We tested these 14 SUP boards:
Inflatables:
Hardboards:
Click to go to the individual rating
All topics in this test:
The test report
By the second board at the latest, you know where your SUP journey is heading. Should it be longer and faster? Or wider and more stable for difficult conditions? Or maybe just easier to carry? If you know exactly what you want, you will certainly find a suitable model in this group, apart from very specialised race or river boards.
But this test can also be a good guide for new purchases, as it is rare to find a group as diverse as this one. Here, short, compact all-round boards meet long, narrow touring boards - both inflatable and laminated, some with the finest wood laminate. In between, there are boards for sporty training or for long tours, for a multi-day SUP expedition - it doesn't have to be on the Nile, the Lahn or the Rhine would also be suitable for beginners - or simply for paddlers who bring significantly more than 100 kilos on the board. In addition to the right length and width, the board weight can also play a decisive role in the purchase, but it is not as important in all respects as you might think.
About board weights
The weight of a board is mainly felt when handling it on land, quite simply on the way from the car to the beach, on tours certainly at longer transfer points, and if you want to heave a hardboard onto a high car, you should bear in mind that 15 kilos at almost four metres in length can already seem quite unwieldy. For a 1.60 metre person, the roof of a mid-range SUV seems as high as the Matterhorn. Once on the water, however, the shape and width are much more important for the perceived and actual resistance than the weight. Hardboards generally weigh two to six kilos more, but once on the water, this is more than compensated for by the more streamlined shape. The lower water resistance has a much greater influence. Once the mass has been accelerated, it is no longer of great physical significance. A hardboard is therefore always easier to keep at a higher speed than a comparably shaped inflatable board; even an inch or two more width is usually compensated for by the more streamlined shape.
Hard versus inflatable is not a class struggle
Experience has shown that another effect can be observed with inflatables: Particularly light boards of only eight kilos, sometimes even less ( Test of the compact travel boards from SUP 1/2023 ) have less inertia and appear more agile underfoot or - to put it another way - a little more tippy than very heavy boards. When it comes to handling on land, however, the difference between an inflatable weighing eight kilos and a particularly robust inflatable board weighing 13 kilos is clearly noticeable.
speed
Between myth and fact, we try to judge the boards with objective measurements. The differences are small, especially when cruising at a leisurely pace, and below 5 km/h the board width doesn't play too big a role.
However, if you want to paddle a six- or seven-point cut, you will make progress on a narrower board with noticeably less resistance and less paddling power. Subjectively, you might say that the board is faster - but in fact it only requires significantly less effort to reach a set speed.
All the boards in this test have been selected from a large number of available boards and extensively tested by us with the aim of presenting boards with particularly outstanding, good characteristics. Each of these boards has its own strengths, which cannot be weighed up against each other. There is therefore no single test winner among SUP boards.
Size selection: "How much would you like?"
30 inches is the magic size for SUP. This is the boundary between the sporty touring class and boards suitable for beginners, as board widths of 31 to 33 inches are recommended for newcomers, as well as for very tall or heavier paddlers. On the other hand, 32 or 33 inches can quickly appear too large and cumbersome for paddlers weighing 60 kilos after a short period of familiarisation. Boards under eleven feet in length are very manoeuvrable, but less suitable for long tours. Boards between 11'6" and 12'6" achieve true touring qualities. Even more board length can only be converted into higher speed with sporty effort. 14-foot boards are also no longer manoeuvrable. Hardboards, with an otherwise similar outline, are about as stable as an inflatable board that is one to two inches wider due to their reduced thickness and edge shape.
How SUP tests
As with the paddle test, boards are always tested in direct comparison. As a rule, each board is scrutinised by two testers in different weight classes. This enables a direct comparison in the paddle or board test, which is the only way to objectively determine manoeuvring characteristics or gliding behaviour. In the paddle test, the change from one paddle to another only takes a few seconds. Always included in the board test: the GPS measurement on the wrist. Of course, the absolute values measured depend heavily on the paddler, but we can still judge the boards better. The test programme includes leisurely paddling, leisurely touring speed, sport touring and a short sprint. All boards are then weighed (inflated to 15 psi, without fin).
