Welcome

Welcome to Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct Blog
Welcome to the new Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct Blog - Our Community of Stand Up Paddle Boarders! Our goal is to info and entertain you. And share our passion for Stand Up Paddleboarding.

We invite you to share your pictures and stories with us. Please visit often as we update the site with product reviews and special promotions. Happy paddling from the Team at Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct
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Friday, August 23, 2013

Endless Summer 2013 Sweepstakes Winner!

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WE HAVE A WINNER!


Congratulations Lauretta Welch of Baltimore, Maryland!  You have won your choice of Cruiser SUP - the Cruiser Nalu All-Wave 9'5" Platinum Edition!

This absolutely beautiful and very light stand up paddle board is ideal for small to head high surf conditions. It also paddles beautifully in flat water! For more information on the All Wave 9'5" and the entire Cruiser SUP line, please see our website, or our recent post.




Thank you to all who participated!  Keep checking back, we will be running another board draw soon. Those who registered for this past contest will automatically be entered into the next one. Please make sure you registered for the contest, in addition to liking the Cruiser SUP Facebook page.


Thanks again, and have a great weekend of SUP fun on your Cruiser SUP! 
From the Team at Cruiser SUP and Paddleboard Direct



Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Making The Leap From Renting To Owning Your Own SUP

Shopping for a stand up paddle board (SUP) can be overwhelming, especially when you're unfamiliar with the sport.  From all round cruising, to family, touring, surf, windsurf, and yoga paddle boards, the choices are endless.  And that's without adding over 100 brands into the mix.  With so many options available, one must wonder where to start - and how to cut through the noise from the various brands?

Many people like to start off by renting a paddleboard.  It's a very rational choice: try the sport before investing hundred of dollars. However, the expense of renting a SUP does add up.

If you find that you're really falling in love with the sport (it's pretty hard not to!) then it's time to invest in a paddle board of your own! Not only will you have access to your SUP whenever you want to paddle, you'll also have a board that is designed for your style of stand up paddling.  Most likely much lighter, higher performance, and sized for you.

Due to the strain rentals put on the stand up paddleboard, rental SUP boards tend to be the heavy (durable construction), which in turn affects performance. Many rental centers also purchase larger boards so that anyone can use them. They are very stable and easy for a lighter paddler initially, however, you may find most rental boards huge and not very responsive. Conversely, some centers rent stand up paddle boards that are too small and very frustrating.

Now that you are ready to purchase your own paddle board, where to begin? The first thing you want to determine is the conditions where you will SUP.  Will you be cruising, surfing, or maybe a little bit of both?  Next, how many people will be sharing the board - and how much do they weigh?  Is durability an important factor, or is light weight more important? Ease of use or high performance? These sorts of questions determine the style and construction of board you'll need.

There are also many questions pertaining to chosing the best retailer.  Talk to the team at Paddleboard Direct. They have equipped more SUP customers (with industry leading service, quality products and value), than anyone in the country since 2007.

 See the full list on the Paddleboard Direct website SUP Buying Tips page. 

T
op 10 Questions and Answers Before Purchasing a New Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) click here.

Friday, August 16, 2013

Yoga and Fitness for Everyone!

Yoga has become increasingly popular in the past decade as people look for fitness alternatives outside the traditional gym setting.  With stand up paddleboarding also on the rise, it only seems fitting that the two should merge!  The soothing sounds of the water and ability to completely isolate oneself increase the psychological benefits of yoga.  While the added challenge of balancing on the stand up paddle board increases the physical aspects.

Practicing yoga on a paddle board certainly takes some getting used to, but after the first few wobbly poses you'll be feeling better about the new sensation.  If you want to kick up the fitness element, use your paddle for some extra weight!

Why not give Pilates a try as well?  You'll find that there isn't a muscle in your body that isn't engaged the entire session!  Any sort of exercise is taken to a whole other level by adding the SUP element.  Notice your obliques engage while doing straight crunches just to keep you stable.

You thought planks were tough before? After working out on your stand up paddle board you'll never want to go back to the gym.


There are so many great stand up paddle boards out there that are designed specifically for fitness. Check out the Cruiser Betty or Koa FeatherLite Soft Top or the incredible Cruiser Yoga Mat UltraLite. Both are great for fitness, while have incredible glide and tracking abilities.  The Cruiser Yoga Mat is the same shape and construction as the Cruiser Wahine Bamboo - great for flat water and surf alike! The Cruiser Betty is staff member Gen's favorite paddle board for SUP yoga and fitness due to it's full EVA Soft Top and incredible stability. Plus it looks hot, with black, grey and pink accents!
When choosing a paddleboard for fitness you want a board that is wide and buoyant enough to be stable (but not so wide that it is unresponsive and plows through the water like a barge). A full length deck pad is also great, but not mandatory.  This style of deck pad helps with your grip all over the board and is easier on your hands than a hard polyethylene epoxy deck.  It's also great if you wanted to bring kids out on the board!

