Inflatable or Hard Board? Paddle Board Review

In this video we will explain the differences between an Inflatable Paddle Board and a Hard Paddle Board. Also known as an iSUP or Epoxy Paddle Board. There are benefits to inflatable paddle boards as well as hard paddle boards, and we will outline them in this video. Inflatable vs. Hard Paddle Board.
**UPDATE** Be sure to check out our new Pro Series models - the world's first Inflatable Harboards that are up to 300% more rigid than typical inflatables.

[lisayist]

I own both. It's convenient for me to have a hard board because I live right by a lake, but I travel with my inflatable 95% of the time.

[shylascalf]

Straight to the point!! Thank you for not going on and on about useless stuff. This was so helpful. Appreciate it

[marktalku]

One more important item: inflatables are more sensitive to wind. They blow downwind more easily. If you are a child or very light, you can become more at the wind’s mercy. Easy to fix: paddle upwind at the start of the day’s session; glide home at the end.

[I_Cause_ConFLICKt]

After I really got into paddling as my main hobby, I bought one of the 11 foot Explorer ISUPs back in 2017 after owning a hard board for a couple years. I loved it so much, I've ridden it for hundreds of miles since and I couldn't be happier with the transition. The durability, stability and convenience of my inflatable is incredible. For anyone who is worried about making the transition from a hard board to an ISUP, just do it already!

[Bond-James-Bond-]

I started with an iSUP and got 3 good years out of it before I had my first and final problem. The seam popped leaving me with a 6" hole. We weren't on the water yet and it was our own fault for leaving the boards in the sun. But after that we bought hardboards. They are a lot different the biggest thing is that with a hardboard YOU WILL GET WET, you're essentially in the water, with an iSUP you have a 4-6" platform above the water. I am 100lbs under the board weight limit and still get wet. It kinda bugged me the first few times because I was used to staying totally dry but now I do like my board and have learned to make peace with the wet. I like the handling of the hardboard way more, yoga is way harder on the hard board. The hardboard is incredibly light. You're going to spend about 10-15 minutes setting up either way, whether you're pumping or strapping /unstrapping a board, and putting away the board bag.

[BryceLovesTech]

Switching out all of my boards to inflatable's. Tired of the cracks and doing repairs. Plus the convenience of being able to put them in the trunk of your car is awesome

[Bowhunterohio]

I literally have 18 inflatable paddleboards. I love them because since I have so many I don’t need a whole lot of space to store them. The reason I have so many is because I got one for both me and my wife then decided to get one for each of our kids. No I don’t have 18 kids. Lol. I had 6 boards at that time but since then I have decided to open a business from my home where I rent the paddleboards out so that is why I purchased so many and I got a good deal on them at the time. Next year my son and I are going to start doing classes for people that want to learn. I have never owned a hard paddleboard so I can’t really say which one is better but I do know that it’s a lot easier to store them away during the winter when you have limited space. It’s also easier to get them to the water because I can literally fit them all into my truck. They are really durable and another nice thing is I have several kayak seats that can connect right to the D-Rings of the paddleboard. Another thing is I ended up buying a couple electric paddleboard pumps that plug right into the 12V power socket of my truck. They also make cordless SUP pumps so that you can inflate them right down by the water. The hand pumps just take to long in my opinion. As a reminder and I’m not 100% sure if it matters but during the winter I don’t leave the inflatable boards outside. I bring them in because I feel as though freezing temps can damage the material. This is just what I worry about. I live in a area that during the winter time it’s below zero a lot. If for some reason I have no choice but to leave them in the cold then I notice they do get really stiff so I take them in to warm them up for a day or so before inflating. I just feel like that helps. Again I’m not sure this matters or not but when you have a lot of money wrapped up in something then you want to take care of it. That’s just my take anyway.

[randybeeson]

Good review straight to the point. Not all inflatables are the same. We got cheap ones first and they performed horribly. After watching Trip Smith on YouTube camp off of his, we went with Blackfins like his. Big difference. Not interested in storing hardboard, we have kayaks that take up enough room.

[jrs]

Very helpful. Sticking with my inflatable for sure after watching this. My two 35 lb dogs love to ride on my 12’x32” inflatable with me.

[vlaaady]

A simple factor - weight - makes the hard boad more stable since it is much heavier and the center of gravity is lower when you stand on it

[Productum]

Well explained, thanks for sharing! :) Last year I bought the Aqua Marina Supertrip board and I'm still very happy with it (easy handling, stable, good price-performance, one board two people and a lot of fun)! ;)

[melonface]

that answers it sold on the inflatable, , , already knew the storage part, thanks

[ndrsg]

SoftB for beginners + all levels and easy storage, also safer if you hit your face on the board...
HardB for advanced users + hassle free unpacking grab and go paddling (or if can already surf some waves not falling much)

[GoGo-tkui]

I purchased kayak (non inflatable) last year and it was way too heavy for me to place it on top of my SUV and regret purchasing it and never used it yet. So I purchased inflatable paddle board and just came here today. It looks like this was what I needed! I am going to test it with my dog in few days.

[shanemcgonnell]

Great video that I couldn’t find before I bought. One thing you didn’t cover was how long an inflatable will last before it leaks or has issues vs the fiberglass. Thanks

[PowerOfOne-uh]

Could they make a hard board that folds or slots together to save transport space.

[TheVinny]

I just got a inflatable for my YouTube channel I’ll be playing with it soon as the weather warms up this video is very helpful thank you very much and I subscribed 😊

[susanquigley]

My 3 year old inflatable popped over 4th of july weekend. Gauge said we were still in the green psi area! Unfortunately outside of warranty. Looking to replace and now debating whether to get another inflatable or to buy a hard board.

[hellomeloO]

Our friend sells isups and we got one for free. The backpack is heavy asf, hats off to ppl who can carry it to the beach. Can't imagine the hard ones.

[CarChrisMC]

You forgot one plus point for a hardboard: Looks way cooler on my Jeep than inflatable 😋🤙🏻😂