Why Are SUP Foils So Expensive?? - Seabreeze

If you've thought about buying a SUP Foil, (and lets face it, who hasn't!) you might have been surprised to find out just how expensive they are. Some are worth more than a board and paddle combined! So what makes the little suckers so exxy?! Here's three reasons why SUP foils aren't cheap, and probably never will be.

1: There's a LOT of material in there. Think about the construction of a SUP. There's a huuuuuge chunk of foam (cheap), some fiberglass (cheap), maybe some bamboo or wood as a skin (cheap-ish), some inserts for fins (cheap) and a deckpad (cheap). If you've sprung for a carbon board, there's 1, maybe 2 layers of carbon around the outside. Carbon is expensive, but there's only 2 layers. An average carbon SUP foil might be SOLID carbon, meaning 20-50 layers of carbon cloth squeezed into a mould and compressed during the curing process. Ok, so you say 'what about the alloy foils?' The tight tolerances required for all the pieces, plus the layers of composite in the wings and fuselage (even if its fiberglass) still demand a decent bag of cash.

2: There's no 'Bulk Discount' when it comes to SUP foils. Sure, SUP foiling is big. It's growing. Some even say it's HUGE! But really, in the grand scheme of things, it's tiny. In 2018 the big brands might make a few thousand foils each, and in manufacturing terms, that's not many!

3: Time's are changing FAST! Adding to the lack of production volume, the fact that foil designs are changing rapidly contributes to their high prices. Each new design requires research and development, testing, protoypes and once they're ready for production - new tooling to be made. That all gets lumped into the retail price of your sup foil!

4: Everyone wants one. When demand is high, prices are high. It works for real estate, it works for collectors items, and it works for SUP foils. While there's still a buzz around SUP foiling, prices will remain high.

So what's the good news? Well there's three ways to buy cheap SUP foils! We've written another article about how, so click here to read it.