Advice on first touring or racing SUP

[Seaview]

Hello, this is my first post, so I’ll give a little background.  I live in the Philadelphia area and three years ago we bought a beach house in Wildwood Crest at the Jersey Shore. I had been paddleboarding several times and enjoyed it, so when we bought the house I bought two SUPs called the Skinner Good Buddy (10’4” X 33”, 175 liters).  I bought two of the same boards (different colors) so my wife and teenage kids could go too.  Our house is a few blocks from the ocean and a few blocks from the bay, so I could go either place.  I just go in the ocean when I go by myself and only go in the bay when a family member or friend wants to go on flat water.  I have never been prone surfing, but I started to learn to paddle surf at the local surf beach.  If the waves are any good I will try to catch some waves and if they aren’t I will just cruise around for exercise.  I often see dolphin and really enjoy being out on the ocean. 

Last year I decided to get a board that was a little more geared towards surfing.  I went to the local surf shop and settled on the Adventure Paddle Sixty Forty X2.  It’s 9’4” x 31.5”, 163 liters.  I sold one of my Skinner boards to a buddy.   I didn’t want to make a radical jump to a much smaller board.  I love this new board and quickly adjusted.

We are at the beach house every weekend in the summer, with some longer stays and I’m on my board in the ocean most days.  The surf gets better there after Labor Day, but that is also when my kids are back in school and it is much harder to get to the shore.  So, a lot of days in the summer I’m just cruising around and not surfing.  I’m 51 years old, 6’0” and 173 pounds.  I was a hardcore triathlete up until 20 years ago, but now I just workout daily and am merely in good shape for a guy my age.  I’ll usually paddle for an hour or so, not hours on end.

A couple of weeks ago there was a small SUP race nearby in the bay in Cape May, NJ.   There was a 5 mile race and a 2 mile fun paddle.  Having never even seen a SUP race I decided to do the 2 mile fun paddle.  Of course now I want to do some races next year.  I don’t mind if I come in at or near the back of the pack, but I don’t want to embarrass myself. 

One last detail before I get to my questions.  My beach house doesn’t have a garage.  There is an 11 foot wall that connects my kitchen and den and I mounted a rack at a 45 degree angle for my two boards.  From there I can easily take them out the through the sliding glass doors.

I’m thinking about getting a board that I can train on in the ocean and occasionally race on.  I want the board to be faster than the board I have, but I also want it to be stable enough that I can ride in the ocean on somewhat choppy days.   I can go to the bay, but I would rather not.  I have spent a lot of time in the ocean the past three summers and I am very comfortable on my current board.  I just don’t know how much narrower is too narrow for me at this point.

I’m thinking about getting an inflatable board.  That would solve my storage problem.  I also like the idea of being able to travel easily with it.  I’m open to 12’6” or 14’. 

My questions are:

How badly disadvantaged will I be if I try to race on my current board?  I don’t mind coming in last.  I just don’t want to come in last by A LOT.

Any suggestions for a new board?

[Dusk Patrol]

Hey Seaview and welcome...
Well you have the infrastructure dialed in, so now the board to take best advantage of it!
A 14' downwind board of some ilk would be your best bet. They tend to be ideal all water ocean boards which you can race. LOTS of discussion of them on this site. The lighter the better.

As for racing your 9'4, you'll probably feel very disadvantaged. But you can give it a shot!

[TallDude]

At your weight, you could probably do fairly well on a 12'-6. 14' would be better, but if space is an issue the 12'-6 is fine. 27 to 28 inches puts you right between racing and touring widths. There are some really nice 14' inflatable race boards. Saves even more space. If you do go for an inflatable board, get a quality name brand (ie: ULI, Red Paddle, Hobie, Naish, Hala, Starboard, etc.) otherwise it will be worth the cost of the cardboard box is was shipped in within just a handful of uses. Expect to pay over a $1K for it.
As for an epoxy / foam 'hard board', lots and lots to choose from.

[lisabearsitall]

Hi Seaview.  I live in Chester County and paddle at Marsh Creek and have a 2016 Naish Javelin 12'.6" X 28.   It's not for sale, but if you want an idea of that size board, you are more than welcome to try it at the lake.

[burchas]

If you do go for an inflatable board, get a quality name brand (ie: ULI, Red Paddle, Hobie, Naish, Hala, Starboard, etc.)

I'll echo TallDude.

The inflatables mentioned above are top notch and speed wise, may top hard boards at times.
Our local group known as the Red Paddle Ladies are cleaning local races on these inflatables.

Even-though I have 3 custom boards I'll most likely travel with my Red inflatable board, its a lot less
headache in every possible way and you certainly won't embarrass your self on one.

[Eagle]

If unsure what board or width -> try to demo if you can.  That will quickly get you into the width ballpark based on your balance requirement.  From there narrow down what you like most based on your budget and main use preference.

That said an old 27.5 Dominator full-on race board is now considered a touring width cruising board.  But really -> many options are available for racing from low priced used to high priced new.  Just depends what you want out of this one board.

[Seaview]

Thanks All!!

I think an inflatable in the 27 to 28 inch range could be the sweet spot for me.  I pulled up some options from Red Paddle and Starboard that look great.  I will do further research and read more posts here.  Thanks for all your input!

[burchas]

Thanks All!!

I think an inflatable in the 27 to 28 inch range could be the sweet spot for me.  I pulled up some options from Red Paddle and Starboard that look great.  I will do further research and read more posts here.  Thanks for all your input!

2 Great Choices! A word of advice, both companies will have new 2018 options. Starboard already introduced the 2018
lineup, Red hasn't done so yet. You might want to wait until they do in order to compare.

We have here in the zone a retailer that offers both and he usually offers a nice "Zoner" discount and he might
have deeper information and knowledge on the lineups. Look for Green Water Sports here in the zone.

[Eagle]

Sounds like you are narrowing it down.  Both the Red and SB are good quality inflatables.  But you still may get a leak so keep an eye out for that.  We know a couple of paddlers that have taken their inflatables back for minor repairs under warranty.  Like anything -> always pros and cons. 

[Green Water Sports]

Hi Seaview,

We've got the full range of 2018 Red Paddle Co boards in stock (almost, sold out of 14' x 27" Elites already - more coming), so if you have any questions, let me know. We also have a few of the 2018 Starboard Zens inbound. Deluxe won't be arriving until Jan 2018.

Julian