Can You Paddle Board on A Surfboard? Why It Is Impossible

Can you paddle board on a surfboard or do you have to get the paddle board itself?

Well, this is one of the most frequently asked questions, mostly by people starting out on paddle boarding.

Another question that most SUP beginners also ask is: can you surf with a paddle board? Well, perhaps we shall look at that later. In this short post, we shall find out whether there is a combined paddle board surfboard.

Basically, we shall find out whether you can do your paddle boarding on a surf board.

So can you use a surfboard as a paddle board? SUP and surfboards come in different designs. A paddle board is designed to propel using a paddle while standing upright. A surfboard is designed to be paddle by hand, while lying prone on it. Paddle boards are larger and thicker with more foam volume. Surfboards are thinner with less foam volume.

Can you paddle board on a surfboard?

first, you must know what’s the difference between a surf board and paddle board.

To know whether you can use a surfboard for paddle boarding, you need to know the difference between surfboards and paddle boards.

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Once you start to see some outstanding differences, you will be able to make up your mind about whether to use your surf board for SUP or to just buy a SUP board.

SUP boards are made to mostly  glide over the waves. Therefore, they are heavier by weight. In addition, they are longer and broader.

SUP boards can be as long as 14 feet. Because they do not move at swift speed, it is fine if they have more weight.

On the other hand, when surfing, you ride the waves as they come. Now, waves move really fast.

You need less weight and minimal thickness for enhanced mobility. Therefore, surfboards are thinner, lighter and shorter.

Another difference that you must consider between a paddle board vs surfboard is that for the former, you will spend most of your time standing on it.

The point of contact between your body and the board will be your feet. On that note, there is more pressure because your body weight is distributed over a smaller area. Therefore, the SUP board needs to be thicker to stay intact.

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On the other hand, when it comes to the surfboard, you will spend most of your time crouching, lying on the board and so on. There is better weight distribution.

This explains why between surfboards vs paddle boards, the former are smaller, thinner and lighter.

How to paddle a surfboard

One of the main differences and reasons why you cannot use a surfboard as a paddle board is in the propulsion method.

With a surf board, you lie down on it flat and then you propel it using your arms. Therefore, how to paddle a surfboard involves your hands.

For this reason, you cannot afford to have a heavy, big or thick surfboard. It has to be light enough to move smoothly on water without requiring the use of an extra paddle.

It may sound really easy, but there is a whole style to it if you would like to arm-paddle your surfboard for long.

Experts recommend paddling with one arm first, and then use the second one. This intermittent arm use gives your arms to recover so that you can paddle longer. It prevents you from feeling too exhausted after paddle boarding.

At the same time, do not paddle with your arms too wide. Make sure you paddle close to the surfboard. To do that, bend the arms at the elbows and if possible, ensure the biceps stay close to your body.

Because of the light weight of the surfboard, you will just need to create a small ripple and it will ride the waves beautifully.

How to paddle a paddle board

Paddling a SUP board is a bit harder and it requires some skill. Since you will be standing upright on the paddle board, you will need to bring your balancing act to order.

To paddle a paddle board, first, you will need to stand in the middle of the board. Don’t worry, it is usually thick enough and will never break up on you.

Because a paddle board has more volume, is heavier and longer, it requires more effort from you to move it on the water. There is quite a style behind it since you have to stand up and paddle at the same time.

Considering the buoyancy of the water, it can be a hard time for a beginner to maintain balanced on the SUP board when you are a beginner.

When you get your SUP paddle on the water, it will flex outwards. However, do not pull the paddle towards you. It is better to pull yourself forward towards the paddle.

Easy does it! You need to learn. It takes time but once you get all the tricks as you will see in our article on advanced SUP techniques, you will find this sport very enjoyable.

Why You Shouldn’t Paddle Board on a Surfboard

This far, you have already seen that you cannot paddle board on a surfboard. Therefore, we need to find out some of the other reasons why you cannot stand up paddle board with surfing board. Keep reading!

1. The quality of the construction

Which between the paddle board vs surfboard has better construction quality?

Well, none! You see, each board is designed to do its work. However, there are a few similarities in the design.

For example, both the surfboard vs paddle board have a rocker. The rocker is the curved part in the front of the board, which gives it a banana shape. In addition, the rocker also enables the board to ride smoothly over the waves.

