People frequently ask me to comment on purchasing a paddleboard. As a long-time Three Brothers Board rider, I hold strong convictions, but I share my unbiased (well, mostly unbiased) opinion whenever asked.
One of the first questions I ask a person is what they intend to do with their board. Will they be fishing, surfing, touring with a group, racing, or practicing yoga on it?
Usually, a person just starting out may not know exactly what they want to do. However, they do know they want to begin 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 twice as heavy and struggle to track straight. Inflatable SUPs are difficult to inflate and tend to flex during use. They also drag in the water, making them slower than rigid boards.
Once you decide on a rigid SUP, the question becomes: which brand? People often ask me about the practicality of buying a used board. Generally, I caution against purchasing one with 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 the true cost of a purchase in mind, I encourage people to weigh buying a new board against its potential resale value if they decide to sell it later. 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 the 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.
The True Cost of a Purchase
