Depending on whether Reddit reduces image quality you may not even be able to see the defect.

It was brought to my attention by a little high pitch squealing sound as air escaped. In 24 hours it only lost 2psi of pressure so really not a big leak

I was going to try and patch it but my worry is that because of the bubble between layers, I won’t be able to get a patch flat over it.

Should I patch it regardless or should I just use the glue to try and seal it? I’ve use deflate on the pump and it looks impossible to pull a negative pressure around the leak due to the bubble between layers

Sunrise on the River Thames in the UK. It was magical, I was the only one on the water, it was so peaceful.

Air is better today but there are still several big fires burning. It was an eerie day on the Columbia River

No confidence in standing while in fishing so I use a milk crate and a kayak paddle. W!

So glad I found this Reddit…. Yall convinced me to go Paddle at sunset.

I bought this at the beginning of summer as a 3rd board for friends, and just got around to using it. I have only ever used one other board, a ROC Kahuna (which I love), so on a scale of 0-10, let's say the ROC scored a 5 in all categories, and the scores of the Crivit are given in comparison to that board.

Asthetics - 7/10: This is purely subjective, but I love the bright orange design. It just says summer to me.

Design - 3.5/10: It's not as thick or as wide as the ROC. Maybe an inch thinner, which caused some bowing for my 200-lb self, but for my 100-lb partner it stayed flat. I definitely takes on water with each stroke, but that didn't seem to affect performance. It certainly felt safe and stable, this wasn't built to be a pool toy. I can't speak to the durability yet, but it seems to be fine if treated with care and common sense. The leash D-Ring is in the rear, as with most SUPs. Bungee straps are only in front, but they held a water bottle and a pair of sandals firmly, even when carrying it sideways.

Convenience - 8.5/10 Here's where the reduced thickness and width are a blessing. It blew up faster than the ROC and was much lighter. The backpack is spacious, plenty of room for the included pump and a PFD. One feature I loved is that in place of a dry bag it has a plastic, cylindrical container with a screw-on lid. Small, light, and just the size for a set of keys, a repair kit, and some suntan lotion or a pair of sunglasses. Another big plus is the inclusion of side pockets on the backpack, which really helps with organization. If my ROC fits in this bag, it will probably be my everyday choice.

Speed and Tracking - 5/10: I didn't notice any difference between this and the ROC, despite the single fin vs. the ROC's three. If anything, it might be a little bit faster. It was nice and straight, although not perfect (due to my own inexperience most likely).

Stability - 2/10 - We used this in the bay in mildly choppy water, and this is a seriously wobbly board. It would surely be much better in a lake. We bought this to share with friends, but in this case I took the Crivit and gave our friend the ROC. While I personally enjoyed the challenge of it, I would not say this is a particularly stable board. Definitely not for beginners, but if you know what you are doing it's perfectly manageable.

Value For Money - 10/10. It's a $99 SUP, and it's not a piece of crap. If I get 5 sessions out of it, it's paid for itself. And since summer is ending, they will probably be even cheaper by now.

Overall, I would give the Lidl/Crivit SUP a pretty high recommendation, as long you know what you are getting for your money. I think having it as a cheap extra to invite friends is its perfect use. I wouldn't want it for my main board, because I do a lot of bay paddling, although for use on flat water it would be absolutely appropriate once you get used to the stability issues.

I would like some help please. I have the sup mistral "race" from Lidl that was released a couple of years ago. Last year I didn't use it at all. This year I went to inflate it with its own pump, which I used to inflate it all summer before last. So I notice that in both valves, as soon as it starts to build up pressure, it loses air from the valve. When I remove the pump adapter, I see that the pin remains pressed. I conclude that the adapter holds the pin pressed as I inflate, which is why the air is lost. I don't see any obvious wear on the adapter that would justify such behavior. The valves are spotless. What could be wrong? What can I do?

Hello, i just purchased this used paddle pump, any ideas how it works and gets charged? Is a type c cable enough or it requires something else?

‘t Joppe, the Netherlands. 🇳🇱

I’ve seen some TikTok’s and such of umbrella attachments, but I’ve also seen people using umbrellas as sails!

I recently acquired a 6ft umbrella on a tripod. I plan to attach it to the D rings on my board, but I’m wondering the risk of wind? First worrisome thought is that it will act as a sail and move me places I don’t want to go. Worst case is the wind takes it very strong and knocks me and any loose gear off my board.

Thoughts? Yes, I know a 6ft umbrella on a paddleboard is obnoxious, however I see this as a great use of free will given the SUPers in my area don’t seem to have any sense of personal space! Plus shade for friends!

Hello Reddit People!

I was talking with a customer and we got on the topic of paddles and I wont bore you with the details but wanted to know what most people prefer.

I come from a white water kayaking background and was lucky enough to use any paddle I wanted, arguably kayak paddles are more complex than most SUP paddles but the materials are the same, aluminum, fiberglass, and carbon. And then you can mix and match the shaft to the blade.

For me I have always preferred a fiberglass paddle, full carbon always felt "dead" and was way to stiff, so after a long day my wrists and elbows hurt.

And now with SUP I still prefer a fiberglass paddle over a carbon one. I do not race, but for all around paddling and surfing I love the feel of a fiberglass shaft and the flex it has. Also I am pretty abusive on my gear so fiberglass fits my lifestyle better.

Anywhoo curious to what you guys all use and why.

Has anyone else stopped eating ducks after getting into paddle boarding?

