Stand Up Paddle Board or Kayak

[Nish]

Which do you like better?

Honestly I'm torn.

They are very different. Here is what I can tell you after using them about 3-4 times and being on them for probably 10 hours.


The Aqua Marina is a cheaper product by several hundred dollars, I would call it a mid tier product as far as price. It's bit thinner and more narrow and all 3 fins are removable. This makes it lighter and easier to transport but it is also less stable on the water. The carry handle is a stiff rubber material instead of fabric so it dries quickly. On a lake with motorized boats speeding back and forth the wake made it a real challenge to stand on it and not fall off at times. Kneeling or sitting was plenty comfortable. The pump is not very good. It's just a 1 stage pump and it is loud. 1 minor annoyance is that you have to buy a leash separately as it doesn't come with one.

The Body Glove is what I would call a high end price product. Full price was about $1000, we found it on sale for $600. I wouldn't pay full price for it but I think it's worth the sale price that we paid. It's a thicker, wider board so it's more stable but carrying it out of the water is a bit more awkward. The fins are not removable so you need to pay more attention to how you roll it up to get it to fit in the backpack it comes with. I still fell of it a lot but even with the boats going by we all agreed it was more stable. The pump is much better. Quiet, and has a switch to change it between 1 and 2 stage if you want. The carry handle is fabric, nice and soft to carry but it holds water and was very slow to dry. To the point that after getting it home we had to leave it out to dry.

If I had to choose one of them right now... I would probably go with the Body Glove narrowly, if on sale. I can't recommend it at all at the full price.

[bellicose]

Which do you like better?

[Nish]

1 Body Glove and 1 Aqua Marina

[bellicose]

Ended up going with a second inflatable paddle board for this season. We took both out on vacation and had an absolute blast on them just tooling around a lake. My daughter even decided to do yoga and my son and I got yelled at by the wife as we were both trying to climb the same one to see who could knock the other one off and stay on. Shes just no fun some times.

What brand do you have?

[Nish]

Ended up going with a second inflatable paddle board for this season. We took both out on vacation and had an absolute blast on them just tooling around a lake. My daughter even decided to do yoga and my son and I got yelled at by the wife as we were both trying to climb the same one to see who could knock the other one off and stay on. Shes just no fun some times.

[mtaylor]

Paddle Board! An inflatable is totally fine. This is easy to just go play with.

Rent the kayak. I love kayaking but to go kayaking takes preparation and planning, and the places you'd go kayaking all rent anyways.

Inflatable is almost better, they are way more durable and pack up.

[punkncat]

I don't do either.

My son purchased a pair of kayak really cheap on letgo and he and friend(s) used them for a while. He went so far as to get the proper mounting for the top of his ample vehicle for them.
He went and got a relatively inexpensive inflatable paddleboard contained in a backpack carrier. He has taken it to the lake, river, ocean...and immediately sold the kayaks and equipment.

Beyond that, I got nothing.

[Seajay]

Paddle Board! An inflatable is totally fine. This is easy to just go play with.

Rent the kayak. I love kayaking but to go kayaking takes preparation and planning, and the places you'd go kayaking all rent anyways.

[zenmic]

As I really enjoy fishing, I went with a kayak. I got a cheap one to try out, and since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I have seen people on SUP and the look like fun. I have heard of folks converting them into a fishing platform, but I am happy with a kayak.

[Jonnydread]

I think kayaks have more breadth of options, but both are a blast.

[Warblgarbl]

Get both! I love my Diablo Adios! It's great for fly fishing, which is what I use it for most. Any of the Diablo boats are high quality and basically a SUP Kayak hybrid.

[GreenMan]

A kayak is going to be more comfortable on the water, and easier to cover more distance. A paddleboard is much more ideal for getting on and off, and is easier to carry and store. So it ultimately depends on what activities you're going to do.

Personally i think paddleboards are trendy but not really the best water craft, unless you have a reason why you dont want to be sitting down, like you just want to island hop with a cooler on board.

[bellicose]

We spent our stimulus on a tandem kayak so that my youngest could paddle. We also got a trailer for them all, 4 in total. We'd like to try out SUP, maybe soon. Like has been mentioned, soon as the weather turns, SUPs are done. I've taken my yaks out in winter for a wonderful and beautiful slow moving river ride. SUPs are easier to store, though.

[Flounder]

Keep an eye on the rental ,places, A lot of them run end of season clearance sales on boards and kayaks.

[Dave Cameron]

They’re both great, but good luck finding one of either for sale right now. At least near us I’ve gone to 3-4 places looking for a reasonably priced beginner paddleboard, everyone is sold out as everyone is having The same idea.