Why you should get an Inflatable Paddle Board?
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Why you should get an Inflatable Paddle Board?
A large number of the paddleboards you find people using at large water bodies are actually inflatable. This means that the hard surface that they rest their body weight on to float above the water surface is mostly air and the rest consists of carbon fiber.
Thus, when you head out to purchase a stand-up paddle up, you will likely have to skim across the decision of either buying a hard-surface paddleboard, and an inflatable paddleboard. Both have their positives and negatives and each can serve you best for specific purposes.
Regardless of whether you get a hard board, or an inflatable one, paddle boarding in itself can be a beneficial addition to your life, especially during the pandemic summers. If you are someone that admires the thrill of water sports and believes in the importance outdoor recreational activities, then the benefits of stand-up paddle boarding will outweigh other water sports in many aspects.
You can Paddle it anywhere!
One of the great things about stand-up paddle boarding is that you can do it at almost any body of water. Thus, like other water sports, you are not limited to just a beach, or just a lake. You can take it out to whichever large water body that is most accessible to you and paddle across without any trouble.
However, understand that some water bodies are easier for standup paddle boarding than others, thus, you have to be careful of where you paddle board when beginning your SUP journey. For a starter that still needs to develop the balance and familiarity on the board, picking out calmer waters will be of great benefit.
Calmer waters entails to water bodies that are stagnant, unlike a flowing river stream or rippling waves of the ocean. Lakes and Ponds is the best option when starting out the paddleboard journey, this is because it is better to practice on a water surface that does not obstruct you when you are finding your balance.
Nevertheless, once you do master the easier surfaces, you can ultimately challenge yourself and take on new waters for more thrilling and adrenaline infused paddle-boarding trips. Below are a few tips that beginners should keep in mind when trying to master stand-up paddle boarding.
Getting Started Tips
You have bought yourself a paddleboard, and now you want to learn how to use it. Well, as mentioned above, you have to initially practice on your balance on calmer waters at first. Ideally, you should opt for location that is protects you from not only waves of the water, but also the windy breeze that can put you off-balance as well.
Thus, before you think of stepping on to the board in windy area, make sure to wait for the wind situation to calm down. After establishing the wind situation, you want to make sure that you first ever stand-up paddleboard launch, or entry, is good and smooth.
To ensure this, make sure that you establish a good spot on the water to make your first ever paddle boarding launching. After doing so, you need to make sure that you get on the board correctly. When laying down the board on the water, be wary of the fin beneath the board.
Dropping the board down on too shallow of water can potentially damage the boards fin, and this can cause you to fall off your board. To avoid that this ever happens, make sure that you slowly wade out into the water, pushing the board further until the board and the water surface is about knee deep.
This applies to when you are at a calmer water body such as a lake or pond and not at the beach, since you do not want a situation where you are crashing into the oncoming wave with your board.
Getting On the Board Tips
Now that you have entered in to the water with your board, it is time that you get on the board. This step sounds ironically easy, however, to any beginner; it can actually be a nightmare. Many people may even give up their pursuit to paddle board after failing to stand up several times on the paddleboard.
To properly get on the board, place your paddle perpendicular to the carry handle while holding it down. Once you do that, place your hands over the paddle shaft simultaneously, while pressing down on the shaft. You can then move over to placing your knees on each side of the carry handle, one after another.
To get familiar with the water turbulence and the flow of the water, you should definitely spend some time paddling the waters on your knees. A kneeling position is not only easier for paddling around, but it also gives you a good feel for the board.
Moreover, kneeling is an essential position in paddle boarding. You will find paddle boarders often switch to the kneeling position. This is because it is an incredible position when you need to rest your calves and take a much-needed break from standing up. It can also work as a stabilizing position when conditions get a little shaky.
When you assume the kneeling position of the paddleboard, make sure that you have both of your hands on the shaft. Kneeling position on the paddleboard also allows you to submerge the blade completely in the water more easily. This allows for better propulsion for each stroke that you take.
Furthermore, when you are paddling on your knees, make sure that you are holding your paddle with both hands on the shaft. Sliding between sides is also something that will come with practice, if you wish to change sides, make sure that you retain the same hand position, when you are switching.
