# SUP review



## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

So here's a review I did for Columbus Kayak on their new Hala Paddle Boards.
All I'll say is don't knock it until you've tried it. It may not be right for everyone, but I know I'll be doing the majority of my fishing off of one this year:


If it aint flowing, Im not going. Thats my motto; I love paddling rivers. More specifically, I love paddling and fishing rivers. Ive been doing it for over 20 years now with a great group of friends Ive met through the sport, and since the day we started weve been searching for the perfect river fishing boat.
After a couple decades of looking for the perfect river fishing vessel, the fact is that it may not exist; the PERFECT vessel that is. Lots of boats come close. And in the last several years, with the releases of kayaks like the Jackson Coosa, boats were finally being made specifically for our little niche; kayaks that were nimble on the river, but stable enough that you could stand and fish on them. It almost sounded too good to be true but there it was. 
Turns out I liked standing and fishinga LOT! Its fun! But I also realized that most of the boats that I was really comfortable enough to stand and fish in were wide, like REALLY wide. And they were heavy. The days of four kayaks on my rack were over. These things took up space. And getting them on TO the rackwell a helper buddy is very highly recommended. Most of our river put-ins and take-outs are not exactly improved areas, so getting a nearly 100 pound kayak up and down the banks also has its inherent challenges.
So I realized what I really wanted was a kayak that was super stable, had plenty of room, but was lightweight, nimble on a river and didnt take up so much space on a roof rack. Guess what? Bad news, that kayak doesnt exist. But theres good news, and Hala makes it. Enter the inflatable paddle board.

Inflatable paddle board? Cmon, seriously? Yes, seriously. Stay with me on this. It took me a while to fully appreciate it myself. Its confusing at first. Even my well-seasoned river buddies looked at me the first few times with a furled brow. How are you going stay dry? Where are you going to put your gear? How are you going to stay on it? Where are you going to sit?
So lets dispel some immediate myths. Just like kayaks, SUPs have several different designs, and the one I took out, the Hala Fame, was the ultimate in stability. ANYONE can get on this thing and stand up immediately. Theres no trick. Its a stable as standing on the ground. It made standing and fishing kind of dreamy. And due to its extra width (37) and unbelievable weight capacity, you float high and dry. 
The Hala Fame has no less than 15 D-ring tie downs in addition to a series of tie downs in the middle of the board. I had all of my gear in dry bags and strapped down, and I used the middle tie downs for my tackle bag. Everything was actually much more secure than I ever have it in a kayak. In addition, I brought along a standard marine cooler to sit on, and this doubled as another dry box to keep stuff.

So standing and fishing was great. What surprised me was how maneuverable the board was. In fact, WAY more maneuverable than 95% of the fishing kayaks made, and just as nimble as my beloved Coosa. Turning the entire board 180 degrees took little effort at all. And as I moved my weight forward on the board the tracking increased. I was very, very impressed.
So I had three out of five on my wish list: stable, plenty of room, and nimble. But its at the end of a fishing trip is when the last two really come into play: lightweight and fits on a roof rack. Well, the board is a meager 35 pounds. And inflated, it feels even less than that. It has a padded neoprene handle perfectly balanced in the middle of the board that makes carrying it one-handed, under your arm super easy. I had my board scurried up the bank by myself in seconds, while my buddies did some serious huffing and puffing getting their boats up the banks after a long day.
And lastly, how does a super wide paddle board fit on a roof rack? Did I mention it was an inflatable paddle board? This thing deflates and rolls into a duffle bag before you even knew what happened. Its awesome. Ill never be that pain in the butt guy whose kayak kills everyones back trying to get it on the rack any longer. My answer will be Hey, just toss mine in the back seat.

Truth is, theres not much downside to an inflatable SUP, and Hala makes the absolute very best ones on the planet. Fully inflated you wont believe how rigid they are. And once on one, you wont believe how stable, comfortable, and just plain FUN they are. If you like to stand, if you need a light weight boat to get to and from the water, if you dont have a good way to transport a kayak, or if you just want to do something fun and slightly different, than you owe it to yourself to get your behind into Columbus Kayak and try out one of these Hala SUPs. Its a whole new perspective.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

I like it!!! A SUP is my next boat for sure. What's the cost on those Bubba as compared to a Superfishal for example?


