How to Choose a Touring Paddle Board - Touring SUP Reviews

What Board Sizes, Shapes and Features to Look For

• Touring paddle boards usually track well.
• Touring paddle boards usually have better glide performance.
• Touring paddle boards are fairly maneuverable if you know the trick.
• Touring paddle boards are typically longer than all-around boards, which gives you more room for storage or even passengers.
• Touring paddle boards are great for covering long distance. 

What Size SUP Touring Board To Choose

A commonly accepted length for a touring board is 12’6, which is also commonly used for a race board. There are also touring boards at 11’6 long.

You can tell a touring stand up paddle board apart from a race board by its width. But there’s no set standard for how wide a touring board and a race board should be.

A board that’s 28’’ wide or less is usually considered to be a race board. And touring boards are typically at 30’’-32’’ wide. 32 inches is the ideal width for a touring board which balances glide performance with stability perfectly.

Fin System

If you are going to be touring on flat water, then a board with a single center fin would be enough as it will have less drag. 

Look for boards with a US fin box because it’s the most common type of fin box and compatible with various kinds of fins. You will also be able to adjust the position of the fin in the fin box to tune the performance of the board.

Place the fin at the back of the fin box will help make the board track better. Place the fin further forward at the front of the fin box will make the board easier to turn. For leisure paddling, you can put the fin at the center to balance between tracking, stability and maneuverability.

Tracking is important in touring. If your board tracks well, you won’t have to correct your course all the time. If you want to improve the tracking of your board, try getting a taller fin. 

There are also touring boards with a 3-fin setup. The two side fins will help make the board more maneuverable. In certain paddling conditions like when you are paddling on shallow or choppy water or on a windy day, you might need more control of your board and the two side fins will contribute to the maneuverability and tracking of the board.

Deck pad

A smooth deck pad is more comfortable to stand on, but it’s not for all paddling conditions. It’s more suited to casual touring where comfort is more important than traction. You might need more traction under certain circumstances like when you paddle on shallow or choppy water, and a diamond groove deck pad would be more suitable.

Front bungee system

Most boards would feature a bungee system at the front of the board, and it’s an important feature as it would allow you to bring along some necessary stuff like your water bottle.

If you are going to be doing other things like camping in the middle of your trip, you might need to take other stuff with you like food or first aid supplies and a reliable front bungee tie down system would make it easy for you to bring along the things you need.

5 Best touring paddle boards