With paddleboards getting more and more popular as time flies by, the industry has evolved a bit. What was once relegated to one or two basic shapes and formats now has a whole lineup of specialized boards that can outperform anything else during very specific uses.
Today, we want to go over three of the most unique board types and what they’re good for.
Let’s get started.
1: Touring Paddle Boards
Touring paddle boards are boards designed to comfortably, quickly, and safely, get you around long distances; that’s why they’re called “touring” boards.
These are particularly good if you like to use your paddleboard to explore bodies of water for long stretches at a time, and you’re not particularly interested in racing, hitting waves, or fishing. For example, let’s say you want to take your paddleboard along a 3-mile stretch of the inlet to explore the nooks and crannies, enjoy the scenery, and maybe hop off at a boardwalk food stand. A touring board will allow you to do that without worrying too much about your balance or having to exert a lot of energy picking up speed or maneuvering the board.
With that being said, they’re a bit too clumsy for more precise movements. So, you definitely won’t want to take your touring board out to the surf or try to outpace people in a sprint.
2: Yoga Paddleboards
Yoga paddleboards are also pretty unique. They’re big wide boards with a design focused on balance and stability. This is because, as the name suggests, they’re specifically meant to be used for doing yoga on the water.
The wide and long design allows the board to remain incredibly stable; even while you’re pulling off complex movements and poses, and as long as you’re on relatively stable water, you’ll be good to go.
However, the size and overall design of a yoga board do come with some drawbacks. Primarily, it’s slow, and it’s a little more difficult to maneuver. This isn’t a huge problem since you’ll probably be using your yoga board fairly close to shore, but if you decide to get a bit more adventurous, you’ll definitely notice those drawbacks.
3: Fishing Paddleboards
Finally, we have fishing paddleboards (like this inflatable boat). If you haven’t noticed, most of the names of sub-categories are self-explanatory, and this one is no different. A fishing board is a paddleboard that you use to go fishing.
These boards are long and wide like yoga boards for stability, but they also feature a number of attachment points and other features to help you attach or tow your fishing gear. This gives anglers a sturdy way to traverse the water with everything they could possibly need, and since it’s a surface for you to stand on, you have a bit more mobility than you’d have in a similarly-priced kayak.
However, these paddleboards can take quite a bit of energy to move along with, especially if you have a lot of gear attached, and they’re clunky.
