Paddle Board Fun on the White River

Writer  /  Pat Carlini

Paddleboarding is taking the water sports world by storm and is becoming a popular summer activity for many right here in Central Indiana. “It’s easy to pick up,” says Brad Maley, owner of The Ripple Surf & Board Shop, which offers paddleboard junkets on the White River during the summer months. “We take them down to Broad Ripple Park and drop them in,” says Brad, who charges $50 a person for a couple of hours on the White River.

I caught up with Nikki Miller and Griffin Thomas who were trying paddleboarding for the first time. “We love it,” says Nikki. “We want to come back!” Griffin said it took only minutes to learn the basics and the rest of the time they were enjoying the water. “You tend to see more on a paddleboard than you do in a canoe or kayak,” says Brad, “and you’re only going to hit water if you fall!”

Brad says sometimes beginners get sore feet. “Paddleboarding works a lot of little muscles in the feet to help stabilize you on the board.” Stand-up paddleboarding also works the core, which has attracted another group practicing yoga on paddleboards this summer.

Brad’s Ripple Surf & Board shop has been a staple in the heart of Broad Ripple for more than 5 years—recently relocating to Carmel (200 W. Carmel Drive) for more space. But, customers still come from Broad Ripple and all over for the shop’s wide variety of boards for wakeboarding, surfboarding, skateboarding and longboard skateboarding. Stand-up paddleboards range in size from 10 ½ to 12 ½ feet long, and cost between $1,000 and $1,200 new. You can check out SUP Boards Review to find the right paddleboard for you. Paddles run from $100-$200. Garrett Wilson, who works with Brad at the shop, also suggests water shoes along with a life jacket for paddleboarding. “A lot of river and lake shorelines are rough, so the shoes help protect your feet getting on and off the board.”

The boards are good for ocean waves for the more experienced stand-up paddleboarders.

Some may think a surf shop is a little out of place in Central, Indiana, since a real beach is several hours away, but the true watersports fan and board fans know where to go for some energized summer fun. For more information, call the surf shop at 317-257-7700.

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