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

That one's about $1,400. Not sure on the SuperFishal.
I will say that the paddle holder deal on the front of the SuperFishal is pretty damn sweet. I want to rig something like that up on the Hala board. I miss having the paddle so accessible.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Got it. Regular price of the SF is 999. But weight is double the Hala. 

Visited their website. They have a lot of cool stuff. Their double paddle is amazing looking !


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

That double paddle is SWEET!!!
I've pretty much settled on bringing just a double bladed, 260cm kayak paddle along. The majority of the time when I'm paddling, I'm sitting on the cooler. And the majority of the time I'm standing, it's to fish. So the SUP paddle didn't get used as much as I thought I'd use it.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

I would love to have one at certain times and certain places or to just keep in the car at all times. However I cant imagine it replacing my big rig and at that price it would have to.


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## coffee (Aug 18, 2014)

I tried an inflatable SUP on Gulf of Mexico. It was very easy to use. Even in some smaller waves. Didn't do any fishing from it but I would be interested


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

That is too cool. How is the ride through rapids?


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## Crawdude (Feb 6, 2013)

Nice review! I have to seriously consider adding something like this to my arsenal&#8212; which is one canoe.


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## lotaluck (Dec 17, 2009)

Pretty impressive! Any worries about roughing it up a little? beaching on rocky banks, run ins with sharp rock, we have all played the ass scoot trying to I wedge our yaks in only inches of water (shallow riffles), sharp twigs while trying to get that spinner bait untangled from the bank? Just curious is all.


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## Stars-n-Stripers (Nov 15, 2007)

Very cool! One thing that had been holding me back was exactly what you talked about, roof rack and getting it back on by myself after a long day. 

One question, being inflatable and fishing........hooks.....holes?


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

If you've ever been on a whitewater raft, it's the exact same material and stitching. Those things smash into and scrape over large, rough rocks all the time and just bounce off and keep moving. 
That being said I didn't drag it down the bank like I would with a kayak....it's also light as a feather so no dragging really required.
As far as the "hooks + inflatable"....I dunno. I know it was never a worry of mine. It "seems" like it would be nearly impossible to put a hook through it...you'd have to REALLY be trying to do it.
I'll report back more. Taking another model out tomorrow for more "testing".


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Brad, it handles rapids really really well. One of the reasons I like it...it's as stable as they get.
I stood through a couple of smaller ones...and my balance sucks.
When the water warms up a touch, I'm planning on taking it down some heavier Class III+ stuff and seeing if I can stand through them.


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## BuzzBait Brad (Oct 17, 2014)

Bubbagon said:


> Brad, it handles rapids really really well. One of the reasons I like it...it's as stable as they get.
> I stood through a couple of smaller ones...and my balance sucks.
> When the water warms up a touch, I'm planning on taking it down some heavier Class III+ stuff and seeing if I can stand through them.


That's awesome.


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Excellent review. Thanks for sharing


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## Stars-n-Stripers (Nov 15, 2007)

Bubba, I've been doing some research on reviews and usage. I would likely use predominantly on small lakes (Clear Fork), how do you think that would be to come across a lake into a light wind with small chop? If you haven't tried that yet, maybe check it on your next experience?

I read that these are the most rapidly growing part of water sports right now.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

So the model I tested, Hala Fame, would not labeled as "fast". But I know they have the Hala Nass that's designed to be much faster on flat water.
(BTW, the names crack me up. It's pronouced Holla....so you got your Fame= Hall of Fame, Nass= Haulin Ass, Atcha= Holler At Ya'.....)
As far as chop, that's kind of Hala's whole deal. The founders paddle salt water and all of the inflatables that used before either didn't knife through waves well, of would "bend and fold" on waves. So they have several designs that are made for paddling choppy flat water and all of their boards are reinforced with carbon fiber to prevent them from "bending" on waves.
They are unbelievably rigid when they're inflated.

If you, or anyone else wants to test paddle one, let me know and I can facilitate that....maybe even just grab a few of them and head out to a local lake some day soon if anyone is interested.


