Best Inflatable SUP Under $500

UNDER $500 INFLATABLE PADDLE BOARDS COMPARISON

BEST INFLATABLE SUP UNDER $500 REVIEWS

FunWater Tiki 10’6 Review

BEST VALUE FOR THE PRICE

WHAT I LIKED:

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE:

– Easy to inflate, 0 to 14 PSI in about 5 minutes – Pretty rigid at 14 PSI – Feels stable after some practice – Hold its pressure for days – Board paddled reasonably well – Paddle is decent and easily adjustable – Its lightweight makes it easy for kids or small women to carry around – Super easy to deflate and store – Paddle floats on water – Quickly deflates for pack up – Large backpack makes getting all the parts inside easier

– Does not track well in the wind or waves – Pump does feel cheap and not a double-stage – Paddle is heavy – The backpack will disintegrate after some use due to the poor quality material – Inflation valve looks very cheap and unreliable – A user was unable to complete warranty registration due to the non-functional website

SereneLife Thunder Wave 10′ Review

Runwave Kohala 11′ Review

BEST VALUE PADDLE BOARD FOR BIG GUYS

Roc Explorer 10’ Review

FUN AND LIGHTWEIGHT AFFORDABLE BOARD

Cooyes Wave 10’6 Review

SUP/KAYAK HYBRID THAT INCLUDES MORE THAN YOUR NEED

Goosehill Sailor 10’6 Review

EASY YET AFFORDABLE BOARD TO LEARN ON

Bote Drift 10’8 Review

GREAT PRICE AND A VERY HIGH QUALITY

Nautical (by iRocker) 10’6 Review

BEST INFLATABLE PADDLE BOARD UNDER $500

Bluefin Cruise 10’8 Review

BUILT TO LAST CASUAL TOURING SUP UNDER $500

Chasing Blue Solar Spirit 11’6 Review

VERY STABLE CRUISING SUP BOARD

Chasing Blue Violet Spirit 10’6 Review

BEST FOR SMALLER PADDLERS

Gili Air 10’6 Review

BEST FOR INTERMEDIATE PADDLERS AT A BUDGET

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WHAT MAKES A PADDLEBOARD AFFORDABLE?

Places and features that manufacturers use to cut prices are:

• Board: Using just one layer of PVC instead of two or three ones, resulting having a bouncier feel and are more susceptible to puncture and leakage. Some cheap SUP boards are marketed as dual-layer PVC ones when in reality the dual-layer PVC is limited only at the rails.
• Paddle: Using aluminum, which is heavy and cheap, instead of lightweight materials like carbon or fiberglass.
• Backpack: Using a simpler and thin-material backpack with little padding, instead of a durable and wheeled one.
• Pump: Including simpler and slower single-chamber single-action hand pump instead of dual-chamber triple-action pumps.

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WHATS THE LIFESPAN OF A CHEAP PADDLE BOARDS ?

Affordable inflatable paddle boards last around 1 to 2 years, after that, you can still use them but with a large decrease in their performance.

This lifespan expectation still depends largely on how and where you use it and if you take care of it or not.

Paddling mostly in whitewater or SUP surfing put more stress on the board than paddling in calm and flat water bodies.

Rinsing it with clean water then drying it and minimizing its exposing time to direct UV rays are all practices that extends your cheap inflatable SUP lifespan.

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WHY I RECOMMEND INFLATABLES FOR UNDER $500 BUDGETS

• Availability: Getting a quality inflatable SUP under $500 is possible. You can’t say the same for solid SUPs.
• Comes as a complete package: except the life jacket.
• Cheap transporting: No roof rack to buy, a bus drive ride can get you to the beach.
• Cheap storing: No need of a garage, a closet is enough.
• More durable: iInflatable SUPs dont get dented easily as the solid and they handle impact well.
• Cheap repairs: They even came with their repaire kit.
• Dog-friendly: Inflatable SUPs offer more grip. Its highly unlikely that your dog will pop it.
• Beginners-friendly: They are more buoyant and stable than similarly shaped hards SUPs

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PADDLE BOARDS UNDER $500 BUYING GUIDE

DEFINE YOUR NEEDS FIRST

Since inflatable paddle boards under $500 are all all-around SUPs and not activity-specific, what is best for you is also limited by:

• Do you struggle with balance?
• Do you prefer board balance over speed?
• What are the water conditions you will be on?
• Can you wait for deals or you are urgent ?

LENGTH

Paddle boards length sweet spot for adults with a budget under $500 is 10” to 11” because they offer:

• Enough carrying capacity: 10” to 11” SUP boards offers between 200 and to 300 lbs of capacity, which is more than enough for most adults.
• Maneuverable: Unlike shorter/longer boards, 10” to 11” boards can easily turn and while having decent tracking capabilities.
• Handleable: Even if boards this long looks big, they still have a reasonable weight for adults to carry and paddle on their own.

WIDTH

Board width affects largely its stability, capacity, and a little his maneuverability.

• Below 32” : Boards this narrow are less stable, has little less carrying weight but faster and, making them a good option for experienced paddlers.
• 32” to 36” : This is my recommended board width for you. You can have a kid or pet and still feel stable.
• Above 36” : Above 36”: As a beginner, you will feel uncomfortable touching water with your paddle. These boards are useful only as a fishing SUP.

