Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is one of the fastest growing sports in America.
I love this sport! It is fun, helps you get outside and into nature by being on the water ( I saw lots of bat rays swim by under my board this morning - cool!) and is fantastic exercise.
The numbers I have seen published on calorie burn from Stand Up Paddle Boarding are 500 to 700 calories per hour for women and 700 to 1000 calories per hour for men.
Wow! In addition, Stand Up Paddle Boarding strengthens your arms, legs, abs, (and all the muscles of your core) shoulders and back.
In other words, your whole body.
On the downside, Stand Up Paddle Boards are expensive.
The price range for a good board is about $800 to $1500 for a good cruising board, more for specialty boards for things like racing.
I guess it is a matter of supply and demand and the demand is high.
Because the sport is becoming so popular it is getting easy to find places on the water to rent from.
Prices to rent are generally $15 to $25 per hour where I live in Southern California.
It's great to have the availability of rentals, but if you get into this sport the way my friends and I have and want to go 4 to 6 days a week, renting is going to get very expensive fast.
But renting and demo-ing boards is the best way to try out a bunch of different makes, models, styles and sizes of boards to see what you like best.
Lots of surf shops, board and kayak shops, and sporting goods retailers will demo boards, sometimes for free and sometimes for a rental fee.
Some of these shops have a policy of letting you apply the price of some of the rentals towards an eventual purchase from them.
Other stores have demo days where they will bring out a selection of their toys and let you play with them in the hopes you will eventually purchase one from them.
This is a great way to get to experience different styles and narrow down what you like.
Most cruising boards are 11 to 12 feet long, 27 to 31 inches wide, and about 4 to 4.
5 inches thick and made of EPS (a special grade of foam) and Epoxy resin.
Paddles are of varying quality as well from heavier aluminum type paddles to lighter carbon fiber paddles.
Some manufacturers sell boards and paddles together and some sell them separately.
In addition, you need to know about accessories such as deck pads, (and the difference between boards with deck pads versus a soft top board which are covered with rubber all over and generally used as rentals and at resorts as they are more durable) handles, fins, air vents, and carrying cases.
Keep an eye out in shops, on websites and in community and local newspapers for ads promoting paddle sport demos and rentals.
Ask lots of questions so you really understand what it is you are looking for and what is the best way to find it at a price you want to pay.
Get out on the water and enjoy!
I love this sport! It is fun, helps you get outside and into nature by being on the water ( I saw lots of bat rays swim by under my board this morning - cool!) and is fantastic exercise.
The numbers I have seen published on calorie burn from Stand Up Paddle Boarding are 500 to 700 calories per hour for women and 700 to 1000 calories per hour for men.
Wow! In addition, Stand Up Paddle Boarding strengthens your arms, legs, abs, (and all the muscles of your core) shoulders and back.
In other words, your whole body.
On the downside, Stand Up Paddle Boards are expensive.
The price range for a good board is about $800 to $1500 for a good cruising board, more for specialty boards for things like racing.
I guess it is a matter of supply and demand and the demand is high.
Because the sport is becoming so popular it is getting easy to find places on the water to rent from.
Prices to rent are generally $15 to $25 per hour where I live in Southern California.
It's great to have the availability of rentals, but if you get into this sport the way my friends and I have and want to go 4 to 6 days a week, renting is going to get very expensive fast.
But renting and demo-ing boards is the best way to try out a bunch of different makes, models, styles and sizes of boards to see what you like best.
Lots of surf shops, board and kayak shops, and sporting goods retailers will demo boards, sometimes for free and sometimes for a rental fee.
Some of these shops have a policy of letting you apply the price of some of the rentals towards an eventual purchase from them.
Other stores have demo days where they will bring out a selection of their toys and let you play with them in the hopes you will eventually purchase one from them.
This is a great way to get to experience different styles and narrow down what you like.
Most cruising boards are 11 to 12 feet long, 27 to 31 inches wide, and about 4 to 4.
5 inches thick and made of EPS (a special grade of foam) and Epoxy resin.
Paddles are of varying quality as well from heavier aluminum type paddles to lighter carbon fiber paddles.
Some manufacturers sell boards and paddles together and some sell them separately.
In addition, you need to know about accessories such as deck pads, (and the difference between boards with deck pads versus a soft top board which are covered with rubber all over and generally used as rentals and at resorts as they are more durable) handles, fins, air vents, and carrying cases.
Keep an eye out in shops, on websites and in community and local newspapers for ads promoting paddle sport demos and rentals.
Ask lots of questions so you really understand what it is you are looking for and what is the best way to find it at a price you want to pay.
Get out on the water and enjoy!