Would you offer some advice – or write a post  on the best race equipment for female riders? I have heard that a lot of manufacturers are starting to design equipment specifically for smaller body types.

Jenn, whereabouts unknown

Hey – thanks for the question. This is actually something that we tackled way back in the early days when there was essentially zero in the way of race boards for women.

As a general rule, there is really no such thing as a women specific race board. The problem, however, is that many of the race boards on the market don’t work all that well for women. This is because many boards are just too heavy for many women to get to and from the water. Moreover, these boards have too much volume for smaller women. For many women, paddling a standard 12-6 race board designed for a 175lb dude is like paddling a barge up stream. There is just too much board!

There are a few companies manufacturing boards designed for women. The Surftech Candice Appleby board is one. There are, however, other companies who have “women’s” boards but sometimes these boards are just “men’s” boards with a pink paint job.

In our research (which is not extensive) we have found that carrying and loading a 25 lb. board on a car is much harder than a 20 lb. board for women who report that they have a tough time getting their board loaded on a car and carrying the board to and from the water.  Although that 5 lb. difference does not seem all that much, it can be a huge difference when swinging such as large board over your head or dealing with wind while loading your board.

Before we leave the topic of board weight and loading and unloading your board – one board feature to focus on when buying your board is the handle. Having a handle, such as a LiftSup handle that extends from the board (rather than a depressed handle in the board) can make it much easier to carry and load your board.

Our research (again which is not extensive) suggests that for whatever reason, many women are more stable and better native paddlers than many men (sorry guys). Stated another way, many novice women are able to paddle boards that many novice men cannot handle.

What this all means for you is that even if you are a beginner paddler, you should consider taking a look at some of the  “men’s” boards designed for the advanced racer such as the Naish Javelin LE, the carbon Starboard line of race boards, and the Laird LXR . These boards are not cheap but they are extremely light and weigh in at 20lbs or less. Even though they may be too tippy for heavier or inexperienced male paddlers, for the reasons we discussed previously, you might find that you are OK paddling them. Additionally, these boards are narrow so, if you have narrow shoulders you won’t have an issue with getting your paddle perpendicular during your paddle stroke, which can be an issue with wider boards.

NOTE: if you are considering going the “advanced” race board route please take any board you are considering purchasing for a test paddle and make absolutely certain that the board is not too tippy for you. Ideally you will paddle the board in the ocean or rough flat-water conditions (like you will find at the beginning of a race) just to make sure you can paddle the board without falling in. You might also consider using a larger fin than you think you need during your test paddle. Remember: the recommendations we are making in this post are somewhat contrary to popular opinion. Some of these “advanced” race boards can be unreasonably difficult to paddle. You have been warned.

Another option is to go the custom route. There are a number of local shapers out there such as Kings, and Ian Balding that can shape a board just for you. Many shapers are working with carbon and other ultra light materials so they can use less glass and build you a stable, light, board.

Finally, many of the local women here in San Diego are following the trend started by Jenny Kalmbach . They are using smaller blades on their paddles. The 83 sq. in flyweight paddle from Quickblade is a popular choice.

Editors note: in your question you asked about the “best” equipment for female paddlers. In this article we listed a few boards and manufacturers. None of these manufacturers paid us to include their name in this article. This list should not be considered to be extensive or exhaustive. There are many board manufacturers that make boards that will fit your needs. The “best” equipment is the equipment that works for you. You will need to do some research and test some boards to find out what works for you.