Are you in the market for the best SUP boards? Whether you have a lot of money to spend or are running on a tight budget for your next paddleboard, we’ve got the five best choices for all your needs. If you’re looking for the top touring, fishing, or family paddleboard, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top 5 best SUP boards of 2019.
Best Overall Rigid SUP
Surftech/prAna Catalyst Tuflite VT:
This SUP is one of our all-time favorite boards, offering a perfect combination of speed, stability, and glide performance, all in a sleek and stylish package. This board looks great and feels super light both on and off the water, making it easy to turn and carry. Unfortunately, all of this performance comes at a price, and the Catalyst is one of the more expensive boards that we have tested. However, the Catalyst is genuinely one of the best boards that you can get in terms of performance, and we highly recommend it, as long as you can afford the top-dollar price tag and are careful enough to keep it from getting too scratched and scuffed.
Best on a Tight Budget
Sun Dolphin Seaquest 10:
This plastic stand up paddleboard is exceptionally durable and can handle almost anything you throw at it. It is also extremely stable, comfortably cruising through choppy waters even when you have plenty of cargo or a dog or child on board. It is a fantastic option for a beginner who doesn’t want to invest a ton until they get a feel for the sport or for families who want a board that can handle plenty of abuse. Unfortunately, this board is also cumbersome, which can make it a bit difficult to carry or to load on a car — a task that usually requires a second set of hands due to this board’s bulk. Despite this drawback, the Sun Dolphin is an outstanding option if you are shopping for a SUP on a skinnier budget.
Top Pick for Families and First-Timers
BIC Sport TOUGH-TEC Cross:
This SUP almost matched the performance of the Catalyst overall yet only costs much less, making the Cross an excellent option for beginner to intermediate paddlers or families that don’t want to outgrow it quite as fast. The Cross is more than enough board for tons of paddlers’ entire paddling career, combining excellent glide performance, stability, and maneuverability in a relatively affordable and durable package. It can take a beating without showing too much damage and is one of the more stable boards, making it particularly suitable for novice paddlers or for kids or someone else who doesn’t want to have to treat their board too delicately.
Top Pick for Touring
BIC Ace-Tec Wing:
If you are looking for a superior SUP for touring, look no further than the BIC Ace-Tec Wing. It offers the perfect mix of glide performance and stability to keep you on the board and get you where you want to go quickly and efficiently. On top of that, its plastic construction is also amazingly durable. It’s even more stable than other touring boards we tested, which are usually narrow and prone to instability. It does a decent job of remaining upright through smaller wakes and waves but can be a bit shaky for beginner paddlers or if loaded with cargo.
Top Pick for Fishing
Pau Hana Endurance XL:
If you are looking for a board that can haul some serious weight around, then the Pau Hana Endurance XL is the paddleboard for you. This burly board is listed as having a maximum payload capacity of 417 lbs., making it the clear choice for any paddler on the big & tall side or anyone who needs to bring a bunch of stuff with them when they go paddleboarding. Designed for fishing or endurance paddling trips, this board not only has ample area to store things under its forward cargo net but also has 35 threaded mounting points and multiple through holes to secure items too. Pau Hana makes a full line of accessories that attach to these, including camera mounts or fishing pole holders, or you can always make your own to customize this board to your cargo carrying needs.
Now that you’ve got this information at your disposal, you can now make an informed decision before you press the checkout button at your favorite online shop or when you go to your local surf shop. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a veteran paddleboard enthusiast; these are all the boards that are worth your time and money. So be sure to know your needs, and what purpose your new paddleboard will serve, so you can make the most out of it and enjoy the water.