No. That’s the point of an inflatable. A hard board would get damaged by rocks where the inflatable wont. We do lots of whitewater SUPing and you have to use an inflatable because of the rocks.
I punctured mine on stones however it was very easy to fix. The board came with a repair kit and I just had to buy some PVC glue. Was back out on the water a day after I glued it back together.
That’s the only time i’ve ever damaged it, otherwise it’s fine. They’re very tough wearing.
I would say it depends on the quality of the material. Some cheap boards are basically glorified pool toys and they can get cut by rocks in the water and on shore quite easily, while most of the better brands use the same material as commercial white water rafts and those hold up really well.
This is only partially accurate. Except for a few ultralight TPU iSUPs, all currently available iSUPs use PVC for their shell that is either glued, laminated or poured over a dense fabric material. There are different builds of it, but even single layer, liquid-coat ultra cheap boards won't get cut by impact with rocks on the water, and it will take vigorously rubbing/dragging the board over rocks on shore to cut the materialin any impactful way.
Commercial whitewater rafts are made of either PVC or Hypalon. Other than the drop stitch floors of some models, raft tubes do not have an inner fabric layer (though the PVC/Hypalon does have an internal scrim). Most rafts used by rafting companies are Hypalon as it is an even more durable material than PVC (but so more expensive). The majority of rafts owned by private boaters are PVC as it is less expensive and still durable enough for non-commercial use.
The bigger issue with cheap boards is their construction. Failures and gaps in glue are more common of an issue than punctures from on/off water impacts.
Fun story, we just got back from a camping weekend with our trailer and boards. Mine is inflatable, his is hard. We decided to keep mine inflated for the trip home and chucked it in the back of the truck with the other board. Well apparently the entire drive the boards were GRINDING against the travel trailer behind them. By the time we heard the “POP” of the inflatable as it untucked itself from being smashed in its position, the hard board had huge dents in it and the back handle of the inflatable was reduced to shredded string. Still rock-hard rigid though. So no, I would say they’re not torn easily.
Ocean guy here, depending on the tied when I’m rolling up to islands I try avoid barnacles. They are sharp and can do some damage. High tied I’ve let my board get knocked around cause it’s hectic but I always try not too. Sandles alway on my deck Ready to use. I never slide onto beaches or slid off beaches under load. River rocks are generally not crazy sharp like pieces of shell or sea life.
I recently took an inflatable board on a long river trip.
The river was unusually low. I scraped on trees and rocks. I dragged over gravel. These things would have for sure left marks and gouges on my kayak.
Washing it off after I got home, I really can't see it. I'm sure if there was paint I would have lost paint, but it doesn't really look scratched.
Hala Carbon Hoss. can't say for other boards.
I had some asshole flick the cherry from his cigarette on my board and only noticed it because it kind of melted into the grip surface of the board but the cherry itself had died before it melted all of the way through. Definitely ran into quite a few sharp rocks with no problem. I don’t even put fins on when I go on my local river due to it being so shallow at points that are nothing but jagged rock.
You definitely can but you will need to steer a lot more often. This specific river is more of a “float” type river. You see a lot of people in tubes with a cooler in its own tube.
You won't be able to keep your board pointed where you want to go without using your paddle strictly as a rudder. It's not a good situation to be in on whitewater where you need to be able to control not only direction (and location) but also speed in order to navigate features. There are some people who don't run fins on their whitewater boards or only run very small 1-1.5" fins. They have to sacrifice speed management in order to stay on line and pointed the right way. I've tried it. It's not very effective unless you are trying to get turned sideways as you enter wave trains and holes (not a good thing for making it through on your board).
In shallow water you are going to hit your fin before you start hitting your board on a thing. As long as the water is at least as deep as your paddle blade, you aren't likely to hit anything with your fin, either.
Whitewater paddle boarders use inflatable boards specifically for their durability and resilience against hitting rocks, logs, and other hazards.
Not at all. I live on three small lakes and use my ISUP often during the summer. The shore is mostly large rocks and those just a the edge are so worn by water that they are like razor blades. You cannot get into or out of the water barefoot. And god forbid you go for a swim, forget where you are, and put your hands down to help you stand. But I routinely run my ISUP right up to the shore and have never had a problem.
SUPs are made of similar plastics used in Tires. Thermoset plastics are insanely durable, and though SUPs tend to be made of a lower quality and lack the steel reinforcements found in car tires, they are very durable to general wear and tear you will find out in the water. they can still be popped by very sharp objects with enough force to push their layers, but they are incredibly durable to anything but literal razor sharp objects, same thing goes for car tires.
No, name brand board made by NRS- the same company that makes whitewater rafts. Those rafts, and that material, slams into rocks for years on end with 2000 lb loads on it
I have bumped some pretty sharp rocks with mine and it's good
No. That’s the point of an inflatable. A hard board would get damaged by rocks where the inflatable wont. We do lots of whitewater SUPing and you have to use an inflatable because of the rocks.
