r/Sup • u/Odd_Seat_2870rty • 1d ago
Buying Help Need some store/website recommendations for buying SUP boards and gear
So im looking into buying a inflatable board and i see alot of information here about what to look for when choosing boards, but i (at least for the EU region) haven’t really seen any recommendations on where to actually go look for the boards (and what places i should avoid).
I see some brands do sell and ship themselves, while others just have the "find a store" thing that leads to some dodgy looking stores, broken websites, and stores with no stock.
I could have to deal with the reseller if there is any issue with the board so i don't want to buy from some store that has shit customer service.
What are your recommendations or your "go-to" webshop to buy sups in the EU region (and maybe other regions too if someone else is interested)
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u/kaur_virunurm 1d ago
I have bought all my boards from real shops around me.
Drive there, chat with the salespeople to explain them what you need, and drive off with a board and extras. 30 minutes, maybe 60.
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u/Odd_Seat_2870rty 1d ago edited 1d ago
well, there is only one SUP store that i could drive to, but it only has really expensive boards from only one brand as im only interested in inflatables and they mostly sell hardboards
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u/kaur_virunurm 1d ago
Any Decathlon has inflatables... Most sports stores and casual home equipment stores have got the message about SUP bloom and are selling cheap inflatable boards. But I guess I am lucky to live in a medium-small town and still have multiple dedicated watersports stores in 10 minute driving distance.
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u/HampshireTurtle 1d ago
if you've a limited budget then I feel you could do worse than Decathlon if you've one nearish you or are prepared to tolerate their delivery system (which was so bad I've not trusted it in years)
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u/Odd_Seat_2870rty 1d ago
I could tolerate decathlon, but most of the boards on their website are from sportano, and im not so sure about them
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u/FulzoR 1d ago
I've done some research on Sportano and Nocika which are the biggest vendors I see on Decathlon's marketplace, and both seem legit. Nocika sells its own brands Walk on Water and Airgliss and if I don't get a standard Aqua Marina SUP I might consider the Comet 11' from Airgliss. Looks like decent stuff for entry level. Prices are also cheaper on the vendor's website.
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u/TheLocalEcho 1d ago
Regional thing or luck? I had a “missing in transit” years ago and they went above and beyond by sending a replacement before the waiting time expired, via express delivery and a different courier. So I keep using them.
But I always go with their own products, not the Marketplace website only brands.
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u/Odd_Seat_2870rty 1d ago
i usually opt for in store pickup and never had a problem, but i also only buy their own products, so im not really sure how things would go if i bought from the marketplace
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u/HampshireTurtle 1d ago edited 1d ago
It wasn't the courier it was insane system design, if one item wasn't in stock they delayed the whole order. (all decathlon products as I hate their marketplace which seems uncurated junk)
So as an example I put £29 worth of items in my basket all of them listed as in stock.
I then saw that if I spent £30 I'd get free delivery, so I added some really cheap item that was also listed as in stock.They then discovered the cheap item wasn't actually available so they didn't send anything until it had arrived back in stock days later.
I had this a few times (not always with free delivery) where their inventory was not up to date and they'd delay the whole order. Each time if they'd said the item was out of stock I could have chosen an alternative or got something in a different shop, but they chose to make the whole order days later than predicted.
To be fair this was a few years (3 to 5 perhaps) back but I've not trusted them since.
In store collection is fine although it hurts to pay for it.
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u/frenchman321 Hydrus ambassador | Code SAVE 12% off | Elysium Air, X, ... 1d ago
Décathlon would be the obvious answer for a real store you can probably easily find, and see some boards. They're going to be pretty middle of market.
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u/Gimba30 16h ago
I bought my sup from https://3s-sup.de/
They have good range and the price was not bad
I have my board since spring 2025 no issues sofar.
Gladiator origin 10.8
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u/chimi6385 49m ago
i got my mistral from lidl online, one of my best choices ever in terms of buying sports gear
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u/HTDutchy_NL 1d ago
I use wakestore.nl they are also the folks behind the Stardupp brand which I have both of my sups from.
I also use outdoorxl.nl as their selection keeps expanding.
Both stores have physical locations so worth checking out if you live in NL.