Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is a water sport where you stand upright on a board and move across the water using a paddle. It is easy to learn at any age and any fitness level, and it is gaining traction from both casual adventurers and hardcore athletes alike.
Recreationally, you can use it to explore beautiful bodies of water. Competitively, SUP racers and surfers gather in heats to test their abilities and win the top spot.
If you want to get started in stand-up paddleboarding, check out this review and learn about the best boards that well-loved SUP manufacturer, Jimmy Styks Paddleboard, has to offer.
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Top 3 Jimmy Styks Paddleboards in Review
Stand-up Paddleboarding has become one of the best-loved water sports because of its versatility. It is a sport that you can enjoy in many ways: Leisurely explore marine life in lakes, seas, rivers, or oceans. Create memories with your friends and loved ones. Quench your thirst for competition by joining races and surfing events.
Choosing the right paddle board for your preferred kind of adventure and skill level is important for you to make the most of your experience.
Jimmy Styks provides paddleboards that are durable, affordable, and accessible for recreational users. Whether you’re new or seasoned, there is surely a board that will fit your needs. If you want to know more about which would suit you best, here is the list of the best paddleboards Jimmy Styks you can choose from:
- Jimmy Styks 11’2” Hybrid Stand-up Paddleboard (HB208)
- Jimmy Styks Surge 11’4” Recreational Paddleboard
- Jimmy Styks Airsurf6 Inflatable Paddleboard
#1. Jimmy Styks 11’2” Hybrid Stand-up Paddleboard – Best Jimmy Styks Paddleboard
Specifications:
- Material: Epoxy
- Length: 11 feet and 12 inches
- Width: 32.5 inches
- Designed for: Beginners and Recreational Users
The Jimmy Styks HB208 or the Jimmy Styks 11’2” Hybrid 208 earned the top spot because of its friendliness to first-time stand-up paddlers. It offers all-around performance in a different set of environments.
This epoxy board is versatile because of its rocker level. Its flat nose enables the paddler to tread the water with a stable grip. Its tail, on the other hand, is curved to prevent the nose from being too submerged. A deck traction pad covers the middle surface of the Jimmy Styks HB208 to avoid new paddlers from slipping.
This board offers more recreational than competitive value. Being 32.5 inches wide, it’s stable and suitable for both beginners and seasoned paddlers. It can carry up to a capacity of 260 pounds.
When you purchase the Jimmy Styks HB208, you will also receive several accessories that you need to get started with stand-up paddleboarding: an adjustable paddle, a padded board bag, and a 10-feet coil leash. This package is excellent if you’re new, and you don’t have equipment yet. It also comes with a fin but note that it does not use Jimmy Styks’ Click ‘N Go key-less technology.
Special features include a bungee cable that holds belongings in place, in the case that you want to bring a life vest or other paraphernalia with you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Complete inclusions for new | Not built for performance |
| Perfect for new paddlers | Epoxy is not easy to store |
#2. Jimmy Styks Surge 11’4” Recreational Paddleboard
Specifications:
- Material: Epoxy
- Length: 11 feet and 12 inches
- Width: 32.5 inches
- Designed for: Beginners and Recreational Users
A defining characteristic of the Jimmy Styks Surge 11’4” Recreational Paddleboard is its wood-pattern surface. Among the paddleboards in this list, the Jimmy Styks Surge 11’4” Recreational Paddleboard is the longest. This feature makes it more capable of covering distances. It, however, has a width that is within a manageable range. This attribute welcomes beginners with excellent stability and with more peace of mind.
Something unique that seasoned flatwater paddlers would appreciate about the Jimmy Styks Surge 11’4” Recreational Paddleboard is its pointed nose and a square tail that is only slightly defined. This characteristic provides the board an adaptable quality and a balance of benefits, allowing for a good transition into rough waters.
Upon purchase, the paddleboard comes with a JS Carbon Adjustable Paddle, a 10-feet coil leash, a stabilizer fin, a spare vent cap, and a board bag. As special features, the board has utility cords to help tie belongings and a latch that can hold your action camera to capture your best moments on the water.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Usable in versatile environments | Its length and material makes it difficult to store |
| Classy wood aesthetic | Does not come with a paddle |
#3. Jimmy Styks Channel ISUP Paddleboard
Specifications:
- Material: Inflatable
- Length: 11.6 feet
- Width: 31 inches
- Designed for: Intermediate, Surfer type users
The Jimmy Styks ‘Channel’ ISUP Inflatable Paddleboard is the most durable in this list. While the other boards are 10-11 feet long, the Jimmy Styks Channel Inflatable Paddleboard is only 6 feet in length. It’s also narrow at 20 inches.
This paddleboard is capable of changing directions quickly because of its small dimensions. A pointed nose further optimizes this capability. Skilled intermediate paddlers will enjoy this model quite nicely. Beginners who want to try riding waves need not be too intimidated, however. A slightly squared tail compensates a little for stability.
Apart from its size, this paddleboard is also easy to store because it is inflatable. It will not require you to have a huge storage space at home or in your car when you decide to take it with you on trips.
Purchasing the Jimmy Styks ISUP ‘Channel’ Inflatable Paddleboard will also include a board bag, a pressure pump, a coil leash, and a repair kit.
TOP PICK: The Best Jimmy Styks Paddleboard
The Jimmy Styks HB208 earns the top spot among the other Jimmy Styks paddleboards because it is the friendliest for new paddlers.
New users who decide to purchase the Jimmy Styks HB208 will find themselves comfortably easing into the sport because of the stability its shape offers. Even if you find balancing challenging, the traction surface top will surely give you a little peace of mind.
