How Far Can You Paddle Board in A Day?
If you love to paddle board and want to improve your skill, you may be wondering: how far can you paddle board in a day?
A beginner can paddle 6-9 miles in a day, while an advanced paddler can go 18-30 miles in a day. Ultimately the distance covered on a paddle board within 24 hours depends on speed, which can be affected by weather, fitness, and the experience of the paddler.
Thirty miles in a single day may seem like a daunting challenge to beginners, and even some advanced paddle boarders. Let’s examine how it is possible more closely. In this article, we will examine why speed is such an important factor in how far you can paddle board in a day, as well as factors that can influence that speed.
Why Speed is the Best Way to Paddle Board the Farthest.
To paddle board the farthest, all other factors like board types and weather boil down to the one thing they affect: speed. Getting from point A to point B before a day is over requires planning on how far to paddle board.
That planning is built around how fast the paddle boarder can travel. For example, the world record for paddle boarding is 745 miles in 7 days. This means that the paddle boarder would have had to travel at least 106 miles every day.
To meet this goal, they would have had to plan when to rest and for how long. These things could only be determined around how quickly they could travel that distance.
Check out this video to see the fastest paddler on earth. Connor Baxter provides an inspiring look at the best possible paddling speeds!
What Affects Paddle Boarding Speed?
There are lots of factors that can either make or break your paddle boarding speed record. These range from the physicality of the paddler to the conditions he or she set out upon.
Let’s examine the list below to find out how to streamline the speed of your paddling and get as far as possible in one day:
1. Fitness of the Paddle Boarder
A paddle board only goes as fast as the strength of the paddler. Not only are arm muscles important so that control over each stroke of the paddle is optimized, but core muscles should not be ignored, either. Your core is what keeps you balanced and in control of your board.
Endurance is another key factor in increasing paddle board speed. If you cannot handle the repetitive motion involved in paddling, you won’t be able to sustain the rhythm that keeps paddle boards moving at high speeds.
2. Paddle Boarding Technique
Without the proper technique, there can be no taking advantage of speed, and therefore the paddler will not reach their distance potential for a day. Here are three tips for speed-increasing paddle techniques:
- Stand with the feet shoulder-length apart, toes angles out and weight distributed evenly.
- Engage the muscles of the core while stroking in one solid motion instead of choppily engaging the water with only the arm muscles.
- Keep your back straight, knees slightly bent, and eyes on the horizon.
3. Waves and Current
No matter how fit the paddle boarder is, waves and current can significantly affect the speed of a paddle boarder. Paddle boards do not extend more than a few inches into the water, but that is all that is needed for a current to work for or against the direction a paddle board is traveling.
If a current is moving in the opposing direction to a paddle board, it will make paddling significantly more difficult for the paddler. Similarly, waves that are choppy rather than providing a smooth plane for the board to glide through create resistance that reduces speed.
4. Board Type
Paddle boards are either designed to make navigating waters easier for beginners, or enhance speed for more advanced paddlers.
Most beginner paddle boarders use an all-round board. This board has a higher nose, able to lead the rest of the board in rising over rough waves. That may help an inexperienced paddler stay on their board, but its shape is not built for speed.
On the other hand, a board type that is built for speed competitions is the Touring SUP board. Touring boards have pointed noses which can cut through the water and responds to paddling maneuvers more quickly than an all round board.
5. Paddle Type
A standing paddle can be the determining factor in the speed of the board. There are many types of paddles, but a good rule of thumb to remember is that the stiffer the paddle, the more power it will respond to from the paddler’s stroke.
Carbon paddles are better for speedy paddle board trips because they are lighter than the aluminum variety, so the paddler is able to endure the paddling motion for longer amounts of time without getting too tired.
6. Tailwind and Headwind
A tailwind is, much like the name implies, a wind that comes from behind a paddle board and travels in the same direction as the paddler’s destination. Your body acts as a kind of sail in this case, and speed can be increased with a tailwind.
On the other hand, a headwind decreases speed. It comes from in front of the paddle boarder and pushes against them as they attempt to move forward.
Learn more: Best Wind Conditions For SUPS’s – Complete Guide
How Can You Measure Your Paddle Boarding Speed?
It is a good idea to measure paddle boarding speed if you are looking to improve distance covered in a day. There are several ways to accomplish this.
1. Phone Applications
The nice thing about modern telephones is that most of them double as a GPS. There are many exercise apps, not only those specific to paddle-boarding, which can track the speed of a paddle boarder. Komoot or Speedview are two noteworthy speed-tracking apps.
One unfortunate aspect of using a phone to measure paddle boarding speed is that it must be stored in a waterproof area either on the body or the boat. Interrupting a paddler’s flow of motion to remove a smartphone and check the app can be time-consuming and slow their progress.
2. Stopwatch
A good old-fashioned stopwatch can measure the top speed of a paddle boarder. However, it can only measure these times for short distances and it does not come with additional functions like a handy smartphone.
3. Standup Paddle Board GPS
There are GPS systems that are specifically made for paddle boarding use. SUP gps benefits include being UV resistant and water proof, as well as having advanced tracking technologies.
However, they don’t escape the downsides of using a smartphone to measure paddle boarding speed, because they usually utilize a phone app.
4. Sports Watch
Sports watches are already useful because most are already protected against water and sturdy enough to handle knocks that racing paddleboarders suffer during the competition.
Some are also beneficial because they can measure both average and maximum speed and the total strokes of a paddler.
There are no disadvantages to a sports watch as long as it comes waterproof and is in working condition!
Summary
Include the topic here and summarize what’s been learned.
If you are a beginning paddle boarder who can top out their distance at 6-9 miles per day, it is possible to improve.
With amplified fitness and the best equipment, such as a touring board and carbon paddle, you can begin to train until you reach the advanced level of paddle boarding. Before long, with the focus on speed, you could paddle up to 30 miles in a day!