You'll find that a bungee deck attachment (included with Cruiser Yoga Mat and Koa/Betty) will also be nice to have.  This will allow you to bring a bottle of water along so you don't get dehydrated, and will keep your paddle on the deck of your board while you're working out!

Yoga and fitness has never been so much fun!

Have a great day of SUP!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Endless Summer of SUP

It's an Endless Summer with Cruiser SUP

As the new school year begins to draw near, it may start to feel like summer is ending.  But who said that the fun and fitness had to end when September begins?

Look at it this way, with the kids back at school Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa have more time to go out paddling during the day! The beauty of stand up paddleboarding is that it is a sport that allows you to continue enjoying the water even as the weather begins to cool off. Though the air may cool a bit, the great exercise from SUP raises your heart rate and warms your muscles. 



With a nice stable board (like those designed by Cruiser SUP) there's no reason to get wet.  That means the cooler weather doesn't need to slow you down!

In celebration of a great endless summer of SUP, Cruiser SUP is giving away a board when their Facebook page reaches 1500 'Likes'.  The winner will be randomly drawn from the entrants.  Additional entries are awarded for sharing the page with friends, so be sure to share the sweepstake with everyone you know!  Click here to enter.  

Good luck and have a great day of SUP fun!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

It's Called a Classic for a Reason

2013 Cruiser Kona Classic

A perfect balance between performance and aesthetics make the Cruiser Kona Classic exactly that: a classic.  Starting at 11' long and 31" wide with additional sizes in 11'6" and 12', this board is designed to be super stable for any rider up up to 260lbs.  The Cruiser Kona Classic is designed to handle flat water and small waves for the most part.  Flat water performance is ensured by a long flat bottom and the traditional surf shape of the board gives ample maneuverability in small surf.
Kona Classic is great for fitness!

This is a part of Cruiser's line of Ultra-Lite Bamboo boards with a fibreglass and epoxy composite construction and a bamboo veneer deck.  Bamboo best suits paddleboards due to it's strong, but lightweight nature - the beautiful aesthetics are just a bonus!

What our customers are saying:

This board has received incredible reviews from our past customers, and we look forward to hearing more in years to come!
"It is a giant step up from what I expected as far as workmanship, quality, and looks.  For the time being is stands in our living room as a proud work of art." - Guy
"Stable as can be, tracks well, single fin set up lets it turn on a dime, 3 fin set up lets you play in the surf.  Holds a dog up front just fine, or a 2nd person with good balance." - Doctor Ben from Long Island, NY
"My husband and I bought these as beginner boards and we are so pleased! They look good, track well on the river, are sturdy and perform very well.  I am doing yoga on the board and I am really enjoying the Cruiser SUP" - Tonya from Ottawa, ON

Have a great day of SUP fun!
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct

Monday, August 5, 2013

Maximum Durability for Maximum Fun

2013 Cruiser ECO Dura-Max

The Cruiser Dura-Max was designed with ease of use and durability in mind.  It's the perfect family board, ideal for having an array of people from light to medium build, and beginner to intermediate paddlers. This board features a water-tight polyurethane foam core and a polyethylene outer shell, making it nearly indestructible.  The Dura-Max's indestructibility paired with excellent recreational performance is what makes it the perfect board for cottages, camps, and rental centres.  

This board ranges in size from 10'4" to 11'4".  The larger board has a volume of 205L, allowing it to easily carry up to approximately 22
5 pounds before it starts to feel slightly unstable.  This board is going to perform at it's best in mostly flat water, but can definitely handle some small surf as well!  It's great for learning to surf on as it is designed for ample stability.

Bonus!

The Cruiser Eco Dura-Max is made in the greenest board factory in the world!  The eco-friendly process is due to the following:
  1. No pollution: No gas emissions, no solvents and closed circuit cooling of our moulds means our employees, and everyone else, don't have to worry about what comes out of our ventilation system.
  2. Low Energy Consumption: short production cycles means less electricity is used.
  3. Zero waste production: Wherever possible excess material is ground down and recycled back into the production process. Our steel moulds ensure that only the necessary amount of material is used for each board.
  4. Extended product life-span: our boards are built to last, meaning they don't end up broken and taking up space in a landfill somewhere.

The Cruiser Dura-Max can be purchased online through Paddleboard Direct or by calling 1-888-291-9905.
For more information please e-mail info@paddleboarddirect.com

Have a great day of SUP fun
From the Team at Paddleboard Direct