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## piscator (Jun 14, 2004)

Just wondering. How do you attach the registration sticker? Any problem with it when inflating deflating


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Bubbagon, just catching up on this thread. Thx for the review! 

It was only about 4-5 yrs ago I saw a SUP in the Gulf of Mexico and my first thought was river fishing on one!! Back then no one was using these things, now they are all over the beach. Almost pulled the trigger on one 3 yrs ago but was so shocked at the price same as a yak! 

Just recently got interested in the inflated SUPs. Such a great idea but I'm now on the fence with a SUP or another yak (Coosa HD) I want both OBVIOUSLY but my wife and bank account refuse to agree with my obvious logic. 

One question, what is the mobility when standing in the SUP? In the Coosa when standing you are typically glued to where your feet are planted when standing. Is there much more freedom of movement on the deck of a SUP? Basically I wanna know what "SUP" with that.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

I wouldn't be worried about my hooks, I'd be worried about running along someone elses tackle in the water. Does Hala have some destructive testing results out?

Andy, if you can run class III standing up I'm sold on the stability. 

Don't they make boat coolers with a flip up back rest that you could use? 

The only drawback I can see with this on flat water is the wind, especially if you are using a cooler seat. Manta or Native (maybe) make a SUP with a flush, pivoting kayak like seat that would minimize the effect of wind.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

OK, I visited the website. Looks pretty cool, they have accessories, it comes with a repair kit and two pumps among other things.

I'm looking at it and thinking its screaming for a milk crate. Rod storage solved right there.

I've not bought the Big Tuna because of the weight. The Hala Fameis supposed to be able to carry two passengers. Not as smartly as the BT but a dog or grandkid might workout well here.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Like always, great read/review bubba, thanks!


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Hooker,
That's kind of the big idea. There's SOOO much room to stand, walk around, fight a fish, etc...and it's effortless and without thought. 
Very, VERY fun craft to fight a fish from.

Backlashed,
I stood out in the yard and tossed....no THREW a crank bait at the SUP last Friday. It consistently just bounced back at me.
If there's any reservation, I'd encourage anyone to handle one of these SUPs in person and draw your own conclusions. They are unbelievably durable...to the point where hooks just aren't a consideration.

Piscator,
Right now, OH registration isn't necessary on SUPs. If it were, I'd just put it in something like a hunting license holder and just clip it to one of the handles.
And inflation and deflation were easy. it comes with an electric pump and K pump for topping it off and getting it to full pressure (15lbs.)


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## Rooster (Apr 8, 2004)

Excellent review.thanks!

Im trying to justify a SUP (4 kayaks currently). For me, the stability and standing room are the BIG pros, and the weight and the wet feet are the BIG cons (throw price in there too). An inflatable nullifies the weight issue, but increases the price issue. Im primarily considering a SUP for flat water, and pretty much had eliminated inflatables as an option. However, your review has put them back on the radar.

Is there noticeable flex when in rough water? Ive had an inflatable kayak for several years, never had a problem, but the flex is not very reassuring in big water. Any squishiness while standing?

Thanks again,
Mark


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## Rybo (Jul 23, 2009)

Excellent write-up brother. Did you get any 360's done on it?


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Rooster,
That's Hala's thing...the rigidness. They reinforce the board with carbon fibers. They're salt water paddlers and like you, the got frustrated with inflateble that would bend on the waves. So they came up with Hala boards.
To be honest, I haven't had it on anything with considerable waves. 
But gimme a few days....my son and I are planning on taking on to Cheat River Festival this weekend. There will DEFINITELY be plenty of big water there.

And Rybo...c'mon dude, it was March and 40 degree water. I'll save the 360's for June on a gravel bar somewhere....


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## Stars-n-Stripers (Nov 15, 2007)

Well I got the bad news today, after being told I needed to speak to someone on the Clear Fork Reservoir Patrol.

I wasn't sure if SUPz were permitted on the lake, as there are a lot of restrictions......well they ARE. So now doing more research into which one I might want. The guy at the patrol was very friendly and talkative, said there were only two used last year that he remembered.

From the research I've done thus far, I really think these are going to take off and get more specialized for usage, just as the yaks have done. I hate to bite that expensive bullet now, and have something new come out six months later.


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