Looking for a good paddle board for the lake?
Stand-up paddle boards come in many different shapes and styles. If your focus is on using a SUP primarily on a lake, this naturally narrows down your options, which can actually make choosing one much easier.
For instance, if most of your paddling will take place on calm lake waters, there’s little need for a board designed to handle 5-foot waves.
The Benefits of Lake Paddle Boards
One of the main reasons people opt for a lighter paddle board is for easier transport. Inflatable SUPs now often come with full backpacks, catering to a growing group of adventurers who enjoy hiking to remote mountain lakes or rivers to paddle.
In these situations, weight becomes a key factor when choosing a SUP. Lighter boards are also a great option for children or smaller adults, making it much simpler to carry the board from storage to the water.
Below, we’ve rounded up our top recommendations for lightweight boards. While most of them are inflatable SUPs, we’ve also included a few rigid boards that are surprisingly easy to handle.

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The Bluefin Cruise comes in three sizes: 10’8”, 12’, and the impressive 15’. It stands out as one of the best value inflatable paddle boards on the market.
This board delivers everything you need at a reasonable price, making it an ideal choice for weekend lake trips.
Its versatility is a major plus. The Cruise can be converted into a kayak with the included seat, handle whitewater paddling, or simply be used for relaxed cruising, covering just about every SUP activity you can imagine.
While it’s more of a straightforward, no-frills board, it doesn’t skimp on essentials. The package includes a removable center fin, leash, paddle, pump, kayak seat, and a durable backpack for easy transport. Even with its budget-friendly price, the board maintains excellent build quality and durable materials.
If you’re looking for a complete SUP package that’s easy to carry, stable on the water, and capable of supporting a whole family with varying skill levels, the Bluefin Cruise is a perfect choice.
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#2. ATOLL SUP

