all around board or touring?

[HollyinCali]

Hello Folks,

I'm starting to scout around for my first board and need a little input. I've been using a friends board, hard board, 10'4, 29 1/2 inches wide for the past year. Its been really fun and now she needs it back and I need to continue my love affair. I'm mostly paddling on a slow moving river (Russian River), some occasional small rapids, that do sometimes dump me.  I'll also be using it on camping trips on lakes. I love doing longer routes, around 8-10 miles. I tried this on my friends new Hala board, isup, did not like the feel at all. The board wasn't tracking straight and felt kinda lifeless to me, so I think I've ruled out isup in general. At first i was think a good all around board, 10'6, trying to stay in that size range, as its just bearable to get it loaded on my truck. But I like to get some speed going and sometimes have a hard time if the wind picks up or when paddling up river. Keep in mind I also need to be able to maneuver the rapids too.  Now I'm leaning towards touring, but don't want to go longer. So if anyone has any wise words of advice, let me know. I', 5'1-, 145 lbs, sometimes 150 if I eat desert! 

Holly

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I would look at the Hydrus Pocket Rocket. It's 11' long with a displacement hull. It's designed to be a tourer for people who don't want a full 12'6". The hull is a little tougher than the average build too. Hydrus is a small SUP company that does made-in-America boards. I've spoken to the owner several times. They seem like a responsive bunch. It's a little expensive but a good design. I might do a long term test on one soon.

Bic's boards are pretty plebeian, but they're tough and make adequate cruisers. They have boards of all sizes, and some smaller models designed for people of your size. They have good prices too. It's worth looking at the Bic website just as a level of comparison with other models you would consider too. Bics aren't fancy or sexy, but they make good first boards, especially if you plan on banging them around some. Most other constructions are not designed for rock impacts and such.


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[baddog]

Can't say I know much about river paddling, so check to see what's popular in your 'hood.  Size wise you could easily go down to a smaller board like the 9' 5" x 32" Sunova "The One" if you're sticking with a 'standard' surfboard style board.  You would loose very little speed compared to a 10'6".  But for touring, carrying camping gear and longer routes, a tour style board would be a much better option.  11' is what most manufacturers are offering lighter riders for touring and I wouldn't go any shorter.

But for the whole rapids thing, that's for someone else to answer.  My general feeling is surfboard style noses are best for an all-arounder if you actually plain to take it in the surf, but maybe it's the way to go in the rapids as well.  We'll have to wait for the river rats to chime in:)

[Badger]

What are your reasons for staying with a short board? Are you doing true whitewater paddling or just occasionally passing through rough patches of water?

12'6" is considered by many to be the minimum length for flatwater/touring. The length won't limit your ability to paddle through rough water.

[HollyinCali]

My biggest concern with going longer is two part, I have a short truck bed, and I'm concerned it will be hard to maneuver on the rapids. Straight forward rapids are not an issue, my balance is good and i can paddle through it usually. But sometimes the rapids are fast moving and taking a sharp turn, occasionally I can pull through it, and often I end up in the water. If its really fast and questionable, I drop down to my knees and that seems to help some. The river is about 10 minutes away and has several put in options, so its where I spend most of my paddling time. When i take the board to lakes, it's almost always flat and no balancing skill required. The downside I have found to some lakes is an afternoon wind that makes getting back a serious workout.

[2Rivers]

I tried this on my friends new Hala board, isup, did not like the feel at all.

Do you know which model Hala board you tried? Don't rule out iSUPs yet. I've been looking at getting a 10'6-11' touring board for some downriver adventures and I have a few inflatables on my list including Hala.
For touring boards under 11', there are not many options available. For some river worthy hardboards (rocks & rapids), I'd recommend checking out the Badfish MVP 10'6, Bote HD Gatorshell 10'6, Glide Retro 10', and the Riot Bellisima 10'6.
If you're willing to go with an 11' board, check out the BIC Wing Wahine 11', Glide Retro 11', TahoeSUP Paddlecraft 11', or the Bounce Super Cruiser 11'4. If you're willing to splurge, check out the Badfish Hole Shot Carbon 11' or the Hydrus Pocket Rocket 11' like mentioned above.
That's about all of your options outside of going custom. There are plenty of other 11' boards that I could recommend, but they're not as suitable for running rivers and rapids.

[2Rivers]

For some river worthy hardboards (rocks & rapids), I'd recommend checking out the Badfish MVP 10'6, Bote HD Gatorshell 10'6, Glide Retro 10', and the Riot Bellisima 10'6.