It’s also not an issue if you’re still exploring to find how you best want to use your board, because you can use the Jimmy Styks HB208 in different environments, be it calm, flat waters, or wavy seas.
Another reason why this board earned the top spot is the number of useful inclusions that come with it on purchase. Not only does it come with a paddle, but it also comes with a board bag and a 10’feet coil leash.
How to Choose the Best Stand-Up Paddleboard
With all the stand-up paddleboard models mentioned above, you might be feeling torn as to which one is best suited for your needs. To help you select the best Jimmy Styks paddleboard specific to your situation, below are essential pieces of information you have to check out.
Dimensions
Stand-up paddleboard dimensions are made-up of four metrics: the length (measured in feet and inches), width (measured in inches), thickness (measured in inches), and volume (measured in liters).
Long paddleboards (12 feet and up) are great for races because of the distance their length allows them to cover. Surfers prefer the other end of the spectrum: short paddleboards that are 9 feet or below. This attribute will enable them to change directions more quickly because of the increased control they have on the board. If you’re a first timer, it is best to go with average-sized ones (10-12 feet) because this balances out the qualities of the two extremes.
Width is what you need to look at when you’re thinking about stability. The wider a paddleboard is, the more stability it provides because of its surface area. A typical range goes for 28-36 inches. The safe middle ground is 30-33 inches. Anything narrower than 30 inches is more agile than its thicker counterparts but would require more skill to handle. If you’re not very confident with your balancing abilities, then it would be good to consider boards that are around 34-36 inches wide.
Thickness is the least significant dimension in a paddleboard because the thickness usually varies in different parts of the board.
A relevant metric to check is the volume because this defines the amount of weight it can handle. The higher the number, the heavier it can carry.
The best Jimmy Styks paddleboards mentioned above are generally average in their dimensions, except for the Jimmy Styks Airsurf6 Inflatable paddleboard, which is on the smaller and narrower side of the spectrum.
Material
The most common way that manufacturers make paddleboards is with epoxy, inflatable material, or soft top foam.
Epoxy is the most preferred because it is lightweight, but still very durable. Among all the materials, it also makes for paddleboards that perform the best. Two of the Jimmy Styks paddleboards mentioned are epoxy boards. A downside with epoxy-made boards is that they can be challenging to store in a small space. Transport is also a challenge because although it’s light, it’s still bulky.
Inflatable paddleboards are also great hits to enthusiasts. It eliminates all storage problems associated with the epoxy board while only compromising performance in a tiny margin. Despite being filled with pressurized air, inflatable paddleboards are still very durable.
Finally, the most economical alternative is the soft top board, just like the Jimmy Styks Amberjob Soft Top Stand-up paddleboard. Durable boards like these are great fun to use because of the comfort it provides. The additional padding may affect performance by a little, though. So this is something that you need to consider as well.
Nose
The nose of your paddleboard is the edge that is in front of you when you stand on it. This feature affects your board’s performance because it is the part that you pay attention to when you change direction.
Common nose shapes are pointed or rounded. Surfers prefer noses with pointed noses because they can easily glide through waves when they decide to change direction, in exchange for stability. More skill is needed to be able to enjoy paddleboards with steeply pointed noses.
Most beginner stand-up paddleboards have rounded noses because this allows for more surface area and stability. It is, however, not optimal for agility.
The best Jimmy Styks paddleboards have differently shaped noses, balanced out by their respected tails for a stable performance.
Tail
The tail is the part of the board behind the paddler. Its shape affects the level of control you will have with your paddleboard. It can be a pintail (round), square tail (cornered), or a swallow tail (v-shaped). Angular designs allow for more agility compared to rounder ones because of how quickly it can release water. The value of round ones come in the stability they offer. This attribute is especially useful when waves are large. The square tail provides the most surface area. Boards with this shape of a tail are best to use in flat water surfaces.
The tails of the best Jimmy Styks paddleboards usually complement its nose shape to allow ease of use, stability, and control.
Rails and Rockers
Rails refer to the sides of your paddleboard. The rocker, on the other hand, is the overall curved shape of your board. The transitions of the rail shape form the rocker. This feature is a significant consideration because these two affect your board’s grip, drag, and ability to release water as you move.
Rail shapes can be hard or soft. Other variations include a 50/50, pinched, rolled, 60/40, and others.
Tails usually have hard rail shapes, and noses have soft ones.
The hard rails create sharp edges where water can easily glide through. These types of rails make paddleboards go faster. For this reason, paddleboards designed for performance would almost always have sharp edges. Hard rails also allow paddlers who shift their weight to change direction, maneuver more effectively.
Soft (or round) edges have more grip that allows for more stability but reduces speed. Boards are usually soft-edged at the front and the middle. They are made as such because the increased surface area gives the paddler more control over the board.
Conclusion
While all Jimmy Styks paddleboards are of excellent make and quality, we would recommend that you get the Jimmy Styks 11’2” Hybrid Stand-up Paddleboard (HB208) if you want to try this versatile sport. Established in 2009, Jimmy Styks has been providing quality durable stand-up paddling equipment for recreational users. Whether you’re new to the game, or a seasoned enthusiast, you will surely find the best Jimmy Styks paddleboards suited to your liking.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: Is a surfboard a good alternative for a paddleboard?
Q: What are the essential qualities to look for when choosing a stand-up paddleboard?
Q: What is a good paddleboard to use on my first time?
G’day, my name is Rach Taylor and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former Australian Olympic athlete and Australian representative surf sports athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of Australia’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home, Indonesia. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely coffee and rock climbing, and am also a regular rowing content contributor.
