Whip out your boardshorts and bikinis, it’s summer time! Nothin’s better than summer and we’re so stoked that our favorite time of the year is finally here. Here, we’ve put together a list of SUP gear, SUP accessories, SUP boards and all the must have's for everyone from a beginner to the advanced SUP'er for the 2017 Summer SUP season, so there's sure to be something in this guide for everyone!

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 70+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best stand up paddle board 2017 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

About the board: The Shubu is a very stable, inflatable board that is great for beginners. The board takes the simple route in terms of looks, coming with a limited play on color and graphics however, it offers unique features having two side-bite fins and with the option of adding a third, FCS II center fin into the center fin box which is unusual for inflatables. It has reinforced rails and an arch bar in the center to help with rigidity and comes in a nice portable bag and has a repair kit in case of damage. The board has premium qualities for an affordable price, meriting it Supconnect’s “A” grade. Read more HERE.

About the board: The Muse is a very stable, non-inflatable beginner board designed for all-around paddling. The Muse is an award-winning board and has gorgeous graphics geared in particular towards the female paddler coming with an exceptional mix of bright colors and artwork that are eye-catching and nice to look at. The board misses a few points like lightweight construction and speed-centric design that many intermediate and advanced paddle boards encompass but for the affordable price the Muse is a stunning all-around board that is great for recreational paddling, well-deserving of Supconnect’s “A” grade. Read more HERE.

The sun is starting to shine, ice is melting and spring is starting to peek it’s head around the corner. With temperatures rising and waterways defrosting into lakes and rivers again, it’s time to start getting geared up and ready to get back on the water and out of the winter hibernation. Here, we’ve put together a list of SUP gear, accessories, and of course boards for everyone from a beginner to the advanced SUP'er for the 2017 Spring paddle boarding season, so there's sure to be something in this guide for everyone!

About the board: The Joyride Flow is a great non-inflatable all-around / yoga hybrid board suitable for paddlers with any skillset. The board is very stable due to its width of 33 inches and the graphics are gorgeous, featuring a wood deck and awesome artwork on the deckpad. The deck pad conveniently doubles as a yoga mat for times when you want to practice your yoga on the water and has bungee tie downs that are perfect for holding gear while you’re on the move. This paddle board is easy to carry due in part to the LiftSUP handle as the main holding point in the board. Because of the multi-purpose aspects of the board in part with premium features like the LiftSUP handle the Joyride Flow is awarded Supconnect’s “A” grade. Read more HERE.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a stable, touring/race, inflatable board to paddle mid-range distances (3-5 miles) then the Boardworks Shubu X Rocket is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Single Chamber Dropstitch construction which is durable and has both ups and downs. Due to its width of 30 inches the board is stable and best suited for intermediate-advanced paddlers. The board has 2.24 lbs per foot weighing a total of 25.8 lbs. Its shape makes the board best suited for touring or race training and should be easy to use for paddlers with an intermediate skill-set. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for recreational paddling and is great for touring and race training. Retailing at $1,199, the board is priced in the mid-tier market in terms of affordability.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for an affordable, all-around, inflatable board that is very stable to paddle then Boardworks’ Shubu Sport is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the single chamber drop stitch technology which is meant to be durable. The board is very stable due to its 32 inch width and the board has 2.43 lbs per foot weighing a total of 25.5 lbs. Its shape makes the Shubu Sport an all-around board suited for paddlers of any skill level. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for short-distance paddling, mainly around the beach and dock. Retailing at $899, the board sits in the lower-end of the popular mid-tier market in terms of affordability.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a very stable, non-inflatable, all-around board to paddle mid-range distances then the Boardworks Kraken is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the EPX-Veneer construction which is durable having both positives and negatives. Due to it’s 33 inches in width the board is very stable. Its construction is moderately heavy coming in at 3.32 lbs per foot weighing 34.08 lbs. Its shape makes the Kraken an all-around board that can be used by all skill levels and is primarily designed for recreational paddling and/or paddle surfing. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for mid-range distance paddling between 3 - 5 miles max. Retailing at $1,299 the board is in the popular mid-tier market in terms of affordability.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a very stable, affordable, non-inflatable board to paddle short distances then the Boardworks Rukus is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the new Bombshell construction which is highly durable and has its ups and downs. Because of its 33 inch width the board is very stable but because of its construction the board is moderately heavy and somewhat difficult to carry. The board has 3.09 lbs per foot and weighs 32.4 lbs total. Its shape makes the Rukus an all-around board that can be used by anyone with any skill level. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for short-distance paddling, around the beach and dock. Retailing at an affordable $999, the board fits into the popular mid-tier market in terms of affordability.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for an affordable, very stable, non-inflatable paddle board to paddle short to mid-range distances then the Boardworks Super Natural is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the EPX construction which is fairly durable and has both ups and downs. Due to its 33 inch width, the Super Natural is a very stable board but its construction makes the board heavy and difficult to carry, coming in at 3.05 lbs per foot weighing 35.15 lbs total. Its shape makes the Super Natural a classic all-around board that can be used by everyone and is designed with the recreational paddler in mind. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for short-range paddling at the beach and near the dock. Retailing at $699, the board is very affordable.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a stable, non-inflatable board to paddle mid-long range distances the the Kraken Touring paddle board from Boardworks is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Tec-V (Thermal Epoxy Compression-Veneer) technology which is considerably durable and has its positives and negatives. Due to its width of 29.5 inches the board is pretty stable. Its construction is moderately heavy coming in at 2.73 lbs per foot weighing 34.09 lbs. Its shape makes the Kraken Touring an all-around touring board that can be used by just about anyone and is designed for recreational touring. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for mid-long-range distances between 3-10 miles. Retailing at $1,599 this board is among the high-tier price point but comes with the best that the brand has to offer.