Frequently I am asked to comment on the topic of purchasing a paddleboard. My convictions are pretty deeply rooted as a long time Three Brothers Board rider however I will offer my unbiased (well mostly unbiased) opinion when asked.
One of the first questions I ask a person is what they intend to do with their board. Will they be fishing from it? Will they be surfing? Will they be touring with a group? Will they be racing? Will they use it for yoga.
Usually a person just starting out may not necessarily know what they are going to do but they do know they want to get started in the sport of stand up paddleboarding.
My next question is what is their budget? This discussion will frequently lead to side conversations which include questions regarding plastic or inflatable SUPs as an entry level purchase. The purchase of a SUP is a large purchase it is one that should not be made in haste. I encourage newcomers to try a variety of boards and once they have paddled a plastic or inflatable SUP the decision becomes quite clear. The performance is simply not there. Plastic SUPs are double the weight and have tremendous difficulty tracking straight while inflatable SUPs are difficult to inflate, flex during use and drag through the water hence making them quite a bit slower than their rigid board counterparts.
Once the inevitable decision of a rigid SUP is made, the question becomes which brand? While I am frequently asked to comment on the practicality of purchasing a used board I generally caution against buying something of unknown origins. Many SUP owners are careful with the use, transport and storage of their boards, but not all. Riding a Three Brothers board certainly gathers a lot of attention and gets a lot of compliments. While this is great, people often assume the boards are out of their price range. With this in mind, I encourage people to weigh the purchase of a new board against the resale value of the board should they decide to sell it. Not that you would. When looking around to make a SUP purchase you may be pleasantly surprised to find out just how affordable the board you really want is. The true cost of a purchase of course is not only the purchase price but cost of ownership and resale value. This is where Three Brothers Boards really shine. Classics never go out of style and your Woody will always look good and be the best looking board on the beach.
