Are SUPs a case of you pay for what you get?

[Supchoice]

Want to buy an inflatable stand up paddle board, needs to be able to hold up to 15stone (weight of user plus dog) I've looked at the local local shops and they are all £600+ but amazon/two bare feet have packages for £400. Has anyone bought a cheaper board. Was it crap? Thanks

You get what you pay for up to a point IMO. But depends on what you want it for/what's important to you. I think cheaper boards tend to be heavier and more unwieldy, slightly less responsive to steer. I would say the paddle is also a factor. We have mid-price boards (Bluefin), which are great for our purposes (messing around in the sea with the kids, occasional longer open-water paddles for us). My BIL has a more expensive board (Quroc, I think), and the real difference is his paddle, which is an absolute joy to use - really light, really effective.
I think the very cheap boards might not work that well for you in terms of weight limit, if I remember correctly from when I was doing my research?

Watersports are not cheap hobbies...

If you start with that understanding, then you can buy cheaper to start and trade up when you have more ideas what you like. Don't forget river license, wetsuit & trailer & roof rack and so on.

I'd be nervous about dog claws on an inflatable, but maybe someone can advise.

I have had cheap inflatable kayaks which I thought were great. They suited my needs perfectly. You're reminding me that I was thinking of going out on it today, actually.

Thank you both, it will be used regularly but on a casual basis (as in for fun in the sea (shallow bay) rather than day trips) dog has used one before and wears aqua shoes so that's all good but thanks as that was definitely a relevant point.