Are you thinking that this year is really the right time to buy soup? Read which 10 things you should pay attention to when choosing. Not only do you get the best bang for your buck, but it also fits your needs.
1. Who will drive the sup?
If you are buying a sup for yourself, the choice is not difficult and you can easily choose one that suits your size, weight, purpose and abilities. However, if several people will use the sup, for example children, a partner or friends, when choosing , focus on the weight of the heaviest person who will use it or on the person who will use it the most (provided that the sup is acceptable even for the heaviest person).
2. What is your weight?
When it comes to buying soup, pounds count. It is especially important that the weight of the rower does not exceed the recommended weight of the rower for the selected board. If the rower is too heavy, there is too much point stress and the sup becomes unstable, bends and shakes. When buying, take into account the maximum permissible weight of the rower rather than the total carrying capacity of the boat. An additional person (or more) can always come along to the soup. The size of the soup is also not negligible. If the tip is too small and too narrow, you will often be in the water, but if it is too big, you will have problems controlling the board.
3. What are your swimming skills?
Regardless of whether you are a complete beginner, an average or an experienced souper, there are three rules to remember when buying soup. Long sup means speed , wide sup means stability and short sup means agility . Long tails sail better in a straight line and are generally faster, wide tails provide stability and fewer falls into the water, and short tails enable fast and intense turns. We suggest that before you decide to buy a soup, you try all three and see for yourself which one suits you best .
4. What will you use the soup for?
The first sup for beginners is most often allround or family sup , which is wider and more stable, and allows both rowing around the bay and making longer tours, you can also catch a wave with it. But if you want more from the soup, to overcome a longer distance, consider a longer and faster, but slightly less stable touring or. travel boards . If the vulture will become part of your sporting endeavors and a way to keep in shape, ducks are also available. competitive forms of kites , but there are also those that you attach a sail to and turn into a windsurfer .
5. How is the soup made?
When buying a soup, you will come across a very important piece of information: one-layer or two-layer soup . Single-layer sup means that it has a thinner and weaker layer of PVC, double-layer has thicker and stronger PVC, which can withstand greater loads and is more durable and resistant. Single-layer soups can be recognized by the maximum allowable pressure of up to 16 psi, while double-layer soups allow a maximum pressure between 18 and 25 psi.
Of course, one layer isn't always bad. It can be more than enough for fun on the bay. Of course, if no rower has too many kilograms. Heavier paddlers, however, should look for a board that can withstand pressure of 18 psi or more on their first purchase . We also highly recommend a double layer board to anyone who will be using the sup more than just once or twice a year on vacation.
In addition, the quality and technology of joints are also important, which are usually the weak point of soups. Almost all soups have the joints glued at the edges and therefore have an expected life span of 5-10 years. Only Starboard has gone a step further and has heat-welded edges . This means that the joint cannot loosen, and the sup has a longer life.
7. How will you transport and store it?
This question is related to whether to choose a hard or inflatable sup. As with the previous question, you don't have much of a choice here, unless you live near the sea or a lake to which transporting soup is easy. With the exception of supar enthusiasts and competitors , most people choose an inflatable sup , precisely because of the more convenient storage at home and easier transport . Inflatable soups fold down to the smallest possible dimensions, and you get them in a handy bag that you can take with you on various trips. If you're going to carry the sup around a lot, it's worth buying a board that you get in a bag with wheels that you drag behind you.
8. Buying a soup set with or without a paddle?
Some soups have a paddle already included in the set, while others have to be purchased separately. Most often, the paddle in the set is aluminum. For short sailing and fun, this is quite enough, as long as the oar is solidly made (make sure it has clamps that fix the oar). However, when rowing for longer periods, an aluminum paddle can become heavy and uncomfortable.
The Shark and Starboard Zen SUP kits are already equipped with a 3-piece paddle with a carbon/polyester stick. This is already a very solid paddle that is much lighter than the aluminum one. For Starboard Deluxe boats, however, the oar must be purchased separately. This is because it is as important as the board and must be chosen according to the needs of the individual - height, strength, purpose of paddling...
The price also depends on the material. Aluminum oars are cheaper, but heavy and after rowing for a while this can be felt strongly, if they fall out of your hands they also sink faster. Carbon paddles are more expensive, but light, making longer paddles easier. We recommend that you choose the middle path and buy a combined fiberglass and carbon fiber paddle .
Oars are also distinguished by the shape of the blade. As a beginner, choose a basic paddle that has a wider blade. For convenience, we also suggest choosing a foldable 2- or 3-piece paddle.
9. How much money are you willing to spend to buy soup?
You can find soups in all price ranges, from a few hundred to a thousand plus euros. The rule of thumb is that the better the soup, the more expensive it is . The higher price of most brands reflects better manufacturing technology, better quality materials, durability and a longer service life. No matter how much you're willing to spend on a soup, always look for the best in your price range . If you're looking for soup for family fun, look for Wasup or Shark soup , while for the best quality, look for the Starboard brand. So that you can make a decision based on quality and not price, at Wasup we also offer you the option of buying in installments .
10. How much do you care about the environment?
Of course, we all care about the environment and it's nice to know that your sup is also 'eco'. Snorkeling is an activity strongly associated with water and oceans. The Starboard brand is famous for its focus on reducing the carbon footprint , using recycled materials and generally cleaning the oceans . Many components are made from recycled materials, the bags are made entirely from recycled bottles, for every Starboard board sold, a mangrove is planted in Myanmar... Shark Sups, a soup brand that focuses on raising awareness and preservation of various species of sharks, for which they also founded The Shark Trust .
