Hi there,

Am hoping one of you can possibly help. Ive come accross a special for a new sup for 699 but am unable to find any information on the product. Ive been wanting to get into SUP for a long time and have only now just started looking to see what is out there. Who would of thought it would be so hard (& $$) to find one suitable let alone know what to look for.

Anyways this deal ive come accross is follows :

This hand-shaped and finished paddleboard by Cloudbreak is finished with full resin tint colours and a high strength bamboo veneer finish, believed to be superior to epoxy SUPs. They feature a deck grip, round nose and tail, a three-piece removable fin set and retractable handle for easy transport and come with a lightweight adjustable paddle included.


Features
???Measurements: 10???x33???x4.5???
???Suitable for riders weighing up to 150kg

Total value apparently $1500 - They look ok and am just waiting on them to confirm the weight of the product.

http://www.groupon.com.au/deals/national-deal/Cloudbreak-Stand-Up-Paddleboard/717450126?zanpid=1814240632072819713&CID=AU_AFF_66_10_1_1&utm_source=znx&utm_medium=afl&utm_campaign=1487960&utm_content=aff_1&nlp#SPECS

Any thoughts on this product and/or tips for a newbie wanting to purchase a SUP would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers in advance

Good Luck!! Listen to DJ

DavidJohn said..

I saw that as well and thought that it's very cheap... If that's all you can afford and it gets you on the water I say 'Go for it' .. but beware.. Often there's a reason why it's cheap.

You will need to buy a real paddle.. You might be able to buy a second hand quality brand board for a similar price or not much more.. and when you come to sell it you will probably get your money back.. Selling these cheap boards are much harder to sell even if they are cheap.

Shopping and buying from your local shops is a much better way to go IMO.. They can offer help and advise that you don't get with mail order board shopping and while they often can't discount boards that much they can often give a good discount on wetsuits, leggies and other stuff that you may need.. They will also be there for any warranty issues or problems that you might have in the future.

Let us know how you go if you buy it.

DJ

Leroy13 said..

Good Luck!! Listen to DJ

SSSimon said..

Water Girl, be careful, this is a mammoth board that you may not even be able to load onto your transport!

Definitely go to a local shop at try before you buy, including lifting/loading. There may be some local options/2nd hand boards for the same price that you will be able to test & know will be OK before forking out your funds.

This is more of a lagoon style board that you might find pulled up on the beach at some resort style location for use by BIG guests, or smaller guests AND their child/ren.

What they all said that's for sure.
Very good advice.

ET.

Hi Water Girl, as DJ & the others on here have said, its always a good idea to look around and compare to second hand boards from one of the reputable brands (Starboard, Fanatic, Naish, NSP, JP, Surftech... to name a few) and have a chat to your local shop (if there's one reasonably close to where you live), even if they don't have something suitable within your price range, they will usually be able to help you out with demoing a few different boards so you can get figure out what size/shape will work best for your needs.

The advertised 'cloudbreak' board will do the job to get you on the water if that's all you want it for, and if you look after it well, it should last you a relatively long time (with good care, most boards can). But if you decide to try to sell it down the track, just be aware that it won't attract the same level of interest and will be more difficult to get the same % return on your investment, compared to a better known brand. The package itself probably isn't worth $1500, even if its marketed at that price... Most of the inexpensive brands marketing boards in such a way have never actually listed them for sale or sold them at the that price. There's nothing wrong with buying an inexpensive package if it suits your needs, but just be aware of the its limitations, and also don't be fooled by advertising of 'discounted' inflated prices, which are most likely the actual retail value of the boards to start with.

Also your profile says you're in WA... so the cheap board just got $200 dearer to cover shipping (if you live in Perth metro area) and probably more expensive if you live outside. So the full cost you need to budget for get this board plus a half decent new or second hand paddle (~$200-300) is going to be around $1100-$1200. There should be a few decent 2nd hand boards available in this price range to consider as alternative options.

these boards seem to be coming out of Byron Bay thru 'Byron Blue"

They are advertising them at $750 on the facebook page as 50% off.

Wondering once again if this is a SCAM and false advertising as they will never rise in price.

Plenty of places in Perth as everyone has mentioned

with these cheap boards......
there's going to be plenty of coffee tables and park benches around in a couple of years. The use of these boards could be endless

Leroy13 said..

Good Luck!! Listen to DJ

Some good advice by DJ I am sure......second hand proven quality better than "cheap" new one....especially if you want to sell it on again

Water Girl said..

Thanks everyone for all your feedback I assumed it was too good to be true. I went to a SUP shop the other day and the chappy I spoke to was really helpful. He has suggested Id be suited for a starboard converse which I really liked especially as it was light enough to carry and diverse for learning to ride the waves and glide in the water. Thou a bit $$ I will shop around a little more and hopefully get to get out on that water as soon as the sun starts shining here again.

Thanks again I really appreciate all of your comments.

If anyone knows anyone in the Rocky area that is true to there word, honest and can do a good deal on a SUP for a lass who needs to watch her pennies givens Ive recently lost my job, feel free to provide me a contact

Cheers again

Hi Water Girl,

If I can add one suggestion.....as mentioned before, look in the buy/sell for a used board. Seems like most people keep their boards in good condition and you can often find a great deal. I have been looking for a few months now, and have finally settled on a board for my size and it definitely wasn't the first thing recommended to me! Not to say that who you talked to was wrong about the Starboard, far from it. It may be information overload by giving you more to thing about but, write down the dimensions of the Starboard and look at other brands with similar dimensions. That way you can search reviews on all boards in that category and might find one of them used. It looks like the Converse is 9'0 x 30" and 137 litres. There are several great brands that make boardsin a similar size to that. Search Naish, Fanatic, JP, Coreban, etc. I am very new to the sport, but my research thus far has shown that all the brands I have listed have solid reputations, with (can be disputed) Naish, Starboard and Fanatic being the most known for quality.

It is an expensive sport for sure, but the boards are very versatile and great fun! Also, you will see that the name brands hold their resale value, which is good for future upgrades. I hope you find a good deal.