Good Board for Rental Fleet

[DavidJohn]

Our local SUP rental business has had the most success with these G Boards.

There's an old post about them here..  http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2701.0

DJ

[robon]

On my local lake a paddling shop is using Imagine plastic SUPs for rentals and I think it would be wise to have a few plastic models in a rental fleet. The Imagine plastic models in question are almost indestructible, very stable and cheap to buy. I have seen the same models used for lessons as well. Plastic is heavier but you get back your investment faster than typical epoxy SUPS that are more expensive and not as durable.

Just across the border and down the road from me in northern Idaho, a SUP shop is using Pau Hana and SUP ATX for rentals. SUP ATX are very cheap and the owner told me she likes having using them in her rental fleet because of the return on investment and they are a stable beginner board. Pau Hana are well priced and stable boards.

I have a friend in town with a trendy clothing store and we are considering putting a few SUPs in the shop for rentals. If I end up going ahead, I am strongly considering Amundson and Imagine for rentals and demos. Amundson has reasonably priced boards that are very durable, and good for beginners. Another BC shop that I know of is using Amundson and likes using them for lessons for beginners and rentals. Imagine has the plastic line up as mentioned and I think the durability, price and cross appeal with kayakers and other paddlers will be there with plastic SUPs as well.

[CCSUP]

I have a pau hana soft top 11' in my fleet and it is a workhorse. Most of the main SUP co's out now have come out with something for the rental/school fleets. I've been at this for 2 and a half years now, between planning and then opening my shop, and the rental boards I would get if I were getting right now, based on stability, durability, and price, and then lightness, are the Doyle Beefy D, the Angulo Suppah Slippah's, and the Starboard Slickskin. While everyone's mileage will of course vary, anyone who is looking to stock a rental fleet won't regret the time they spend researching those boards. I've been renting boards out for two seasons now, and came to SUP from nearly two decades in and around the kayak industry, so I'm not new to this.

CCSUP

[natas585]

we use the surftech 11'6" softtop.  they are bombproof, float great, very stable, paddle well, and even surf relatively nicely.  but the weight is a factor for the smaller people.  if im the one racking and unloading them its no problem but carrying them any distance can be a chore.

[raf]

A large part of putting together a rental fleet is to spread the stoke, and hopefully sell boards to the people you were renting to the month before.  So you want your rentals to resemble something that you stock as a viable entry level board.  Thats my thinking on it anyhow.  No experience to back that up, but I'll see how it goes this summer. 

[kwhilden]

I've had a busy week, but now I have time to add a few more $0.02....  this is a good conversation!

Kevin,
This is not kayaking. Many people do SUP alone. I've been in the paddling industry since 1989, on both the manufacturer's side, the guiding/instructing, and now the retail side. I interact with potential buyers and rentals daily. There's another saying that reference's the viability of statistics that Mark Twain famously said.....I'm sure there's no need to write it out. Sure 44% of kayaker's are female, and sure the average weight of a kayak may be 45 lbs....but that means that there are plenty of kayaks that weigh less the 45 lbs and has anyone separated out the data to see which particular boats most of the women paddlers purchased? I thought not. Bit of a straw man you gave me there.

That's cool you have so much experience in the kayaking world. I'm sure we would get along great, and thanks for the kind words on our company.

For myself... I've been in the kayaking industry as long as you. I learned in a Dancer XT and a Prijon Invader, and bought several new kayaks per year during the whitewater kayaking Glory Days (1995 - 2000). I also taught whitewater and sea kayaking professionally for many years.  In all of my years experience, it is standard for two people to help carry boats to the water and on/off car racks. Most women can't lift even the lightest sea kayak alone, ever, unless they had taken the time to build a skin-on-frame sea kayak. Most women also can't lift creek boats, or even some playboats onto the roof of their cars alone.

Of course, even the smallest woman who surfs or is used to high performance SUPs can barely imagine having to ask for help every time they need to lift a board onto a car.  It's all a matter of perspective.

Two people carrying/loading a board/kayak is really no big deal at all, unless you are SUP'ing / kayaking alone. Then you do indeed have constraints, which will require you to purchase a specific board that is generally more expensive and fragile. However for the big explosion of SUP that's going happen this summer, most people won't be going it alone. Especially "between the Coasts" where the untapped marketplace exists.
 
I think that given most people on this forum are experienced surfers, it's easy to be biased toward 'paddling alone' and toward lightweight fragile gear. I have no problem with this, and in fact, that describes myself perfectly.  I'm just glad the the plastic boards provide a totally new option for the marketplace. They are so much stronger and cheaper than anything on the market. For example, our Surfer model retails at $399, has excellent dealer margins, and it's made in the USA. Any other type of construction is going to be at least 50% more expensive, and it's guaranteed to be made in China.

I completely agree with you that lightweight is important, and in specific situations, it is the most important factor. In others, it's just not an issue at all, and price or durability are the most important factors. Every situation and customer is different, and having more options in the marketplace improves the health of the marketplace substantially.

The plastic boards are going to get a lot more people involved in SUP this summer. A good many of these people are going to purchase a more expensive board for weight and performance issues. Overall, the industry is going to be much better off.

[Neki]

This is Yolo's new soft top original 12' . It has reinforced side rails and  tail (looks like it has nose peice too).
I would think tri fin boards would be better for rentals because of easier breakages on 10" fins versus three smaller fins and tri's have shallower water capabilities.
      http://www.yoloboard.com/shop/product120.html

[nepaddlesurf]

I have a SUP school in the Boston area (www.nepaddlesurf.com) and was looking for the ideal rental/school SUP.  I started the school using Jimmy Lewis boards (which I used to rep for in New England) and they were great, but I always had to worry about students dinging them and doing repairs.  The boards I kept coming back to last year at Surf Expo were the BIC ACS boards because of price and durability for a "real" SUP.  Full disclosure, my discussions with them regarding purchasing boards for my school led to my now full-time employment with them as SUP manager.  However, even before my employment I had reached the conclusion that these were the only PLASTIC boards that were "real" SUPs in legit shapes that surfed very well, not 'stand up kayaks' (which are cool but don't really give you the same feel on the water), and LIGHT enough to be functional (the 10'4" is 33lbs and the 11'4" is 37lbs).  The outer shell is thermoformed polyethylene (like a kayak but lighter weight) then injected with polyurethane foam (like a surfboard).  BIC has been making ACS surf and windsurf boards like this since the 80s and the boards are bomber, many are still on the water 20 years later.  I know this sounds like a sales pitch and while it's true I work for the company, this is based on my experience from my school before working for BIC. 

[JayP]

I run a SUP school and hire business in Portugal www.supxscape.com and for me for day to day cruising and for teaching beginners I only use inflatable's, Don't know if they're available in the US but I've found the ones from RED the best in terms of construction and value for money! Here's the site www.redpaddleco.com if anyone needs help in supply give me a shout.