However, the paddle board has a blunter rocker to enable easier gliding over waves. On the other hand, the surfboard has a sharper rocker for cutting through the waves.

A paddle board has reinforcement so that it can take all of your weight on your feet, without the area that is in contact with your feet sagging.

Therefore, the difference in the construction quality of the paddle board vs surfboard is the main reason why you cannot paddle board on a surfboard. If you do that, the surfboard will start sagging and eventually collapse in the middle.

The weight of the user is concentrated on one area only. On the surfboard, the weight is distributed over a wide area. Therefore, there is no way to compromise the light construction.

2. Thickness and Stability

Surfboards are thinner and lighter in weight so that you can maneuver speedily on the water. However, paddle boards are designed more for stability than for speed.

They are thicker and longer. The more of the board you have floating on the water, the more stability you get.

Because of the size of the board and its stability in the water, you can use the board for other purposes apart from paddle boarding.

For instance, you can even use it for fishing! In addition, you can even use the paddle board for Yoga.

To conclude, we can say that the thickness and stability of the paddle board makes it quite a multi-purpose item. On the other hand, the surfboard is only useful for surfing.

3. They float differently

This is also another reason why you might not be able to use a surfboard for paddle boarding. On that note, if you stand on the surfboard, you will not maintain proper balance. However, the stand up paddle board is made for floating when standing.

Both the paddle board vs surfboard use foam for flotation. However, the difference in the volume of the foam is a bit high. For instance, the surfboards come with about 32 liters of foam.

On the other hand, the stand up paddle boards come with 100 liters of foam, perhaps even more for the biggest ones.

Therefore, it is a no-brainer that one will float better than the other. More foam means more stability when floating with weight.

Stand up paddle surfboard

In some instances, you can use a stand up paddle surfboard. However, to do that, you will need a special, rather than a regular surfboard.

The stand up paddle surfboard needs to be longer than the ordinary surfboards. In addition, you also need to know where to stand on a longboard surfboard. That way, you can maintain proper balance and stability.

When it comes to paddle board vs wind surf, they are entirely different things. A wind surfboard comes with a sail. However, it is usually larger than a regular surfboard. In some instances, removing the sail can actually transform the wind surfboard to a paddle board.

So yes, it is perfectly possible to have a stand up paddle surfboard. However, when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, it is much better to buy a paddle board because it is multi-purpose by design and it will surf you in a better way.

Can You Paddle Board on A Surfboard FAQ

From a casual glance, a paddle board looks like a surfboard. But they are very different! Here are more questions and answers to highlight the differences:

Is surfboard and paddle board the same?

these two boards are different, although they are used for surface water sports. The paddle board, is thicker, wider and longer to give the user more stability and slightly less speed.

The surfboard on the other hand is narrower and slightly shorter. It is built for speed. For higher speed on the water, less contact with the water and vessel is needed. This translates to less friction and higher speed.

Long surfboard speed can be as high as 5.08 meters per second while that of a short surfboard can be as low as 4.60 meters per second.

Most inflatable or solid paddle boards can only attain a high speed of 2.1 meters per second. Thus, speed is also one of the main differences between a SUP board and a surfboard.

Can you paddle board on a foam surfboard?

With enough skill, you can paddle a surfboard the same way you could do with a stand up paddle board.

But the response is not going to be the same. Because of the lightweight and somewhat smaller structure of the surfboard, it will handle differently in the water.

Paddle boards are thicker, wider and heavier, so they are easier to control for a beginner. That’s why we said you can paddle board a foam surfboard if you have the skill and the experience.

If you are beginner, you are going to fall into the water more often. If you have some skills, it is going to be okay.

Can I use a paddle board as a surf board?

So you can use a surfboard for stand up paddle boarding … but can you use a paddle board as a surfboard?

The answer is yes. You can. Because of the structural differences between the two boards, the paddle board will be slower on the waves.

The extra length, thickness and width of the paddle board makes it good for beginners. It will give more stability than the surfboard, which is narrower.

For the best surfing experience, it is best to use a surfboard for surfing and a SUP for paddle boarding.

Conclusion

If the reason for asking whether you can paddle board with a surf board is you are a beginner and you want to learn the ropes, well, you are better off buying a secondhand paddle board.

A SUP floats much better, is more stable in the water and at the same time, you can maintain good balance on it when standing up. Compared to a surfboard, you will have an easier time.