A little history

SUP stands for Stand Up Paddle. Thus, sapboarding is a kind of surfing, respectively, and the history of sapboarding traces back to surfing, which appeared in Hawaii. The prototype of sap is considered to be the canoe used by the Hawaiian people. The canoe was steered while standing, using an oar to guide the boat downstream. The Hawaiians made “sapboards” of wood and quite long – the longest boards reached six meters in length and, of course, belonged to the royal family and nobles.
But today Paddle-board is making a new round in its development: the first company producing sapboards appeared in 2005, and in 2007 the first competitions in sapboarding were held. Sap is also convenient because it solves the problem of training in a full calm.

If you are interested in sapboarding

If you are interested in sapboarding, then feel free to grab your board and look for the nearest body of water. Sapboarding does not require waves or special weather (some sapboarders ride even in winter!); both a calm lake surface and a river with a slow current will do. Having lowered the board on the water, you need to lie down on it and swim away from the shore a little, then get up on your knees and, feeling the balance, try to get to your feet. Take an oar and, slowly paddling, enjoy the views and tranquility.
Of course, falls are not uncommon at first, but don’t be afraid. First you have to get on your board yourself and then go for your paddle. Just make sure in advance that your paddle does not sink.

Improving your skills, you can learn how to steer the sapboard and on the waves, or go for a hike on the river, or, having learned to keep your balance, do various tricks and even do yoga.

How to choose

But before you get on the water, one of the most important topics is the choice of equipment. We will try to outline the possible options of boards and accessories for sapboarding, as well as describe their advantages and disadvantages.

First of all SUPs

Let’s take a closer look at the characteristics of the board.

Sapboard width varies from 65 cm to 1 meter, and length from 3 to 4.5 meters. Hard sapboards use the lightest materials: fiberglass, wood, resin or carbon. Of course, the lightest boards are made of carbon, but they are also the most expensive. A separate category – inflatable SUP-boards. What type of board to choose, rigid or inflatable – it is up to everyone, but the advantages of inflatable boards are their compactness: you can easily take a board with you, it fits in a regular backpack and is easily stowed in the trunk of a car; and relative cheapness of inflatable boards in comparison with rigid ones.
Rigid sapboards, whether they are fiberglass, wood, or carbon, cost an order of magnitude more than any inflatable board. But it’s likely that any rider will want to try riding different saps made of different materials, including rigid saps. In any case, the sapboard market is overflowing with different boards for all tastes.

Sapboard paddles are usually about 20 cm longer than the rider’s height and as well as sapboards, they can be made from different materials: carbon, wood, aluminum. Of course, the most expensive and lightest paddles are made of carbon.
Lish, or safety leash, is necessary for most beginners, as it helps not to lose the board in case of a fall. As a rule, it should be 30 cm longer than a board.

Also among the accessories for a board it is worth mentioning different fins that help to stay on the water more stable. The fins are made of different materials and have different shapes. Thus, you can choose the style of riding for every taste. Today there is even a fin with an electric motor that is attached to the sipboard instead of the usual fin and is controlled remotely, using a remote control. When using such a fin with an electric motor, you will only need to use the paddle as a “steering wheel”; all that remains is to enjoy the water ride.

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Inflatable, rigid, single-ply, double-ply,…how do they differ from each other? Which board should I choose? If we speak in plain language, following the logic, you can understand that the inflatable board can be blown, folded into a bag and put away for storage, but with hard to do this will not work. Agree to travel with a board that fits in the backpack is much more convenient, to make air travel or throw in the trunk of the car, and if necessary, inflate. As for the rigid board, it will not fit in every car or will require the installation of the trunk for transportation. For such moments, there are inflatable car roof racks, but it is better to drive carefully and not to exceed the speed limit, so that your board does not fly away on its own solo trip down the freeway. We won’t even list a number of inconveniences you’ll have to deal with when transporting a hard board by air, from buying a new travel case to handling oversized luggage.

Many people believe that rigid boards are more maneuverable and faster. Yes, that fact is not to be disputed. However, thanks to the development of technology, modern inflatable boards are not inferior in parameters. On the basis of this, of course, if you do not participate in any world competitions in this discipline, then feel free to take an inflatable SUP-board.

Even among the rocky beaches inflatable SUP-board will show itself better than the hard because of the impact resistant PVC material and the bumper safety, thanks to which it is difficult to puncture. Drawing an analogy with the rigid board, you can leave a chip or dent, just putting it on the asphalt, so these boards are better to use on beaches with sand. As we understood from the previous paragraphs, inflatable boards win in almost every way, so let’s break down the layers.

