Swell times! Surfing race and touring stand up paddle boards

With summer now but a distant memory it’s definitely NOT time to hang up your paddle for winter. In fact it’s quite the opposite! Autumn, winter and spring can be the best months for getting afloat and certainly the best time for scoring surf.

But what if all you own is a race or touring SUP? Well, have no fear as taking these babies into surf is more than doable. OK, you’re not going to be ripping huge turns and chucking buckets of spray, but that isn’t the point. Most people get hooked on stand up paddling because of the glide. And it’s this gliding feeling that’s heightened when sliding into a few small swells.

Yep, we said small, not big. If large open faced liquid walls are your thing then you really should be looking at our surf Fish SUP range – www.supdirect.co.uk/fatstick-shop/4584165157/fatstick-fish-wave-sup-8’6/7870540. If, however, you want to increase the amount of days you can glide on swell then consider riding your pointy nose SUP in waves.

 

Not only will this teach more about board trim and how to set a rail, you’ll be able to pick up even ankle snappers. And when waves increase a little, with skill you can be skimming across the brine, surging along on your race or touring SUP and covering much greater distance than you normally would.

For existing surfers it’s another tool in your arsenal to maximise time on the water. Those paddlers who don’t own a surf stick should find comfort in knowing you don’t actually need one. There’s never been a better way for getting the most out of your race and touring SUP. So as we said at the start of this post, now’s NOT the time for a winter of hibernation, now’s the time for stepping up and snagging a few waves.

As further evidence you can see SUP Mag UK editor Tez Plavenieks testing our 12.6ft race SUP in the vid above. Here the waves are barely ankle high. In fact, the ripple’s he’s riding aren’t even waves at all. It’s actually wake from a passing cruise ship! Yet again highlighting how you don’t actually need decent conditions to surf when you own a race or touring stand up paddle board. So what’s stopping you? Time to get involved…