Today, SUP surfing is a rapidly growing sport, allowing you to conquer any body of water with the help of swimboards. In this review, I will introduce you to an inflatable SUP board from Hiper, and also take a short excursion into this world of diverse and interesting water transport. I do not claim to be a professional in this area and everything described below is my acquaintance and experience in owning a stand-up board.

Introduction

Before proceeding to the beginning of the review, it is necessary to understand what Sup-Board is and what kind of ideology this sport has. SUP (literally translated as Standup paddleboarding = “boarding with a paddle”) is a fairly fast-growing water sport that officially appeared at the beginning of the 21st century and is rapidly gaining its popularity. On Sup-boards you can ride on lakes, rivers, go out into the open sea and oceans. The latter just became the starting point in the emergence of a new culture, which is located between the surfboard and the canoe. But the most distant roots are taken from the end of the 18th century, when the inhabitants of the Maui tribe (Hawaiian Islands) began to cut through the waves on wooden boards, driving them with just one oar. At that time, the use of a wooden board as a transport was not yet associated with the concept of sports and was not widely used.

As for modern Sup-boards, they began to differ in size, materials and ways of destination. Most stand-up surfers prefer total serenity on the water, where they can practice yoga on the water, read books, drift in the sea or travel to wild places far from civilization. For beginner SUP surfers, I recommend renting a few different boards to get your own idea of the culture.

Characteristics

• Model: SUP-003
• Type: Support
• Luggage attachment points: 9 half-rings for securing cargo / additional accessories and a foredeck with installed cross cargo lashings
• Recommended pressure: 1 BAR / 15 PSI
• Recommended user weight: up to 100 kg
• Maximum user/load weight: up to 140 kg
• Dimensions H x W x D: 3050x840x150mm
• Weight: 8.5kg

Factory packaging

When buying a SUP board, we get a thick cardboard box with the brand logo, the appearance of the product and its technical characteristics. In the future, the shipping box is not needed, so we leave it at home and move forward to the lake.

And here it is necessary to note the convenience in transporting the SUP board, since a backpack with an additional waist strap is provided for this. Let me remind you that the weight of one board reaches 8.5 kg and this is without additional accessories.

Inside the backpack is all the necessary elements for assembly, as well as a place for your own things. And yes, many stand-up surfers often go to the water in search of peace and solitude, taking personal items with them (books, food, drones). Therefore, the presence of a capacious backpack is a definite plus.

So, together with the SUP-board, we have access to:

• User’s Manual
• repair kit (key for valve and patch)
• safety leash
• collapsible paddle
• pump (with the function of pumping, pumping out and built-in analog pressure gauge)
• carrying bag

Assembly

Before proceeding to the assembly of the swimboard, it is recommended to read the instructions, which describe in detail the assembly and disassembly process, as well as recommendations for further transportation. By the way, on the front of the instruction manual you can see all the available colors of Hiper SUP boards.

Now that the familiarity with the instructions has been completed, we inflate the board to the required pressure. In the case of my SUP board model, this is 1 BAR. The pump with a horizontal handle and built-in pressure gauge allows both pumping and pumping out air.

After the board takes its true form, install removable fins in the amount of 3 pieces. The fins are fixed with the help of complete bushings that do not allow the fins to separate from the board during operation, they are removed by removing the locking bushings and pushing them along the guides. The fins themselves are consumable, as they can be damaged on the rocky bottom or simply lost.

The next step is to attach a safety leash, which is an integral part of SUP boards and helps to stay close to the board in case of a fall into the water. The safety leash is attached with one side to the eye at the back of the SUP board, while the other side is attached to the surfer’s leg.

The final part of preparing the SUP for swimming is the assembly of the oar, which consists of 3 sections (handle, shaft and blade) with the ability to adjust the length. The latter allows you to choose the optimal distance for rowing in a standing position, without overloading the muscles with excessive load (excessive length of the oar will not allow you to row with pleasure, while too short will load the back muscles). The length adjustment can vary from 170 to 200 cm and is selected by folding the surfer’s height with his arm outstretched.

The paddle materials are plastic elements paired with aluminum tubes. More expensive models can be equipped with carbon elements, fiberglass parts, or even consist entirely of wood.

For convenient transportation, a power handle is provided in the central part of the board. A fully assembled and ready to sail SUP board looks like this:

Also in the carrying case was a place for a repair kit, consisting of a pair of patches and a key for the valve. Glue is not included.

Design

Now that our HIPER Dinosaur SUP board is assembled, let’s take a look at its appearance. In general, any SUP has a strong resemblance to surfboards, but its design stands out as a difference. In total, there are 3 standard designs: single-layer, two-layer and three-layer. Each of the described designs has its own characteristics and advantages, such as low weight for a single-layer, excessive heaviness for a two-layer, and complete superiority over these shortcomings for a three-layer. The final weight of the Hiper Sup-board is quite small and even a fragile girl can easily carry the board. The main thing is that during this period there should be no wind, since no one canceled the windage with a length of 3 meters.

