Starboard Touring Elite

If you’re looking for a stable, non-inflatable touring board to paddle mid to long range distances then the Touring Elite by Starboard is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board has the Starlite construction which is durable and has both positives and negatives. Due to its width of 29 inches the board is somewhat stable. The board has 2.79 lbs per foot and weighs a total of 27.9 lbs which is slightly heavy for only a 10ft board. Its shape makes the Touring Elite a touring board best for intermediate paddlers designed with touring in mind. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for recreational paddling between 3 to 10 miles max. Retailing at $1,999, the board is among the high-price point boards but is among the best of what the brand has to offer.

On first impressions, the graphics and color are good, the design is uncommon and the construction strikes as rugged. The Touring Elite has some clean looks coming with minimal use of color and is quite simple. The shape design is unique for boards in these categories with features tailored primarily for recreational touring. The construction does appear strong, as something that can survive heavy use. This paddle board feels difficult to carry and the glide feels somewhat slow. The board has bungee inserts for both the nose and the tail of the board and also has FCS compatible plugs on the nose tail and center of the board. Another cool thing worth noting about this board with its particular construction is that it uses a full plant based Bio resin infusion which helps the brand have a lower impact on the environment. Once you put it all together the Touring Elite is a somewhat stable board that most people should be able to stand on with ease and paddle away.