Touring paddleboards are fairly new to the market, and they’ve crept up as paddleboards have grown in popularity in general.
However, many people don’t truly understand what they’re supposed to be used for. After all, racing, fishing, and yoga boards are all pretty self-explanatory, but what is a “touring” board for?
Today, we want to look at the specific purpose of a touring board, as well as some of the areas they excel.
Let’s get started.
What is a Touring Paddleboard?
Touring paddle boards are designed for “tours” or long-distance journeys. That doesn’t mean that they can’t be used for a brief outing or simply to skip the ferry and cross your local lake in style, but they’re more geared towards spending long periods on the water just traveling from place to place.
As a drawback, they’re not as fast and maneuverable as racers, and they’re not quite as stable as fishing or yoga boards. Instead, they balance those two traits out to create a comfortable long-distance vessel that is great for exercise.
Different Types of Riding to do on Touring Boards
With a touring board being designed for prolong riding without any focus on activities that require you to stop and focus on other things, there are a few different activities where it will excel, but you should expect it to underperform in other situations.
1: Beach Skimming
When you’re on the ocean, you certainly won’t want to go too far out on a touring board, or any board for that matter. The further out you get, the more risk you impose upon yourself.
However, it can be a great opportunity to skim along the beach line, take in the sights of beach-goers enjoying their day in the sand, or get to see the less-populated beach areas in a far more natural and calming state.
Touring boards are perfect for this as they’re stable enough to withstand the choppiness of water smacking off the coastline, but they’re swift enough to allow you to cover several miles of distance without burning yourself out to an unreasonable and potentially dangerous degree.
Since these boards are meant for the long haul experience, you really won’t find a better option for exploring an entire stretch of coastline over a sunny Saturday morning.
2: Lake Exploration
Lakes typically require you to have a boat if you want to explore them in full. This is why bank fishermen are usually relegated to just a handful of spots, while anglers in boats can take advantage of less-fished areas and the trophy-sized behemoths they hold within their depths.
If you want to do some fishing without investing in a boat, a fishing paddleboard is ideal. However, a touring board can be an even more efficient way to just get out and enjoy the lake in its entirety.
While you won’t be able to fish very effectively, you will be able to comfortably sail across the entirety of the lake, checking out all the coves and secret swimming spots, noting all the underwater structures, and maybe even parking on an unpopulated shore for lunch, without getting worn out.
With a fishing board, doing that will likely leave you fatigued.
Long-Distance Travels are Key; With an Exception
Basically, if it’s going to be a long, steady trip, a touring board is a good idea. However, rivers and other rapid waterways probably aren’t good ideas. Touring boards are stable, but they can still end up capsized in rough water.