Once you become comfortable paddling around on your knees, it is your time to stand up. Standing up may take you a few attempts, but with persistence, and keeping good form and technique as a priority, you will ultimately get a hold of it quicker than you think.
Standing Up Tips
To stand up safely on the paddleboard, you must place your paddle across the board in line of your front view. Make sure to lock your fingers over the shaft so that it does not fall-off. Now, you want to make sure that you look onwards the horizon, and put your toe in a tucked position.
Once you are at the position where you are kneeling with both your hands on the board, you want to start with your attempt of getting on your feet. To do this, you want to bring one of your feet to your chest, while planting your feet flat on the paddleboard.
Once you have your planted on the board, you should not waste any time and slowly squat your way up to a standing position. Make sure that you follow the fundamentals of the squat when you stand up. What this means, is that you should try to leverage your leg muscles when standing up. This allows you stand up in a much more stable position.
Once you are up, you want to make sure that you are actively paddling. This contributes to your balance, and allows for a more stand-time on the board, by maintaining a stable position. While standing upright on the board, you need to start establishing the centre of balance on the paddleboard.
This refers to the sweet spot near the centre of the board, in which you have the most amount of balance when you place your feet on it. You can find this by looking back and forth on the board and estimate an equal distance between the nose and the tail of the board.
Stress-Relief
Amidst all the Coronavirus chaos, stand-up paddle boarding can be your savior from all the bombarding negative news that is circling in the media. In some ways, it may even be your best defense against the pandemic if you take into account the impact of stress and anxiety on existing conditions.
Paddle boarding in all its essence is an activity that encompasses a calming and soothing experience. Just the thought of being by yourself and your thoughts, while serenading in the vastness of the sea, encapsulates a moment that oozes relaxation and alleviates stress to an incredible extent.
It allows you to realize the scarcity of your problems against the great blue sea. Paddle Boarding is the ultimate stress reliever because of many reasons. Below, we look at all the aspects that make stand-up paddle boarding so instrumental for our mental health.
Exercise
Studies show that getting the right exercise can be incredible for our mental health. Paddle boarding can be very physically demanding, as well as very relaxing, depending on how you are using the paddle. If you are stand-up paddle across far distancing, it can be source of great caloric burn.
This means that stand-up paddling can help you break quite a sweat. The feeling of tiredness and fatigue after long hours of exercise results in the release of endorphins in the body. This chemical is responsible for a rewarding feeling of satisfaction. Most competitive runners recognize this feeling as a “runner’s high”
Thus, the gratifying and fulfilling “runners high” is easily achievable on the paddleboard. Not to mention, it can also help you lose a great deal of weight. You can ultimately use paddle boarding as a way to set new goals in life, which include fat loss.
Losing weight can be a life changing experience for anyone. Even if you are only slightly overweight, losing a few extra pounds can help you insinuate into a better and more confident self. Moreover, it can also make you healthy and release you from the extra baggage that you have been carrying for so long.
Therefore, the exercise that you achieve from standup paddle boarding can help you re-evaluate your values, and pick healthier options that contribute to a much healthier version of yourself. As a result, your self-improvement, endorsed by the paddleboard helps achieve clarity in life, which contributes to a good mental health.
Inflatable vs Solid Paddle Boards
Before you opt for a particular paddleboard, you must know the difference between inflatable boards, and solid boards. This will help you better understand why you should buy an inflatable stand up paddleboard. To make the best decision regarding this, you need to identify your requirements and needs when it comes to paddle boarding. In addition, you must be wary of the certain edge inflatable paddle boards have on the solid ones, especially in terms of convenience.
Tracking purpose
Traditionally, more people agree that solid boards are better for tracking than inflatable boards. However, new innovative engineering and technology is paving the ways for different varieties of inflatable paddleboards.
New inflatable boards are now making hallmarks and changing the way paddle boarders look are inflatable’s. You can now find inflatable boards with different nose shapes and a revamp in the overall design. This makes them relatively similar to the solid boards when it comes to tracking.
