Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
The Tahe Beach Performer is their all round 10’6 board, with a classic longboard style shape, this board will be at home cruising around on a lake or surfing small waves. At 31.5 inches wide, it will be stable enough for beginners and intermediate to have a lot of fun on. The board will glide nicely and probably better than any inflatable, but it’s not a touring board. Unlike the Bluefin or Sandbanks boards, the JP doesn’t have many reinforcement features, suggesting the board will probably flex a bit for the bigger, heavier riders out there. So it’s important for this board to pumped up fully, otherwise it might feel a bit like a bouncy castle. Those who are very keen and plan to get on the water at least once a week may want to buy a more expensive board with better construction. Boards with a better construction will be able to withstand many more inflations and deflations. These people have no experience producing or selling paddleboards, and probably have no intention of creating a customer service team or helping you if something goes wrong. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for a budget paddleboard to get you started, the Wave Tourer might be perfect for you.
If you want something to get into touring that glides really well, their 12’6 Cruiseair is a great option that I’d still put within the ‘budget paddle boards’ category. Surfing is booming around the UK. It’s estimated that 300,000 Brits take to the brisk waters of this island each year It's stable, beginner-friendly and comes with everything you need to get on the water, and its neat cargo system means that it's easy to take all your stuff with you too. The only real downside (apart from the steep price) is that while it's a delight in the water, it's a lot less fun to manoeuvre on dry land; however, Red has done all it can to make this as painless as possible. If tandem paddling feels like your thing, this is definitely the way to do it. Red Paddle Co's 9'6" Compact MSL PACT is a brilliant paddle board for beginners, but its price may be off-putting for anyone just starting out. If you want to spend quite a bit less on your first SUP but without compromising on quality, we'd recommend the Surfstar 10'6" Advance Star. This 10ft SUP is impressively well made for its budget-friendly price point. It feels robust, stable, grippy and a pleasure to paddle on. It's wide enough to offer beginner-friendly stability, but the narrower nose allows you to get some decent speed up.
The best stand-up paddleboards for 2023 are:
Every board comes with a 2 year warranty, which is probably all that’s needed to figure out if there are any manufacturing faults. I’ve worked at watersport centres that still use 10 year old BIC paddle boards and they work perfectly. Even though the plastic might go off colour in intense sun over the years, the board still works the same and they never have any problems.
The shape of a budget paddle board will be pretty basic but will be totally perfect for beginners and those who want to occasionally get on the water. You can’t expect a high-performance board at this price range because the brand can’t spend much time/money in research and development.
The verdict: The best inflatable stand-up paddleboards
As seen in this list, many of the cheaper paddle boards come with warranties that are equal to or better than more expensive boards. This seriously reduces the risk of buying ‘cheap’, and should give you the confidence you are buying a well made board that will last a good amount of time. The narrow nose and single fin means the board will glide very nicely across the water, and the tail shape and 32” width means the board will provide decent stability. They produce some high end, top quality gear that is designed for true watersport professionals. I personally really like their SUP surf boards, which I used a lot when I worked for a watersports centre in Brazil. What’s great about Decathlon is you can guarantee their customer support will help you if something goes wrong with the board, which comes with a 2-year warranty. The UK has over 11,000 miles of coastline with more than 200 great surf spots. Cornwall and North Devon surf beaches
It’s not really a negative and most boards in this price range have some flex, but with the Vapor make sure you pump it up to max PSI every time to make it as rigid as possible.We tested the 11ft Tourer, which would be a perfect 1st time beginner board for most people. As we say in our full review, although it’s called ‘Tourer’, it’s not a touring board by design and its shape is suited for a beginner looking for an all rounder to get started on. They offer an outstanding 3 year warranty (which is amazing for the price of the board), and on many UK Facebook paddleboarding groups the comments all say they have great customer support. These are some of the most important things I look for in independent brands, because it shows they are serious about having a proper functioning business and have confidence that what they are selling is good quality.
When doing research for this article, the warranty was probably the biggest factor in adding a board to the list or not. There are some great looking budget paddle boards out there, but if the manufacturer doesn’t offer any warranty then please avoid them! If you want to go out paddle boarding with a friend but don't want to end up in the inevitable situation where one of you goes faster, and you get split up, the Red 15'0 Tandem MSL Inflatable Paddle Board is a great – if expensive – choice. It's a tandem touring board that's ideal for exploring with a partner while having a relaxed and chatty time, and it means that either of you can take a break if you get tired without the other having to slow down or stop. Other boards on the list, like the Bluefin and Aquaplanet, can hold up to 17 PSI whereas the Wave Tourer can only go up to a maximum 12 PSI. Going to a higher pressure normally means more rigidity, stability and performance, so the Wave Tourer does feel a little bit soft on the water. Their Cruise SUP is a great all round board, ideal for beginners and those who want to enjoy paddle boarding without spending money on all the accessories.Similar to most boards on this list, the design is well-suited for beginners who just want to have fun on the water. At 32 inches wide it will be stable enough and the 300 litre volume will have enough buoyancy for the bigger adult to float and feel secure. They are much more manoeuvrable and generally have less volume allowing the board to be more responsive to foot pressure when turning. Decathlon probably needs no introduction, you’ll know them as a French company who have sports stores all around Europe. They make and sell decent gear at very affordable prices, which is exactly how you could describe their main range of paddle boards.
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