SUP friends! That’s right, we’re talking about SUPs today. Do you know what SUP stands for? Stand-Up Paddleboard. 

There are iSUPs (inflatable paddle boards) and rigid SUPs. This blog is about iSUPs and why we chose our model. 

Stand-up paddle boards are perfect for cruising around lakes, ponds, and rivers. They can be used in a multitude of ways; standing, sitting, or even for yoga. Inflatable paddle boards are versatile, easier to store, and easier to carry for individuals, unlike their rigid counterparts. There are many different sizes, versions, and attachments for iSUPs, and if you’re researching brands, it can be easy to get lost in the weeds…

Before you buy a paddle board, ask yourself some basic questions. 

• How many people do you want to fit on it? 
• How sturdy or fast do you want it to be? 
• How much gear will you be taking on board? 
• Do you want the ability to convert it to a kayak? 

If you want to fit two people on board, or yourself and a furry friend, it’s best to get a board that’s 11 feet or longer. If you’re riding solo, 10 feet would suffice. The wider the board, the sturdier and slower it will be. The more narrow the board, the more unstable and fast it will be. It is recommended if you’re new to paddle boarding that you get a board between 33” – 35” wide for greater stability. Intermediate falls between 30” – 33”, and this is a great width that allows for a combination of stability, maneuverability, and speed. Racing boards can be as narrow as 26”. Another aspect to consider is tracking and maneuverability. To ensure your board goes straight when paddling, most paddle boards have 1-3 fins. Boards with removable fins are easier to store, fold up, or even replace as needed. If you’re looking to bring gear, look for boards with cargo bungee nets. Another feature you may see is attachment points or D-rings, which are great for strapping down additional gear. They can also be used to convert your board into a kayak, allowing you to connect a seat to sit and paddle. Not all inflatable paddleboard pumps are made equal. Some are single-chamber pumps, while others are dual-chamber. Dual-chamber pumps help you to inflate your board faster. 

Inflatable paddle boards are known for their portability. They typically come with a backpack, sometimes including wheels. Once blown up, most have a single handle in the middle of the board. Some models have additional handles on the front and back, which makes it easy for two people to carry. One bonus accessory is a carrying shoulder strap that connects to the D-rings, if your board has them. 

So why did we choose an iSUP over a ridged SUP, inflatable kayak, or normal kayak/canoe? We did not want to deal with mounting and securing a ridged watercraft to the roof of our vehicle and liked the versatility of being able to stand up, sit down, or even lie down to sunbathe. We have a canoe and kayaks, so don’t get us wrong, we love them too and they certainly have their place, but for a relaxing paddle on a fairly calm day, you just can’t beat what an iSUP offers. One day, we hope to go RVing full time and thought an iSUP would be the best option for us to explore new lakes across the country. This means we wanted to take into consideration the size, weight, and portability.

You’re probably thinking, “Alright, just tell us which one you got already and how has it held up and would you get it again!?” Drum roll, please… We chose the Cruise Carbon 12′ SUP Package from Bluefin. Let us tell you, this is the Cadillac of iSUPs. It has all the bells and whistles. Opening the box, you can see right away that Bluefin cares about quality. Each piece is individually wrapped to prevent any damage, scratches, or markings. It comes with a generously sized backpack that also has wheels to help make it easier to move around. Everything was included in this package, so we didn’t have to buy anything extra to get started. It comes with the 12′ inflatable board, a dual-chamber triple action pump, a 2+1 fin setup, a carbon fiber paddle, an extra paddle attachment to convert to a kayak paddle, a foldable seat that connects to four of the 14 D-rings, a coiled ankle leash, a shoulder carrying strap, a waterproof phone case, a patch kit, and a 5-year warranty!

Let’s pause for a moment and talk about all the specs and features on this board before we dive into the accessories. This board is 12 feet long, 32 inches wide, and 6 inches thick. It’s 14.2kg or about 31 pounds. It has two inflatable chambers to provide maximum stiffness and also acts as a safety feature if you ever were to puncture one of them. It has a carbon fiber rail construction, which reduces flex and increases rigidity and sturdiness (they call this the FRS ‘Flex Reduction System’). This board comes with 14 D-rings for various attachment points along the edge of the board. It has a carrying handle in the middle, on the front and back, and one on each side, which makes it easier to carry and to get back onto. It also has two cargo bungee nets, one on the front and one on the back, to store all the gear you need. The board has a soft and grippy croco-diamond deck pad, with a kick pad too! Lastly, it has a universal action mount at the front to attach things like a GoPro to capture all your wild adventures. 

