To start the search for your next favorite board – we’ve made it easy and found the selected few best whitewater paddleboard brands on the market. Based on the 45 Best SUP Brands, here’s our take:
#1 SOL
#2 BadFish
#3 Hala Gear
#4 Starboard
#5 Pau Hana
#6 Aqua Marina
#7 Glide
Whitewater paddleboarding is a fast growing trend for a good reason – there’s nothing else as much fun and demanding like being in this big mess of whitewater wash. To be more exact – there’s literally no other vessel such as the paddle board where one can stand up on the board and navigate through.
Downstream river or a small ocean surf – let’s find out which of these brands featured below have something for your body and your soul.
#1
SOL
2013 – Telluride, Colorado
Inflatable snowtubing, kayaking, whitewater, surf , multi-person board – SOL is the whitewater specialist with numerous awesome boards on their fleet.
SOL is all about having fun, and the fun to last. Their premium inflatable paddle boards are solely based on whitewater, that’s where their roots are. Among all the different types of boards they have in their list – each one of them is designed for a specific discipline. All SOL standup paddleboards are inflatable, made of premium materials and innovative features. Also, all of their boards feature a well-known color schemes to match up the level of fun! The 7-year seam warranty is also worth mentioning to highlight the strength they offer.
River surf /Prone river surf
- SOLra
5’5″ x 23″ x 4″
River & ocean surf
- SOLjah
6’6″ x 33″ x 6″
Whitewater & small paddlers
- SOLriverocho
8’6″ x 36″ x 6″
Ocean surf
- ClassicSOLjah
6’6″ x 33″ x 6″
Whitewater & rapids
- SOLrivershine
9’6″ x 36″ x 6″
Whitewater & all-rounder
- SOLatomic
9’6″ x 39″ x 6″
Read more – SOL Paddle Boards Review
#2
BadFish
2009 – Colorado, US
BadFish comes second with their awesome to lure in new daredevils. As an exception, their board bundles can be purchased near the thousand-dollar mark boards. While the IRS Wiki and Rivershed are whitewater-specific, the Monarch is a highly capable touring board for river fanatics. All of their boards have received some very good reviews in terms of money for value, so there’s definitely something to look into!
Monarch
11′ x 34″ x 5″
Rivershed
9’6″ x 36″ x 6″
IRS Wiki
7’6″ x 33″ x 5″
#3
Hala Gear
2011 – Yampa River, Colorado
With four boards in their listing for the messy environments, Hala is another overlooked brand that has some serious boards for serious conditions. All the boards come with a 5-year warranty and their in-house patended StompBox 2.0 fin system, there’s a lot to offer on the mid-range category.
Atcha
7’11” x 34″ x 6″
8’6″ x 34″ x 6″
9’6″ x 36″ x 6″
Fame
11’3″ x 36″ x 6″
Rado
10’10” X 35″ X 6″
Radito
10′ X 34″ X 6″
#4
Starboard
Starboard is a big name in the SUP game by having the largest number of different types and SUP sizes combined. Their current whitewater series boards are known under the River name (well, that’s obvious) while all the sizes differ from one another.
RIVER
9’6″ x 36″ x 6″ – 334L
11’0″ x 34″ x 6″ – 323L
10’11” x 31″ x 6″ – 356L
#5
Pau Hana
2006 – Santa Clarita, California
Pau Hana is a SUP-focused brand that have one of the most interesting and innovative features to show. First of all, when talking of whitewater paddleboards – they’ve chosen the bold road by naming their one and only whitewater board a Diablo which stands for devil. Secondly, it’s black – quite unseen move (in a good way) and let’s face it – there’s something about it that stands out.
Whitewater conditions are extreme, but a lot of fun when you know what you’re doing. The mid-range Diablo offers much more that you’d expect from that price range. Pau Hana is a brand to keep your eyes on if you are after the newest features on the SUP world!
Diablo
8’6″ x 35″ x 9.8″ – 225L
#6
Aqua Marina
1991 – Shanghai, China
Just like Starboard – Aqua Marina is one of the most widespread SUP brands sold all around the world. Their boards offer one of the best money for value, although the Whitewater River is as average as could get. Placed right smack in the middle in sizes and price – the 300-liter volume board is a tool for river rapids.
Whitewater River
Rapid
9’6″ x 33″ x 6″ – 300L
#7
Glide
2008 – Salt Like City, Utah
Whitewater is a discipline that not many brands are willing to promise their guarantee. Glide is an awesome SUP-focused brand for entry-level paddlers, and the O2 Locsha is their solution. Available in one size, comes all-equipped – the Locsha is a premium build that also excels well outside the river rapids.
O2 Lochsa
10′ x 36″ x 6″ – 323L
If you’d like to add a recommendation – feel free to leave it on the comments section!
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I created Nulltuul to share my experience, research and analysis with other surf enthusiasts out there. If I'm not surfing on my travels - I like to photograph waves, surfers, and the surf lifestyle in general.