The more arrow-like and pointy nose shape of this kind of board makes it tread across the waters much faster and thus allows for an amazing paddleboard tracking experience. Thus, you may be convinced to consider a solid board if your purpose is tracking. However, with the introduction and innovation of new design, inflatable boards can be just as useful.
Stability
When it comes to stability, you do not find any noticeable difference between the two types of boards. However, when you test them for stability, the solid board does have a slight edge. Nevertheless, the material of the board has little to do with the stability of the board.
Both are relatively equal when you keep in consideration that the board can easily support your specific weight. Therefore, if you want to maximize the stability of your board, you have to make sure that you buy one that is big enough to carry your weight.
You can find several different sizes of inflatable boards; each different size corresponds to a different weight capacity. Thus, you must select a board that corresponds to your weight perfectly. To ensure stability, make sure that you get a board that is neither too small, nor too big.
This also applies to taking others on a particular paddleboard. You can make space for your dog, kids or anything on the board and paddle with maximum stability, as long as the board is sizeable enough to withstand the weight that you put on it.
Keeping all of these weight technicalities in mind is a prerequisite if you want to use a solid board. However, with an inflatable board, you can find bigger and wider sizes in the market, that give way for a one-size-fits-all experience.
This is because some inflatable boards have weight capacities that go up to 400 pounds. Hence, if you are investing in the inflatable paddleboard because you want to get closer with your family, and take your kids along on a paddleboard adventure, then it is best that you pick an inflatable standup board.
The convenience due to its portability is immense with the inflatable board. You can pack it into a bag pack, making it an easy way to store and travel with the board. However, this does not go without saying an inflatable board is more susceptible to be shaky under strong winds in extreme weather conditions.
Speed
Like stability, speed is also an aspect that both, a solid board and an inflatable share equal aspects. Traditionally, inflatable boards can be a little bit slower, but then again, the new innovative inflatable boards have engineering that counteracts with the problems of speed.
However, some people believe that solid boards can provide a much better glide across the water that you cannot find on the inflatable board. Hence, you may experience a faster paddle stroke on hardboard.
Durability
This is where the major difference comes in, and why someone will choose the inflatable over the solid paddleboard. It is true the board makers will use bamboo material for the construction of solid boards, which is more elastic and durable than just a fiberglass inflatable board. However, this also means that they require a much higher maintenance than the inflatable.
You will have to treat them with much more care so that they maintain their durability and dexterity. On the other hand, an inflatable board has no performance issues despite the wear and tear it goes through. You can drag it across concrete, or bump it into rocks; it shows no sufficient signs of damage.
Thus, you do not have to worry about damaging the carbon fiber of the inflatable, as much as you would worry about the solid board. The only thing that can really harm an inflatable board is fire damage, or anything very pointy and sharp. Other than that, it can withstand almost any natural surface that you expose it to.
Portability
This is the biggest and most obvious difference between the two boards, and the main distinction as to why inflatable boards are better than solid paddleboards. You can quite easily store an inflatable board into a bag and fit it in the trunk of your car or anywhere else. You can do this by deflating the board and rolling it up into a smaller ball, which you can inflate back to a paddleboard when you want to use it.
Most inflatable paddleboards come with a bag pack that you can simply hang on your shoulders, or take it across countries on an airplane. Moreover, you can also store it in the closet over the winters just so it stays in mint condition at the time of summers.
Alternatively, with a solid board, you will require a relatively large vehicle, or a car with a rack attached to it if you wish to travel with a solid board. Not to mention the space that you will need to make room for the big length of the board. These are challenges that you will have to adhere if you opt for a solid board.
Therefore, for people that do not have the same amount of space in their living arrangements, and yet, would love to travel along with their paddleboards, then solid board is not the ideal option.
To Conclude
Now that you have all the insights of paddle boarding, and how to distinguish between the two types of paddleboards and their differences, you can make a better decision on your water sport purchase. To sum it up, an inflatable board is extremely beginner friendly, because of durability, stability, portability and accessibility. While a solid board can offer better aesthetic value, along with a much smoother glide, and weather-resistance.