Isle SUP Boards – The Complete Paddle Boarder Guide

If you have even taken a cursory look at some of the stand up paddle boards on the market, you will have probably heard the name ISLE once or twice.

This isn’t too surprising because it is one of the better SUP brands out there and happens to be a personal favorite of mine.

Now, this fame has been well-earned by ISLE as they happen to produce quality boards. That being said, there are some boards that are a cut above the rest. So, I decided to clue you in on some of the best ISLE SUP boards available.

I also decided to include a guide to the ISLE brand to give you some insight on how to choose a paddle board that is just right for you.

To find out all of this and more, start reading…

Best Isle SUP Boards

ISLE Board Construction

As far as construction goes, ISLE has three main options for you – solid, soft top, and inflatable. Let’s take a closer look at these choices.

Solid

These boards are made from layers of EPS foam, fiberglass, and resin. They are considered a more traditional form of paddle board. Now, the main advantage of these boards is that they offer speed and performance above all else. As such, they are excellent for riders who want to race, surf, or cover long distances. They are, however, quite expensive.

Soft Top

Soft tops are a more affordable alternative to a solid paddle board. As the name suggests, a soft top board has an upper deck that is made up of a sponge-like material. The layers below that, however, are constructed from EPS, epoxy resin, and fiberglass. While they are quite comfortable to ride on, soft top boards are also rather heavy and don’t have the same performance as solid boards.

Inflatable

Now, the inflatable paddle boards can’t match solid boards for performance but they do come quite close. These boards have earned themselves a reputation for being sturdy, easy to balance on, and incredibly rigid. Not to mention, they are portable and travel quite well.

Types of ISLE Paddle Boards

There are several types of ISLE paddle boards to choose from, depending on the activity that you want to engage in:

• Surf: as the name suggests, these boards are meant for areas with waves. While they can’t handle bigger ones that surfboards can, they still work well enough for smaller and medium-sized waves. The main feature of these paddle boards are maneuverability.
• Touring: these boards have been built to cover longer distances. As a result, they are often narrower and longer than other designs. These boards are known for their speed and their maneuvering capabilities, taking very little effort to cover greater distances.
• All Around: if you don’t have a particular type of paddling in mind, then this is the board for you. This board is the jack-of-all trades and is moderately fast and performance-oriented. These boards are great for a variety of activities.
• Fishing: the top feature of these boards is that they are wider, offering up a more stable platform for fishing. They also tend to have “storage” features as well, complete with bungee cords and other riggings to store your supplies.
• Yoga: these boards are specifically designed for paddle boarding yoga. Due to this, they are wider and are often more stable as well. This makes them perfect to try out various poses.

Selecting an ISLE SUP That Is Right for You

It isn’t just about quality and performance when trying to select the right SUP for you. It is also about ensuring that you are selecting a board that meets your needs specifically. So, take a look at some of the factors that can help with this:

Size and Design of Board

The dimensions of the board correlates to the action of the board. For instance, if you are looking for a more stable board, then opt for one with a wider body. Ideally, get one that is 31 or more inches wide. This will make it a lot easier to balance on.

On the other hand, if speed is your main goal, a longer board – 11 or more feet – and a narrow base, 30 inches or less, will be most suitable. To add to this, the board should have a more pointed hull to make it easier to cut through the water.

Activity

As mentioned above, each board has a purpose. If there is a particular activity that you do above all else, you will find that it is best to get a compatible board. Of course, if you are simply looking for something for leisure purposes, then get an all around board.

Skill

There are some boards that are easier to handle than others. For instance, if you are a beginner, then you will find that all around and yoga paddle boards are ideal for you. The wide bases and rigidity ensures that you will be able to keep your balance.

However, surfing and touring boards are built for performance. As such, they are often quite tricky to manage, if you don’t have a great deal of experience, you may find yourself tipping over rather easily.

Best ISLE SUP Boards Reviews

Here are my reviews on the ISLE paddle boards that I found to be best:

ISLE Discovery SUP

This is definitely one of my top touring boards, period. Perhaps my favorite feature on this paddle board is that it is quite speedy. Of course, this isn’t too surprising when you consider the construction of the board. The longer profile combined with a displacement hull ensures that this boards smoothly cuts through the water, covering a greater distance a lot quicker. Still, this board isn’t overly narrow like many others in its categories. Rather, at 31 inches, it is just wide enough to make keeping your balance an absolute breeze.

