachboy]

Definitely try as many boards as you can before you pull the trigger.
Trevor at Olysup in Olympia WA has lots of inflatables for his tour groups.
For your size and what you intend to use the board for I don't think you need a 6" thick 12'6" (Jill would know). 
The 10' GLX-2 would be the best choice out of the ULI lineup - it was designed with surf in mind, but for a smaller paddler like yourself it would be a decent board for doing a couple miles for fitness/training/exploring, would be big enough for you to haul stuff on the deck, and is way better for surfing than a 12'6".  The special edition version with removable fins gives you a range of options, allows you to pack the board tighter when deflated, and is nice when you've got shallow whitewater and want to go finless.  However, the fixed fins work fine too and are very sturdy.   

[Wendy]

Stressing about what board to buy is a key element of SUP addiction  .

Ha! Guess I'm already addicted then

Thanks for the general width guidelines.  I'm coming to the conclusion that a 30" wide x 4" thick board would probably be a good size.  Of course the dimensions don't live in a vacuum, but still, it's something.

I would love to spend the summer trying out SUPs (and who knows, maybe I will) but my current plans call for me to be "away from civilization" for the summer, so that would have to be put off until fall -- which would mean no SUP at all this summer.  Boo! Hence my being tempted to just pick something, have one to use, and just accept that once I know more I will likely sell it and buy something else (or spend the winter trying SUP's in Cali )    Losing a summer would be a bummer!

I'm loving all the input - thanks!

Wendy

[beaner]

I bought an 11' 4" JP CruisAir for my wife (which I use a lot too). For her size, this is a good length and it has the nose of longer tour/race shapes instead of the round nose.

I didn't want to go wider than 30", but wanted 6" thick for stiffness... This is exactly both. I tried before I bought and was impressed with the glide. There was not as big a difference between this and my 14' touring hard-board as I had expected.

FYI... I have a 3-piece Werner Nitro too and would definitely recommend. I took both to Costa Rica recently in a suitcase, here's a pic.

[JillRide45]

Hi

First off if you can make it down to So. Cal you are more than welcome to paddle my 12'6" x 27" ULI as well as my husbands 12'6" x 31" ULI.  We live near Newport Harbor which gives you at least 10 miles of flatwater paddle.  I have 2 ZRE paddles that will probably work for you.  I will also be up at Truckee/ Donner Lake probably one of the last weeks of June with the boards, you are more than welcome to paddle there.

About 6" thick boards, I know I will get some crap about this, but just because a board is 6" thick does not make it stiffer than a 4" or 5" thick ULI.  I have ridden Naish, Starboard, Red, Hala Naas, Hobie 6" thick boards, none of them were as stiff as my 4" ULI and nothing came close to the 5" thick double skin ULI.  The skin thickness and thread design make a huge difference. Sure for a given manufacture a 6" board will be stiffer but when comparing different construction you cannot just go by thickness.

About one SUP board doing everything.  Oh no!  You will need a garage full.  the 12'6" x 27" 4" thick board I have is no good for surfing river waves or whitewater runs.  You will want a shorter wider board with more volume for that.  For surfing you really do not want the 12'6" as it has very little rocker.  We live in So. Cal so ocean runs are not much more than flat water runs with a little more wind chop.   

Hope this helps, Jill

[JillRide45]

Forgot to add, if you get a ULI make sure to get the Wiki Rail on it!  Makes a huge difference.

I run the 3 small fins on my ULI and it is the best tracking board I have.  Maybe one large fin would be less drag but with the 3 small fins I can run very shallow.

Jill

[AirJunky]

About 6" thick boards, I know I will get some crap about this, but just because a board is 6" thick does not make it stiffer than a 4" or 5" thick ULI.  I have ridden Naish, Starboard, Red, Hala Naas, Hobie 6" thick boards, none of them were as stiff as my 4" ULI and nothing came close to the 5" thick double skin ULI.  The skin thickness and thread design make a huge difference. Sure for a given manufacture a 6" board will be stiffer but when comparing different construction you cannot just go by thickness.

I don't get this. I read similar reviews when I was looking at boards. Based on that I rented an Uli C4 Waterman (which is an 11' x 4" thick board) & took it paddling down the Coeur d'Alene river. We pumped it up to about 12 psi. The thing tacoed under me on every wave. I went back & had them pump it up to 15 psi. It was definitely better, no doubt about that. But no where near as rigid as the Lakeshore I have now or the Hobie I tested out.... both of which inflate to more than 15 psi.

