In the Annapolis area for years most people with SUPs were either unaware that they were required to at least have a PFD with them or chose to ignore the requirement. Then the USCG and local authorities cracked down with a $125 fine and another $125 for no whistle or equivalent. The word got around pretty quickly. Many opted for an inflatable Type V, which must be worn, not just available.
Still amusing to see the number of people with a type V wearing them backwards, so that if deployed will leave you mooning the world as you drown with your head underwater.
If I see someone on an SUP without at least having a PFD, I will generally tell them about the regulation as some still do not know. It mystifies me that a store selling SUPs does not inform the buyer and take the opportunity to sell them a PFD at the same time if they do not already have one.
According to USCG and regulations here in North Carolina, if the paddle boarder is in a designated swimming or surfing area a PFD is not required. As a practical matter a paddle board is easy to remount and has much more flotation than any PFD.
Haha great replies all! Wing surfing and the like donāt count (in my original conjecture), because those are wind-powered, not human-powered. I was talking paddle craft. Basically, there really isnāt any room left for evolution. Seems to me that everything moving forward will either be some sort of sit-inside kayak or canoe, or some sort of sit-on (or stand on) paddleboard. In all seriousness, there is nothing left to do except add electric motors to everything.
Actually, I neglected to add things like pedal-drive kayaks or Hobie-drive kayaks. But again, Iām not counting those because they arenāt paddle-powered.
All I can say is literally every single person I know how owns (or owned) recreational sit-inside kayaks either never uses them anymore or got rid of them because they bought inflatable paddleboards. People who fish are probably one of the last holdouts for kayaks (and those are almost all sit-on-tops now).
@RedMC said:
āSea kayaking, whitewater paddling, canoe tripping, and racing are enthusiast activities that require a bigger investment and more commitment than casual paddlers are willing to put into the sport. The rise of recreational kayaking didnāt swell the participation rates in those activities, and if there is a shift from recreational kayaking to paddleboarding it may not cause a decline in those participation rates either, I hope.ā
I agreeā¦except the rise of recreational kayaking and paddleboarding did have one big impact (a negative one IMO) on sit-inside canoeing and kayaking: it dramatically reduced the number of canoes and sit-inside kayaks (of any kind) on the market today. Almost every (quality) manufacturer of sit-inside kayaks and canoes that has been around for decades has half (or less) the number and variety of models today than they did in, say, 1990.
Sure there are Chinese factories churning out thousands and thousands of cheap plastic sit-inside kayaksā¦but Iām not even considering those because theyāre the ālowest common denominatorā in the recreational kayak market, and mostly all the same. Iām talking about the far fewer options now available for high-quality, performance- and endurance-oriented options for enthusiasts and experts.
It is true that PFDs are not required in a swim or surf zone. However, most watercraft are usually prohibited in swim zones. The USCG does not consider a surfboard as a vessel, so they donāt count. Unless you launch from the beach and stay in the surf zone, you might have to have a PFD to get there or transit out of there. Pretty limited exceptions.
SUP manufacturers fought hard against the PFD requirements for the reasons that you listed. However, they did not prevail. So, the requirement is what it is.
It is an exception, and since Stand-up paddleboards got their start and many still use their SUPs for surfing an important one. The only required safety equipment for surfers on most beaches here are leashes. I donāt know anyone who surfs that launches anywhere but the beach.
1st off; I donāt care what others prefer and I say āmore power to umā if they are enjoying a SUP, canoe, sit on top, rec kayak, sea kayak, rubber inner tube, or just swimming.
The down side I see to popularity is only the commercial aspects of supply and demand.
As any normal technology is phased out by something newer, the industry of the older one dwindles, so that makes availability slimmer and more costly. Look around and see how many livery stables you find inside 1 mile of where you are now. 150 years ago they were more common then gas stations are now.
But āthe endā?
I doubt it very much
I have a bit of personal perspective on this very issue. You see, I earn my living as a gunsmith ---- but not one like most gunsmiths around today. The guns I specialize in are recreations of the common types that existed 170 to 300 years go. Z.H. Sell 1 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr Z. H. Sell 3 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr IMG_0497 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr aag-443_6 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
Yetā¦I ran a 6-8 year back long on my work, and did so for decades. Why? Because āthe endā of flintlock rifles didnāt come with breach loaders. The bolt action and the auto loader are far more popular, but I sill had enough work to make back-logs 8 years deep. Flintlocks are very much a minority, but itās still here, now, and still there are enough shooters that love the old type of rifle to keep me and a handful of other smiths busy for 60-70 hours a week for years and years on end.
So if sail boats and motor boats didnāt cause kayaks to disappear completely, why would SUP do it?
Yes String. Itās fairly easy.
What I do is make the blades in the form of a triangle (cross section)
When I have the shape I want and both blades are copies of one another I snap a chalk line dead center and then take a straight edge and coming from loom width, I pencil lines to the point where I want the rib to end, leaving the tip about 1/2 -3/4 inch wide.
I then take 2 gouges like this one ( pfeil Swiss made #8 Sweep Gouge | Woodcraft ) one about 16 MM and one about 9MM and simply follow the lines getting close to them but not cutting them away.
When the major part of the work is done take 2-3 wood dowels of 3 different diameters and about 10 inches long each and glue good quality 60 Grit Sand paper around them and using the size that fits the small end of the rib sand the humps and dips out of the valleys you cut working up to the larger diameters as you get closer to the loom. Use the sanding dowels to come right up to your penciled lines. You use the dowels and paper to blend the humps out and when itās done go to 120 grit and make it pretty. Thatās all you need to do before you apply the oil finish.
Itās actually fairly easy. Keep in mind the paddle is a hand tool and so it needs to feel good in your hand. If it feels wrong because something it too sharp it is wrong.
Sand the sharp placed down until you get what you want.
Yeah, our great great great grandkids probably will have no need for arms or legs.
But in the meantime, I know I sure would paddle my sea kayak a lot more if it was stored right near the water. The āto and fromā stuff is a big hassle.
A paddleboard is just a canoe with very low gunnels! You donāt need a pump to bail a paddleboard.
I was introduced to a paddle board about a year ago and found it to be a pleasant experience and fun to paddle. In fact, I am thinking of acquiring an inflatable paddleboard to use as a dingy on my Potter sailboat. As for the end of paddle craft, I doubt it!
I have a friend who spent time last summer doing rivers in Croatia on his paddleboard and will be doing the Grand Canyon in the future. He started a business in Hot Springs, NC on the French Broad River doing guided paddleboard trips and rentals. He said his business was spared damage during the flooding caused by Helene. He has been busy lately helping in the local recovery.
Thereās only an end to enthusiasm for a particular paddle craft.
(Or maybe, an end to life.)
The āpinnacleā in paddle evolution is being open minded and free to experience all.
(And of course, have a few extra clams in oneās wallet, as well as constantly seeking out and discovering new waterways to play in. Like golfers with their clubs, I try to keep at least one type of everything I can reasonably afford in my quiver.
Where others tread or follow trends is their business.
In Gig Harbor, we watch people use them as dinghies from live aboards while we eat at Antonioās.
Lots of people wearing all their winter clothes and boots, phones and keys paddle to the dock in the middle of winter. One year I saw a man in full Santa Clause costume
You donāt need a pump to bail a paddleboard. 
)