Inflatable Paddle Boards?

I know almost nothing about paddle boards. I am a kayaker and to me, paddle boards just look like Low Back Pain. But one of my kids has been using a friend's for a few years and claims to like it more than kayaking. I never could understand why until this weekend when I asked why. "Because I can jump off and swim" was the answer.

Okay, fair enough.

So I know that these things are sold out just about everywhere, but if I can find one, what exactly should I be looking for? An inflatable would probably be preferable to a hard shelled one for storage, travel, lightweight, etc.

If you get an inflatable one, have a quality air compressor to inflate it.  That's the main take away I have from a few YouTubers I follow who have them. 

For reference, we were using a 10' Body Glove Cruiser this weekend, which I think is NLA.

The body glove is/was sold at Costco. $379 I think ours cost. We love it. For general reference I think you want 6" thick for stiffness. I think the body glove is about the cheapest quality one you can get. 

I don't know, but I am planning on making a wood one this fall:

http://sliverpaddleboards.com/

I had a coworker that raved about BOTE brand stuff.  No personal experience, but he was a huge outdoorsman, camping every other weekend, fishing the weekends be wasn't camping. 

I have two of the older (green) Coscto models.

Absolutely get some sort of battery powered inflator (like for a mattress).  Pumping them up with the supplied pump SUCKS.  Use the inflator to get it 90%, then get pressure with the hand pump.  Inflator is also very useful for pulling the air out for packing up.

Inflatable may not be ideal if you are "a heavier weight" as the will tend to bow.

Getting the fins on can be fun, best to do it at partial inflation.

Generally pretty portable, but rolled up they are still somewhat big and rather heavy (think large very heavy back pack).

They are not as fast as a normal board and would not be as good (or useable at all?) for riding waves. 

A better paddle is a nice option at some point.

Inflatables tend to be rather wide, good for dog riding if nothing else.

tuna55 said:

I don't know, but I am planning on making a wood one this fall:

 

http://sliverpaddleboards.com/

if you're going to paddle, then you might want to check out storer's ta'al design instead:

I have used both. Hard boards I rented in hawaii. They worked great. Learning to paddle in the surf is tough. I bought two body glove inflatable units from Costco for the lake at home. I was worried that an inflatable might be a joke compared to a hard board, but I now think they are better. Lighter, easier to store and transport, ect. They are a bitch to blow up without an air compressor. I like kayaking, but I would rather paddle board. Its a better work out too. You use every muscle to balance and paddle.

D2W said:

You use every muscle to balance and paddle.

That’s the part that does not appeal to me. 

I borrowed my buddy's wifes inflatable a few weeks ago since I had never tried it.  My takeaways:

• Generic AmazonBayCostco unit.
• Electric pump FTW
• I am 240 lbs and it was rigid with my fat ass on it.  Or at least imperceptibly flexy
• I was able to paddle around on it pretty good on still water considering it was the very first time.
• I was sore for a week afterward.  Definitely used some muscles I hadnt used in a while.  

While we were out paddling around last night in the kayaks there were dozens of paddle boarders out. The things that occurred to me were.

1. They are the folks on the water who most look like they are fleeing a shipwreck (particularly when they are kneeling) and not so much out for a nice time. The dudes in the tiny pontoon/deck chair row boat things look like they are having the most fun.

2. Every so often one of the boarders would just stop and lay down on their board in the sun and I thought, well that seems nice and relaxing 

3. I have learned that kayaks are just like every other means of conveyance in that you get started and quickly start thinking "I want to go FASTER!" And start planning to buy some needle shaped speed kayak thing.  With a paddle board I don't think that is an option.  Top speed is like 0.8mph so you could be content to go slow and just enjoy the ride.

An inflatable will definitely be slower than a standard board, they are just a bit to chunky to be fast.   But there are absolutely fast paddle boards, they will just not be inflatable and not as easy to ride (thinner), so it will kill some of the appeal.  Also of note is that seeing things is a lot easier on a paddleboard (higher vantage point), which can be very nice if the water is clear.

Racing board: