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Max load is not the weight a paddle board paddles well with
Updated
The max load on a listing is close to the limit before the board sinks or swamps. That is how iROCKER, a board maker, defines it, and it counts the rider, gear, paddle and board together. For good glide and balance, iROCKER says to aim for 70 to 80 percent of that number. Its example: a 300 pound board suits a 225 pound rider.
What overloading does
iROCKER lists what happens when you push past the practical range. The board sits lower, so drag goes up and it is harder to paddle back to shore after a fall. It tips more easily, most of all in chop and in turns. And steady overloading stresses the seams and the drop-stitch core.
- Skatinger 11 ft 6315 to 360 lb
- Roc 10 ft 6245 to 280 lb
- Tower 10 ft 4231 to 264 lb
- Aqua Plus 11 ft230 to 262 lb
- SereneLife 10 ft 6193 to 220 lb
- Retrospec Weekender193 to 220 lb
Two listings print two different max loads
| Board | Max load we saw on the listing | Number we use | Paddles well with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skatinger 11 ft 6 | 450 lb (title, bullets and spec table) | 450 | 315 to 360 |
| Roc 10 ft 6 | 350 lb (bullets and spec table) | 350 | 245 to 280 |
| Tower 10 ft 4 | 330 lb (spec table) | 330 | 231 to 264 |
| Aqua Plus 11 ft | 328 lb in the bullets, 350 lb in the spec table | 328 | 230 to 262 |
| SereneLife 10 ft 6 | 350 lb in the title and bullets, 275 lb in the spec table | 275 | 193 to 220 |
| Retrospec Weekender | 275 lb (spec table) | 275 | 193 to 220 |
The SereneLife 10 ft 6 says 350 pounds in its title and bullets, and 275 in its spec table. The Aqua Plus 11 ft says 328 in its bullets and 350 in its spec table. When a listing disagrees with itself, we use the lower number. On the SereneLife that moves the paddling range from about 245 to 280 pounds down to 193 to 220. That gap is the size of a large dog.
Volume is the number listings leave out
iROCKER calls volume, in liters, the main measure of how much a board floats. Not one of the six listings here gives a volume. Its size guide offers a rule of thumb: your weight in kilograms times 2.2 to 2.5 gives a target volume in liters. For a 230 pound rider that is 230 to 261 liters. If a board you are looking at lists liters, that is a useful second check.
Heavier riders: width, length and pressure
- A 230 pound rider needs a max load of at least 288 pounds, or 329 for roomy. Roomy here: Skatinger 11 ft 6, Roc 10 ft 6, Tower 10 ft 4 and Aqua Plus 11 ft.
- iROCKER's size chart puts riders over 200 pounds on boards 11'6" to 12'6" long. Only the Skatinger 11 ft 6 is that long. The caveat: at 35 inches it is past the 34 inches iROCKER says can be hard to paddle.
- iROCKER suggests higher pressure for heavier riders, 15 to 18 PSI from 175 to 250 pounds, on its boards rated to 15 to 25 PSI. Never go past your own board's max. The SereneLife lists a 13 PSI max, so it has little room for a heavy rider.
Run your own numbers in the weight checker, or see all six boards on the roundup.