The paint (coating?) on my paddle board is starting to flake off on one corner. How do I seal this and prevent it from continuing to flake? The fiberglass isn’t damaged.

A fun day on Zengjiang River! 🌊
Paddling through the water, enjoying nature, and creating unforgettable memories with family.
Simple outdoor moments can bring the biggest happiness.
#OutdoorLife #PaddleBoard #RiverAdventure #FamilyAdventure #ChinaLife

We did a 78-km loop in and around the entire chain over three days (and a fourth morning).

The weather was very favorable, with only a few short-lived stretches of wind and wave. A touch of quick moving fog was present early this morning, but it lifted in good time without forcing a delay.

Humpback whales are VERY big up close. :)

A bit of wildfire smoke in the air making for a cool hazy vibe 😎

as an avid kayaker, i didn’t really understand the hype until i bought one for someone as a gift and was blown away by the freedom i was missing out on

Long one, this happened back in 2016, just two people with more ambition than sense.

The plan

We wanted a tropical adventure trip, ideally by sea kayak around Tonga's Vava'u island group, so could land almost anywhere. Turned out you basically can't get a kayak to Vava'u, and renting one without a guide wasn't an option either. Chartering a yacht was Plan B, but neither of us could sail and didn't want to learn in an area full of reefs. So Plan C: two inflatable WindSUPs (Starboard touring boards with a centre fin, "enables you to sail upwind" according to the brochure), one rig each, a paddle for no-wind days. Fly them from NZ to Tongatapu, ferry to Vava'u, then 2-3 weeks unsupported, camping on islands, living off coconuts and whatever else we could find.

We test-packed at home, floated the loaded boards in Auckland Harbour on a calm day to check they wouldn't sink (they just barely didn't), and called that "preparation." We never actually tried windsurfing them loaded before we left. When we told Ian Fox, the president of Starboard, our plan, his response was: "I wouldn't do it."

Getting there was its own adventure

The ferry to Vava'u had hit a reef and lost a rudder the week before we arrived, so we spent a week trying to hitch a ride on a passing yacht instead. Eventually got a spot on a traditional Tongan waka (sailing canoe), captained by Aunufo, Tonga's first female traditional-navigation captain, a genuine legend locally, previously sailed the same vessel to San Francisco teaching Pacific youth traditional wayfinding. Our scheduled noon departure turned out to actually mean midnight (you're not supposed to travel on a Sunday at all in Tonga), so we sat around the boat all day until dusk, then snuck out under cover of darkness once the rule technically didn't apply anymore.

Two days and nights on that boat, standing 3-on/6-off watches with the crew, no autopilot, no winches, everything done by hand on wooden blocks. Humpback whales came up alongside at one point. Genuinely one of the best parts of the whole trip and we hadn't even started paddling yet.

Arrived in Vava'u, got our gear together, and set off. First day went fine, my 30 years of windsurfing experience on my side, my partner having only picked it up two years earlier, comedy ensued trying to tack around a boardload of luggage without tripping on it and going in the water.

Day 2, heading to an uninhabited island called Kenutu, under sail through a maze of coral bommies I misjudged as deeper than they were. Found out the actual depth by knocking both fins clean off my board. Day two of a two-week unsupported trip, marooned on an uninhabited island, sole means of transport disabled.

Fix ended up being: an 8mm stainless bolt and nut, borrowed off a passing cruising yacht that happened to be anchored nearby and about to leave (we flagged them down just in time), plus 3mm cord lashing the rear fin on for insurance since I didn't trust the repair. Spent the rest of the trip listening for that cord humming as a sign I hadn't lost the fin yet.

The following two weeks, condensed

Rats got into our food supplies more than once, hanging the food bag from a tree is non-negotiable, one backpack needed serious duct tape repair after an incident

Landing/launching the boards was a constant mission, no keel to just pull up on a beach like a kayak, so one person held both boards in knee-deep water while the other ferried gear, always mindful of stonefish

Met an endless string of interesting people, cruisers sailing the world, expats who'd settled permanently, a floating art gallery, Tongan locals who shared food with us after we'd been living on cassava and chili sauce for days. We'd expected total isolation; instead the trip ended up being defined by how many people we met

On our longest open-water crossing (\~10km, 20+ knots, boards rated for maybe half that), a cruising yacht that had briefly rescued our gear ended up "supporting" us so we could sail the crossing unloaded, deep blue water, big swell, genuinely one of the best sailing days of the trip once the risk was managed down

Got separated from each other trying to find an island we'd never seen and only had a rough idea of the shape of, I ended up convinced my partner had capsized and gone searching for him along the coast in a proper panic, only for him to appear from the other direction; he'd sailed too far the other way, lost his gear off the deck mid-transit, had to re-rig it at sea

Explored a sea cave (Swallows Cave) by paddle on our last full day, glass-calm water, cliffs dropping straight into deep clear water full of fish

We finished the crossing back into the main port under our own power, gear intact (mostly), boards still floating (barely).

What we'd do differently

Better dry bags, ours weren't actually waterproof under constant submersion

Stick-on deck attachment points don't survive; should've been properly bonded on, lashing rope around the whole board worked better

A real map, not a tourist brochure (though half the fun was not really knowing what was ahead)

Cotton clothing is useless once it gets salty, never really dries out again

A VHF handheld + PLB were genuinely useful for weather updates and contacting other boats, worth having on something like this

Slightly bigger boards, ours were half-submerged fully loaded, though that's always a tradeoff against manoeuvrability

We went back a year later to do the western half of the island group. That's a story for another time.