What Is The Best Touring Paddle Board or Touring SUP?
What Is The Best Touring Paddle Board or Touring SUP?
If you’re new to paddle boarding or just wondering what a touring paddle board is compared to the other famous paddle board, the all-rounder. With both being very versatile, it is mainly the shape and how it interacts in different conditions, which should fuel your decision to purchase a touring paddle board.
What To Look For In A Touring Paddle Board?
The touring stand-up paddle board (or touring SUP) usually are longer to help them remain straight in the water. They also have a pointed nose making them more suited for long-distance travel. This nose allows the board to cut through the water, especially choppier open waters, while maintaining its speed. When touring, they often can carry a lot more weight while maintaining an increased speed and ensuring no further burden is placed on those paddling.
With most touring paddle boards being wider and longer, it makes them perfect for racing, fishing, yoga or coastal paddle boarding and even provides the chance for a family member or pet to be on the board.
Why Buy A Touring Paddle Board?
If you’re someone who is wanting to step up their paddle board game, hoping to cut through more waves and wish to encounter choppier waters, then moving to a touring paddle board will be for you. They can handle moderate to severe weather conditions and be made with SUP racing in mind.
Touring paddle boards are also made with travelling in mind, being able to cope with minimal camping equipment and your backpack, allowing you to cover more distance for a few days rather than returning to a hotel or your car. On top of that, because they tend to be wider and more stable, they are perfect for fishing, yoga and even bringing a pet along with you.
Inflatable or Solid Touring Paddle Board?
When purchasing a touring paddle board, consider whether you wish to buy an inflatable touring or hard-touring board. The inflatable version is more lightweight and easy to transport and tends to be more stable on the water. However, you’ll need to remember to inflate them before you head to the water. Whereas hard-touring boards handle wind and waves better, track straighter and don’t require you to bring a pump with you.
There is no right from wrong between the two, but rather which suits your lifestyle and personal boarding experience better.
The Best Five Touring Paddle Boards
When it comes to the best touring paddle board, it is all down to personal choice. For some, storage and travel mean more than peak speed; for others, it’s stability over agileness. You need to consider what you need more from your board and choose accordingly as well as whether you’d prefer solid or inflatable.
Shark 12’6 Touring iSUP Paddle Board Package
The Shark 12’6 SUP is for paddlers looking for improved glide and top speed for optimum SUP touring performance or an entry into SUP racing. The touring range is a step up from our entry-level all-round range, with a sleeker outline shape this range allows you to go faster and cover more distance without compromising stability.
The 12’6’ x 30 is the most popular of the touring range, offering the best glide, tracking and stability to suit the widest range of paddlers. At 30’’ wide the 12’6 Touring board is a sleek, faster shape demanding slightly more balance, however, you will be rewarded by smooth gliding allowing you to cover more distance.
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Thurso Surf Expedition 138 touring SUP
Coming in at 30’’ wide and 6’’ thick, the Thurso Surf Expedition 138 touring SUP is stable while also meeting incredible speeds and glides when in the water. The carbon fibre rails offer fantastic stability coupled with great speed and glide in the water. It has carbon fibre rails as well as dual bungee tie-down areas and a newly added mount for added coverage. The textured deck is made from EVA foam, covering a larger circumference of the board, adding extra grip and traction support and having snap-lock side fins. It is perfect for touring beginners and more experienced paddle boarders. When it is fully inflated, it weighs in at 12kg and can hold up to 150kg.
NIXY Monterey G4
Made with superb stability in mind and perfect for carrying heavier loads, the NIXY Monterey G4 has reinforced carbon side rails. It comes with two adjustable bungee tie-downs and space for two optional kayak seats. Due to it being very wide at 34″, it may not be fast, but it is secure, stable and stiff, making it perfect for long travel with lots of weight and fishing. To ensure it is extra durable, rigid and stable during touring, the Nixy Monterey can be inflated to15 PSI.
Boardworks Raven Solid Touring Board
Made with all skill levels in mind, the Boardworks Raven is a solid touring board designed for maximum glide and performance in the water. It is perfect for those who appreciate and love speed, with a foam deck pad, plenty of bungee tie-downs and comes with one fin. It has been made so that the bow and hull shape allows for extended glide and tracking performance, making it suitable for open, calm and choppier waters. It also has an integrated LiftSUP handle for easy carry and locking ability when travelling.
Red Paddle Co Voyager 13’2″ Inflatable SUP Package + Carbon 50 Nylon Paddle
The Voyager 13’2” is an inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) created with epic adventures in mind. The board’s high sides, large volume, and narrower width make it a high-speed cruiser. With a Flat Bungee Cargo System at the front and a six-point cargo area at the rear, there are plenty of storage options. RSS battens increase stability and aid glide when you are travelling fully loaded. Practical without compromising on performance, it is ideal for competent paddlers. Choose for solo expeditions and weekend-long trips with friends alike.
The Voyager 13’2″ Carbon/Nylon Package ensures you have everything you need to get out and explore. This includes an adjustable Carbon 50 Nylon paddle. Its carbon shaft is lightweight while the nylon blade increases durability.
Check it out here
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Sea Lion Tasman Paddle Board
Weighing in at 13.5kg, Sea Lion brings their Tasman touring paddle board made perfectly for overnight and multi-day paddling trips. Coming with tie-downs at the front and rear for all of the things you need, from camping gear to clothes, and even allows you to remove the touring fin if need be. Due to the width and length, the Sea Lion Tasman paddle board is perfect for open waters and even ocean environments, providing glide and stability when exploring. As expected, when you purchase from Sea Lion, the Tasman paddle board is eco-friendly, and a 1% donation from your sale will be made to ‘For The Planet’.
You can pre-order the Tasman Paddle Board now.
When selecting the best touring paddle board, what you are getting is good tracking and glide, making it easier to go further distances for less effort. They will let you travel further but be stable enough to bring a pet, a person and your things along with you. Any of the boards above will help you do this, so be sure to have fun and feel the wind on your face as you glide through the water on your touring paddle board.
