It does not matter if you purchase or sup rental board. Many people choose to rent the board because it is much cheaper. It is not wrong at all. But you might want to pick the paddle solely suitable for you. Paddles are designed differently to work on different conditions. the paddle that works well with a discipline might be different with the other paddles.
The easiest way to find the right paddle for you is to determine what kind of activities that you will do in the future. For instance, the flat water touring or long-distance racing will need powerful paddle which is light enough to use. For this purpose, you could choose the paddle made of carbon fiber. Paddle for racing usually has smaller blades. The carbon material is also the lightest in the class. That means you can save your energy a lot when paddling. The length of paddle for touring and marathon can be longer than other paddles.
If you are going to downwind, you will want the paddle that can support you to make short, high-interval, and quick strokes. Downwind requires significant torque and power. For that reason, you will want to choose big size paddle. You can’t go wrong with the squarer blade shape available on the internet market. The length should be two to four inches overhead. If you love to SUP surf, you can also consider this model.
If you are looking for a technical racing, then it could be different too. You will want to sprint and stokes longer. You will have more rhythmic stoke style of distance racing. You will want to find the paddle with stiffer and tougher shaft. The size of the blade should be medium to make it work. Because technical racing is a short-phase activity, you don’t have to worry when you use the midsize blade because it won’t cause you to get tired easily. Technical races encourage the paddlers to paddle in and out through the surf. So, it won’t be surprising that the blade is slightly rounded in the edges. Medium length paddle should be a great option for technical racing.
And then, we have the SUP surfing. The paddle in the SUP surfing is very useful to help you attain the power and guiding your body to turn to the right direction of the wave face. The paddle with rounded edges will be a great choice for you. You will want to find the adequate size of the blade. Too big will only hinder you to get the power phase. The SUP surfing paddle length should be around your standing height.
Presuming that you have no doubt about it, contacting your sup rental now is the most sensible action to do.