touring sup loaded up with gear on a lake

Best Stand Up Paddle Boards for Touring

Best Paddle Boards For Touring

Standup Paddleboards are fun to ride around lakes and rivers. They can also help you travel great distances at racing speeds.

There are many ways to enjoy a watery ride, whether you are a beginner or an experienced traveler. 

The best paddleboards for touring come with multiple features that make them different from other paddleboards and more durable than regular boards.

What are the Best Standup Paddleboards for Touring?

The best paddleboards for touring are heavy-duty and stable to withstand harder waves. They can cut smoothly through waterways with specially designed hulls and balanced designs. The best board for you is the one that matches your activities and what you want to do with it.


Features:

  • Type: Inflatable
  • Length: 14.’
  • Width: 77 CM
  • Weight: N/A
  • Weight Capacity: 190 Kg

The Bluefin SUP 14′ Sprint Carbon Stand, Up Paddle Board Kit, comes with everything you need to start touring. The board and kit is an advanced kit that puts you in control of the board and provides you with everything you will need for a stellar paddling experience.

The kit not only comes with a high-quality paddleboard but a carbon fiber paddle, a hand pump, and a safety strap for your ankle. It also has a handy carrying bag so that you can pack and store it around your water adventures.

Coming with some of the latest in paddleboard technology, the board features carbon stiffening rails. The rails help make the board firmer for you to stand on and steer. Air Duo inflation chambers help keeps the board rigid through choppy water and provides you with balance.

The board comes with an HQ coating that protects the colors and fibers of the board from UV radiation. It also has PVC construction to withstand extra high pressures. All the seals are Thermo sealed to prevent leaks, and a crocodile deck pad provides the rider with extra foot grip.

Designed for speed and touring, the Bluefin lets you cruise in multiple bodies of water while maintaining complete control. The long design and pointed front help this paddleboard cut through waves and water effortlessly.

Pros of this board

  • Carbon stiffening rails
  • Air Duo inflation chambers

Cons of this option

  • Being an inflatable board, if you’re planning to paddle in more challenging or choppy waters the board can be more difficult to manage
top, bottom, and side view of the pau hana endurance


Features:

  • Type: rigid
  • Built with Pau Hana’s proprietary Ricohet Technology which makes this board highly resistant to punctures, strikes, and scraps from rocks
  • 35 Seamount threaded anchor points
  • Self regulating vent plug
  • 5mm extra soft EVA Pad, designed to accommodate a bivy sack

The Pau Hana Endurance is a real masterpiece of a Touring board. Able to easily withstand moderately windy conditions with excellent stability and maneuverability.

Designed for longer tours the Endurance comes with 35 anchor point that allow you to strap on just about any piece of gear you can imagine. You can easily add on 90 lbs of gear and still have a smooth glide and ample on water performance.

This is the only paddleboard that we know of, where the designers went as far as making the deck pad comfortable enough and large enough, to use as a sleeping platform for overnight trips.

A darn near indestructible board with a gorgeous finish, the only drawback is the weight of the board. The durability built in to this platform makes it no surprise that it weights 34 lbs, without any gear attached.

If you're looking for a serious, rigid SUP, that can handle all of your gear for long tour, you'll love the Pau Hana Endurance.

Pros of this board

  • Designed for long distance, and even overnight camping
  • Recessed handle in center of deck pad of easy carrying

Cons of this option

  • Weighs 34 lbs., but it's a dedicated touring board and it has to be a bit heavy


Features:

  • Type: Inflatable
  • Length: 12’6″
  • Width: 32″
  • Weight: 30 Pounds
  • Weight Capacity: 485 Pounds

The BLACKFIN MODEL V lets you cruise around the waterfront or fish on a quiet lake. The design of the paddleboard is multi-functional so that you can enjoy all kinds of experiences. Built for stability as well as speed, you can glide through the water without drag for fun and high-intensity workouts.

The paddleboard comes with a wheel compatible backpack for transport and storage. It also has a twin hand pump that leads to fast inflation and faster use. The frame of the paddleboard is a blend of carbon and fiberglass.

This fully inflated paddleboard is easy to control and steer through the water.

Eight multi-use action mounts let you set up multiple fishing poles. Twenty D-Ring attachments let you secure fishing gear or a small cooler you choose to travel with. The deck of the paddleboard is a larger design with plenty of rear storage for all kinds of cargo.

