Recommendations on Inflatable SUPs

[adseguy]

I'll be buying an inflatable SUP in the next few days here and was wondering if I could pick your brains on experience. What are the best ones? Which ones should I stay away from? I'll be riding on the smoother calmer waters on North ave, Montrose, 57th, etc. I might want to carry my wife on it as well so maybe what size should I get? Any and all advice welcome except, please don't tell me to not get an inflatable. Sorry, not an option for me.

Thanks!!

[abtin]

I have this:
http://www.amazon.com/Sevylor-Samoa-Sta ... atable+sup

Its currently in SF, but going to bring it back in a few weeks.. you can check it out if you like:

It is fine for flat water and even some mellow waves. You really cant even tell that its an inflatable, it's super rigid. Its not as stable as a traditional SUP and sometimes leaves something to be desired. But its smaller than a Kite bag and and its works great for cruising around on low wind days... Eventually you'll want to get a real one..

[West]

Used an inflatable SUP at Amanda's party.....Mike sells 'em and brought one.....unbelievable, can highly recommend one, in fact Greg, Ivo and myself are looking at them as well. It was by far the best one I have seen or ridden yet....ULI I think, or something like that.........

[WaWaZat]

It was the Uli 10' Steamroller everyone was trying at Amanda's beach party; http://www.uliboards.com/product/10-steamroller This is a great all-around type board. Stable enough to be a cruiser but not too big and shaped appropriately enough to have a go on some waves. For me, there is nothing like an inflatable. I keep 1 or 2 in the back of my car at all times. They roll up into the size of a large sleeping bag with 3 piece paddle and pump inside. The main features which differentiate between a good and not so good inflatable SUP are rigidity & durability. Before I decided on carrying the Uli brand, I checked out all the other inflatables I could and none of them came close. The Uli's are a tough 2 ply for extreme durability and one of the keys to its rigidity is the amount of air you can stuff into it. With most other inflatables, about 15 psi is it... and its tough work to even get it there! Uli has refined their pump and structured their boards to accommodate at least 18psi... I routinely pump mine to 20. With this much air, the board is solid and many are surprised or don't even know it's inflatable, after standing on it, until I tell 'em! The gauge that comes mounted on the pump is of good quality and accurate. Here's a novel little promo video Uli has done showing its durability and rolled up size, etc... check out the 6th one down; http://www.uliboards.com/videos

It's about a 10-15 minute decent workout to get to get the boards inflated. I will also be carrying the battery operated portable kite pumps which can be rigged with the proprietary Uli valve. With this, we should be able to get the boards to about 12 psi, then finish them off with the Uli pump. ... or maybe we can equip Vi's compressor with a fitting!

The Uli boards are made in the US under close supervision of the family operation. Their support is amazing which was another factor for taking on this brand. With this type of support, I can take swiftly take care of any issues that may arise for you guys and I'm tellin' you... these guys don't mess around with their reputation. One of our own here purchased a Uli board before they designed their newer, better pump. He was telling me how difficult it was to inflate his board to the prop pressure. It was just a matter of me making mention of it to Uli and they had a new one on the way to me to comp the customer with.

Here are the other boards currently in the line; https://www.uliboards.com/products

If anyone has any questions, wants to try or buy, I would appreciate it if you'd let me know.

Mike
708.341.0003

[Pier]

I tried the Steamroller as well on Saturday and I have to admit that it is the best inflatable I have ridden so far.

Mike, thanks for the demo.

Very rigid and stable, I used a Surftech 10' a week ago in Sheboygan and it was definitely more "wabbly". Both sessions were in flat water as all the other times I SUPed before on standard boards.

The light weight and portability make inflatables a really good option unless you are a pro and want to surf big waves or race.

I'm on the market for an inflatable as well and reduced my list down to two options:

- ULI
- Naish

Does anyone have any info to share about the inflatable Naish boards (Mana Air and Nalu Air)?

[WaWaZat]

Mike, thanks for the demo.

Any time Pier... thanx for the feedback!

The light weight and portability make inflatables a really good option unless you are a pro and want to surf big waves or race.

And while the Uli may not be a pro's 1st choice, they do make convenient inflatables for wave performance; https://www.uliboards.com/product/84-mini-quad
...as well as race; https://www.uliboards.com/product/14-race-touring-sup-board

[dbur]

what about fins on inflatable... are they replaceable or built-in?

[Pier]

Most of them have only small built-in fins like ULI and C4, some have a combination of both like Naish, Surftech and I believe BIC and AirSUP have only a replaceable single fin like a standard SUP.

Mike, do you have a quad 8.4" ULI to demo maybe?

[dbur]

It seems c4 has removable center fin and is cheaper, I think short board like 8'6" would make more sense since it won't flex as much.

[FSP]

i paddle one with my kids bout every sunset to the rocks at mt baldy/the rock breakwall and just amazing when the lake is 30 ft visibility and the fish you see feeding off that area. Easy to sneak up em and swim down to have a cool new experience. Its exploding over here, and the inflatables are the way to go if kids or family is involved for bruises, smacking, or dropping it on something.

In the surf, which is where they really get exciting an inflatable can be much less dangerous until u learn for not getting taken out. we catch the left over storm waves in the summer, and even the smallest 3 footers can take you out if on an epoxy one in the surf, so inflatables do have their place though one more for surf or cruising is the question.

above all dont forget how fun they are for surfing and not just cruising.

Sun has risen and now time for a soul sprint up the coast..love ur sup.

[WaWaZat]

Mike, do you have a quad 8.4" ULI to demo maybe?

Not at this time, sorry. The closest I have is the Lopez; https://www.uliboards.com/product/lopez-gl-x-2

...and the inflatables are the way to go if kids or family is involved for bruises, smacking, or dropping it on something.

In the surf, which is where they really get exciting an inflatable can be much less dangerous until u learn for not getting taken out. we catch the left over storm waves in the summer, and even the smallest 3 footers can take you out if on an epoxy one in the surf...

Excellent point I forgot to bring up Scotty!

[dbur]

so it seems either Mana 6"or ULI, Mana has a lot of nifty features like replaceable center fin etc but seems to be more expensive... Mike can you please PM me your price for 10' or 11' Steamroller (if you have any in stock)...

[West]

NIce to have the backing from a local shop or rep when purchasing anything kiting related; it helps support the scene, and gives you someone to deal with the manufacturer in case of issues......I like the fact that Mike has pointed out that ULI backs up their product so well; that seems to be pretty important when it comes to INFLATABLE sup's.....

Personally I have been waiting for an inflatable that is of high quality and good performance, the ULI is just that, can't wait to get one for my wife and I......then I am sure I will need another to cruise around together on......let me know the next time you are having a demo Mike, and I will bring my wife out to give it a spin!!!!!!! Now I need to figure out how to add a small compressor onto my truck......

[skysurfr]

As a reminder our local shop, Windward BoardShop has several SUPs in stock. They host free paddling sessions every couple of weeks at North Ave. in conjunction with Great Lakes rentals.

It worth trying one before purchasing. I can honestly say it's the most boring sport Ive done in years. That said, it's good exercise and fun to be on the water.

[WaWaZat]

Update... all new Uli boards are now coming with a just released, even newer designed manual pump which is supposed to get them inflated in half the time or less than the one I demoed with last weekend. So probably 5-8 mins. I'm also told it's even easier pumping than mine as the pressure increases. I never found it difficult but I've had to squeeze in the last few psi for kids or some girls who were giving inflating a whirl.