I also like that once it is completely inflated, the SUP is absolutely rigid. This, of course, is aided by the 6 inch thickness of the board. Not to mention, the board is made from some seriously high quality military grade PVC . This makes is hard to put a dent in this board, ensuring that it is perfect for all environments. The board can support up to 275lbs in body weight and even with two people on the board, I didn’t feel it dip at all. My one frustration with this board is that the inflation process is absolutely exhausting and can tire you out before you even have to start your paddle boarding adventure.

ISLE Explorer SUP

Although it is not strictly categorized as such, this can work as an all around SUP. This board gets top marks for stability. The board is 11 feet long and 32 inches wide, which I found to be a great meeting point between balance and performance. Staying steady on this board is absolutely no issue at all and I would imagine that it is suitable for a beginner paddle boarder as well. While this isn’t the fastest board around, I wasn’t getting left far behind when I was in a group. So, this manages to hold up well enough, even when against more advanced boards.

I like that this board comes with plenty of bungee cord. So, if you are going fishing or are just venturing out a little further, then you can take more supplies with you. You also don’t need to worry since this board is more than capable of handling the weight. It can hold up to 275lbs, allowing to take more items with you or to even bring another rider along. The only feature that I am not satisfied with on this board is the valve and pump. These make it quite difficult to inflate the paddle board and you often have to make much more effort than necessary.

ISLE Versa SUP

If you want to surf some waves, then I would suggest this board because it is built for these conditions. In particular, I noticed that this board was incredibly easy to maneuver on both waves as well as flatwater. Just a few strokes in each direction and the board moved without any complaint at all. I also loved the fact that it was so stable. With the wider base of 32 inches, I found that I didn’t have to pay too much attention to keeping my balance. In fact, I would say that this board will work well even for someone who wasn’t all that experienced on paddle boards.

Now, this is a 4.5 inch board which does mean that it is a lot lighter than its counterparts. So, moving it around, both in and out of the water is really easy. Despite this lower thickness, though, the board is completely rigid and it can easily hold up to 275lbs. The main thing to note here is that this is an epoxy board. On the one hand, this does make it more durable than certain inflatable options. At the same time, it is at greater risk of minor scratches and dings.

ISLE Lotus SUP

This board is specifically designed to be used for paddle board yoga. This isn’t what is most impressive about this board, though. Rather, it is its design and function that really puts it on the map. The top feature on this board is that it is incredibly stable. With a width of 32 inches and a length of just 10 feet, I had no problem maintaining my balance at all. This shows that it should be more than stable enough, even for the most advanced yoga positions. Speaking of yoga positions, this board offers up an excellent grip, ensuring that you will stay in place, even when the surface is wet.

Although it is meant for yoga, this board is incredibly tough as well. It is made from a fusion material that provides the board with amazing stiffness. Adding to this the six-inch thickness, making this board comparable to a rigid option. One perk that I really liked was the fact that the fusion technology is quite lightweight as well and even when inflated, the board is easy to move around. My issue, however, is with the fact that all of this durability and stiffness comes at the cost of an exhausting inflation process.

ISLE All Around SUP

This is the jack of all trades board that I mentioned earlier. If you are a beginner or simply want a paddle board that is easy to use, then this is the one for you. This is because the board strikes an excellent balance between length and width, ensuring that keeping your balance on this is incredibly simple. At the same time, the board offers up just enough performance to use it for touring and perhaps, even surfing as well. The one aspect where this board doesn’t really win many points is with the speed. While it isn’t sluggish, it isn’t fast either.

I will say that I found it simple to maneuver this board around. In both flatwater and with mild waves, I could get the board to turn rather easily. With just a few strokes, I could move in the direction that I wanted. This board is rather durable too as it is made from military grade material. What’s more, it boasts Airtech Fusion technology. This enables the material to be strong, rigid, but lightweight as well. So, I did find that this board was rather easy to carry around. Due to this, I would say that it is suitable for most marine environments.

The Best Isle SUP Board?

Since they are all from an excellent brand, each of these paddle boards truly are top notch. If I did have to pick an ultimate one, I would select the ISLE Explorer. This is a well-rounded paddle board that is suitable for many different kind of activities. It is stable, offers up a good performance, and is well-made too. All in all, it hits all of the right notes.

With all of the tips available here, you will find that selecting an ISLE paddle board that is suitable for your needs is going to be quite easy for you to manage.

This page was last updated on 2022-08-29. Affiliate links and Product Images are from Amazon PAAPI