When To Upgrade To A Touring SUP
With recreational stand-up paddleboarding experiencing an almighty boom in popularity during the pandemic years, many paddlers have now been stand-up paddling recreationally for 1-2 years and are looking for their ‘next step’. For many, this means it’s time for a board upgrade (woo!), but when you start to look into the different models of paddleboard things get a little overwhelming!
You may have heard that a common ‘next step’ for most paddlers is to upgrade to a touring SUP, but what is a touring board? And should you get one? Let’s break it down.
What is an All-Rounder SUP?
An all-rounder paddleboard is a great place to start for the majority of paddlers. They are equally at home on flatwater as they are in a few waves. They are normally a nice rounded shape, extremely stable and suitable for a wide audience. You can’t go wrong with an all-rounder, these boards can pretty much do anything!!
Many all-rounder stand-up paddleboards are 10ft to 10’8 in length, and around 32 to 34 inches in width with a round nose and round tail. As an example, Red Paddle Co’s range of all-rounder style SUPs are called their ‘Ride’ range - pictured below.
What is a Touring SUP?
Touring boards are often narrower in shape and longer boards. Their design is focused on maximum glide, straight tracking and supporting you on longer distance paddles. They are distinctive for having a pointier nose than an all-rounder style SUP. They can range between 11ft to 13/14ft in length depending on what kind of touring SUP you choose, and width can range between 28 to 33 inches.
What is the difference between a Touring SUP and a Race SUP?
As touring boards are often narrower and pointier than an all-rounder, I hear many paddlers ask if they are race boards. They are not!
Touring SUPs will indeed help you paddle faster, however race boards are a whole different category of SUP. Race boards are normally even skinnier than touring boards, they’re made for speed and constant movement which means they can be super unstable when stationary! While you can purchase inflatable race boards, the most common race boards seen around Australia are normally carbon-based hard boards (see pic below).
Touring boards, while narrow, will normally be wide enough to hold some ‘gear’. If you’re a touring paddler, you’ll likely want a dry bag for food, change of clothes or even your camping gear to fit comfortably on the nose of your SUP. Pictured below is my Red Paddle Co Voyager board (a touring board which is 12ft by 28 inches) loaded with my waterproof bags ready for an overnight camp!
So when should I upgrade to a touring SUP?
If you’ve been paddling for a while now and you’re looking to explore FURTHER and paddle for LONGER, these are normally the key signs that it’s time to get a touring SUP. If you’re wanting to explore beyond your local bay, perhaps head off for the day with a picnic lunch or even head off for an overnight SUP camp, a touring board would be your dream match. These boards will help you cover these kinds of distances with much less effort. Red Paddle Co have a range of boards called the ‘Sport’ range which are like a hybrid between a full expedition-style touring board and an all-rounder. I often refer a lot of my paddlers to their 11’3 Sport as it has the stability of an all-rounder board (width 32 inches) but additional length to provide greater glide.
When to NOT upgrade to a touring SUP
If you primarily stick in sheltered bays, rivers/lakes, and you’re happy just pondering and cruising around for a couple of hours, don’t feel rushed to move to a touring board. All-rounders are fantastic boards for cruising and you can still paddle long distances comfortably (I’ve regularly paddled 10km on my 10’6 All-rounder!) Also if you like to use your board with your kids, all-rounders are often better options for families. Touring boards are designed for straight lines and longer distances, which means that turning can actually be harder as they are such long boards. Therefore for kids, this isn’t ideal as they may struggle to turn the SUP.
You can still upgrade to an all-rounder!
If you are currently an owner of an all-rounder stand-up paddle board, you can still upgrade WITHIN your category, especially if you started out on a cheapy mass-market board. Due to the huge spike in popularity of stand-up paddle boards, many retailers started producing cheap paddle boards ($200 - $600 price range). These boards were great for getting paddlers out onto the water and introducing millions of people to SUP, but they aren’t great for stability and durability. If your board cost less than $800 you would definitely notice the difference between your board and a more premium board such as a Red Paddle Co, Fanatic or Starboard SUP.
What deals are around right now?
If you’re looking at purchasing an all-rounder style SUP, I’ve just been notified that Red Paddle Co are currently offering 25% OFF their 2022 models! Click here to check out their Ride range (pictured below) and use the code RIDE25 to get your 25% off any 2022 model. I assume this won’t last for long, so get in quick while stocks last.
If you’re looking to upgrade to a touring board use the code VIKKI5 which gives you a 5% discount store wide (that would save you $95 on a 11’3 Touring SUP!)
So there you have it. Hopefully that has made things a little clearer about when to upgrade to a touring SUP.
If you’re looking to explore FURTHER and paddle for LONGER it may be time for you to transition to touring, but this journey isn’t for everyone. So if you’re happy cruising on your all-rounder and have no big desires to go further, stick with what you’ve got!
If you have any questions or specific queries, feel free to reach out to me any time with additional questions.
Happy Paddling!
Vikki - Founder of She SUPs x
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