In recent years, stand-up paddleboarding has become increasingly popular on all bodies of water. The advent of inflatable SUP technology has also made the sport accessible to a wider audience and now accounts for the majority of the market. Today, we hear that inflatable paddleboards are just as good as rigid ones… but beyond the marketing hype, is this really the case? The AFS/Nahskwell editorial team puts its cards on the table to unravel the truth!
Inflatable paddles are more suitable for beginners
Beginners are often recommended an inflatable paddle, which is described as an easier way to discover the discipline. But what really makes a paddleboard easy to use?
Above all, beginners are looking for stability. To achieve this, the board needs to be wide, often more than 30 inches wide, but it also needs to have a suitable nose and a fairly generous tail. Finally, it is better for the board to be relatively low in the water to avoid feeling like you are being tossed around like a “cork.” The higher you are on the water, the less stable you are.
However, inflatable SUPs for beginners are often wide, but above all thick, with a thickness of more than 5 or even 6 inches. Combined with the average rigidity of entry-level paddleboards, it is clear that rigid boards are in fact much easier to use because they are very stable and safe, while offering a better experience right from the start.
In addition, inflatable boards also require much more effort to paddle, which can discourage beginners and even be less safe when it comes to paddling against the wind and current.
Inflatable SUPs perform just as well as rigid SUPs
You may sometimes read that inflatable paddleboards are now as good as rigid boards, but this is not the case! First of all, high-quality materials such as fiberglass and carbon are much better in contact with water when it comes to gliding. You only need to try them to immediately notice the difference.
What’s more, it’s impossible to work on the hull of a PVC paddle board! At best, you can play around with the rocker, but a composite board will be on a whole other level in terms of design, even when it comes to entry-level boards for beginners. It’s no coincidence that you don’t see inflatable SUPs for surfing or racing, only rigid ones.
Rigid paddles are more fragile than inflatables
It’s true that composite materials are less impact-resistant than PVC and dropstitch. For these reasons, we generally prefer to protect them with a cover during transport.
On the other hand, they are more resistant to abrasion and do not suffer from peeling, loss of PVC flexibility, aging of adhesives, or breakage of dropstitch filaments, which inevitably occur with inflatable boards. They can also be repaired at low cost, over and over again! A well-maintained rigid composite paddleboard will last for several years, if not decades.
Rigid paddles are more expensive than inflatables
In absolute terms, this is generally true. You can find low-cost inflatable SUPs for less than €200, but their performance and durability are sometimes inversely proportional to their price advantage. On the other hand, for the same level of performance, rigid SUPs are often the same price, if not cheaper, due to falling prices in this sector. An inflatable race or surf paddleboard will tend to be excessively expensive compared to a rigid board, as the investment in R&D to compensate for the materials and shaping work will have to be much greater.
Finally, the lifespan of inflatable boats means that rigid boats are the best choice in the long term when it comes to investment, especially since payment facilities allow you to spread the cost.
Inflatable stand-up paddles are more practical than hard ones
Bulky yes, but practical no. Of course, inflatable paddleboards can be stored in a carry bag or fit into the trunk of an average-sized car. You need a truck or roof racks for your tough competitor.
Inflatables, on the other hand, take much longer to set up: you’ll need around ten minutes to inflate (or deflate) the board, plus the obligatory assembly and disassembly of the fins. Whereas your hardboard is ready to go as soon as you take it out of its cover! All in all, that’s a good half hour of handling saved on each session.
Inflatable SUPs are easier to maintain than rigid SUPs
Once again, contrary to popular belief, rigid paddleboards have the advantage. Apart from rinsing them off—and possibly waxing them from time to time—traditional boards require no special care. They can be stored for years in a garage—or even in the garden for the less careful among us—and still perform as well as they did on day one. An inflatable paddleboard requires more constant care: regularly check for leaks at the seams before heading out to sea to avoid getting into trouble, tighten the inflation valves, deflate and fold the board for winter storage in a dry place that is neither too cold nor too hot…
Inflatable boards are as versatile as hard boards
When it comes to leisurely rides or medium distances, that’s certainly the case. These practices, which require relatively simple hulls, pose no problem for most seriously built boards.
However, this is not the case for surfing and racing! For surfing, you need boards with highly engineered rails and tails, offering a high degree of rigidity. Unfortunately, inflatable stand-up paddle boards do not perform well on waves beyond the first few foams. It quickly becomes very difficult to surf or mix disciplines in these conditions. This aspect is also very noticeable at sea, with the chop: inflatable boards are much less resistant to chop than harder, more seaworthy boards.
In racing – or for long distances and touring – it is unthinkable to use inflatable SUP boards. Not seaworthy enough, they cannot cut through choppy water like their hard counterparts with carefully designed bows and hulls. Inflatable boards quickly become much more tiring and can’t keep up with the competition.
In the end, prejudices die hard. Reserve the inflatable board, but if you are looking for a board to get started, it is better to take the time to choose the right size for you and invest only once: you will enjoy the wonderful sport of stand-up paddleboarding to the fullest and may even consider other sports. If you’re looking for performance, don’t hesitate to go for rigid.