September 17, 2017
Rigid or Inflatable?
This is the one question we get asked more than any other by people looking to get into standup paddle boarding: “should I get an inflatable, or is a rigid board better for me”?
There are a lot of factors related to buying any board, so we’ll walk you through a couple of the most important ones. First a bit of background…
History
In the early days of standup paddle this wasn’t even a real question… inflatables were toys with built in drink holders in your backyard pool, not elite race-quality vessels with the performance of near carbon-fiber precision!
However, over the years the gap between rigid and inflatable has continued to close, and now we find ourselves at a point where it’s hard to tell the difference (especially after a couple training sessions… or a couple beers). All beer aside, there have been some incredible technology innovations which have elevated inflatables as serious contenders beyond recreation use, and as we’ve seen they are even starting to win races.
Gone are the days of pool inflatables, here are the days of winning the race on an inflatable, then buying a blowup pool with your winnings.
So, with the basics out of the way, let’s get into the different factors you need to consider when making the call…
The Factors
Experience - Quick rule of thumb: inflatables are great first boards, though as you get more experienced you’ll have a much harder decision to make. If you’re new to the sport or looking for a party board to have on your houseboat in Havasu, then an inflatable is an absolute no brainer. Rigid boards are great, but they’re hard to fit into the trunk of your car when the party’s over. If you’ve paddled some and are looking for your first board to invest in, then an inflatable probably makes sense depending on where you’re paddling and if you’re hoping to do yoga and training. If you’re name is Kai Lenny then your’e probably not focused on inflatables out of the gate (until inflatable-foil is a thing), though Zane was raving about his vacation Starboard experience the other day! Once you hit the racing scene, you’ll probably start looking at races with inflatable categories and weighing your chances of winning there…
Where you’re paddling - Another big question is always how often are you gonna be paddling around your home turf vs. taking a board on trips. To state the obvious, it’s tough to fly with a 12’6” stick of carbon, but flying with a full 14’ inflatable setup is easy as can be. My wife’s shoes take up more luggage space than most my boards, and thanks to the prevalence of travel bags they almost all have great wheels. If you think you might want to paddle outside the range of your roof-rack, then air is definitely right for you. Lake house? Inflatable. Summer house in Zurich? Invite me, and Inflatable. Usually sticking close to home? well then rigid is a solid option.
Where you live - My answer to this is always the simple: If you can’t fit your board in your elevator without sawing it in half, then you should probably think about an inflatable. Seriously though, anyone living in an urban environment has some serious space constraints and a board you can fit into your closet is much more flexible. Alternatively, if you live on the beach and can get away with leaving your board inflated year round, well then your pumping muscles are not as sore as mine!
What you plan to do - In general, if you’re gonna be SUP Surfing in any decent size waves then a rigid board is probably more your speed. Smaller surf or any waves that don’t require that kind of rail, then inflatables are your best friend.
Cost - Entry level paddleboards have come down in price a lot over the past decade, and even with lots of foam junk flooding the market Inflatables are still mostly on the lower side and certainly highest value. Higher end inflatable boards will still cost more for the crazy good tech they empower, but they are absolutely worth it even in the $1K-$1.5K range. Last rule of thumb: unless you’re just gonna hang it on your wall, don’t buy foam! (and if you are, do yourself a favor and spend the $ on tequila instead)
Making the Decision
At the end of the day there’s no one right answer for everyone.
Use the criteria above to weigh your options, and always remember that once you get into paddleboarding you’re probably going to get another board (or 10) anyway…
There are so many great boards hitting the market, the time to get into SUP has never been better. Depending on what you want to do, where you want to do it, and overall cost, an inflatable option might be right for you. Like always, we love to talk about this stuff so drop us any questions you have!
Need more advice, check out our recommended Top 5 Entry Level Boards.