Nix the Riot board off the list above. It's most likely too fragile for a rocky environment, but it does have a flip-up skag which is nice for hidden rocks under rapids and shallow rivers/lakes. It's one of the few sub 11' touring shaped boards though, so you may want to consider it.
Also to answer you're title question: Focus on a touring board shape over an all-around/recreational shape based on your desires. You'll especially appreciate these shapes for going the distance.

[paddlejones]

https://www.facebook.com/groups/standup.swap/

Check out this group, look for Stephen pug, he has/had left over boards from his old shop

Also, art in surf has had their boards on amazon for reduced prices.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M2WYJ0S/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

[2Rivers]

Now I'm leaning towards touring, but don't want to go longer.

I'm really liking the Bote HD Gatorshell 10'6 for your needs.
https://www.boteboard.com/products/catalog/botes/hd/

[Night Wing]

The 10'6" Bote HD Gatorshell weighs 35 pounds and that might not be desireable (in my opinion) if it has to be transported for any length of distance on dry land to the water's edge for launching.

[robon]

I can vouch for running composite touring boards on rivers as I've been doing it for more than a few years now. It's fun. The Yukon River Quest started allowing SUPs over the last couple of years and the stand up participants use composite race boards. One of the paddlers in this years race used the same board I have, which is a 14' x 26" PVC lay up (non-carbon) and in a conversation over the weekend, he mentioned to me that it worked really well for him in that race which had several challenging sections with rapids, and swirling currents.

http://jasonbennett.ca/p/46813205-the-2017-yukon-river-quest

I have paddled with guys running sub 25" wide race boards on a high volume river with some pretty challenging sections, including wave trains three feet+, boiling water, and whirl pools, so a touring board in the 30" wide category and less is more than doable once you get the hang of it. The bottom line is depending on water depth, you can run many different types of boards. As long as the water is a few feet deep, you can run composite/non-inflatable boards and have a lot of fun doing it. Obviously you run the chance of wrecking your board in really shallow rivers, but you just have to know the rivers you want to run, the sections that can give you problems and plan your route accordingly.

At your size, the touring board offerings from multiple companies in the 11' to 11'6" range would probably fit the bill nicely. I would also suggest the SIC Bullet line of boards from 11 to 12'6". The shape does well in rough water and isn't bad for touring with. As mentioned, I wouldn't rule out inflatables either. Especially if you are paddling on low volume rivers. I have the 11' x 34" Hala Hoss, and if you were on something like that previously, it would feel much too big and wide for you. You want something that you can get a vertical, or very near to a vertical paddle stroke. There is no way you will be able to paddle properly on a board that is well over 30" wide at your size. Something to consider for sure.

You mentioned having a short box in your truck. Before I got a roof rack, I used a tailgate pad and strapped in a 12'6" and 11'6" board many times in my truck with a 6 foot box. No problems. An 11' or 11'6 will strap down fine in a truck with a 5 foot box as well. Good luck.

[HollyinCali]

I haven't completely ruled out the inflatables, especially for the transporting factor, but the Hala left a bad taste in my mouth so to speak. I'm also concerned in 5 years an inflatable will be towards the end of its life? The hard board i had for a year and a half was a little tricky at first, 29 in wide, but once I got it, was great. I felt like it was much easier to maneuver with my paddle strokes, vs the Hala. Keep in mind I'm not experienced, I just went out and paddled like crazy last summer after watching a couple youtube videos. :-) So I may need to go take some lessons to ensure my technique isn't all crap. The downside to the hard board I was on was the fin, center fin, which would sometimes catch a log and catapult me off the board. The rapids I'm having to get through are class 1 with an occasional class 2, and I can not manage those on the Hala, I went to their website, the board my friend has is the Straight Up Carbon, 10'6x32. I'll definitely keep in mind that a board that is too wide will be harder for me to turn. I'm feeling challenged with a board that I can cruise a slow moving river with, that has occasional rough sections, and a board I can go long distance on flatwater, that I wont ruin on the river. Today i came across the Glide boards,they look appealing for their ability to take a beating.

[JimK]

Holly,

I think the board that will work PERFECT is the BOUNCE 10'4 SUPER TOUGH Construction (pretty much indestructible) Reasonably light and it comes with a  short fin that tracks very well. They are made in the USA and are reasonably priced (We offer a ZONER DISCOUNT just give me a call 484 515 5758

There is no doubt this IS THE BOARD FOR YOU

JimK
Extreme Windsurrfing

[baddog]

the board that will work PERFECT is the BOUNCE 10'4

There is no doubt this IS THE BOARD FOR YOU

JimK, I know you're a fan of this construction, but the website is super vague on exactly what it is.  How exactly is it constructed?  Is the foam waterproof?  I'd have to guess it would molded together like a Bic board???

[HollyinCali]

Sorry folks, just looked at my original post, I'm not 5'1. :-) I'm 5'10.