SUP wherever you look: Boards for stand-up paddling can be seen at almost every stand at boot, ranging from the visibly used iSUP ( see our bargain tour ) to high-end racers made from carbon fibre. The big trend of the year is the narrow downwind boards for foiling, where the boundaries between SUP and wings are blurred. Many of the new products are said to be ideal both as a downwind SUP and as a wing board for light winds. We took a look around and show you the most exciting new products!
GunSails
GunSails has completely revised its SUP range for the new year. The five models from Wave to Race have been visually redesigned and are 1.5 to 2 kilos lighter than their predecessors thanks to new cross-dropstitch technology. All SUPs from the sail manufacturer come with a windsurf option and there are complete packages with simple beginner rigs.
Indiana
New at Indiana is a wave SUP with a moderate shape, "for easy going for holiday wave paddlers", as shaper Andi Widmann describes it. The typical user is a classic windsurfer who also does a bit of SUP on the side. "It's not a radical board, but it still offers performance." The Swiss company has also revised its touring shapes for 2024. With the Le Doigt, Indiana also has a new downwind board that is designed for paddling and waggling.
Jimmy Lewis (Haiku Sports)
Cult shaper Jimmy Lewis has also built a downwinder, which can be seen at Haiku Sports at boot. The "Twisted V" is based on a board that Lewis once designed for none other than Laird Hamilton. "Thanks to a special V, it comes up very well in the waves, but is less suitable for flat water," says Jan Muellers from Haiku Sports. The Twisted V comes in three sizes, each with two widths. Also new is the Destroyer HP, an expert longboard designed for the Australian ten-foot division with a volume of just 125 litres. A nine-foot version with 120 litres will also be available soon. The rest of the colourful range consists of familiar models such as the Cruise Control and the Hanalei wave SUP.
Moai
The iSUPs from Moai are a real eye-catcher at boot. The Dutch brand launched in 2017 with one board and now has 23 models, as owner Pleini Holthausen explains. "We were initially an importer and then looked for an upgrade in the mid-price segment." Moai is now one of the most popular brands in the Netherlands and is also growing in other European countries.
"We have a different design, like the name, it's a tribute to the Polynesians," says Pleini. The models focus on the leisure sector, with a touring line and a beach line. Moai also has a lot of accessories and clothing, "we are more of a lifestyle brand than a performance brand." However, this does not mean that quality is compromised; all inflatables come in Zelltec or Ultralight, and there is also a high-quality bag and fibreglass paddles.
Starboard
A large SUP range can also be seen at Starboard, where Carsten Kurmis shows us the highlights. With Deluxe light, Starboard has a new fabric for iSUPs at the start, which is supposed to save two to three kilos in weight with high rigidity. Also on show at boot is the three-part fin box, which is designed to make rolling up easier: "It's much cleaner and easier, you don't have to pay attention to how the fin box is positioned," says Carsten, describing the advantages, while the pack size is said to be 30% smaller and the box is optimised in terms of flow. We were already able to try out the system in autumn .
While the shapes of the iSUPs have remained the same, the hardboards for racing have received small updates. The Allstar and Sprint should be faster and easier to turn with the rounded pintail, while the Allstar also has less volume at the front. The noses have nevertheless become slightly wider to make the boards more stable. Three different construction methods are now available for the GenR, with LiteTech being new.
Tahe/SIC
If you want to paddle with less effort, you should take a look at the Tahé stand. There you can see an 11'6 all-round SUP with a small electric drive installed in the underwater hull, which is controlled via a control element on the paddle. "This is designed to get back against the wind, for example," explains Malte Büchner from Choppy Water. "Even at the lowest level, you can make good progress!" Right next to it are the race SUPs from SIC in a new design. The RST, the "ultimate in race boards", has been completely redesigned as the successor to the RS. In addition to an optimised scoop rocker line, an automatic water drain in the standing area is also new.