THICKNESS

Unless you are looking for a kid SUP board, I don’t recommend you an inflatable paddle board with a thickness below 6″.

For adults over 225 lbs, 6″ of thickness is enough to keep them afloat. If you are lighter and a 5″ thin board can keep you afloat, get it to benefit from more speed, stability, ease of climbing back on it.

CONSTRUCTION

Chambers (or layers) are what hold air inside, and the more layer the inflatable board has the more rigid and sturdy it becomes.

WEIGHT

You should pay attention to the board weight because you will be carrying it on your back from your car to the water.

The inflatable paddle board construction is what affects its weight. 2-layer paddle boards are lighter than ones with 3-layer construction but flex more.

Most inflatable paddle boards in my recommended length (10” to 11”) are between 17 and 27 lbs, which can be carried and handled by adults on their own.

WEIGHT CAPACITY

Boards with a boxier shape, wider, and thicker will have a bigger weight capacity than one of the opposite.

Be careful with comparing the weight capacity of two paddleboards from different brands because some manufacturers like to estimate their board’s weight capacity towards the high end while others towards the low end.

I recommend you avoid getting a board with a weight capacity close to what you will be putting on it because this way you will lose a lot of its performance and maneuverability.

Weigh yourself, your pet, or your kid, and consider your gear to have a clear idea of the weight capacity your inflatable paddle board should come with.

DISPLACEMENT VS PLANING HULL

Inflatable boards are divided into two main shapes:

• DISPLACEMENT HULL

This makes the board faster with good tracks due to the pointy nose that cuts through the water. You are less likely to find this shape on an inflatable paddle board under $500.

• PLANING HULL

Planing hulls mean a wide, flat, and rounder nose that makes the board more maneuverable and stable in small waves.

DECK PAD

I see that deck pads are something that people don’t pay enough attention to.

The best paddle board deck pad is one that is large and grippy even when wet and able to drain out water quickly while paddling.

FINS

Fins help the board stay straight while paddling and also a little bit in the board balance.

Smaller fins make the board more maneuverable, while bigger ones provide added stability.

I recommended paddle boards with three removable fins because they let you fine-tune your board performance.

KICK TAIL

By kick tail I mean the raised little area at the rear of paddleboards.

Inflatable boards without a kicktail are still good for you as a beginner since intermediate and advanced paddlers are the ones who know how to turn using it.

HANDLE

My best inflatable paddle board under $500 for me is one that has three carrying handles.

Ones with only one carrying handle at the center cannot be carried by two persons or pulled when you are out of the water.

The center handle should be flat or has a removable cushioned grip to not bother you while paddling and be made of neoprene lining in order to be comfortable.

D-RINGS

D-rings are used to attach things like a cooler or a kayak seat and tie-down your gear and clothes.

If your inflatable paddle board under $500 does not come with enough d-rings, you can always glue down ones that are sold separately.

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES

PUMP

The quality of the included pump you get depends on the price of the whole package.

• Dual-Chamber Feature: This means that the pump provide more air pressure per stroke.
• Triple-Action Feature: Hand pumps with this feature are able to switch between getting air from one chamber, getting air from both chambers, or getting it from both chamber and on the downstroke and also on the upstroke.
• Pressure Gauge: This feature is essential because inflating your board over its recommended air pressure will damage it. If you really liked a SUP package but its included pump does not comes with a built-in pressure gauge, you can get it and buy an additional external air pressure gauge.

PADDLE

Make sure that the SUP package you are about to buy includes the paddle because some brands do not.

For the paddle length, it should be 4” to 7” taller than you.

Aluminum and plastic are both affordable materials used by some SUP brands to make paddleboards under $500. These paddles do their job, but they are not lightweight.

Recommended articles:

Best SUP Paddles

Best Kids SUP Paddle

LEASH

The leash helps you to not lose your board by keeping it attached to your ankle. More than this, the paddleboard leash also makes sure you get something that floats near you if things went south.

The best paddleboard leash is one that has a coiled cord, dual swivels that prevent tangles, and a soft cuff.

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OPTIONAL UPGRADES

• ELECTRIC PUMP

An electric pump is the best first upgrade you can have because it has a big improvement on your paddling experience.

The best electric paddle board pump saves you time and effort.

My recommended electric pump is OutdoorMaster Shark II Electric Pump, it is fast and has a built-in cooling system that makes it able to inflate 3 SUPs in a row.

• PFD AND LIFE JACKET

A personal flotation device is a jacket that helps you stay afloat in water by giving you more buoyancy. This is why I see it as an essential piece of gear for every paddleboarder.

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HOW TO GET YOUR PREFERRED SUP BOARD WITH A DISCOUNT

To get your preferred paddleboard at a discount, all you have to do is to get the last year’s release.

From my experience, most of the time there is no big difference between the current year’s paddleboard board and the last year’s same paddleboard model.

And if there is a big difference between the two, you can wait for the next season to get it at a big discount.

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HOW TO ENJOY YOUR AFFORDABLE PADDLEBOARD

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS TO COMPENSATE FOR THE BOARD’S LOW PERFORMANCE

Inflatable paddleboards under $500 will not be a high-end one, this is why you should improve how you paddle to be efficient, able to keep yourself in a straight line, and how to perform quick turns in order to compensate for the low performance of your affordable paddleboard.

Updated on December 22, 2021 by Ben