A paddle board does not have to cost a lot. Nowadays, there is a wide range of paddle boards that are well-made but don’t cost a fortune.
Most interesting are inflatable paddle boards, which according to some estimates account for up to 98% of all paddle boards sold.
Inflatable paddle boards are cheaper to produce and much cheaper to transport. For this reason, many manufacturers now offer paddle boards for under £400.
If you want to buy a paddle board for a low price, you should take a close look at our recommendations below.
Most of the cheap paddle boards are allrounders, which are mainly aimed at beginners. Allrounder paddle boards can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used for relaxing cruises around lakes and canals, shorter tours, riding small waves, and SUP yoga.
For beginner stand up paddlers, inexpensive paddle boards are a great way to try out the water sport without investing vast sums of money right away.
Below, we’ll go over what’s important about cheap paddle boards and present lots of low cost paddle boards. If you want to invest into good quality, you should also check our great paddle board test, in which we introduce our favorites among all boards we have tested on the water.
Table of Contents
Best Affordable Paddle Boards on the Market
#1 Goosehill Sailor
The Goosehill Sailor (as well as the similar built model Goosehill Rainbow) are classic all-around boards that are well suited for beginners. There is some exaggeration when it comes to load capacity, but overall the board seems to be stiff and received many positive reviews. Given the affordable price, both paddleboards are great boards to start with.
#2 Aqua Marina Beast
The Aqua Marina Beast is a very solid all-around board and an excellent choice for the price. It has been on the market for years and continues to be very popular. The board is great for ambitious beginners as it offers a lot with its great construction quality (including additional rail reinforcements), extended features (great deck pad with a kick pad) and its high-quality gear.
#3 Decathlon Itiwit X100 11′
The Decathlon Itiwit X100 11' is a solid paddleboard. With its wide design and high volume, it is very suitable for beginners (also with weights above 80 kg) and offers enough stability to ride on the paddleboard with an additional lightweight adult, child or dog. Overall, the Decathlon Itiwit X100 11' is a very good board for beginners and convinces with its high-quality workmanship.
#4 Tigerxbang Paddleboard
The Tigerxbang Paddleboard is a typical all-round paddleboard which comes with lots of accessories, is relatively stiff and well-built. With its width, the Tigerxbang board provides great buoyancy when standing and sitting on the board. It comes with lots of additional gear and even includes a kayak seat which can be mounted on the paddleboard.
#5 Moai Allround 11′
The MOAI Allround 11' closes the gap between all-rounders and touring boards. The paddleboard of the Dutch brand combines many advantages of both board types. The MOAI Allround 11' is very well-built and comes with a whole accessory package (including a very high-quality backpack and a lightweight fiberglass paddle).
#6 Wowsea Trophy T1
The MOAI Allround 11' closes the gap between all-rounders and touring boards. The paddleboard of the Dutch brand combines many advantages of both board types. The MOAI Allround 11' is very well-built and comes with a whole accessory package (including a very high-quality backpack and a lightweight fiberglass paddle).
#7 Penguin Lancer
Both the Penguin Lancer and the included accessories of the Lancer are very well-made. The board is very well-built and durable, but with just 10 kilograms (22 lbs) relatively light-weight. It got a cool design and offers many features. With its wide built, the paddleboard is best suited for beginners.
What to Look For in an Affordable Paddle Board
- Board type and area of use: The great majority of inexpensive paddle boards are all-rounders with a wide base and a rounded board nose. However, there are other board types (cruising boards or touring models) with better gliding characteristics at a reasonable price.
- Dimensions: The inexpensive paddle boards are usually designed to meet the needs of beginners. Most beginners quickly manage to keep their balance on boards with a width of around 80 cm (31″). Narrower models are a little more unstable but glide more easily.
The classic length for all-rounder boards is in the range of about 320 cm (10’6″). In terms of thickness, 15 cm (6″) turned out to be very reasonable. - Volume and load capacity: It is very important that the volume and therefore the load fits your body weight. Accordingly, large and heavy paddlers should rather choose a larger model. In our detailed paddle board reviews, you will always get a realistic estimate, which often differs from the manufacturer’s statements!
Here you will also find a small formula to calculate the maximum user weight from the volume. - Stiffness: Very low prices are typically achieved by material savings. Models with a double-layer skin are much stiffer compared to single-layer boards, deform less under load, and therefore glide better.
- Included accessories: Inexpensive paddle boards are typically aimed at beginners and are therefore very typically bundled with a complete accessory package (backpack, pump, paddle, leash, kayak seat, etc.). In terms of quality, there are significant differences. In the respective review of the boards, we tell you more about the equipment of the offers!
FAQ
How long do cheap paddle boards last?
This is difficult to say as a general rule. Cheap paddle boards can logically not compete in quality with models that cost a lot more.
In our detailed board tests, you will of course always get an honest and realistic evaluation of the quality and durability of a paddle board.
Learn more about the best cheap paddle boards.
What are the best cheap paddle boards for beginners?
The largest group in the category of cheap paddle boards are the all-rounders. These models are best suited for beginners due to their high tipping stability and versatile riding characteristics.
The standard dimensions of this type of board are in the range of 320 x 81 x 15 cm (10’6″ x 32″ x 6″). For most paddlers, these are very suitable specimens.
Learn more about the best cheap paddle boards.
What should you look for in a cheap paddle board?
Despite the cheap price, of course, the quality is absolutely crucial. Therefore, you should pay particular attention to the material construction and workmanship. Unfortunately, the individual quality of cheap paddle boards can often only be finally checked after delivery.
In our detailed board reviews, however, you will always find important clues about the quality. In the best list of cheap paddle boards, we have compiled our current favourites for you.
Learn more about the best cheap paddle boards.
Which paddle boarding brands offer good cheap paddle boards?
The list of manufacturers of inexpensive paddle boards is endless and confusing, but in general we rather advise against buying very cheap boards from the discounter or from non-specialist manufacturers.
Many well-known companies specialized in paddle boards also offer inexpensive boards for beginners and give you a guarantee on the quality of their models.
We have tested all the boards in this list and consider them to be highly recommendable despite their low price!
Learn more about the best cheap paddle boards.
