KEEPER 10’6″ SPORTS STAND UP PADDLE BOARD SET - review

IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO GET STARTED ON A STAND UP PADDLE BOARD, BUT DON’T WANT TO FORK OUT TOO MUCH, THE KEEPER 10’6” STAND UP PADDLE BOARD IS AN EXCELLENT CHOICE. WITH GOOD SPECIFICATIONS – AND PLENTY OF GREAT CUSTOMER RATINGS – IT'S GOT SUFFICIENT TO GET YOU OFF AND RUNNING, AND KEEP YOU GOING FOR A LONG TIME.

DIMENSIONS
The Keeper stand up paddle board is 10 feet 6 inches (10’6”) long, thirty inches (30”) wide, and five inches (5”) thick. 10’6” is a  great length if you are starting out paddle boarding – not so short you'll be battling to keep upright, but not so long as to feel like a train whenever you attempt to turn on the water.

The board weighs in at 25lbs (11kgs), which is great – it won’t take long to understand the luxury of a light stand up paddle board when you have to carry it from the car park to the lake several times. The draw back, of course, is that light-weight boards are often affected by strong wind gusts when on the water. This is definitely evident mainly when trying to catch waves with powerful offshore winds blowing (keeping the board from “catching” the wave).

CONSTRUCTION
The paddle board is made from high density epoxy resin (EPS), which is actually a relatively inexpensive and incredibly lightweight surf board core. They are also very sturdy, which enable them to withstand knocks which would ding regular fibreglass boards. Some surfing purists would rather use conventional fibreglass, but if you'd like a lightweight, strong paddle board at a fantastic price, you cannot go wrong with EPS.

The board also has three wooden stringers, moulded right into the deck. Stringers are used to further strengthen a stand up paddle board.

The board has a 100 percent waterproof core, and can hold a weight of up to 300lbs (136kgs) in the water.

FEATURES
The Keeper stand up paddle board is light-weight, and an excellent size for learning. It features a strong design, using both EPS and three wooden stringers. The paddle floats, and that is always an added bonus!

ACCESSORIES
The Keeper stand up paddle board comes with an adjustable SUP Paddle (with special Blade Shield), padded roof racks and Surf leash.

The padded roof racks are okay for nearby trips, but you may want to invest in some decent roof racks if you are planning travelling further afield. At high speeds they are really noisy, and when it rains, the water can absorb through in to the inside of your car.

PERFORMANCE
This paddle board is not really intended for performance, but it does not mean it cannot catch great waves (if you’re inclined to go paddle boarding at the beach). It could be regarded as an “all-rounder”, meaning it is great for casual paddle boarding on the nearby lake, but additionally has enough juice to catch small waves at the beach (although, i wouldn’t endorse trying this on any point break if you are a novice – stick to small beach breaks with this one).

BRAND INFORMATION
Keeper Sports Products are a company located in Oceanside, California. Their mission, in their own words, is to “bring innovative competitively priced and value enhanced product to the sporting goods industry – and have fun while doing it”. The “California Board Company” range of boards appears on many top-sale websites, and overall reviews seem very positive.

PROS
Incredibly priced for what's a terrific stand up paddle board for beginner-intermediate paddle boards in mind.

CONS
The posting on Amazon states the board comes with a “Tri-fin” set-up, but it actually only sported a single large center fin (which is normally perfectly good for lake or small wave paddling).
The included roof rack isn’t very strong looking. It straps through the door frames inside the car for stability and then across the top of the board.

KEEPER 10’6″ SPORTS STAND UP PADDLE BOARD SUMMARY

The Keeper 10’6″ Sports stand up paddle board is a good all-around paddle board you will have fun using. For the price, this is a great buy, and we recommend this paddle board for beginners and those on a tight budget. Some seasoned SUP boarders or surfers might find this board a tad too basic. It is probably more suitable for lake paddling, but could also be used in small beach breaks.