I have been paddle boarding for about 4 years now and indeed I am quite confident on rivers, lakes and coastal waters. I am still using the same board that I bought when I started, its still a good board (Blackfin XL) and shows no real signs of ware but I am now feeling that its time for a new board but I cannot decide what to buy.
I want something that is faster and narrower than my current board as well as lighter something between 11 and 14 feet and preferably 30 to 32 inches wide weighing around 10kg
I need light weight based on the fact that as an almost 70 year old I find humping the board around quite tiring so the lighter the better and I intend to take it to Isles of Scilly again this year as well as use it in Porthcurno both will require a lot of carrying.
The width is also based on my age as I am not so agile so the more stable the better.
I also would like to try white water next year, which generally means a shorter, wider board with a lot of rocker which is the opposite of a touring board.
I cannot afford both so I am likely to get a touring(ish) board now, maybe try it on below grade 2 level rivers and if I get on OK with that then maybe get a white water board next year.
I am also looking to get a 2023/2024 model board as they are significantly cheaper, they are generally using the latest woven technology but maybe missing such features as a kick board and a split fin box for easier rolling but maybe that does not matter considering the savings.
When I decide what I will get I will update this blog.