SUP boards from HIPER are presented in 6 colors: shark, turtle, dinosaur, yacht, kangaroo and octopus. Together with the listed elements, the color palette of the board also changes, which acts only as an aesthetic. Moreover, only fish and those who live on the bottom of the ocean or spectators watching how you carry your glanders can see the drawing applied to the bottom of the board.

As for the components of the board, on the upper part you can see a massive foam mat with an anti-slip coating, as well as rubber bands for storing the paddle in the bow. In the central part and closer to the stern there are additional eyelets for attaching various things.

While writing this section, I contacted the manufacturer for comments on the design part and a rather collected response:

Hiper does not support the policy of releasing “one-off” things, which is why our SUP boards are checked in 3 stages:

• The first time, after the sap is glued and the valve is installed in it, we pump up the sap to the recommended pressure, and coat the place where the valve is pasted with a leak indicator.
• The 2nd time, after checking the valve, we leave the inflated sup for the 3rd day, and check the pressure on the 4th day. It must not fall more than 0.1 bar
• For the 3rd time, after the completion of production and the arrival of the finished batch in Russia, we selectively test the finished SUP boards, also for three days, in the inflated state.

Also, during production, we do not save time at the technological stages, gluing occurs only under pressure, so that each seam is evenly and reliably glued. Drawings on the SUP board were applied partly during the production of the material (base background) and partly already on the cut SUP, which gives the pattern resistance to the external environment and a guarantee that it will remain unchanged for a couple of seasons.

Well, of course, we sell a completely ready-to-use device, where everything you need, from a paddle to a kit kit, is already included.

Exploitation

The initial use of the SUP board involves a standing position on the board, but it will be problematic to do this right away. Therefore, it is recommended to start from a sitting position with your knees drawn up. In this case, the load is distributed on the upper limbs and is more suitable for relaxation. At the same time, the placement of the surfer on the board is not standardized and can be either closer to the stern or in the middle. If the task is to conquer the waves, then it is easier to sit in the stern, thereby raising the bow. But it’s easier to train when it’s completely calm, because we need to learn how to keep our balance and balance on the water. Therefore, from a sitting position, we move to a standing floor and in the future we try to stand on both legs. I will say right away that falls into the water are possible and in order not to lose the board on the water, a safety leash is provided. To return to the board in case of a fall, you must lie down on its center and move to a sitting position. But falls are extreme cases and in my practice they were not.

Now that we have learned how to balance, stand up and move into a sitting position, it is necessary to understand what to do with the paddle. To do this, we take the oar in any hand so that the leading hand rests on the handle, and the driven hand holds the shaft somewhere in the middle. And here I would like to note that the movements must be alternated with the left and right hand, just as it is done on a rowing boat. After a while, understanding comes about how to make turns, how to stick to one side and how to swim in a straight line.

At the end of the workout, you will be able to confidently stay on the water while sitting / standing on your swim board, and further movement will only be a pleasure. One of the wonderful moments associated with stand-up surfing is the meeting of sunrises and orders from the water surface. I think that each of us at least once saw the rays of the setting sun, shimmering on small waves. So, being on the water, this admiration is amplified a thousand times, allowing you to be alone with nature. And due to the fact that the stand-up board fits easily into a backpack and assembles in ten minutes, you can take it to wild beaches, go to the open sea far from civilization and even meet dolphins that will be interested in you.

Pros and cons of SUP surfing

This section could not be written due to the fact that the benefits of stand-up surfing are greater than the harm. First of all, this has a positive effect on health, allowing you to burn up to 1000 calories per hour of time spent on the water. Secondly, rowing allows you to strengthen the cardiovascular system, as aerobic exercises are performed. Thirdly, being on the water surface calms and eliminates any negative thoughts. It is not for nothing that in coastal cities they often practice yoga training while on a stand-up board in a pond. The disadvantages of the stand-up board include a quick addiction to this style and the desire to move closer to the sea. But seriously, purchasing SUP boards is quite an expensive pleasure, ranging from basic SUP models to top-end items from popular brands. Therefore, I still recommend renting any board a couple of times and making sure whether the soul lies in this sport or not.

Conclusion

SUP-board HIPER Dinosaur is an excellent budget offer for the initial acquaintance and immersion in the world of the water surface, meditation and a healthy body. Available color options will make you stand out on the beach, and a convenient carrying bag will not cause discomfort during your trip to the reservoir.

You can buy Hiper SUP boards at the following links:

My other reviews on various modes of transport can be found at these links: