Stand Up Paddle Boarding Ultimate Guide 2022

Table of contents

1.How to Stand up paddleboard: Body Position
2.Stand-Up Paddle Boarding: Paddling Skills
3.How to SUP Surfing
4.How To SUP: Basics of SUP Equipment
5.Stand-Up Paddle Boards Types
6.Paddle Board Accessories: Which One Is Essential For You
7.What To Wear For Paddle Boarding
8.Where To Go Paddle Boarding Near Me
9.How Fast Do Paddle Boards Go

If you are wondering, “What is paddle boarding?” or “Is paddle boarding hard?” you’re in the right place! Goosehill Paddle Boards has created a guide to all of the information you need to learn how to paddle board, select the right SUP equipment, and expand your mind to all that the paddle boarding lifestyle can offer you.

How to Stand up paddleboard: Body Position

When starting out on the path of learning how and where to stand on a SUP board, you first want to find the center of the board. Then, position your feet in a parallel stance about shoulder-width apart around the center point of the board.

You’ll want your knees to be bent slightly. If you’re wondering, “Is paddle boarding easy to learn?” you should know that it can be difficult to learn the muscle memory required for balancing, but it’s helpful to practice rocking the board side to side alternately with your legs.

This is the counter-balancing motion that you need to learn to balance. It takes about 30 minutes to find your balance and to get the muscle memory to learn to SUP. It may not feel stable at first, but in no time, you’ll be very comfortable on flat water paddle boarding.

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding: Paddling Skills

In this post, we will not go any further for paddling techniques, if you interested in, please check out our previous post: How to paddle a SUP correctly.

How to SUP Surfing

When it comes to using a paddle board vs. a surf board, it all depends on personal preference. There is a lot more going on in stand-up paddle surfing than in flat-water paddling. Even once you negotiate through the whitewater and crashing waves to a safer area outside of the breaking waves, there is still a constant swell you’re trying to balance against.

This makes it all the more difficult, especially if you’ve never even done flat-water stand-up paddle boarding before. The balance issue is compounded by the fact that you never really know what level is, as everything is moving. A good trick is to fight the urge to look down at your feet while you’re trying to balance on a stand up paddle board and instead focus on the horizon or the beach. That’s your level. Forget your feet.

The paddle board and your feet will take care of themselves if you concentrate on the true level, the horizon. As a side note, this is also how you keep from getting seasick on a boat.

For more advance techinques for paddle surf, you may need to check the details in the article: Surf Stance for SUP Surfing.

How To SUP: Basics of SUP Equipment

(1)How to transport your stand up paddle board

paddle boards are larger than people realize at first. Most paddle boards are 10 feet long or longer and almost 3 feet wide. They aren’t heavy, at only 25 to 30 pounds, but it’s awkward dealing with something of that size regardless of the weight. Hard SUP boards are made out of fiberglass and epoxy resin , so they are fairly easy to damage by whacking a corner.

Here are a few tips that can help make transportation easier:

• Consider inflatable paddle board: Seriously consider going the inflatable paddle board route instead of a hard paddle board. Inflatable SUPs are almost indestructible and can be deflated to save space and hassle. Unless you are surfing and you need the edge transition only available on hard SUPs, inflatable paddle boards are a better option. That’s why 70%+ of the market buys ISUPs these days.
• Get a SUP Bag: If you have a hard board, a high-quality paddle board bag is a good idea to protect your investment.
• Learn the SUP Shoulder Carry: Most SUP boards have a handle that’s designed so you can carry the board under your arm, but you can also flip these up over your shoulder to carry it. Alternate between the two for comfort.
• SUP Racks Are a Must: Paddle board car racks are absolutely necessary. Get some nice paddle board roof rack pads and some good-quality paddle board car rack tie-down straps.

(2)SUP Paddle Size

Your SUP paddle length is pretty critical. Many paddles come in a fixed length that you choose when you purchase it, but it’s a lot more common in recreational settings to be found using an adjustable SUP paddle.

In order to get you through to more details of sup paddle, We have written an in-depth analysis article on how to use sup paddles and buying guidance. If you are interested in it, Please click to read more.

