Depends on the activity and experience of the rider. For yoga or recreational paddling, less than 5 miles, any planing hull board brand can be fine. Yolo, Boga, Bote, Are just a few of the ones I like.
For racing and touring it gets more complicated and more expensive.
Personally, my favorite is Flying Fish board co Made in Florida USA . They have a unique Hull shape that is all round good, fast and stable in all conditions. I had them make a custom race board for me that weighs only 20lbs @14’x24”. Their 12’x29” touring board weighs 24lbs. I do yoga on both my Flying Fish Boards but I’m also an instructor. For racing there are a few other brands that are very popular and also make podium at races, in the order of my preference/ Flying Fish, Infinity, SIC, Starboard, Rogue, Sonova. They are all top end race boards with unique designs and all ride differently, each has its own strengths. Best to test a few of them at the same time. Large race events are a great place to demo these boards. The Carolina Cup race in April is a great place and time of year to do this. Race boards, particularly custom ones can take a month or two to arrive after ordering.
Dragon Fly in Florida is unique and high end for Fishing.
Bad Fish is great for White water rivers.
Inflatable boards- these 3 brands are my favorite depending on model and purpose -Red Paddle-a full line up of amazing boards, Starboard- their delux models, touring and racing models, SipaBoard-self inflating- yoga/ recreational/traveling.