The larger paddleboard deck lets you fish, speed around bodies of water, or even do yoga. The deck comes with a soft pad that prevents feet fatigue and helps you grip the board even in rougher waters.

A triple layer of PVC helps make the board twenty-percent lighter than other models while remaining durable.

Pros of this board

  • Paddleboard comes with a wheel compatible backpack for transport and storage
  • Multi-use action mounts
  • A triple layer of PVC

Cons of this option

  • Weight


Features:

  • Type: Inflatable
  • Length: 138.”
  • Width: 30″
  • Weight: 28 Pounds
  • Weight Capacity: 330 Pounds

The THURSO SURF Expedition Touring SUP is a paddleboard for adventure and water navigation. Built for touring, the board can withstand heartier waters. The board can withstand a PSI up to twenty, which is two to five PSI more than regular paddleboards.

Made with heavy-duty materials, the board is heavier than regular boards, which helps the board track easily in all kinds of water. The board is extremely stable even in choppy water and comes ready to carry extra supplies. You can put a full pack on the board and strap it down using D-Rings and rear bungee attachments.

The board comes with large weight capacity; the three hundred thirty pounds a capacity lets you travel with a much gear as your adventure requires and maneuver with your kids, pets, or significant adult companion onboard.

The board features detachable side fins that make it easy to steer and navigate the water. An extra-wide matt helps you maintain your footing. The board also comes with everything you need to travel and be safe on the water, such as the three-piece carbon paddle and ankle cord.

Pros of this board

  • Made with heavy-duty materials
  • Large weight capacity
  • The board features detachable side fins that make it easy to steer and navigate the water

Cons of this option

  • Weight


Features:

  • Type: Inflatable
  • Length: 12’6″
  • Width: 30"
  • Weight: 30 lbs.
  • Weight Capacity: 275 lbs.

The Traveller Paddle Board is for speed and travel. The board has a design that places the center of gravity in the center of the board. With a low center of gravity, the board can navigate all kinds of waterways, including open waters.

The wide design of the platform lets you travel with or without luggage as there are many tie-down points. The hull features a very pointed nose that allows the board to cut seamlessly through water for your enjoyment, fitness, or fishing.

The paddleboard lets you take your water journey anywhere you choose to travel. There are many different points around the paddleboard to attach fishing poles and have a drink handy. You can even race using the board because of the narrow design and V-Shaped hull.

The board comes with a handy stashpod, which lets you store your smaller items such as your keys. It also holds a bottle opener, so you can enjoy a bottled drink while you paddle and open it quickly.

A convenient carrying system called Travelink SUP carrying system helps you travel easily over distances while keeping your hands free. The Travelink is ergonomic and makes carrying your board easy. The wheel track lets you roll the board using oversized tires, ensuring you will have multiple ways to travel with your board without causing strain.

Pros of this board

  • The board comes with a handy stashpod, which lets you store your smaller items
  • A convenient carrying system called Travelink SUP
  • Wide design of the platform


Features:

  • Type: Carbon Fusion and fiberglass
  • Length: 10.’
  • Width: 31″
  • Weight: 22 pounds
  • Weight Capacity: 198 Pounds

The Adventure Paddleboarding Explore – CX is an ideal paddleboard for watery adventures. Built to withstand stronger waves, the paddleboard is perfect for cruising around lakes and waterways where smaller waves come from boats and other watercraft.

Lightweight and durable, the paddleboard is a good choice for people of all backgrounds that like touring by water and fitness training. The board design is for stability and speed. You will gain distances quickly as you explore your lake or waterway.

The paddleboard features a lightweight frame that is fiberglass. The hull design pieces choppy water easily and is extremely stable in the middle of the board. The board has storage both forward and aft for any small coolers or extra clothing you choose to carry.

Customized fins help provide you with good acceleration and balance as you glide along. You will also experience greater distance-to-stoke improvement than with other paddleboards. The lightweight carbon and fiberglass frame help you balance and maintain speed as you paddle along.

Multi-layer sandwich construction helps make the board strong as well as light. Two layers of carbon and many layers of fiberglass ensure the board is waterproof and durable. Each layer has epoxy resin sealing it together to give you top performance and an amazing ride.

Pros of this board

  • Lightweight and durable
  • Customized fins help provide you with good acceleration and balance
  • Multi-layer sandwich construction carbon and fiberglass

Final Thoughts

The right paddleboard can make your adventures come alive. Finding multi-functional ones can give you plenty of options for fun and new experiences. Make sure you do your homework and find the one that fits your lifestyle dreams.