Now onto the accessories. It obviously comes with a paddle, but the shaft is made from carbon fiber, which helps keep the weight down. It comes with a second blade that you can attach in place of the T-handle to convert your paddle to a kayak paddle. It comes with a foldable seat that mounts to the D-rings that you can keep folded down when standing or laying, or pop it up to sit in to use your SUP as a kayak. This board uses a 2+1 fin setup with a US fin box system, which means it has one main, large central fin and two smaller fins, one on each side. This setup allows the board to track super straight. The pump included is one of the best pumps you can find with an iSUP package. It uses two chambers and a triple-action system. What in the world does that even mean? Well, the triple action system is a fancy way of saying it has three settings. On setting one, the pump adds air on both the down stroke and upstroke, utilizing both chambers for rapid inflation. Then, once the pressure starts to build up and pumping gets hard, you can turn the dial to the second setting, which again uses both chambers, but only adds air on the down stroke, making pumping a little easier. The final setting, setting three, is to bring your board up to the proper pressure when pumping gets even harder, by using only one chamber and adding air on just the down stroke. This system helps you rapidly inflate your board, while then having an option to make pumping easier once the pressure starts getting higher. The backpack that this package comes with is large enough to fit everything inside and includes an external pocket for anything else you want to bring along. The backpack even has wheels which makes it easy to wheel around on harder smooth surfaces or grass. An ankle leash is included to ensure that if you ever fall off, your board won’t run away into the sunset. The last accessory is the shoulder carrying strap, which is great for transporting your board once it is fully inflated, in case you aren’t able to inflate it at your launch site. 

Review time! So we have had our Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12′ boards for about a year now and LOVE them! We find them more than stable enough for us and these were our first boards, as well as our first time using SUPs. We haven’t fallen off once, so that shows that they are pretty stable. We even had CeLynn’s dad try one out for the first time without falling and within a few minutes he was cruising around like a pro. While he used CeLynn’s board, we doubled up on Brad’s board to see if these were really meant for two people. We can confirm, that there is plenty of space for all our gear and two people to sit down, while one paddled and the other took photos. We couldn’t be happier with the kayak conversion kit as we often go on longer paddles and end up using them in kayak mode more than standing. This allows us to go further, faster, and not burn out, since we can keep changing our position and engaging different muscle groups or stretch our legs. We were pleasantly surprised at how effective these iSUPs were in kayak mode, compared to normal kayaks. They tracked just as straight, and seemed to go almost as fast as your standard kayak, but offered so much more value. We were skeptical about how comfortable it would be sitting flat on the boards with our legs straight out, but surprisingly, it was very comfortable. We will often paddle sitting down for over an hour with no issue, before we take a break and snap some wildlife photos, grab a snack, or stretch out. Once we get tired of paddling, we fold down our seats and lay out to soak up the sun. Or, along the shoreline, we stand up and enjoy looking for wildlife below the surface, like fish, frogs, and turtles! We use both sets of cargo nets, usually one for lifejackets and the extra paddle attachment, and the other for our dry bag, Nalgene, water shoes, and other belongings. We haven’t yet used the action mount, but we plan to in the near future with our GoPro. The shoulder strap has been incredibly helpful when we have to inflate our boards and then carry them to the boat launch or to where we are putting in. We will say, the weight might be a little more than some might expect, but to us, it is a no-brainer for all the features that our boards have. We don’t plan on or intend to hike miles with these. We know at some locations we may have to carry them down a trail, but again, for us, the weight isn’t much of a concern when compared to the versatility they offer. Pumping them up manually generally takes us under 10 minutes. We did have an electric pump at one point, but it took just as long to inflate each board individually, so it took twice as long (20 minutes) to inflate both boards. We had done a lot of research to find one of the fastest pumps, but in the end, we decided we didn’t want an extra item to carry around/store, and didn’t want to wait twice as long to hit the water. So, we choose to get the workout in of pumping these up ourselves, but would highly suggest an electric pump for those that want the convenience and ease. 

Yes, we would absolutely recommend an iSUP with a kayak conversion kit if you’re looking for a single, versatile watercraft. Yes, we would highly recommend the Bluefin Cruise Carbon 12′ to friends and family (y’all are friends, so you’re totally included). We love our iSUP, and so will you! 

We hope to see you all out on the water getting wild, and sharing your iSUP adventures with us. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments via email or Instagram!

Stay safe, stay wild, and get outdoors!

Brad and CeLynn