Single layer SUP board

The so-called insides of a sapboard consist of Drop Stitch material (high pressure chamber). This material is similar to 2 layers of PVC fabric connected by a huge amount of nylon threads, which do not allow the top and bottom parts to inflate into a ball shape, and as the air pressure inside the chamber increases, it becomes more and more rigid, similar to non-inflatable boards. With single layer boards, the high pressure chamber is covered with a single layer of PVC fabric. This makes the board lighter and less rigid. Aqua Marina SUP boards with DROP STITCH LIGHT high pressure chamber technology combined with proprietary high frequency welding technology are the best value for money on the market with the best stiffness and weight on the board.

Single ply boards are great for personal use. If you are planning occasional trips on calm water or in very small waves, single ply boards are great for this purpose. Modern technology allows you to ride on the water on lightweight boards. Aqua Marina’s large line of sup-boards provides a choice of boards for all riders and types of bodies of water.

Double Layer SUP Board

In the case of the double-layer board, the Drop Stitch material is coated with two layers of PVC inside and outside. The technology allows a second layer to be applied by hand on an already inflated board and because of this technology, double layer boards are heavier and stronger than single layer boards.

Double layer boards are ideal for advanced adventure riders who are racing or racing through rough water or for SUP rental shops and SUP schools where boards are used daily and are exposed to a lot of stress.

From this we can conclude that inflatable boards are a versatile way to have fun and relax on the water, regardless of the time of year. Consider your needs before buying a sapboard. If you do not include yourself to the extreme and like a quiet holiday, then you will be fine with a one-ply board. In case you are a risky rider and like active rest, you should pay attention to specialized professional or semi-professional models for your riding style.

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What you need to know about waves

As we know from school lessons, the wave is formed due to the strength of the wind, also on the strength of the wind will depend on the quality of the wave. There are two types of wind which blow from the shore (offshore) and from the sea (onshore). If the wind is onshore the wave will be unstable and bad, but if the wind blows from the shore, then this wave is already possible to ride. There is also a free wind that is not blowing from the shore or the sea – with such a wind, you will not get good waves to ride.

If there is wind in the ocean, it generates small waves or ripples on the water, which is called chop, with a fairly strong wind wave will be called swell. So, if there is a strong wind, then the swell that appears in the ocean will be called ground-swell, and if the wind forms a wave from the shore, then wind-swell. It is this wave that we need. It is worth to take into account the location of surf spots and the wind trajectory. Thus, the wind and the territorial location will depend on the formation of waves at a particular spot. On the Internet you can find many resources, which are collected lists of surf spots around the world.

Surfboards

There are several kinds of boards, each suitable for a particular style of surfing or individual parameters. Let’s understand what kind of boards there are, and most importantly what they are made of and for what types of surfing:

Longboard – a thick surfboard, the length of such a board can reach up to 10-12 feet (3.0-3.7 meters), depending on the individual needs of the rider. The nose of this board has a rounded shape and suitable for beginner surfers, as riding a big wave with a heavy and clumsy board will not be very convenient or even traumatic for a beginner.

A shortboard is a thin board that is usually no more than 7 feet long. The short and sharp-nosed board allows the rider to perform tricks on the water and even snorkel with ease.

The Funboard is an average class among boards usually no longer than 8 feet long. Based on the name, we can assume that they are the perfect companion for fanboarding. Such a board is great for a beginner just to learn how to catch a wave and surf for fun without complicated tricks.

The gan is a long surfboard with a medium-thick deck. The board has a special shape, very similar to a shortboard, but slightly thicker. Suitable exclusively for pro riders, as having only a solid board underneath you can perform tricks on steep waves.

Tau-in is a short and thin board that has leg bindings for greater stability when conquering big and daring waves. Often surfer on such a board is thrown to dangerous waves by towing with a jet ski (tow-surfing).

Well boards differ not only in shape but in the materials of which they are made. There are boards made of wood, plastic, foam. Have the upper and lower parts, which are very important. The outer side is covered with a special resin (for example, epoxy – epoxy-boards), the thicker this layer of resin, the harder the board will show itself in the work. The main thing to keep in mind is the fact that due to the coating the thickness and weight of the board also increases. The core of a board usually consists of foam and stiffening rib, but it also may be absent. The density of the foam from which the board is made affects the strength and weight of the finished surfboard.

Types of surfing

Surfing can be divided into the concepts of classic and alternative. Classic surfing refers to surfing on the ocean waves, when the rider accelerates to the wave using only his hands and feet, and must gain enough speed to get up on the board.

Alternative surfing can be divided into several types:

Wakesurfing is suitable for those who like to ride a wave but do not have an ocean or sea in their country, as the rider catches the wave from a special towboat. You can ride holding onto the halyard or let it go and glide freely on the wave. If there is no hand tow, for wakesurfing you can use a special panel, which is attached to almost any boat for a minute and forms the necessary wave.

