I’m interested in buying an iSUP for myself and family use.
Use:
- I’m 5’11"(175#) and also would take my 10 yo daughter (and maybe a a friend of hers) to go swimming and playing around
- I may use it as a rec-kayak by strapping on a seat.
- I may use it as SUP alone and switch between standing and kayaking. That may be some significant distance
- Waters are in Madison, WI area, so more calmer rivers and lakes. Occasionally the lakes get some wind and get some waves on the way back to shore (not more than 10 mph wind)
- has to be inflatable, I don’t want to deal with hard boats.
- Want to buy by or shortly after Black Friday to see if there are deals, and to be sure to have it for spring.
Other boats and experience:
- I own an Sea Eagle 370 IK (and may upgrade that separately for more serious kayaking).
- I rented a hard SUP and was able to stand on flat water (my knees hated kneeling!)
- I would consider myself a fast learner. So I like to skip the total noob SUP and start with at least an intermediate one.
- when I’m on a wavy lake (up to 2’waves) with my SE 370, I feel the fact that it rides over the waves is a disadvantage. So the slicing through waves appeals to me.
Important features:
- should be stable enough for intermediate use
- not sluggish like the typical very wide boards
What I found so far
- I found the Sea Eagle NeedleNose 14
- with the slicing front it looks like it could handle waves better. Most other SUP seem to be designed to ride over the waves.
- with the longer leght and 30"widt, it should be reasonably fast
- I hope the length helps with stability.
- I found a few reviews that were good - but i know all those are paid reviews.
- it lists 275# capacity, which should be fine for me and daughter. And I hope is not excessive for me alone.
Questions:
- Does someone have experience with the Needlenose?
- Are there other similar iSUP that slice through the water?
- Is my assumption that it would handle waves better correct?
- Would this 14’long / 30" wide be about as stable as a 10’/36"? Or at least close for a beginner?
- any reason to consider the NN 126 that is only 12.5’? That one lists 225# limit, which would be less than my daughter and I. Usually I think at the same width, longer will be more stable and faster.
During the Labor Day holiday sale, I bought the iRocker All Around 11’ + accessories and this was my invoice:
All Around 11’ $695.00
iROCKER 12V Electric Pump $129.00
SUP to Kayak Conversion KIT $129.00 (includes Kayak Seat $69.00 & Kayak Blade $60.00)
Cup Holder $18.00
Subtotal $971.00
Discount -$173.10 (full credit for the electric pump + some % discount on the accessories)
Tax $55.86
Shipping & Handling $0.00
Grand Total $853.76
I am 5’11” 215# and have paddled with both my 5 & 7 yr olds in the FL intracoastal waters no problem. Was even able to stand up paddling solo in the ocean (to my surprise). The electric pump is awesome - catch on emails while waiting for 15psi :).
From my research, larger board = stability and greater payload; smaller board = agility. For ISUPs, not sure that there is an intermediate/advanced board that could carry multiple people - it’s all about the volume of air that it contains.
When I am paddling solo, the board floats on top of the water. With passengers, I feel like it is slicing thru. Even so, when a boat passes by, slicing or not, the board floats on top of the water and its shaky, Stiffness would probably be a better quality to look for than slicing because even with 15 psi, my board still has some flex when navigating thru small waves.
Speed is probably more dependent on getting the right board for the right person rather than size alone. My board is much faster with just me on it than loaded up with the kids because then it sinks lower in the water. On the other hand, a smaller person would likely be faster on a smaller board.
Thanks for the reply. Looks like a good deal you got. The NN 126 cost $674, the NN 14 cost $720. So not really a great difference. Ultimately a few $ won’t make a difference for the right board I will keep longer.
This explains the different types a bit more and it seems what you have (and most rec SUP are) is a planing hull. the NN seems to be a displacement hull. Many racing SUP are 25"wide, the NN is 30" wide. they call it more the touring category. it also explains why the NN with similar volume has a much lower weight rating than similar volume planing hulls.
By beginner/intermediate/advanced I meant there are very wide SUP for beginners, than narrower ones for people that are more stable. and finally narrow ones more for speed and experienced riders. I kind of want to skip the very wide type since that likely isn’t great for longer distances.
There still is time. But unless I hear of bad experience with the needle nose I’m inclined to try that since it may work better for my plan to also kayak and go some distances besides the typical swimming/playing. SE Eagle also seems to be a solid company.
I’ve been thinking between the 12.5’and the 14’N N. I think the longer one may be better. I feel if I get the shorter one, I always will think the longer one would have been faster and more stable. Some reviewers noted they upgraded from the shorter to the longer (but didn’t state their weight).
Edit: SE also has a planing hull SUP, the longboard. The 12.5’ version is available on ebay for $500 with a seat. that isn’t a bad deal should I want to try out a planing hull board. That one is discontinued and they now only have the 11’version.