I have two hard sided SUPs and have used inflatables many times. I would hop on youtube and search for SUP inflatable vs rigid (or something like that). An inflatable is actually MORE durable and extremely hard to puncture. You can bounce it off rocks no problem. A rigid board can crack and chip.

The rigid board performs a little better but is harder to store. It really comes down to your specific use case (where are you going to store the boards, how are you going to transport, are you okay with spending 10 minutes inflating the board every time, and then deflating it, etc.).

But there are youtube videos that will explain this all really well.

I know a few people who have purchased the inflatable Xterra SUP's and are very happy with them.

I’ve got 5 different boards from POP and recently sold off 2 inflatables that I just never got around to using.

Wider and longer is more stable, shorter is for surf, narrow if for speed.

Enjoy.

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Boots
Fleet Feet Rochester, NY
Fleet Feet Buffalo, NY
YellowJacket Racing, Rochester, NY

We bought an Aquaglide Cascade 11 that we really like. We have a rigid that we’ve owned since living in HI and have used the inflatable more in the 2 weeks since it arrived than we’ve used the rigid in the last 4 years.

Interesting! I'll have to look into the inflatable boards! Storage is not a problem. We just moved to a remote homestead with two big barns. One even has a basement lol. But our Thule roof rack is for bikes and we would have to get some sort of piece for the board which would be a thumbs down for the rigid option. Another expenditure and project. And other folks are praising the inflatables too.

But if we order online, shipping looks to be about 5-6 weeks with the pandemic. By that time we will have snow in Vermont. Stay tuned...

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

Is this because it's just easier than lugging a heavy board onto your car? Or is the performance that much better with your inflatable board. Sorry, call me a moron when it comes to things that you paddle. I know nothing lol.

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Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.

We've been big fans of our iRocker Nautical Paddleboards. They are inflatable but do the trick for Colorado waters.

https://www.irockersup.com/...tandup-paddle-board/

we just ended up getting one from Dicks. If you watch for discount codes you can get a lot off. Ours is a Connelly that was on sale for a little over $400 IIRC. It was around $600 normally.

It does just fine. 10.5” long. We did get a carbon fiber paddle which is nice and stiff.

I can’t see spending $1000+ for what we use one for, which is just paddling around the lake for fun.

You mentioned you had a shop nearby. Why not just call them?
These days I’m sure they could text you pics of their stock and you can shop/talk that way.

I have two inflatables I bought on Amazon for about $200 each and they're great. Single fin for lakes and rivers are faster than double fins. As well, get one around 10 feet long and 4 or 5 inches thick for better stability. The brand I bought was Xtreme but there are many.

We bought two Star Photon 11’6” inflatable boards and they are simply outstanding. Touring design so track straighter, yet are very stable. Longest hard paddle so far has been just shy of 2 hours and it was a fantastic workout. I did a bunch of research and read the same : new drop-stitch 18 psi boards are often better performers & more durable than hard boards. Good luck!

I would highly recommend reconsidering an inflatable. They're super tough and for the kind of paddling you describe, I think it would be perfect.

Hello!

I have an 10'6" SUP from Red Paddle, inflatable, I paddle on the lakes in Massachusetts and love it because I can shove it in the back on my car. It's super tough, and this is my third summer on it.

Enjoy!

Meg

I have an older Xterra inflatable. Really like it as easy to transport and store, and even more so with the new pump. The old pump died and they sent me a new pump but the inflation nozzles were different so I had to do some regaling and cutting on the nozzle/hose. However, the new pump with the ability to switch between high volume and high pressure dramatically improves ease of inflation. Still a workout but that is part of it. Get on the mailing list and wait for a deal or find someone with a code to be sure you get best package. Not sure I and think of a way to puncture it save running into a sharp part of a dock or something. Seems pretty tough.

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I miss you "Sports Night"

I'll echo the comments above regarding inflatables. We purchased a couple of iRockers last summer and have gotten a ton of use out of them on local reservoirs as well as the ocean. A quality inflatable SUP is no joke, these things are quite impressive when fully inflated.

It is all about horses for courses. You can buy a big fat inflatable one that anyone can paddle and have fun on. Then you get a little better and want a little faster hull. Then you go out with racers and they are in the next area code before you get up to speed. Paddle boards are like bikes. Beach cruiser to a $12,000 Rocketship. The skinnier and longer boards are pretty tippy for a beginner and the big fat inflatable board is a pig in a speed contest. Everyone fits on the spectrum somewhere you need to figure out where.

I have 3 Xterra SUP 10' inflatables for sale. Brand new. In Lake Placid. Visit our FB page. Mirror Lake Boat Rental

Something noone has mentioned, especially since you have storage space: soft top boards. I've been paddling a Pelican Saona 106 for the last 3 seasons and I love it to death; the whole top of the board is covered in closed-cell foam which is comfortable on the knees for popping down to grab a drink from my nalgene (which I carabiner to the deck bungees), or for doing silly crap like headstands. At 30" wide it's stable enough I've paddled it through some whitecaps, but soft top boards tend not to be as expensive, heavy (mine is 26lbs), or fragile as rigid boards, without the extra time requirement of inflating/deflating an iSUP. The 10" fin gives decently straight tracking, though does limit the places I can paddle a bit as it requires more water depth than a kayak or canoe would; you can get shorter fins as well, in different configurations (3 or 4 small, surfboard-like fins, one large fin, one medium size plus two small fins).

I just got back on Sunday from car topping it and my husband's sit-on-top angling kayak for 2,500km through the Laurentian Mountains, and (among other things) spent a wonderful afternoon paddling it on an 8km round-trip down a water trail from Lac Arthabaska in Parc National des Grands-Jardins.





I'll highly recommend getting a waist pack-style PFD for any board you buy - so much more pleasant to wear on a hot summer day than a foam lifejacket.

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ill advised racing inc.

I'll echo that...I have two of these...they were relatively inexpensive, super easy to store and inflate and are stable and great for what you are describing.

I bought the body glove 11' board from costco for like $350 shipped to the door and it has been awesome. I really cant see the need for upgrade or hard board unless you really get into it and even then i have no idea what the difference would be.

Now if you are lazy like i am and dont want to hand pump your board simply get the Ryobi battery inflator with an isup schrader pump adapter and everything is automatic from there. Takes some time but for ~$50-70 I can hook up the pump and do other things while the board is being aired up.

Just say no to inflatables.....they are slow. Sure you can beat the crap out of them but an the expense of speed. The glide of a rigid board is just unmatched. I have a 14 foot race board and a 12'6 touring board.....both are quite quick compared to inflatables.

In Jamaica Vermont I would recommend "Vermont Ski and Sport". The owner knows his stuff....he walks the walk.

https://www.vermontskiandsport.com/

If you don't mind going a little further for boards go to South Shore Paddleboards in Babylon NY. Karen the owner sells tons of volume because she's just passionate about SUP. She carries SIC and Yolo mostly....2 of the best brands out there.

https://southshorepaddleboards.com/

Also, don't cheap out on a decent carbon paddle....there's nothing worse than paddling with a heavy aluminum paddle.

Good luck