I guess thats why we test them out before we buy them.

[Wendy]

I'm learning a lot from this thread, and everyone's input is super helpful. It's the first thing I check each time I get online

Jill - what a nice offer, thanks!  I'm around 5 hours from Newport Beach at the moment, but still, meeting you and trying those specific boards and paddles would be priceless!  I will send you a PM later today to talk about it.

Wendy

[JillRide45]

Airjunky, I will try and explain this

First of all you say you tried a Uli C4 Waterman.  You must have tried a C4 Waterman iSup, not a ULI board.  These are 2 very very different boards.

Also whenever I ride, or demo a board, I pump it up to 20 psi, never less.  I always check with the manufacturer that it is OK to pump up to 20psi.  If the manufacturer says the board cannot be taken to 20psi, I do not even consider it.  I can easily get the boards to 20 psi using the ULI pump. 

Hope this helps explain why my observations are different from yours.
Jill

[MtnSUPSKI]

About 6" thick boards, I know I will get some crap about this, but just because a board is 6" thick does not make it stiffer than a 4" or 5" thick ULI.  I have ridden Naish, Starboard, Red, Hala Naas, Hobie 6" thick boards, none of them were as stiff as my 4" ULI and nothing came close to the 5" thick double skin ULI.  The skin thickness and thread design make a huge difference. Sure for a given manufacture a 6" board will be stiffer but when comparing different construction you cannot just go by thickness.

I don't get this. I read similar reviews when I was looking at boards. Based on that I rented an Uli C4 Waterman (which is an 11' x 4" thick board) & took it paddling down the Coeur d'Alene river. We pumped it up to about 12 psi. The thing tacoed under me on every wave. I went back & had them pump it up to 15 psi. It was definitely better, no doubt about that. But no where near as rigid as the Lakeshore I have now or the Hobie I tested out.... both of which inflate to more than 15 psi.

I guess thats why we test them out before we buy them.

I would had to agree but I also weigh 200 lbs. I guess at 100-140-ish you may not notice a difference btwn 4,5&6 but at my weight I notice t instantly. I would never get on a 4" board when on river. I've watched 4" boards buckle in half on whitewater. Weight, ability, what you are using board for is going to dictate ur board style, period. Different strokes for different folks.

[Wendy]

About one SUP board doing everything.  Oh no!  You will need a garage full.

I forgot to comment on this earlier.  It made me laugh!  I've always said that boats were like golf clubs, and you really needed a bag full of different ones for different situations.  Trouble is, I already have *other* "clubs in the bag."  Guess that's the price one pays for loving being on/in the water 

[AirJunky]

About 6" thick boards, I know I will get some crap about this, but just because a board is 6" thick does not make it stiffer than a 4" or 5" thick ULI.  I have ridden Naish, Starboard, Red, Hala Naas, Hobie 6" thick boards, none of them were as stiff as my 4" ULI and nothing came close to the 5" thick double skin ULI.  The skin thickness and thread design make a huge difference. Sure for a given manufacture a 6" board will be stiffer but when comparing different construction you cannot just go by thickness.

I don't get this. I read similar reviews when I was looking at boards. Based on that I rented an Uli C4 Waterman (which is an 11' x 4" thick board) & took it paddling down the Coeur d'Alene river. We pumped it up to about 12 psi. The thing tacoed under me on every wave. I went back & had them pump it up to 15 psi. It was definitely better, no doubt about that. But no where near as rigid as the Lakeshore I have now or the Hobie I tested out.... both of which inflate to more than 15 psi.

I guess thats why we test them out before we buy them.

I would had to agree but I also weigh 200 lbs. I guess at 100-140-ish you may not notice a difference btwn 4,5&6 but at my weight I notice t instantly. I would never get on a 4" board when on river. I've watched 4" boards buckle in half on whitewater. Weight, ability, what you are using board for is going to dictate ur board style, period. Different strokes for different folks.

Yes, I was on a C4 Waterman iSUP.... an inflatable. I thought that's what the thread was about. Like MtnSUPSki noted, the thinner boards, even when their inflated to 20 psi, do not support my weight nearly as well as the 6" thick boards inflated to the same pressure. The Lakeshore will actually perform fine inflated to 15 psi if the water is flat. It's when the wind & waves kick up that the additional PSI really become necessary. The additional PSI didn't have nearly as much effect on the C4 iSUP that I demoed.