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Atoll Paddleboards, based in Southern California, takes a straightforward approach to designing paddleboards. Their focus is on creating some of the lightest and most durable inflatable SUPs on the market, the Atoll Army Green SUP weighs just 19 pounds.
So why is this board ideal for beginners? Being inflatable, it’s forgiving on both the paddler and the environment. If you accidentally bump into a dock, boat, fellow paddler, or even a swimmer, no one gets hurt, and the board can take the impact.
It’s also an affordable, all-in-one package, making it a great choice for those getting their first paddleboard without breaking the bank.
The Atoll Army Green SUP is versatile enough to handle a wide range of conditions—from calm flatwater to rivers, small waves, and touring adventures. And it’s incredibly tough. Beginners won’t have to worry about damage—you could even drive an SUV over a fully inflated board without harming it.
The complete Atoll iSUP package includes everything you need to hit the water quickly. The dual-action pump inflates on both the push and pull strokes, cutting your setup time in half. A coil leash, removable center fin, and a heavy-duty nylon backpack are also included, providing ample space to carry the board and all accessories.
For those who enjoy hiking to remote lakes or exploring off-the-beaten-path waterways, this package is perfect. The standard package comes with a fiberglass paddle, but you can upgrade to a 100% carbon fiber paddle for even lighter performance.
PaddleboardSurf appreciates a strong warranty, and Atoll delivers with a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty, reflecting confidence in their product. It’s no surprise given how rugged these boards are, they’re built to withstand extreme conditions, including the rare test of an SUV driving over them, fully inflated, without damage.
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The Nautical by iRocker is their entry level paddleboard, which allows you to get on the water quickly, easily, and affordably, which is great for beginners. The Nautical is also one of the lightest SUP currently on our list.
When you're just getting started with the sport of SUP, there's no need to break the bank with an expensive board. That's one of the reasons why the Nautical is a great choice for a beginner, quality ride, without the expensive price tag.
But don't worry, the Nautical is still constructed in the same manner as all of iRocker's high quality products and comes with a 1-Year Manufacturer’s Warranty on all workmanship and materials.
For one low price you get iRocker's quality inflatable that is built very tough and won't dent or get damaged from normal use. The Nautical has nice control, great design, awesome price, lightweight and is easily transportable.
The difference between the Nautical line and the more upscale lines from iRocker is that doesn't have carbon fiber in the paddle shaft (carbon fiber is expensive), the pump that is included has a single chamber instead of a dual chamber, and the backpack doesn't have wheels.
This is all reasonable because iRocker wanted to make a quality, yet affordable SUP. To learn more about the differences in the iRocker brands, check out this interesting infographic they made on their brand comparison page.
Overall this is a really solid "entry level" package for a SUP. With the Nautical you'll get a fun board that everyone can use, has room enough to attach a cooler, and is even dog friendly!
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The ROC SUP Co. has really delivered with this package. Weighing in at just 17.5 pounds, this inflatable SUP is one of the lightest boards on the market.
Despite its featherlight build, it’s surprisingly durable. ROC’s motto, “Rugged, quality, affordable, FUN”, is reflected perfectly in this board. It’s not just a SUP; it’s a complete package that includes everything you need to hit the water right away.
This ROC SUP is also one of the top-selling boards available. In fact, it ranks as the #2 best-selling paddleboard on Amazon, competing against thousands of other SUPs.
The board itself is designed for stability and performance. With a width of 33 inches, a depth of 6 inches, and a weight capacity of 300 pounds, it combines strength and lightness thanks to premium, military-grade materials and reinforced stitching.
The package comes fully equipped with a lightweight, collapsible aluminum paddle, a hand pump for easy inflation, a detachable fin, a comfortable safety leash, a waterproof accessory bag, and a sturdy, padded backpack to carry everything.
All of this makes it an excellent choice for beginners or anyone looking for a reliable, ready-to-go SUP. Its popularity speaks for itself—over 4,500 five-star reviews on Amazon show how much users love it.
If you want a lightweight, durable, and complete SUP package that’s fun and easy to use, the ROC iSUP is a top contender—you won’t be disappointed.
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The Pau Hana Malibu Classic is a great beginner to intermediate hard paddle board. The Malibu Classic is a very durable board, at an affordable price, that can withstand taking a beating.
The durability comes from the EPS foam core of the board being wrapped in ABS plastic and vacuum formed with Kevlar reinforcement lining the rails for extra rigidity.
This Pau Hanna is a quality board that is both stable and fast through the water, that can even handle a dog on the front of the board with no problems, you'll love the Malibu Classic. The "Classic" longboard surf shape makes this a great cruiser that beginners and families will really enjoy.
This SUP comes with an adjustable aluminum paddle, an accessory attachment system that makes it really simple to add cup holders, paddle clips and easy-to-thread bungee tie-downs, and even has a hole to run a cable lock.
If you're looking for a board can do everything well, so it's great for beginners, first timers, and casual SUPers, then pick up the Pau Hana Malibu Classic today.
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Classic.
The Isle Cruiser is simply the best selling soft top stand up paddle board on the market, and it has been for at least four years now.
We put the Cruiser on the list to give you options for a rigid or hard paddleboard, that was also light weight.
The Isle Cruiser package is a combination of quality materials, user friendly design, reasonable price, and complete ready-to-go package that is massively popular.
The Cruiser has a width of 32 inches, has Composite Soft Technology with textured padding, and hard foam makes it lighter and easier to handle than a traditional epoxy board.
The soft top construction means it is user friendly, it can take a few bumps, and you can bring along your canine pals as well. The Cruiser is built around an epoxy core, which makes this a rigid paddle board, but it is wrapped soft outer textured croc skin padding, creating versatile, all around performance.
The Cruiser is an easy to carry board due to the well thought out center handle which pops out when needed, and lays flush when not in use.
The 6-point bungee system in the front give you plenty of room to secure a dry bag or other accessories you might need for longer tours.
Everything you need to get on the water is included in the package. More experienced paddlers will also appreciate the carbon adjustable paddle that is included, because on longer rides, the lighter carbon means your arms don't get tired so quickly.
If you're looking for a complete package, especially if you want a board that you can have at a beach or lake house, where lots of different guests, from kids to adults will want to take turns paddling, you'll won't find a better option than the Isle Cruiser Soft Top.
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The Boardworks Versa is constructed using their patented Bombshell Veneer Technology which is a super hard epoxy. The molded composite construction uses ultra durable Kevlar and PVC materials and finished with a beautiful bamboo veneer.
The Versa is designed to be an all-around paddleboard that any skill level can jump on and start having fun. But, don't think this SUP is just for beginners, the Honey Fomb heat embossed deck pad and Extra wide nose and tail allow for excellent performance in nearly all waters.
The carry handle is integrated into the board, which is a feature that we love here at Paddleboard Surf. You bring enough supplies so you can stay out all day on the Versa because of the four D-ring tie downs with bungee cordage for storing water bottles and other gear.
While the Boardworks Versa is a beautiful board, it has a smart SUP design. Its keeled nose cuts smoothly through chop while the flat sections under the tail and standing area helps with a fluid and stable ride.
If you're looking for an epoxy SUP for paddling for the whole family, and you want a beautiful design, then check out the Boardworks Versa.
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The BOTE Flood is the perfect hard paddleboard for a laid-back beach day. The surfboard style shape hits the sweet spot for riding a wave or a relaxing cruise down the beach.
The Flood floats and glides easily and is super durable due to the Gatorshell construction. The Gatorshell construction is an innovative material that designed to handle abuse. BOTE made an excellent video explaining the details of the Gatorshell construction method that you can watch here.
Designed for fun, the Flood is at home surfing small waves or loaded up with a cooler and all the gear you need for a day of flatwater cruising. There are also plenty of accessories BOTE offers to customize this SUP, like the TravelLink carry system and Wheel Rac, but you have to purchase these separately.
If you're looking for a super stable, easy to carry and even easier platform to paddle, the BOTE Flood is going to be the perfect fit for you.
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Final Thoughts
Lightweight stand up paddleboards can tons of fun, especially if you are using them to hike to a hard to get to area like a mountain lake. They come in a wider variety of styles from inflatables to rigid SUPs, so you'll need to find what will work best for your needs.
The boards we listed are some of our personal favorites. We don't always prefer lightweight SUP's, here at Paddleboard Surf we tend to prioritize other performance aspects of the boards than just the weight, but when light weight is the main goal, the boards we listed are our top recommendations.

Bruce Paulson is the owner of PaddleboardSurf and an avid water sports enthusiast with a lifelong passion for all things aquatic. From stand-up paddleboarding and surfing to boating, kayaking, and canoeing, he thrives on the joy of being on the water. As an advocate for water conservation and environmental stewardship, Bruce shares his adventures and insights through his writing, inspiring others to embrace the beauty and excitement of life on the water.