The best 2 person paddle boards to go out and have fun on the water together
You want to go out on the water together, but your current board cannot take the weight and bends through, which makes paddling around together rather slow. Does this sound familiar to you? Then you need to check out a good 2 person paddle board to make sure you will have a great time together on the water!
A good 2 person paddle board has a higher weight limit than a regular board and will be able to support both you and your friend or partner. Maybe you have read my guide about the Best Giant Paddle Boards before, but these are not all so handy when you are going out with just 2 people.
That is why I have written this guide specifically on 2 person paddle boards, so you can see which boards are suitable for 2 people and that will be able to carry your weight. Of course this will still depend on the total weight of the riders. If you are with two small / light people a normal Bluefin Cruise could already be able to carry you, but this won’t work for all people.
What is important in 2 person paddle boards?
There are some things you should pay attention to when purchasing a 2 person paddleboard, to make sure you can get on the water together and that you can get started with paddling right away. I will make a short summary of the different important topics and what you should be looking for.
Maximum carrying capacity
The maximum carrying capacity is the most important, as the board has to stay stiff and not bend through on the water. This would cause a loss of speed and could get you wet feet, or worse, even damage the board. Just weigh yourself and your intended paddling partner and take into account a 10% margin, because you might want to take a child, pet or some luggage along.
Now you know what maximum carrying capacity you are looking for, don’t bother looking at board that have a lower maximum carrying weight.
Paddle board size and shape
Of course you also need the paddle board to be big enough so you both have space to paddle, just finding a small and thick board that has a high carrying capacity is not enough. I would not recommend a board under 11′ long for two persons, so you can be sure you both have enough space to move and not bump into each other.
The shape is important for the purpose you have together on the board. Is the board wide and more round, or does it have a pointy nose and is it less wide? This makes a big difference the speed you can reach together. If you want to have fun and extra stability, pick the wide and round board. Are you planning to be fast and furious together? Then choose the pointy and less wide board.
The complete package
Last but certainly not least is the complete package you have to pay attention to. I have seen many 2-person paddleboards or multi-person paddleboards, and the vast majority of these boards include little or no accessories. Keep in mind the budget you have for the total package, as you will often need to purchase extra paddles and leashes.
If you already have a paddle and/or leash this is of course easy, but if you do not own any yet it might be an expensive total price you surely should take into account.
The best 2 person paddle boards
Now let’s get started on the best 2 person paddle boards on the market. This is also slightly difficult for me, as I try to make this a worldwide article and like in the giant paddle boards article, there are a lot of boards that are available exclusively in Europe and are harder to find elsewhere.
I’m trying to select only boards that are available everywhere, if a board is not available anymore or you have a better suggestion that is available worldwide, please let me know in the comments below the article. You’d be doing me a great favor as it is impossible to keep up with all the 2 person paddle boards that are available on the market.
So without further ado, we’re jumping straight unto the top 3!
Bluefin Cruise Tandem 15′
The Bluefin Cruise Tandem 15′ is the first board that comes to mind when thinking of a 2 person paddle board. This board has listed a maximum carrying capacity of 240 kg / 529 lbs, which should be enough for two persons in almost every case.
The size of 15′ x 36″ or 456 cm x 91.5 cm offer a very big platform with surely enough room for 2 persons plus luggage and a pet or child. The long and pointy shape ensures you can reach decent speeds on the board, even though it is quite wide.
The setup with three fins will make it easy to keep a straight course on the water and with 7 carrying handles it will be comfortable to get the board to the water. No paddle board wheels or paddle board carrier needed in this case!
My favorite thing about this 2 person paddle board is that there are 2 fiberglass 2-in-1 paddles and 2 kayak seats included, so when you want to sit down and paddle together you can easily do this. There is only 1 SUP leash included, but you can purchase a second one and attach it to one of the kayak seat D-rings or onto a carrying handle if you want to.
With the action camera mount you can also film your adventures together, which can be a lot of fun to watch at home and relive your adventures.
One thing that you have to pay attention to is the different versions (2019 and 2020) and the different price settings for these boards per country. The 2019 version includes only one paddle, has a different design and has 5 carrying handles instead of 7.
Also keep your eyes on the current Bluefin offers, as they might offer discounts on this board. Currently there is an offer for £125 /€125 off on the tandem, but this offer seems to be for Europe only. As far as 2 person paddle boards go, this is by far the number 1 choice on the market!
Gili Manta Ray 12′ Paddle Board
The Gili Manta Ray 12′ SUP board is also a great board to get out on the water together with friends or family. The 12′ can be used as a 2 person paddle board or to go out together with children or pets, the 15′ can be used for a whole group of friends to go out on the water.
The board is 12′ x 45″, so a lot wider than the Bluefin Cruise Tandem for extra stability. It can carry up to 329 kg / 725 lbs, which should always be enough for at least two people. The board also has 5 fins and some high quality accessories, where even two paddles and two pumps are included.
If you plan to go out with your children like in the video above, you see that you can have fun with the whole family on this board even.
The board has 10 carrying handles and an extra big cargo net on the front of the board and a smaller one in the back, so you could take all your camping gear for an exciting camping trip on that island in the middle of the lake! Really romantic and you should surely try it out some time.
The Gili Manta Ray paddle board does not include a leash, so you’d also need an extra one for a second person to go out on the water safely. The quality of the board and the accessories are high as you can expect from a great brand like Gili and this board is definitely great as a 2 person paddle board.
Bluefin Cruise Carbon Tandem 15′
“Really Tom, the other Bluefin Cruise Tandem version?”, is what you probably are thinking. Although I do love this board there is currently also a major issue on availability with many giant paddle boards and multi person paddle boards.
The reason behind this is that because of the COVID-19 situation companies like Amazon refuse to pack and ship heavy packages, so big paddle boards are rarely available right now. Let me elaborate on this with the exact notice Amazon sent to their big board sellers:
“In order to protect the well-being and safety of our employees and to ensure our continued adherence to guidance from local and international health authorities regarding social distancing, we are temporarily limiting receiving, restocking, and shipping for products that require two people to pick, pack, or ship. This applies to parcels and individual products weighing more than 15 kg.“
As you can understand this removes a huge part of the market, so my choices for this guide on 2 person paddle boards are a lot more limited than they would be in normal circumstances. Hopefully now you can understand why I picked the Bluefin Cruise Carbon Tandem and that it is not just because I am a really lazy person.
Now as to actually talk about this 2 person paddle board, this is the luxury version of the Bluefin Cruise Tandem 15′ which we have seen before on this page. The maximum carrying capacity is the same with 240 kg / 529 lbs. There are a few differences between these boards to make this the luxury version, I will talk about those below.
The Bluefin Cruise Carbon includes almost the same package as the Bluefin Cruise, but instead of 2 fiberglass paddles this board sets you up with 2 carbon paddles. These are the lightest and best paddles you can possible get, so you can paddle even longer without your muscles starting to get sour.
Also this board has 2 cargo nets for extra luggage transport, which allow you to take extra stuff than on the regular Bluefin Cruise Tandem. The board has 5 carrying handles, a three-fin system and also includes 2 kayak seats to enjoy paddling while sitting down together.
Just like the Bluefin Cruise Tandem it has a kick pad at the tail and an action camera mount on the front. Because of the extra carbon reinforced material the board is made of this board is almost indestructible, which makes it worth the extra money.
Did I mention yet that both Bluefin paddle boards have a 5 year warranty? You can be sure to have fun together for a long time on these 2 person paddle boards!
Conclusion 2 person paddle boards
2 person paddle boards are currently hard to obtain because of the pandemic, but there are some great boards out there still available for purchase if you look everywhere. Where other multi person paddle boards often don’t supply accessories with the boards I have tried to find boards that deliver a package that is as complete as possible.
All three of these boards will offer great fun, your choice depends on your personal preference, needed weight capacity and your budget. I prefer the Bluefin Cruise Tandem 15′ because there are 2 paddles and 2 kayak seats included, which make it amazing for both SUP boarding and paddling.
Make sure you are always safe on the water when you go out paddling together and use a Restube or other PFD device to make sure you will stay above water no matter what the circumstances are. If you are looking for even bigger boards than the three named above be sure to check out the biggest paddle boards, which can take a whole group of people out on the water for some fun!
I hope all of you have a great season and will enjoy amazing paddling adventures!
Have you gone out paddling together on a 2 person paddle board or did you take a smaller or bigger board along? Let me know about the adventures you have experienced together and which paddle boards you would recommend for 2 people to go out and paddle.
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Review written by: Tom
Hi! My name is Tom. During the year I try to be on a paddle board as much as possible. By reading this blog you'll stay updated on everything I test on the water :)
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I love going out on a paddleboard together with my best friend. We have discovered a lot of places we’d normally never go to, I especially love those small islands in the middle of lakes.