I live near a park with a lake, and over the years I’ve watched the small watercrafts shift from a mix of canoes and kayaks to a mix of kayaks and stand-up paddleboards, or SUPs. The SUP is all the rage these days, and standing up on your board is part of the novelty of it. But I’d like to propose a new way to move around on the water: getting on your SUP with a kayak paddle and sitting your butt down.
I’ve put a lot of thought into this. Longtime readers will recall that I like to kayak, but I also own an inflatable paddleboard and enjoy that, too. When I’m considering which vessel to take to the lake, I know these things:
The kayak is better at moving fast in the water, thanks partly to its shape but also to its double-bladed paddle.
The paddleboard is easier to pack in the car and carry to the water, since it’s just a simple board that deflates and rolls up. (With the kayak, there’s the issue of strapping it to the car roof. Not hard, but annoying.)
The paddleboard is more refreshing on a hot day, because you can easily dangle your feet in or even hop off to take a dip. In a kayak, you’re on the water but not really in the water.
You can lie down on a paddleboard and relax (and just drop an anchor if you’re worried about floating away). In a kayak, you can kind of lean back, but it’s never going to be comfortable, exactly.
With all of that considered, the paddleboard is the better craft for a lazy afternoon. The kayak would still be my pick for a workout outing (speeding to the other end of the lake and back, like a jog but for your arms) or cooler day when I don’t really want to get wet. But if I’m just trying to chill and relax, why would I want to have to stand up and maneuver the boat awkwardly with a single-sided paddle?
Yes, you can use a kayak paddle with a paddleboard
The standard paddle that you use with a kayak has two blades—you dip the right side in the water, then the left, and so on. It moves you efficiently through the water. The standard paddle for a paddleboard, though, is longer, with one blade at the bottom and a T-handle at the top so you can place your hand on it. You paddle on one side of the board, although you can switch sides if your arms are getting tired and you’d like a change. (This is basically the same idea as a canoe paddle, except it’s longer because you’re standing.)
But it’s totally fine to mix and match. You can just grab a kayak paddle, or you can overthink it. Paddleboard enthusiasts have come up with convertible paddles that allow you to add a second blade; some will carry both a paddleboard paddle and a kayak paddle on the same board. You can even, if you commit to this idea, buy a clip-on kayak seat.
Don’t have a paddleboard yet? Consider these simple options:
Here’s a basic 10'6" board kit (with a regular, single-bladed paddle) for under $200. It’s not fancy, but it’ll do the job.
Here’s an electric pump to pump up your inflatable paddleboard (I strongly recommend one of these over a hand pump).
And here is a basic kayak paddle like the one I have.
If you want to get into the specialized gear for sit-down paddleboarding, try these:
Convertible paddleboard paddle (with one or two blades)
But I went the simple route. I brought my regular kayak paddle and my regular paddleboard to the lake yesterday. I sat on the board, legs crossed, and simply paddled it like it was a kayak. And it worked perfectly well.
I was able to move about as fast as I normally do when standing up; maybe faster. And unlike my kayak outings, I could clip the paddle into my bungees anytime I wanted and lie back and relax, thanks to the flat surface. I could even get up and do some yoga. (Do I execute entire slow, thoughtful yoga flows on my paddleboard? No. Do I sometimes see if I can get my feet off the ground in crow pose without falling in? You betcha. Sometimes even successfully.)
I’ve concluded this is the best of both worlds, at least for a lazy lake outing. The board keeps transportation simple, and the double-bladed paddle lets me still move. So what if it’s a “stand up” paddleboard? Standing is overrated.