Windsurfing from the English wind. In this case, you can ride by virtue of the wind and the sail, which is attached to the board. Control is by means of the mast and sail.

SUP-surfing acts as a parallel line to the classic surfing. The rider starts moving with the help of the paddle, already in a standing position on the board. Catching waves on a SUP board is not as easy as it may seem from the outside. However, as an advantage over classic surfing, on a SUP you can ride waves with much less amplitude and much longer.

Kitesurfing is a truly extreme and beautiful type of surfing. In open water, the rider performs maneuvers and tricks using the pull of the wind by controlling the kite (kite) attached to the torso.

Tau-surfing is an absolutely extreme way of riding giant waves by towing the rider onto a wave that cannot be caught by paddling out on it “by hand”.

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The main thing that distinguishes sapboarding from classic surfing is that you don’t need waves and wind at all on a SUP board. You can have a great time in the open water or in a calm lake. The only skill you have to have before you get on a SUP board is the ability to swim. When learning, frequent rider falls are possible, and you can buy equipment and a life jacket for more comfort.

How did the popularity of sapboarding begin

In the early 2000’s surfing legends such as Rick Thomas, Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama began to practice. The usual California waves that year did not please riders, so they had to train with a paddle. In just a couple of years about this new sport began to publish articles, opened new schools for the training of young riders. In 2004, in Hawaii, Brain Keaulana announced the new kind of SUP surfing at Buffalo’s Big Board Classic. At the time, the event was broadcast on numerous channels, so thousands of people around the world learned about sapboarding. In 2005, the SUP Surfing Federation opened in California, an event that served as a great additional boost to the development of this water sport. Thanks to all these activities and caring athletes, sapboarding has become very popular all over the United States and in European countries with open water.

Features of SUP Board Types

There are several styles and each has its own SUP board:

• SUP touring: hiking on SUP boards involves quiet exploration in smooth water
• SUP surfing: practically the same as in the classic surfing only with a paddle
• SUP racing: SUP boards are designed for active water fun and racing
• Whitewater rivers SUP: for those who love extreme white water rafting
• SUP yoga/fitness: for both yoga and water fitness

All round board is suitable for everyone, both beginners and professional riders. This type of board behaves perfectly in calm water and even in small waves. Sturdy, comfortable and maneuverable they show excellent directional stability in all conditions.

Speaking about distinctive features of Race boards, their specially designed long nose and narrow stern help quicker acceleration and maneuvers. Suitable exclusively for competitions and fast swims. Such a board will not be a universal soldier in your arsenal, their main task is to develop maximum speed.

Touring boards have their main purpose – long and comfortable stay on the water. For more stability these SUP-boards have a wide stern and a pointed nose. Thanks to this shape there is the least resistance of the board while maintaining high speed to overcome long distances.

There is a separate segment of boards designed for windsurfing. Manufacturers offer customers an ordinary recreational SUP-board with a sail attachment. Some manufacturers produce ready-made professional SUP-wind boards, one of such companies is Aqua Marina. Most often such boards are equipped with additional fin in the middle (keel-swivel) for better directional stability and planing.

Whatever the child may be, as they say, but every year the producers try to surprise the consumer and expand the possibilities of water recreation. Thus appear wide and equipped with additional handles yoga boards, large and stable tandem for the whole family and even favorite pets. Special SUP-boards for fishing, which are equipped with an additional cooler seat and special mounts for fishing rods.

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Let’s start with a description of the construction of a paddle. An oar consists of three parts: a handle, a pole and a paddle.

First you have to decide your riding style, whether it will be leisurely or racing. If you plan to travel or have a relaxed paddling, we recommend using adjustable paddles, solid paddles are good for fast races or racing.

Non-adjustable paddles are lighter and sturdier in design, great for experienced riders. Professional riders when buying a paddle measure the desired height, then sawed off part of the shaft to their height and glued the handle. The disadvantage of this design is in transportation.

The most popular modification – Collapsible SUP paddles.

If you are buying a sapboard for tourism and relaxed riding, the best option is to buy a paddle that can be adjusted in height. Such paddles are easy to transport and when stored take up little space.

What materials are made of Sap paddles and how to make a choice.

To begin with, let’s list the most popular materials that are used in the manufacture of sap paddles.

• Blade (plastic, fiberglass, carbon, bamboo)
• Stick (aluminum, fiberglass, carbon)
• Handle (T-shaped plastic, ergonomic polypropylene, replaceable for 2nd paddle)
  Now let’s take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of each material:

1) Paddle material

2) Oar shaft / material

3) Handle material / construction

Nowadays there are a lot of paddle modifications on the market for different tasks and price ranges. Advice from managers is of course helpful, but in some cases you will be offered what is overstocked.

We advise you to choose the paddle exactly for your needs and riding style to make your selection and riding a pleasure.

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