How I Chose My Stand-up Paddleboard for River Running

With the multitude of river SUPs available today, it can be hard to tell which stand-up paddleboard to choose. While I can’t pick a SUP for you, I can tell you what factors I considered and how I eventually landed on the paddleboard I currently have. As anyone who paddles rivers will tell you, the search for the perfect boat is more a journey than a destination, but I’ve been really happy with my paddleboard for what I bought it for: running multi-day river trips in a mix of flatwater and whitewater.

*Paddling a SUP on the Green River through Labyrinth Canyon*

I’ve had a lot of friends ask me how to choose a river SUP. In general, the best advice is to try out a lot of different paddleboards and see what you like. However, if you don’t have a ton of outfitters near you, it can be difficult to find more than a few options to rent. In addition, as you get better at paddling a SUP, your tastes will likely change. Below are a few questions to consider as you look into river SUPs.

Should I get a solid or inflatable SUP for river running?

For ease of transportation, I come down on the side of inflatable SUPs. While yes, an inflatable board will be (somewhat) less durable than a solid board, your inflatable board can be patched with many of the same materials as your other inflatables. The convenience of being able to roll up the board and pack it into a bag is incomparable: you don’t have to worry about making sure your shuttle vehicle is equipped with a board rack, and you can even check the board bag on a flight if you keep it light enough.

Advantages of a solid board include no inflation (it takes a long time to get the ~1 bar of pressure to make an inflatable really stiff!), and slightly more durability. When I was looking at boards, I knew I wanted an inflatable board for ease of transport, and in case I needed to roll the board up and put it in a raft on a multi-day trip.

*Choose the right length of stand-up paddleboard for the type of water you want to run (and to accommodate passengers)*

What size of SUP should I get for river running?

This depends on what type of water you want to run. In general, a longer board will track better, so you’ll use less effort paddling in flat water. However, a shorter board will carve better, allowing you to turn more quickly and surf in waves. If you think you’ll be paddling in whitewater a lot, you should get a short board. Conversely, if you think you’ll be doing mostly flatwater touring, you’ll want a longer board.

Another consideration in terms of size is board volume. If you’re a larger person, you’ll be looking for a larger board to hold you up so you don’t get swamped. If you’re smaller, you might find a shorter, narrower board easier to control. SUPs designed for river running are usually thicker than those designed for lake or ocean touring: this is to give you more buoyancy in whitewater.

I am 5-foot-5-inches tall, and I chose a 9’6″-long, 6″-thick board after paddling a few different types of SUPs. This gives me a good balance of being able to carve and turn in waves, but still make decent progress on flatwater.

*Longer stand-up paddleboards help you make better time in flat water*

What features should I look for in a SUP for river running?

Some other things to consider when choosing a SUP for river running are fin features and board shape. When I was looking at SUPs in 2018, there were not many manufacturers making paddleboards geared specifically for running rivers. I tried out a couple, and quickly settled on Hala because of their Stompbox feature, in which the main central fin on the board can fold up into the board itself. This feature prevents the fin from getting damaged—and the paddler from falling off the board—if you hit a rock.

*The Hala Atcha stand-up paddleboard features the Stompbox feature, which allows the central fin to fold up into the board itself, preventing damage from encounters with rocks*

In our rocky and frequently shallow nearby rivers—the Poudre and the Arkansas—this feature has saved me many a swim. However, if you mainly paddle in deep rivers, you might not care about that as much as other features, such as having easily switched fins to adapt to a variety of situations. Many manufacturers offer the ability to swap out the middle fin from shorter to longer, making your board more adaptable to river running, lake paddling, or yoga. Think about what matters to you and make a decision based on what you’ll spend the most time doing with your SUP.

Board shape is another area where you’ll have to think about what type of paddling you’ll be doing most often. Manufacturers offer SUPs in a variety of shapes, from flat, sleek touring boards to short and playful surfing boards. For running rivers, not just playing in waves, you want a bit of rocker (turned-up nose and tail on the board)—enough to carve a little, but not so much your arms wear out in flat sections. If you’re certain you’ll never be in any whitewater, get a flatter board and laugh at all your friends with big-rocker SUPs as the noses of their boards get blown around in the wind.

What brand of SUP should I get for river running?

There are a lot of great manufacturers of SUPs out there now. I have personally paddled only Hala and NRS boards. Both those manufacturers make great all-around options, as well as offering specialized boards for a variety of activities, including SUP fishing, SUP yoga, racing, touring, and whitewater.

NRS also makes a more affordable line of boards under their Star imprint; I’ve never paddled one, but my main gear-hauling raft is a Star (formerly called Outlaw) with a dropstitch floor similar to what you’d get in a SUP board, and I’ve never had any trouble with it. I’ve also heard good things about Badfish (and seen at least one Badfish board styling it through Cable Rapid on the Gunnison Gorge).

At the end of the day, the brand doesn’t matter as much as making sure that you feel comfortable on the paddleboard you choose. You’ll almost always be better off taking a few lessons than spending the extra money on a fancier board. As always, the best thing to do is just get out there: Take a couple of weekends, rent a few different types of boards, and see what feels best.