In one of the most action-packed races of all time, defending champions Titouan Puyo and Annabel Anderson were crowned the 2017 Carolina Cup Champions.

The Carolina Cup has consistently been a major paddle boarding event that attracts both elite and amateur athletes from around the globe. Attendance records are broken year after year and the event has become the place where standup paddlers come to test their grit and compete against the best in the World. 2017 is expected to be another record-breaking year and with the caliber of athletes in attendance there will be no shortage of excitement. Here are our predictions for how the event will unfold in 2017.

After personally paddling, weighing, and thoroughly testing 70+ boards, our expert staff has selected the best stand up paddle board 2017 models. These are designated by the "A" grade and organized by categories (inflatable, all-around, touring, etc).

West Marine Carolina Cup, the world’s largest gathering of professional and amateur standup paddle board athletes, has added the World Paddle Association’s World SUP Tour in 2017.

About the board: The Expedition is a fast, non-inflatable board geared towards advanced paddlers who want to invest in a touring/expedition board. It has some gorgeous looks, coming with an exceptionally beautiful play on color and graphics, intended to be potent and yet with class. It’s relatively easy to carry and has a couple cool features incorporated: the GoPro mount located on the nose as well as bungee inserts on both the tail and nose. This paddle board is easy to carry and the glide feels fast, which is great for expeditions. With its superior graphics and smooth glide on the water this board warrants Supconnect’s “A” grade. Read more HERE.

The sun is starting to shine, ice is melting and spring is starting to peek it’s head around the corner. With temperatures rising and waterways defrosting into lakes and rivers again, it’s time to start getting geared up and ready to get back on the water and out of the winter hibernation. Here, we’ve put together a list of SUP gear, accessories, and of course boards for everyone from a beginner to the advanced SUP'er for the 2017 Spring paddle boarding season, so there's sure to be something in this guide for everyone!

About the board: The Sport Touring Escape from Surftech is a non-inflatable board designed for intermediate-level paddlers who are interested in touring. The board has some exquisite looks, coming with a bamboo finish and gorgeous graphics. This paddle board is easy to carry and the glide feels fast which is a definite plus. The board doesn’t have many add-ons other than the bungee on the deck of the board but the look and glide of the board are excellent, befitting of Supconnect’s “A” grade. Read more HERE.

World-class conditions aligned with the world’s fastest standup paddle racers for another paramount display of APP World Tour competition, as the first race event of 2017 got underway.

New Zealand's elite distance and race paddlers came together for the national championships of stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) at Orewa Beach this weekend.

Travis Grant introduces the all new Race Fins from NSP! Super fast and precise, these fins are available for all racers and all board brands using the a US10 fin box. Get ready to race and win... right out of the box!

Who is this for: If you are looking for a fast, non-inflatable, race-specific board to paddle then the Bark Contender Lite board is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Pro Elite construction which is somewhat durable and has both ups and downs. Due to its narrow width of 25 inches the board is very unstable however, its construction allows for the board to have 1.92 lbs per foot, weighing 24.12 lbs total, making the board very lightweight for its size. Its shape makes the Contender Lite a race board that should be used by advanced paddlers in competition. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for sprint racing. Retailing at $2,249, the board is among the premium price point boards but comes with some of the best the brand has to offer.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a stable, non-inflatable race board to paddle mid and long-range distances then the Bark Dominator Pro is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the Pro Elite construction which is somewhat durable and has both ups and downs. With its width being 28.2 inches the board is relatively stable and the board has 1.97 lbs per foot weighing 27.6 lbs total, making the board very lightweight for its length. Its shape makes the Dominator Pro a race board that can be used by intermediate paddlers for competitive paddling. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for stand up paddle racing. Retailing at $2,399, the board is among the high-tier price point but comes with the best the brand has to offer.