SUP Racing is Expensive and (Maybe) a Solution

I got an email from SIC recently, one of their promotional emails. I get them to keep those annoying popups off my screen, although that never seems to work. (They keep coming back.) The company is proudly releasing a new race board called the RST, a dugout board with some rough water pedigree. I’m not as interested in this board as I am with SIC’s other models. It’s a dugout, which isn’t my favorite type of board. I much prefer flatter decks. However that’s not my real issue — It seems like a good design despite my personal preference, and I’ve never known SIC to put out something that isn’t polished. My issue comes with the price for this new raceboard: $3,599.

The new SIC RST 14’x26″. Photo courtesy of SIC Maui. Nice board

Three thousand, five hundred and ninety-nine dollars is a lot of money for a paddleboard. Seriously. It’s a lot of money for any hobby. That price puts it out of the range of most people unfortunately. Most people, especially those with families, don’t have that kind of spare income. And while SIC’s boards tend to be pricey, it’s not just them. All race boards are expensive. I’m more concerned with the general trend of the industry and some of its effects. I always liked the paddleboarding because it was reasonably affordable. I used to be able to buy a new paddleboard every couple of years with my bonus for teaching extra curricular activities. No more. You used to be able to get a full kit of hard board, paddle, and leash for under $800. Now that same kit is twenty, thirty, or forty percent more. Most hard boards now are going for over $1,000.

The Starboard Allstar is one of the fastest and most popular race boards. It also regularly sells new for over $3,000. Photo courtesy of Starboard SUP.

I always liked that paddleboarding was pretty accessible to most people. It’s no surprise then that these ultra cheap inflatables have become so popular. I’m not a big fan, but when they are advertising a full kit — board, pump, paddle, and leash — for $200, it’s hard to see the argument to spend $1,000 more for a “better board”. Especially when you’re a beginner looking for your first ride. I’m not arguing that hard boards should cost $200, but there’s a big leap from that low cost inflatable to even a “budget” board. The jump is much larger for a raceboard.

Is the argument then that hard boards have become too expensive on the whole? Maybe. Pre-COVID there were always a few brands you could count on to put out a solid, relatively inexpensive board. Now even these brands are hard pressed to stay under the $1,000 mark, especially when you factor in your kit: paddle, leash, and PFD. (Tahe still stays under some, so they’re worth looking into.) With race boards, there really are no bargains unless you buy used.

SIC Sonic/Bic Wing, a 12’6″ One-Design board. Easy to paddle and sturdy.

Bic (now Tahe) had a good idea a few years ago. They created a one-design class with their 12’6” Wing (now sold as the SIC Sonic). They sponsored races using just this one board, equalizing the technology with a relatively inexpensive board. They even would provide boards for people who needed. The 12’6” class is pretty obsolete in racing, but it wasn’t a bad entry point for people who wanted to race without an expensive (and fragile) raceboard. (It helped too that the now mostly defunct 12’6” class was less competitive than the 14’ class.) I wonder though if times aren’t ready for a similar type of board. Perhaps this would not controlled by one company, but rather be an open design, something relatively affordable, that would make a great starter raceboard. Let’s call it the “First Racer”.

Here’s my suggestion for a First Racer open class:

14 feet long
26 inches wide: stable enough for a first-time racer but narrow enough for some speed
Either a flat deck or dugout, depending on manufacturer preference
Flat bottom for strong primary stability
Buoyant nose to go over chop (see Starboard Allstar or SIC RS)
Pulled in tail, almost to a pin (See SIC Bullet) but with a little extra volume
Reasonable rocker: more than a straight flatwater board but less than a downwind model. There should be a slight bias towards chop because that is a very common race condition
Built with solid, inexpensive materials to keep cost down. This will make the board on the heavier side but with a tougher shell.
Four tie-downs in front for water, snacks, deck bag, etc.
Nose mount for GoPro or GPS
Slight dugout deck but mostly flat
US fin box. Dealers can sell different fin styles.
Specifications and design (both deck styles: dugout and flat deck) published open source for any board manufacturer to use.
Priced at $1,499 or under.

Anyone who knows about racing can tell that the First Racer won’t be the most exciting board on the course. Its purpose is instead to give the beginning racer a sturdy, inexpensive racing platform to start out on as well as a good board for touring and exercise. As mentioned, designers could make it a dugout or flat bottom board or put on other accessories or ideas to differentiate it from other brands, but the basic idea would be the same. Now this won’t completely solve the problem of expensive race boards ($1,499 is still a lot of clams), but at the very least it will provide a lower barrier to race. This openly published design would aid startup board makers if they want to add a raceboard design to their stable without having to design it themselves.

Buying used is also an inexpensive way to get into racing. I’ve gotten a couple of good deals, but you need to know what you’re purchasing before you buy. You don’t want a first time racer buying a 23” wide board, for example. Having an established entry point to racing like the First Racer can give the buyer and seller a comparison point. “My board is narrower than a First Racer,” or “This board is 15%faster than a First Racer,” and so on. An industry meter stick, if you will.

Of course this grand idea probably won’t fly. I have a very idealized view of how things can or should be done, full of good intentions and devoid of profit. I do love though the idea of an open class raceboard, something like a Honda Accord for racing. I also think open source designs might help board manufacturers move to selling hard longboards easily. I would certainly paddle one of these boards proudly. I think of it as a common person’s board, a raceboard for the masses! And since I’m probably going to lose an elite race anyway, why not do it on a platform I can be proud of?

Edit: Repeated paragraph. Thanks to Bill Babcock for pointing that out.

Edit #2: The day after I published this article, SIC came out with the SIC RS DF. It’s very close to my idea except for the price ($2,499).