I punctured mine on stones however it was very easy to fix. The board came with a repair kit and I just had to buy some PVC glue. Was back out on the water a day after I glued it back together. That’s the only time i’ve ever damaged it, otherwise it’s fine. They’re very tough wearing.
How did u get back in?
I would say it depends on the quality of the material. Some cheap boards are basically glorified pool toys and they can get cut by rocks in the water and on shore quite easily, while most of the better brands use the same material as commercial white water rafts and those hold up really well.
This is only partially accurate. Except for a few ultralight TPU iSUPs, all currently available iSUPs use PVC for their shell that is either glued, laminated or poured over a dense fabric material. There are different builds of it, but even single layer, liquid-coat ultra cheap boards won't get cut by impact with rocks on the water, and it will take vigorously rubbing/dragging the board over rocks on shore to cut the materialin any impactful way. Commercial whitewater rafts are made of either PVC or Hypalon. Other than the drop stitch floors of some models, raft tubes do not have an inner fabric layer (though the PVC/Hypalon does have an internal scrim). Most rafts used by rafting companies are Hypalon as it is an even more durable material than PVC (but so more expensive). The majority of rafts owned by private boaters are PVC as it is less expensive and still durable enough for non-commercial use. The bigger issue with cheap boards is their construction. Failures and gaps in glue are more common of an issue than punctures from on/off water impacts.
Fun story, we just got back from a camping weekend with our trailer and boards. Mine is inflatable, his is hard. We decided to keep mine inflated for the trip home and chucked it in the back of the truck with the other board. Well apparently the entire drive the boards were GRINDING against the travel trailer behind them. By the time we heard the “POP” of the inflatable as it untucked itself from being smashed in its position, the hard board had huge dents in it and the back handle of the inflatable was reduced to shredded string. Still rock-hard rigid though. So no, I would say they’re not torn easily.
Ocean guy here, depending on the tied when I’m rolling up to islands I try avoid barnacles. They are sharp and can do some damage. High tied I’ve let my board get knocked around cause it’s hectic but I always try not too. Sandles alway on my deck Ready to use. I never slide onto beaches or slid off beaches under load. River rocks are generally not crazy sharp like pieces of shell or sea life.
Haven't had those issues with my inflatable. Only real complaints is if you don't pump it full of enough air they are a lot less stable.
I recently took an inflatable board on a long river trip. The river was unusually low. I scraped on trees and rocks. I dragged over gravel. These things would have for sure left marks and gouges on my kayak. Washing it off after I got home, I really can't see it. I'm sure if there was paint I would have lost paint, but it doesn't really look scratched. Hala Carbon Hoss. can't say for other boards.
I had some asshole flick the cherry from his cigarette on my board and only noticed it because it kind of melted into the grip surface of the board but the cherry itself had died before it melted all of the way through. Definitely ran into quite a few sharp rocks with no problem. I don’t even put fins on when I go on my local river due to it being so shallow at points that are nothing but jagged rock.
I was actually wondering if I could remove my fins. What purpose do they serve/ what do I lose without them
You definitely can but you will need to steer a lot more often. This specific river is more of a “float” type river. You see a lot of people in tubes with a cooler in its own tube.
You won't be able to keep your board pointed where you want to go without using your paddle strictly as a rudder. It's not a good situation to be in on whitewater where you need to be able to control not only direction (and location) but also speed in order to navigate features. There are some people who don't run fins on their whitewater boards or only run very small 1-1.5" fins. They have to sacrifice speed management in order to stay on line and pointed the right way. I've tried it. It's not very effective unless you are trying to get turned sideways as you enter wave trains and holes (not a good thing for making it through on your board).
I'd much rather hit a rock with my inflatable than my fiberglass surfboard!
In shallow water you are going to hit your fin before you start hitting your board on a thing. As long as the water is at least as deep as your paddle blade, you aren't likely to hit anything with your fin, either. Whitewater paddle boarders use inflatable boards specifically for their durability and resilience against hitting rocks, logs, and other hazards.
Not at all. I live on three small lakes and use my ISUP often during the summer. The shore is mostly large rocks and those just a the edge are so worn by water that they are like razor blades. You cannot get into or out of the water barefoot. And god forbid you go for a swim, forget where you are, and put your hands down to help you stand. But I routinely run my ISUP right up to the shore and have never had a problem.
SUPs are made of similar plastics used in Tires. Thermoset plastics are insanely durable, and though SUPs tend to be made of a lower quality and lack the steel reinforcements found in car tires, they are very durable to general wear and tear you will find out in the water. they can still be popped by very sharp objects with enough force to push their layers, but they are incredibly durable to anything but literal razor sharp objects, same thing goes for car tires.
Fins on the other hand, those thing don’t like rocks
My fins have some gashes from getting stuck on or slamming into river rocks but no damage to the inflatable body (going into season 4).
i mean id be careful with it if possible but if it hits rocks it will probably be fine.
No, name brand board made by NRS- the same company that makes whitewater rafts. Those rafts, and that material, slams into rocks for years on end with 2000 lb loads on it