My birthday is coming up this month and I am seriously considering buying myself a new toy. I have surfed regular surfboards for many years, have kayaked all over, was seriously into windsurfing for a number of years and now I'm thinking about SUP. Stand up paddle boarding. Anybody here do it? Any advice? (Other than "grow up and stop buying toys")
Just be smart and stay to the side of the waterway if you're in the path of boats. We went out sailing in Maine this summer and a couple of SUP'ers were in the middle of the Kennebunk River where it feeds into the Atlantic. We, along with three other boats, nearly ran them over.
SurfDoctor, check this guy's trip out from this summer, he travelled the length of the Missouri on a SUP that he built from a kit. Very cool journey and the kit he built is from a company called Chesapeake Light Craft that offer all kinds of different boat / kayak / SUP kits. Missouri River SUP
The B&B we rented on Kauai in August had them for guests. We learned quickly and loved the experience. The B&B folk said they bought theirs at Costco for about $800 each, which seemed awfully expensive to me, but what do I know? --John Bear, trying so hard not to be a tedious geezer ("I remember when bread was a 3 cents a loaf...")
I was in Kona, HI, in January and dozens of people (mostly young women) were paddle boarding out of the harbor - many along the Ironman swim course and beyond. Paddle boards could be rented.
They seem to be gaining in popularity. At our local lake hang out they have been renting them out for a couple of years and they seem popular. Looks like a good workout too.
I just bought one this evening. Took it out for a spin on the backwater behind my house. It was really fun and I lot harder than it looks!
I'm a rower, but our boathouse provides SUP and kayak as well, so I've tried it a few times. Seems like the back pain issue is a case of "if you do it wrong". Done right, it's a whole-core motion that shouldn't be stressing any particular muscle group excessively. I second the "keep to the edges" advice. You are generally going to be the slowest thing moving on any waterway. On our lake, SUPpers are constantly wandering into the traffic pattern and nearly getting themselves run down. On the whole, it's great fun. But I still prefer rowing because I am a speed junkie. I tried SUP yoga once, as well, and let me say that there is nothing like adding a dose of paranoia about your balance to increase the (in)effectiveness of a yoga session.