(3)SUP Fins

If you have an inflatable stand-up paddle board, you will need to ensure that the fins are installed securely: They’re crucial parts of a paddle board for steering. There’s nothing worse than being on a paddle board with no fins. You’ll just go around in circles and be at the mercy of the wind.

If your paddle board has a center fin box, this works just like the center box on a regular surfboard. Center fins for a SUP will come with a paddle board fin screw and plate that slides along a channel in the SUP fin box. 

Maybe you are wondering how to choose the right sup fins for your paddle board, In the previous chapter, we put in the detailed of the fin size, shape, and comparison between various brands. If you are interested, then check the details.

Stand-Up Paddle Boards Types

Inflatable paddle board vs rigid

For most newbies to paddleboarding, choosing an inflatable paddleboard or a hard paddle is always a confusing question.

To answer this question, Goosehill have a measure of what kind of sports you plan to engage in after you buy a paddle board. If it is just paddling, then the actual experience of a blow up paddle board and a hard paddle board is not much different, but if you want to use paddle board to carry out a variety of water sports, such as yoga, fishing, racing, touring, etc., such more complex sports, then only inflatable paddle board can meet your needs.

In one of our best artlcles at goosehillsport.com (the complete guide for sup beginners), We do a very in-depth and detailed analysis of paddle types,The article also mentions several common types of paddleboards such as:

• Beginner paddle boards
• Touring paddle boards
• Racing paddle boards
• Fishing paddle boards
• Surfing paddle boards

The fully introduction and comparision for the pros and cons of these types of paddleboards are included.

Paddle Board Accessories: Which One Is Essential For You

 (1) SUP Paddle

Once you’ve mastered the technique and are ready to buy your own SUP, you may be wondering what to bring stand-up paddle boarding. Your list should start with a SUP board and a sup paddle. 

Unlike kayak or canoe paddles, sup paddle has a T-handle grip on one end and a blade on the other. and most of sup paddles are adjustable for length. This allows the paddle to fit people of different heights. But there are many factors that can affect your choice of a paddle, so I won't repeat it here. For in-depth informations on how to choose a sup paddle, please check out our article for the details.

(2) SUP Leashes

One of the most important attachment you should never forget is sup leash, It keeps you safe and prevents your paddle board from being washed away by water during stand up paddleboarding.

There are two types of sup leashes for paddle boards:

• Coiled leash
• Straight leash

The functions of these two different sup leashes are very different, so for different paddling enthusiasts, you need to choose the right sup leash according to your own situation.

Here we provide you with a detailed The report of sup leashes analysis and guidance is convenient for you to further understand this information. Check: Coiled leash vs straight, which one is better?

What To Wear For Paddle Boarding

Paddleboarding are divided into summer and winter, so the equipment for wearing will also be different, mainly divided into the following two categories.

(1) SUP Wear For Summer:

• Broad Shorts
• Bathing Suit Top
• Head Gear
• Life Jacket

(2) SUP Wear For Winter:

• Wet suits
• Dry suits
• Surf booties
• Gloves

 Where To Go Paddle Boarding Near Me

There are lots of places in the world that can go for paddle boarding, but you may wondering how can i quickly find a place to go paddleboarding near me?

The article that i just mention above is included the detailed introduction to the paddle boarding spots query tools and other free methods available, through these free and practical tools, you can quickly find nearby places suitable for stand up paddle boarding, including rivers, lakes, oceans and other different types of waters.

If you are still confused about how to find the right place to paddleboarding, then this article can be of great help to you.

How Fast Do Paddle Boards Go

For most of SUP beginners, A comfortable average speed is about 3-5 knots, on a general all-around paddle board, More wave-orientated SUPs are slower, while specialized race sup can be up to 8-9 knots fast or even much more faster, depending on the weather condition.

Paddle Board Speed vs Kayak

The kayak is faster than a sup in most cases, Both kayaks and SUPs have a variety of shapes that are designed for specific purposes, However, in headwind conditions, paddleboards are usually faster than kayaks due to the larger windshield area of kayaks. so we mostly say that kayak is faster than a sup in flat water or straight-line paddling.