Touring paddle boards are designed for long trips. The focus is primarily on paddling in a straight line. Unlike allrounders, touring boards are significantly longer and are not as round at the tail and nose.
The longer design as well as the tapered ends reduce water resistance, which together with the appropriate fin ensures higher speeds.
Touring boards are typical second boards. In the first season, many paddle boarders gain their first experience on an allround board. When longer tours are planned or the hobby becomes an exercise in endurance and strength, many paddlers switch to touring boards.
The sporty design and additional length reduce the water resistance and make the touring paddle boards very directionally stable. On longer tours, this is an advantage because it means you don’t have to change paddle sides as often and you can reach higher speeds.
In the following, we will go into what is important when it comes to touring paddle boards and present our favorites among touring paddle boards.
Table of Contents
Best Touring Paddle Boards
#1 Cala Ikatere
The Cala Ikatere is a very high-quality paddleboard. Although the board is quite lightweight, it provides lots of stiffness and stability. The touring paddleboard is great for ambitious beginners and intermediate paddlers looking into mid-range and long paddle tours. In terms of design, the Cala Ikatere is a unique board (you'll either love or hate it!).
#2 Decathlon Itiwit X500 13′
The Decathlon Itiwit X500 13' is a very good touring paddleboard which comes at a great price. Decathlon's touring paddleboard offers lots of features, is very well-built and tracks well in water. Especially for longer paddle tours as well as multi-day tours, this paddleboard is a great choice.
#3 Penguin Coast Runner
The Penguin Coast Runner is a great touring board, which convinced us with it's very good workmanship and the extreme stiffness due to the carbon reinforced rails. At the same time, the price is very fair for a touring board of this quality. The board tracks well in a straight line, which is enormously important for touring riders.
#4 Cala Kanaloa
The CALA Kanaloa is a great-looking, very high-quality touring board with above-average width and reduced length, making it a good option for ambitious beginners to start right away with a glide-friendly alternative to the classic all-rounder and advanced paddlers looking for a great touring board.
#5 Wowsea Bluesky S1
The WOWSEA Bluesky S1 (formerly known as AN15) is a top cruising board, which comes at a low price, is well-built and included lots of accessory products. WOWSEA's paddleboard tracks well. Also, the Bluesky S1 provides enough stability with its wide built and three-fin setup. The WOWSEA Bluesky S1 is a great choice for beginners who benefit from the stability the paddleboard provides.
#6 Penguin X-Lancer
The Penguin X-Lancer is a very good processing quality which comes with high-quality accessories. The X-Lancer combines the stability of a pure beginner board with significantly improved riding and gliding characteristics of a touring board. This board is ideal for ambitious beginners who prefer longer tours and use the paddleboard as a way to work out.
#7 Bluefin Cruise Tandem
The Bluefin Cruise Tandem is one of the best paddleboards for two persons, which you can actually use for mid-range or long paddle tours with two full-grown adults on one paddleboard. However, you can also paddle this beast solo (obviously, it tracks super well). Also, the board is very well-built, very stable, got lots of features, comes with two sets of gear (including 2 kayak seats) and a five-year warranty.
Checklist: What’s Important About Touring Paddle Boards
- Shape: The touring models are the long-distance runners among the paddle boards. Their shape (silhouette) is characterized by a pointed nose (board tip) that cuts nicely through the water. Touring boards are usually significantly longer and less wide than allrounders, but not quite as narrow as racing boards. The longer and narrower a board is, the more it glides.
- High volume and load capacity: Due to their generous dimensions, touring boards have a high volume and are very suitable for large and heavy paddlers. Many models can also be used by two people or with a dog.
- Luggage net: On long tours you usually need more space for luggage and provisions. Some models have a large and sometimes 2 deck nets, in which you can store any amount of freight safely. They offer enough storage space even for tours lasting several days.
- Fin Setup: Predominant in the touring models is the single fin, this setup leads to improved directional stability and keeps the board stable in the track. However, there are also models with 3 fins (2+1 fin setup.) These specimens emphasize tipping stability and maneuverability.
- Material construction and weight: due to the length, the stiffness of touring boards is very important. A high-quality construction with double or even multi-layer skin (“double- or multi-layer boards”) is recommended. The weight of touring models is therefore nearly always well above 10 kg (22 lbs).
- Scope of delivery: In this point, the offers differ significantly. The selection ranges from boards including only a backpack to a complete set. A closer look is also worthwhile in terms of quality. In the detailed board review we always describe the exact scope of delivery!
- Price: A good touring board has a somewhat higher price due to its size alone. In addition, the models are often designed for more experienced paddlers with higher demands.
FAQ
How expensive is a good touring paddle board?
This is difficult to generalize. In general, touring boards are more expensive than allround boards for beginners. The material costs are higher overall due to the generous dimensions and the materials used are often very high quality to ensure good stiffness.
Learn more about touring paddle boards.
Are there inflatable touring paddle boards?
Of course, even a great amount of them! The modern construction techniques of inflatable paddle boards (iSUPs) also lead to a wide range of resilient and high-performance touring models.
For many paddlers, a touring board is the next logical step after gaining enough experience on an inflatable allrounder!
Learn more about touring paddle boards.
Which SUP brands make good touring paddle boards?
The range of SUP brands that make good touring paddle boards is wide. If you value quality, reliability and durability, then you should always opt for the renowned and well-known paddle board manufacturers.
In our overview of the best paddle boards, we have compiled particularly recommendable models from various brands for you.
Learn more about touring paddle boards.
Are there touring paddle boards for heavy paddlers?
Are there touring paddle boards for heavy paddlers?
Yes, touring boards are particularly well suited for this target group. Due to their size, they have a stately volume and are very resilient.
There are a variety of boards that are suitable for use in pairs. The touring models also open up very flexible options for dog owners.
Learn more about touring paddle boards.
