a word on the inflatables - they bounce! Any wave you encounter you have to absorb twice (once for the wave, once for the bounce), instead of just once for a rigid board. And you MAY end up having to replace the pump they give you with it in order to get it up to pressure (some of the "included" pumps are inadequate; 15-17 psi is ALOT of pressure - commercial rafts generally are only 4 psi)...for a replacement pump I went with the "NRS Super Pump", plus a "K-Pump Kwik Check Standard Pressure Gauge" to double check my pressure, since the gauges with &/or on some pumps are notoriously bad...
the market on inflatables has been exploding, with alot of junk out there...so some notes on choosing an inflatable:
- higher pressure is better (15-17 psi is generally recommended)
- research the brand you are looking at...C4 Waterman, Uli, Boardworks, Naish are very well respected...Hala Gear is up and coming, as is Star (Starboard)...I have a Bic Inflatable, which I am happy with, and NRS boards have a happy following as well (this is by no means a comprehensive list; just I few brands I've learned about)
- this is a place where, generally, you get what you pay for...cheap boards tend to be, well, cheap...and not much fun....quality inflatables start at @ $800 new, most are $1100-$1400 (though I was able to find mine used for much, much less)
- 10'6" to 11'6" is average for recreational boards...longer boards are used for touring, shorter for surfing & whitewater (yes, these are becoming popular in whitewater!)
other notes:
- air expands when hot, contracts when cold - this makes more of a difference than you would believe! You'll want to watch that the pressure doesn't get too high when out in the sun, and may have to add air when you're paddling cold water (really)
- a rigid board will be higher performance - you are doing a trade-off for convenience with an inflatable (this said, a quality inflatable does pretty well in that dept...just not quite as well)
- you can transport (&/or store) an inflatable inflated, like a rigid board, just leave a bit under inflated so you have room for heat expansion
- start deflating your board slowly, don't just "release" the valve all at once - with 15 psi behind it you can easily blow the valve (once pressure is down a bit, you can turn the valve & let it go)
https://www.isupworld.com/inflatable-sup-comparison-chart/
https://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php/topic,20384.0.html
https://www.nrs.com/boating_tips/valve_know_how.asp
https://www.nrs.com/learn/?group=4&category=8