Someone talk me out of buying a paddleboard

[lovelilies]

I've got it into my head that I need a paddleboard.
We live by the sea and loads of people do it.
I tried and enjoyed it a few years ago. I don't like being cold and wet though. And I'm not well off enough to plop £200+ on a board and wetsuit/ life jacket etc especially as I'd need to get equipment for the 2 DC as well.

Should I?
Or is it a waste of money?

I don't recommend them. RNLI has been doing mass rescues all Summer due to inflatable paddleboards. I've just sold mine as they're too dangerous and boring.

Kayaks are better. But not inflatable.

Make sure you can spot a rip current before buying anything.

If the sales make it affordable to get one and the buoyancy aids, then do it, they're great.
Get an inflatable one, decent quality with a good paddle, which will last for a number of years and have a good resale value.
Yes the pumping up and packing down can be annoying, but don't let a bit of prep time put you off doing a really fun activity, otherwise all you will ever do is sit on a beach and stare at other people having fun on the water and probably moan about the faff of beach visits and the horror of getting sandy on a BEACH so stay at home instead

I have 2 paddle boards that lurk around the house...

Been like twice in 10 years.

Currently want a sit on kayak & a new bike.

I have 2 outdoor bikes I don't use & one exercise bike.

See if you still want it in a month's time.

As you can see, this doesn't always work.

Solidarity, fellow tribe members.

Did it on a flat river this summer on very hot day.

Really fun for about 35 mins. Then quite dull. But we were still a fair way away from our destination.

I fell off twice and it was quite hard to get back on and I scrabbled around in undignified manner thinking thank god for said flat calm and how on earth would I do this in any waves??

Then I attracted the attention of first some wasps and then some mozzies. Really irritating. Difficult to swish the first lot and swat the next without losing balance and being back in the water and scrabbling again.

OP - I just wouldn't.

We live a 10 minute walk from the sea. But that's still too far to carry an inflated paddleboard. So we need to drive there, find somewhere to park, blow it up, board for a while, get out, deflate it, load it back in the car, drive home.

It's a pain in the ass.

The half hour of actual paddling along is lovely but all the faffing about before and after puts me off.

If I had somewhere to store it inflated that might be different.

We have one but use it on the Norfolk Broads, not quite brave enough for the sea yet. We’ve used it loads this summer.
We all have wetsuits and shoes.
Love that it folds down small into a bag and everything else is compact.

I like ours. We have one between 4 of us. I only partially deflate to put in car so not much inflating/deflating.

Electric pump?