Q: Can I use my longboard A: Sure - if you're Joel Tudor - or someone equally lightweight! Joel paddles a standard Surftech Mickey Munoz 12-0 x 26.25" x 4.25" Super Glide. However, for anyone else starting out, we would recommend a board of roughly 11-0 x 30" x 4.5". Even the most radical Standup boards are over 26" wide - and Joel's board is also quite a bit wider than your average 23" wide longboard - trying to paddle a board this narrow will only end in frustration and an unjustified hatred of Standup Paddling!
Q:Why are paddles so expensive A: There are actually paddles available to suit every budget - from sub-£50 examples, constructed with a plastic blade, plastic t-handle and plastic-coated aluminium shaft; via featherlight carbon fiber paddles, which retail for £200-300; to gorgeous hand-made laminated wooden paddles, which retail for over £300!
Q:It must be easy on such a big board A: It is! As long as you start out on a big, stable, all-round board, on a flat-calm day, with little or (preferably) no swell, you will find Standup paddling a doddle! Introduce the two Achilles Heels of the Standup Board, however - a strong headwind, or choppy, confused seas - and things immediately become a lot more "interesting"! Of course, with experience, you will find you can very quickly handle less than perfect conditions, opening up a FAR bigger window of opportunities for Standup Paddling.
Q: Do I need lessons A: As with most things, lessons are not essential - and if you've got a mate with a standup board and paddle, what are you waiting for?! However, as with all things, SUP lessons will fast-track your learning experience, allowing you to enjoy the full opportunities and stoke of Standup Paddling, in a far shorter time, than from picking it up on your own.
Q: Where can I hire a board A: At this point (September 2007), SUP equipment hire businesses are scarce. However, keep checking our directory of shops, schools, etc for new listings of SUP Hire, as we expect uptake in this area will be very quick. Certainly by next Summer, we anticipate that you will be able to hire SUP kit pretty-much everywhere.
Q: Are there 2nd hand board around A: More and more all the time, as first-generation Standup Paddlers refine their ideas of what works for them. Check the For Sale section of our Forums for up-to-date listings.
Q:The waves are tiny here, whats the deal with open water paddling A: This is the exact area where Standup paddling far transcends the possibilities of "traditional" Surfing! Pitch up at the beach - maybe after a long drive - and there isn't so much as a ripple. As a "conventional" Surfer, you can either go for a prone / knee paddle (= knee / back / neck ache); or revert to Golf, your PSP, or some other (well-rehearsed) activity, for whiling away the time, until the waves come up. As a Standup paddler, however, you now have a number of opportunities! Jump on your SUB and either (1) take a mellow downwind paddle / drift down the coast - one of the most good-for-the-soul, stress-busting activities ever invented; (2) go for a strenuous core-strength and total body workout - ie. into wind and / or tide, or over a longer distance; or you could paddle out a little way, sit down on your board, and fish the afternoon away! (Believe me, people do!) The prospects for Standup Paddling are endless - no horizon is unreachable. You can paddle down the coast until you fall asleep, paddle the Channel, or paddle on inland lakes, rivers, reservoirs and waterways - all to the benefit of your mental and physical well-being!
