When Micha grabbed his three-year-old son Leo with a diving mask around his neck, put him on the bow and circumnavigated the idyllic islets of U Spanu in Corsica with his wife on the borrowed SUP all-rounder, he was not yet aware of the consequences of his actions. At the latest 800 paddle strokes later, it was clear: a SUP board like this was a must - in addition to windsurfing equipment and mountain bikes, a looming battle of equipment like in Pascal Paoli's Corsican fight for freedom against the French.
Understandably, the question of all questions: "Can I paddle with my slalom board?" We gave you the answer to this in surf Magazine 8/2011 from page 72: A slalom board is difficult or even impossible to paddle on. On old, voluminous windsurf boards, on the other hand, it is. But take a turn in choppy water with a narrow Mistral Competition weighing well over 20 kilos or try to ride a small wave - a frustrating endeavour. Stand-up boards are a different story. They can actually do everything, are relatively short (with the exception of race and touring boards) and easy to carry under your arm.
SUP has developed rapidly over the last two years. There are thoroughbred carbon race boards, radical wave boards, lively touring boards and even space-saving inflatable boards. The right product for every niche. For the majority of beginners and intermediates, however, the all-rounder is the right choice, as it can do a bit of everything. Just like the ideal case in real life. Now it's up to each individual to decide which strengths their all-rounder should have. A family man will certainly want to share his surfing fun with his children and wife. A stable, robust board with plenty of soft deck would be the right choice. An ambitious windsurfer looking for a paddleboard for windless wave days will choose a wave-orientated all-rounder. Windsurfers looking for a light wind option or windsurfing beginners should make sure that an option (mast foot holder or even centreboard) is available. Here is a small selection of the most popular board types on the market.
The test results for the 6 SUP all-round boards are available below as a PDF download:
Fanatic Fly Wood 10'6"
JP 10'8" matt
Naish Nalu 11'6"
Oxbow Cruiser 12'0"
RRD Diamond Wood 11'2"
Starboard Blend Brushed Carbon 11'2"
The RRD Diamond is not only the ideal flat water board: in addition to the JP and the Starboard Blend, the RRD can be steered properly on the wave (Algajola, Corsica) using the front foot.
The Naish Nalu 11'6'' is the egg-laying wolf milk sow: fun in calm conditions (here in the land of zeppelins on Lake Constance), stable for windsurfing beginners and confident in moderate waves.
Micha with son Leo: Cruising with the very stable Oxbow Cruiser in the marvellous landscape of U Spanu on the west coast of Corsica.
