You can do this!

Stand Up Paddleboards (SUP) are the latest water sports phenomenon. This amazing sport is so easy that anybody can do it while still presenting a true challenge to the hardcore waterman. The range of activity with you SUP is awesome. You can cruise in flat water or drop into massive waves or you can take on a 5-mile coast run or a 30 minute early morning lagoon paddle. It’s a great family sport and suitable for every age and fitness condition. It requires no strength, very little balance and yet rewards the paddler with the best core workout available on the water. Expensive lessons? Forget about it. You can do it right now anywhere there is water! The gear is durable and light and comes in all kinds of styles and price points.

We sell and rent new and used boards and organize group paddle trips throughout PR and the Spanish Virgins. Our try-before-you-buy program includes lots of models from our stock and the Saturday demo has stoked lots of newcomers on this great sport.

Gear Primer

Paddleboarding in definitely a gear-intensive sport. From flat water racing to big wave surfing and everything in between, having the right gear for your size and conditions will make a huge difference in how much fun you have.

We carry the biggest assortment of gear in the Caribbean! From all-out raceboards to hard core wave boards, our selection will leave you breathless. So, no matter what, your best bet is to consult the experts at Velauno to make sure you get the right gear for your needs. To get you started on your searc, here's quick guide to selecting the right gear for you.

Boards

The Stand Up Paddleboard is the core of your SUP gear set. Board size is a prime purchase consideration and a lot of parameters help define board size: primarily length, width and thickness and then shape (outline, rail shape, rocker). The most basic selection guide is: the heavier you are the bigger the board. The more skilled you are the smaller a board you can use. For riding normal size waves, the bigger the wave the smaller the board.

Other considerations may be water conditions and what type or paddleboarding you are going to do (fitness, surfing, distance, cruising, passage making, distance racing or sprint racing). In general, bigger boards are easier and more stable while smaller boards are more maneuverable and challenging. In choppy water you will require a lot more skill and/or a stabler board to manage the conditions.

So a heavy beginner would need a fairly large board (a big combo of long, wide and thick) for flat water paddling while a light weight expert surfer may go for a smallish wave-style board for surfing.

Boards vary in length from as short as 8' for surfing to as long as 18' for racing. The narrowest boards are around 25" while the widest go up to 35" and thicknesses vary between 3.75" and 6". For any given rider skill/weight combination, if you make a board really wide you could make it a little shorter and it would still work.

Performance-wise, as a general rule, you could say longer boards are faster and have better glide while shorter boards turn easier and are more maneuverable. Boards with less rocker (bottom curve) are faster while a good amount of rocker is usually needed to make turny waveboards which are a little slower in flat water.

Paddles

Paddles vary in blade area size, length and construction materials. A great article on paddle specifics can be found by clicking here. In summary, the faster a board will be going through the water the bigger the paddle blade you want to use. In situations were you are always going slow or trying to get going (like when surfing) smaller blades work better. Also stronger/heavier people can benefit for somewhat larger blade sizes while smaller people are better served by smaller blades.

Paddle length is easier. For distance or fitness paddling the ideal paddle can be 8" to 10" longer than the rider is tall. For paddling in waves, the length should be around 4" to 6" longer than the height of the rider. Remember this important rule: paddles can't really be too long but they can be too short. If in doubt cut your paddle longer than you think and DO NOT glue the handle in permanently. If, after trying it in varying conditions, you find you want it shorter, cut it some more and try it again. Once you find the right size for your epoxy the handle in place.

Paddles are made from composites of plastic, aluminum, wood, fiberglass and carbon fiber. The more exotic the construction material the more expensive it is. For the extra bucks you usually get lighter weight, stronger products and higher performance. For riding in surf weight and strength carry greater importance. For flat water cruising or recreational paddling, the less expensive wood, aluminum and plastic paddles work great. Get the most expensive paddle you can afford. It will be with you a long time. If you are scrapping to get into SUP, take advantage of the cheap plastic/Alu paddles prices to easily afford into the sport.

Accessories

The beauty of paddleboarding is that you need few accessories beyond a board and paddle. The most critical one in the case of paddlesurfing is the leash. Get a strong leash at least 5/16" thick with quick release cuff that is at least as long as your paddleboard. Dakine makes a killer leash, check it out by clicking here.

Protective bags for your gear will more than pay themselves in a short period of time. Get a padded board and paddle bags for your expensive toys. Your gear will suffer more from the house to the beach than on the water and nothing protects better than padded bags. Dakine makes the best SUP accessories. Check them out by clicking here.

Stand up paddle surfing, or SUP, is a variant of surfing where the surfer uses a paddle to move through the water while standing on a surfboard. Stand up paddle surfing is derived from its Polynesian roots. The Hawaiian translation is Ku Hoe He'e Nalu; to stand, to paddle, to surf, a wave.

The popularity of the modern sport of SUP has its origination in the Hawaiian Islands. In the early 1960s the Beach Boys of Waikiki would stand on their long boards and paddle out with outrigger paddles to take pictures of the tourists learning to surf. This is where the term "Beach Boy Surfing" originates, another name for Stand Up Paddle Surfing.

In the early 2000s Hawaiian surfers such as Dave Kalama, Brian Keaulana, Rick Thomas, Archie Kalepa and Laird Hamilton started SUP as an alternative way to train while the surf was down. As the years went on they found themselves entering events such as the Moloka'i to O'ahu Paddleboard Race and Mākaha's Big Board Surfing Classic. Now you can find Stand Up Paddle Surfers in many of the Outrigger and Paddleboard races as participants with in heir own division.

One difference between the modern idea of surfing and SUP is that the latter does not need a wave. In SUP, one can paddle on the open ocean, in harbors, on lakes, rivers or any large body of water. One of the advantages of Stand Up Paddle Surfing is the angle of visibility. Because of the standing height over the water one can see both deeper into the water and further across the surface of the water, allowing better visualization of features others lower above the water may not be able to see, whether it is the marine life in the harbors, lakes and coves or the incoming swells of the ocean marching on the horizon.

2430 Calle Loiza, San Juan, PR 00913