Regarding the purchase and selection of SUP boards

Regarding the purchase and selection of SUP boards

Buying a SUP can be daunting. There are nearly as many options available to consumers today as there are bodies of water (okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea). It’s also one of the most commonly asked questions in r/SUP. Below are some tips on how to shop for a SUP or iSUP.

SETTING A BUDGET
The first thing to do is to set a budget. This is how much you are willing to spend on all components needed to get started in Stand Up Paddleboarding. Depending on what style of SUP you are interested in, prices can range wildly over an entire order of magnitude. Keep in mind that you can typically expect to purchase a used board or kit, in good shape, normally in the next price-tier down (so you can often get a mid-budget board at the cost of a low-budget board, etc). Below are some general categories of prices and what you may expect at each level. Prices below are in USD.

PFD – $80-300
PFDs, or Personal Flotation Devices (aka Buoyancy Aids (BA), Life Jackets, etc), are a critical piece of equipment that every paddler should have and wear. The author of this wiki has never seen a PFD included in a SUP kit. Please make sure to include this purchase in your budget. For more on PFDs, please see the “Safety” section below.
Fly-by-Night: <$400
SUPs at this budget level (usually found on Amazon/Ali Express/etc) are usually not recommended for purchase, with very few exceptions. Sellers must cut significant corners in order to produce an inflatable SUP and accessory kit at this price point. There is typically no, or very little, warranty or other customer-service protection offered by the manufacturers and quality and longevity will be suspect out of the box. When shopping in this price range it is generally recommended to either rent from a local outfitter (if only paddling a few times a year) or purchase a used kit from the Low Budget or Mid Budget tiers. Inflatables in this price range are usually single-layer, glued, construction.
Low Budget: $400-700
At this budget level one can expect to find a quality, entry-level All-Around style iSUP. These boards will be made with basic materials and construction techniques and will come with very limited warranties (1 year is common). The included accessories will be usable, but lower quality. Typically boards in this price range are sold as “Kits” that include the board, a pump, fins, leash, repair kit and paddle. Boards in this tier are normally limited in size, shape, and lack any specialized features, but will be built reasonably well with reasonably high quality control. Most inflatables in this range are double-layer, glued, construction. Some plastic (thermoformed) hard boards are available in this price range, but typically offer worse performance and higher weight than the available iSUPs.
Mid Budget: $700-1,000
Mid Budget tier boards include All-Around style iSUPs, some more iSUPs with more specialization, a larger variety of sizes and shapes, higher quality materials and construction, and entry-level hard SUPs in all-around and surfing shapes. Here you will find more advanced materials that have trickled down from previous-years’ high-end models, a variety of on-board accessories (like Scotty mounts for fishing accessories), and better constructions allowing you to use higher-pressures in your inflatable for a stiffer ride. You’ll also begin to see an increase in the quality of accessories – particularly paddles. Typical warranties for boards in this budget range from 2-5 years. Hard boards in this price range will be made with standard construction (foam core with 3 layers of fiberglass) and usually do not include any accessories other than fins (and sometimes no fins). Hard boards typically do not include any warranty (besides manufacturing defects).
High Budget: $1,000-1,500
In the high-budget tier you will find not only the best materials and constructions available, but a huge variety of shapes and sizes for everything from elite racing iSUPs to fishing behemoths and more. These boards will offer amazing performance for discerning paddlers of experience. Warranties are typically 2-5 years for inflatables. Included accessories are usually better, however some iSUPs in this price range do not include paddles at all. Hard boards in this price range explode in the range of sizes and shapes available. You will also begin to see other construction types utilizing more exotic materials like integrated plastics (not to be confused with thermoformed or rotomolded construction), carbon fiber, aramid (Kevlar), etc. for specific purposes.
Top-Tier: $1,500-2,500+
In this highest-cost tier you will find the most performance-oriented boards possible in both inflatable and solid constructions. Manufacturers will use more advanced materials and distinct shapes for even more specific purposes, and you can even get custom-built boards to fit you and your needs exactly. Like the High Budget boards, these may or may not come with accessories as manufacturers expect paddlers at this tier to be the most discerning and picky about fitting everything to them personally. Standard warranties apply.