Stand Up Paddle Board or Kayak

[Nish]

Instead of a vacation this year we are looking at taking advantage of some of the local bodies of water. My wife has an inflatable paddle board that we took out for the first time with the kids today and everyone had a blast so now we are looking at getting a few more similar "watercraft".

If you had your choice would you go with a Kayak or Standup Paddle board and why?

I'm torn.

[NONOBLITUS]

I can’t speak for the paddle board but I do enjoy Kayaks. I actually like my canoe the best personally . You can haul in gear for camping and fishing with such ease. Always a bonus to have the spot for lunch and drinks in the storage compartment on a Kayak or just in the bottom of a canoe. Most important you get to sit,fish,sip a beer and relax.

[nobbie333]

Rent first

[NONOBLITUS]

Rent first

^^^^Yes this^^^^
Your Home Green Mountain state offers up rentals at most of the state park campgrounds for all types of canoes, Kayaks and paddle boards.

[skinnyfatguy]

In my experience, kayaks are better if you want to cover more distance, and if you're going on moving water. Paddle boards are great for lakes, you can lay on top of them to catch some sun, and easily pop in and out of the water. The lake closest to me allows for paddle craft, but no swimming. If you fall off your paddle board and take a few minutes to get back on no one cares though.

[Nish]

We have gone kayaking and canoeing few times. Just tooling around lakes and goofing off. We have also gone out on row boats and owned a Bayliner for a few years.

I've liked all of them, and all 4 of us had a blast on the paddle board yesterday.

I know my son is probably going to go with a board. I'm on the fence for myself. I like that with the board you can sit, stand, kneel, jump off to take a dip and get back on with ease. But I worry that the storage space you have on one really limits your ability to bring things with you and the water is only warm in VT for a short period of time so a kayak extends the season to get out and enjoy things and seems like it offers more storage space, especially if I went with a 2 person one.

[mtaylor]

I sold my kayak for a paddle board, similar reasoning to skinnyfatguy.

[flyweightnate]

Paddleboards are far more of a core workout than I was expecting. If you're in good shape it might be moot but I sit at a desk more than I used to.

[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.

[Flounder]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Jonnydread]

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

[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.