Inflatable sup recommendations?

[Do-it]

For the wife.... what size? She weighs around 112 lbs?

[Da Yoda]

What type of paddling?
Flatwater (touring or racing)
Downwind or open ocean
Surf
Whitewater

Does she want something that she can also use for yoga or fishing?

Inflatable boards are generally higher volume than a comparably sized hardboard. A 10' inflatable SUP will generally hold up to 200-250lbs, so her weight is not really applicable. Even iSUPs for kids are able to handle up to 130-150lbs. What you want to look for is the right shape, width, and thickness to maximize her performance. At 112lbs, a kids board may be her best option.
There are nearly 200 iSUP brands, so there's a lot to choose from, but most brands are crap imo. I recommend to focus on brands that are either dedicated to iSUP only or brands within the windsurfing/kite industry. Red Paddle Co, Hala, Fanatic, Uli, and Starboard are some of my favorites.

[Do-it]

She will be starting in flatwater, but will want to give the ocean a try too. There are so many choices out there I don't know where to start. I definately want to go with an inflatable for ease of travel.

[edt]

If you go with inflatable and she likes it just know this means she will eventually want a decent board this means a non-inflatable. So an inflatable is a good choice if you think she will just putz around a few times a year. But you can't really do paddle surfing on it, not stiff enough no matter which brand. Just pretend you are buying a kayak and the choice is inflatable kayak or a real kayak plus a roof mount. If she doesn't like the SUP you can always resell it. Anyway my advice is depending on her enthusiasm I would skip the inflatable entirely and go with a real SUP. I suppose an infaltable is ok if you think she will never go into the waves on a SUP and only paddle flatwater, but if she shares your enthusiasm for waves, chances are she will eventually want to use her SUP to catch a wave.

[Do-it]

Thanks for the feedback, fellas......what about 3 vs 4 fins?

[edt]

I like 1 fin on my sup. faster on flat water. so i would go with the 3 fins so I could take off 2 and just have 1. But that's all personal preference.

[dylan*]

I sup surf several times a week

4 fins are really pivoty on flat water, it's a little harder to track in a straight line. But less drag so it's a bit easier to catch waves and stay in the right place on the face imo. It's easier to hold a line if you're on the rail in steeper clean waves since you have 2 fins digging in

3 fins track a little straighter and can be turned more aggressively on the face, better for hard snaps off the lip.

Same as any surfboard really. If you're trying to get her into little waves and you're buying a huge board (8ft+) I'd probably go with 3 fins just because it's easier to paddle in a straight line with the center fin

I wouldn't go single fin if you intend on taking it in the waves at all

[dylan*]

Btw I would totally go for a cheap inflatable, they have some for like 400 bucks on amazon. Performance with inflatos is going to be crap no matter what, you're buying the convenience factor (which is totally valid, dragging a sup around is a pain). You can see if she likes it and play around in the ocean and have a better idea what to buy for a regular board later, if she likes playing in the waves or just wants to cruise around or whatever

[Do-it]

Thanks dylan, I will prob get a cheap one to start her on and buy a nice one if she sticks with it.

[Eltreato]

Don't be fooled into thinking you are buying something better just because you recognize the brand name of an iSUP as a kite or surf industry manufacturer. With iSUPS much of what you are paying for is the brand name, but don't think you are getting something artisanally handcrafted in the US, all they are doing is slapping a recognisable logo on something made in China in the same factory as the no-name boards.

I have a cheap used inflatable board from an unrecognised manufacturer and it is fantastic for my flatwater conditions.