Hi guys. Im not normaly lurking in this neck of the woods since i started kite boarding this year but Im looking at getting a SUP! Looks like a lot of fun and good exercise.
Which brings me to my question. Are inflatable SUP's worth while looking into too? And before you say anything, yes I did a search on here but found nothing.
I saw the Naish Mana Air SUP while doing a little research and thought that this would be a perfect idea as im not keen on putting roof racks on the Pajero and the missus has a mazda 3 which would be nigh on impossible to transport a SUP on.
So, anyone had much experience with the inflatable ones? Or can recomend some good brands to check out?
Thanks guy 
too much of a pain in the arse to rig every time. good inflatable sups are great, they surf ok and they have their place. If your travelling and cant take a full size board, travelling around oz in a small car etc. However if its your everyday board youll get very tired of inflating it every surf, deflating it, putting it back in its bag etc. seriously its a 20 minute ritual to do it properly. Better option is a set of soft racks and a real board. I reckon if you using it once a fortnight or so, an inflatable sup may be ok. any more regular use and youll want a real board. also the good inflatable sups are going to set you back between 1200-1600 bucks. buying a cheaper one will be pointless because they cant be pumped up to high enough pressures to stop them bending on waves. You can get some very good non inflatable sups for that money.
good luck
Cheers mate, some good stuff to consider there.
My idea was that if I had an inflatable that was of descent quality ie. not cheap n nasty I could travel with it, along with the Kite gear. Also while im away for work the missus could have a go until she got her own. I cant imagine a 10' SUP on the roof of a mazda 3 lol 
Tried one last week in small waves, I think an 'Island' brand, about 11 ft long.
I found it to be difficult in all aspects when compared to the solid sup I was riding when I swapped.
Less stable, a bit like standing on a water bed.
Tended to nose dive on the wave, seemed like the nose wanted to follow the contour of the wave .
Dug the leading rail when trimming along wave, the board seemed to twist to the contour.
Honestly, I think if this was my only option to paddle I would find a different pastime.
The owner assured me it had correct pressure.
Cheers
Had an inflatable Red Air and OK for for a river or lake.Soft fins,pretty durable.Found that for everyday use the pumping up was way too much effort.16 psi was a real effort with the pump supplied.l know some folks get them way above that with a compressor which might stiffen it up more for the surf
Had a Pajero at the time and ended up on a 10ft Mana which did fit inside .
lt cleared the windscreen by an inch .Made good use of my windscreen insurance though
Hi Shayne,
An inflatable is never going to outperform a glass/epoxy/carbon SUP, but they excel in plenty of other areas. All you need to do is match your needs to the boards strengths and you'll be happy.
Check out this recent thread:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Inflatable-SUP-help/
Cheers,
DM
A Mazda 3 will handle a 10' SUP no problems. DJ regularly transports his 17' SUP on his Suzuki Swift which is much smaller than a Mazda 3.
Wife is small, she has a 10'6 Nalu which is fine on the water but she has trouble getting it on and off the car on her own (worried about dropping it, dinging the car, hurting herself etc). She's interested in an inflatable now, if it gets her out on the water without needing me along every time I'm for it.
I have a C4 waterman inflatable and it is great - in it's place - I took it up the river today as the surf was no good, and I paddled around for 2 hours on it with the dog swimming around too. I use it to paddle down the tidal river, across the estuary, roll it up, and back pack it home along the beach. I also use it on grade 1 and 2 whitewater (I work as a raft guide, and stand up paddle guide on rivers in Colorado when I'm not here in OZ). So it is easy to take on the plane, it is great to throw in the car, and the pumping up is my warm up exercise. BUT, in the surf I prefer my Naish Hokua 9'5" and my Coreban 9'6" Performer. My friends who haven't paddled love the inflatable when they come visit at the beach, and they manage to surf on it, and don't worry about being clobbered by it. I learnt to surf, and stand up paddle on it at the same time, as I say I love it, but it definitely doesn't perform like a hard board. For sure they have their place, and I'm glad I got one........
thanks guys! tonnes of good info there. Is much appreciated!
Will be checking out my local stores when im back home from work. Am keen to see a SUP squeeze into the Pajero lol
Well, I have to say, despite people's crticisms of the Island inflatable, I really like mine!. I'm 102kgs and this board handles me no worries at 9psi. I also have a Surftech inflatable which I'm disappointed with. At 14psi, I'm still standing in water. When I turn up at the beach, I've found I'm in the water much quicker than people who turn up with hard boards (I have an electric pump). And best of all, my much maligned inflatable won't scratch, chip, ding, split in half or hurt me like a hard board would. Some guy on one of these sites reckons his mate was killed by a hard SUP in the surf. I hope that's not true. Everyone seems to be quick to criticise the inflatables, but I love my 'cheap' Island inflatable and prefer it to any other board I have tried.
