The highly anticipated Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge returned to the infamous Hood River over the weekend and the excitement from the weekend has the industry buzzing. The biggest takeaway from the event: the SUP youth is a force to be reckoned with.

At the start of the 22nd annual Molokaʻi-2-Oʻahu Paddleboard World Championships (M2O), presented by Kona Brewing, favorable winds appeared to be creating promising conditions for todayʻs racers, but the Kaʻiwi Channelʻs fickle personality created a puzzle board of mixed swell for athletes to navigate.

The first stop on the 2018 APP World Tour exploded out of the gates in the iconic city of London on July 7-8, 2018. This multi-tiered event, featuring Pro, Pro AM and Amateur racing for all levels of paddlers was showcased in two iconic locations around the city, including a 4km course on the historic Thames River, 200 meter sprint races and an 11km distance course held on the Royal Victoria Docks in East London.

After a frustrating week in Hossegor athletes traveled to Scharbeutz, Germany for a fresh start at the 2018 Mercedes-Benz SUP World Cup, the 7th stop of The Paddle League World Tour and week 9 of the EuroTour.

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 110+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best touring stand up paddle board 2018 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 70+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best non-inflatable stand up paddle board 2018 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 110+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best beginner stand up paddle board 2018 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 70+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best all around stand up paddle board 2018 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 110+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best stand up paddle board 2018 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

After another grueling year yet again on the Graveyard course at the Quiksilver Waterman Carolina Cup new champions were crowned among a record field of elite competitors in an exciting race that didn’t disappoint.

Who is this for:The NSP Cocomat Performance Touring is the ultimate board for a heavy guy or big gal. It’s incredibly stable with the traction pad making it feel very comfortable on the feet. It has some lips towards the rails, that really sort of tuck you in inside of the deck. There’s lots of accessories with bungees on the nose and tail and the flat rocker makes it a real pleasure to paddle. If you are heavy weight and looking for something that will float you without hesitation, maybe put your kids on it, or go for a long touring expedition, this is the board. One of the things that got us to notice this model more closely this year is that there were major upgrades to the graphics making the board all the more attractive. Read more HERE.

About the board:The Cocomat Allrounder from NSP is a great board for SUP surf beginners who might also want to try to do some flat water or touring. While the board is dubbed the ‘Allrounder’ it’s definitely more of a surf shape and is a great, beautiful board for someone who is looking to get into SUP surfing. It will definitely work well as an all around board as well as the board is wide and stable. The graphics on the board are really eye catching with the bright blue colors mixed in with their eco-friendly Cocomat material and the contrast with the lighter blue on the traction pad looks awesome.Read more HERE.