Best All Around Standup Paddle Boards 2018

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 70+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best all around stand up paddle board 2018 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc). The Supconnect team traveled across 3 states and spent 8 months individually assessing each one of the inflatable SUP boards below, counting a total of 23 metrics per board and consistently applying them across all products. The end result: simply the most comprehensive, consumer-friendly, value-added review platform in the standup paddle world. Click through each one of the reviews and find a consistent, in-depth assessment of each product listed.

Quick Answer:

The Best All Around SUP Boards 2018

• Boardworks Shubu Kraken
• Surftech Alta
• Pelican Antigua
• Surftech Aleka
• NSP Allrounder
• SIC Maui Feel Good
• Surftech Generator
• Pelican Saona

 A Comparison

The Best All Around Paddle Boards 2018

Picture	Board	Weight	Price	Use	Skill	Build	Width
	Boardworks Shubu Kraken	20.1 lbs	$949	All Around	Beginner	Inflatable	31 inches
	Surftech Alta	30.5 lbs	$999	All Around	Beginner	Inflatable	32 inches
	Pelican Antigua	23.4 lbs	$599	All Around	Beginner	Inflatable	32 inches
	Surftech Aleka	24.4 lbs	$1,349	All Around	Beginner	Non-Inflatable	30 inches
	NSP Allrounder	24.2 lbs	$1,349	All Around/Surf	Beginner	Non-Inflatable	32 inches
	SIC Maui Feel Good	27.2 lbs	$1,499	All Around	Beginner	Non-Inflatable	32 inches
	Surftech Generator	25.1 lbs	$1,349	All Around	Beginner	Non-Inflatable	32 inches
	Pelican Saona	22.8 lbs	$499	All Around	Beginner	Non-Inflatable	31 inches

All Around Paddle Boards 101

3 Things to Consider to Find the Best All Around SUP

1. USE

An all around SUP is meant to be used and should perform well in a variety of conditions, thus its category name. All around boards can be used for multiple purposes but are primarily intended for recreation. Whether it be paddling close to shore or around the dock all around boards are best for short-distance paddling and are ideal for families and beginner paddlers.

2. SHAPE

All around SUPs are primarily shaped with a round nose and tail and are near 30 inches in width at its center point. However, there are all around paddle boards that cross over into the other disciplines of stand up paddling so it’s important to determine your primary and secondary use for the board. If you want to use your paddle board around the beach and dock for some casual cruising but might want to add in some SUP yoga, you’re going to want to find a board that has a shape that caters well to both, which in this case would be a board with a generous width (32+ inches) in the center of the board and also a wider nose and tail. Or, if you want your board to be able to catch a few waves in addition to cruising around you might want to get a narrower board (less than 30 inches at the board's mid-point) with more pulled in nose and tail for better maneuvering. Whatever your primary and secondary use for your all-around board may be, make sure you choose one that caters to both if not more uses.

3. BUILD

All around sup boards come in various constructions. First, decide whether you should have an inflatable or non-inflatable board. Inflatable boards are easy to store and very lightweight, making them perfect if you don’t want the board to take too much space. Most inflatables come with a backpack to hold them and can be thrown in car trunks and checked in at airports without any oversize fee. Inflatables, though, normally have less glide and less overall performance when compared to non-inflatable boards. Moreover, non-inflatables often times score higher on durability. Non-inflatable boards with carbon or bamboo tend to be lightweight and durable while plastic constructions tend to be durable but incredibly heavy. Fiberglass/epoxy builds fall in between these two and are the most common non-inflatable constructions.

Best All Around Paddle Board Reviews

Boardworks Shubu Kraken 

The Shubu Kraken is the inflatable version of the Supconnect award-winning Boardworks Kraken. This one is on the top of the charts when it comes to inflatable paddle boards. As far as graphics go it’s just gorgeous. It's a very lightweight board weighing in at about 20lbs making it incredibly easy to carry for both men and women. At a price point under $1,000 you couldn’t go wrong with this board. It’s super fun to paddle, has a great glide, and is really stable without compromising the glide feeling. One of the best inflatables that we’ve paddled all year so definitely check this one out.

See our full review HERE.

Surftech Alta

The Alta is another board in the Prana collab collection by Surftech that is eye-catching to say the least. The board has a very strong construction and beautiful graphics on the pro side. On the con side, it is a fairly heavy board for an inflatable at 30 lbs which is sort of prohibitive in terms of weight and it didn’t feel as stable as it should have been at 32 inches wide. But, one might make the argument that the graphics trump everything because it is a stunning, beautiful inflatable board which you don’t see all too often. Another cool thing about the Alta is its use of eco-friendly materials.

See our full review HERE.

Pelican Antigua 

The Antigua is a beginner, inflatable board, offered at some of the lowest price-points in the market, but packing lots of value with beautiful graphics, a nice pump, and an all-around great package. It naturally misses some of the features of intermediate, advanced boards, such as faster glide, reinforced rails, and a more premium bag. But it is an excellent value for that beginner, price-point inflatable board, well deserving of Supconnect’s “A” grade.

See our full review HERE.

Surftech Aleka

In a collaboration with Prana, the Aleka boards from Surftech are gorgeous, in fact the women can’t control themselves raving about it. That’s enough to earn an A-grade. The board does come in two sizes with each size having a different set of graphics, both equally stunning. If you’re concerned about floatation you’ll definitely want to get the larger one. The bigger size will float you better. It’s a fairly lightweight board to carry, which is great for the women’s market and in terms of graphics it has beautiful color coordination with the paddle and the leash so it’s just an all around gorgeous package. If you want to make a fashion statement and have a nice board that is touring with a touch of all around to it, than this is the board to get.

See our full review HERE.

NSP Allrounder 

The Cocomat Allrounder from NSP is a great board for SUP surf beginners who might also want to try to do some flat water or touring. While the board is dubbed the ‘Allrounder’ it’s definitely more of a surf shape and is a great, beautiful board for someone who is looking to get into SUP surfing. It will definitely work well as an all around board as well as the board is wide and stable. The graphics on the board are really eye catching with the bright blue colors mixed in with their eco-friendly Cocomat material and the contrast with the lighter blue on the traction pad looks awesome.

See our full review HERE.

SIC Maui Feel Good

If you want to ‘feel good’ about the board you own then the Feel Good from SIC Maui is a great choice. The board looks stunning and has a really beautiful coordination of graphics, from the traction pad to the color on the back rails and bottom. It’s a really nice all around board that can also be used for surfing. The board paddles really well and is quite easy to carry using SIC’s signature EZ grab handle. If you want something that you want to use to cruise short distances and dabble in the surf and look good for your friends this is something that you should look very closely at and consider having in your quiver.

See our full review HERE.

Surftech Generator

If you’re looking for a best in class all around board look no further because the Supconnect Award-winning Surftech Generator is it. The flatter rocker makes it a pleasure to paddle and it has stunning graphics, with a beautiful bamboo layout on both the deck and the bottom. The board is just a really good combination of color coordination between the traction pad and the color on the board, rails, and graphics up on the nose. It’s an excellent all around board, something that you can even put up on a wall to display.

See our full review HERE.

Pelican Saona

At $499 it’s tough to beat this deal. The Pelican Saona is a paddle board with a foam construction and has classy graphics, better than any foam board that we’ve seen on the market. It paddles fairly well and with its foamy construction it can definitely take a beating both in and out of the water. If you’re looking for something that won’t cost you a lot, and can be used by the entire family this is something that you should be looking at. The folks at Pelican have done a phenomenal job on this one.

See our full review HERE.

To look through the 110+ boards reviewed click HERE.

Photo Gallery

A Look at Imagery from our SUP Reviews

More Resources

• Best Paddle Boards 2018
• Best Beginner Stand Up Paddle Boards 2017
• Best Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Boards 2017
• Best Stand Up Paddle Boards 2017

© Supconnect.com Copyrighted Exclusive Content