Now that you have your SUP, it’s time to get some paddleboard accessories. There are all sorts of neat gadgets and toys to add on, and I’ve been testing them out and discovering the best products and some of the more unique things you can do to bling out your paddleboard adventures.
Table of Contents
There are a lot of cheap, poorly made goods on the market, and this guide attempts to sift through those and offer higher quality suggestions as much as possible.
Before the fun stuff: what you are legally required to carry
This guide spent years recommending anchors, seats, dry bags, and night lighting without once mentioning the gear the Coast Guard actually requires, which was a real gap for an article aimed at somebody kitting out a new board.
Outside a designated surfing, swimming, or bathing area, the Coast Guard treats a paddleboard as a vessel. That means one wearable Coast Guard-approved PFD aboard for every person under 33 CFR 175.15, and anyone under 13 has to be wearing theirs while under way. The exemptions in 33 CFR 175.17 cover racing shells and sailboards, not recreational SUPs. You also need a sound-producing device, which in practice means a whistle on your PFD. California adds nothing exotic on top of this, but it is my home water and worth stating plainly.
After sunset you need a white light. Not a colored one. See the lighting section further down for what the rules actually say, because it is the part of this article I had most wrong.
On leashes, there is no federal or California statewide mandate, so this is judgment rather than law. A board that gets away from a swimmer in wind or current is the most common way a small problem becomes a serious one, so wear one on flatwater, and use a coiled leash rather than a straight ankle leash. In moving river water, a straight leash is itself an entrapment risk and a quick-release belt leash is the safer choice.
Basics and Essentials
Start here and get the right tools for accessorizing your paddleboard.
D-Rings
If you don’t have enough D-Rings, you can easily add more to add flexibility to your SUP configuration. Many will come with 3M adhesive stickers, which can work in most situations. If you want something more permanent, you can attach D-rings with HH-66 vinyl cement.
No matter the type of adhesion, take special care and detail when prepping and cleaning your paddleboard if you want the D-rings to last.
When attaching to an inflatable paddleboard, first make note of where you fold it before placing additional D-rings.
Make sure to attach D-Rings 24 hours before using the SUP.
Bungee Cord Rigging Kit
Add some quick strap down options to the front or back of your paddleboard, or replace a worn out bungee cord.
The Seattle Sports kit this section originally recommended is no longer stocked, and its 3M adhesive base was rated by the maker for fiberglass or plastic at 10 lb shear, which is the wrong mount for a PVC inflatable anyway. The link now goes to a glue-on D-ring kit that ships with bungee cord and cord hooks, so it fixes to the board the same way the D-rings above do.
Patch Kit
If you’re using an inflatable stand-up paddleboard, keep a patch kit on hand in case there are any small leaks. Many water or sporting goods stores carry the Tear-Aid brand, making it readily accessible.
Use Type B for vinyl and vinyl coated paddleboards, which is almost certainly what you have. The overwhelming majority of inflatable SUPs are PVC drop-stitch, so Type B is the default for an iSUP and Type A is the exception. Vinyl carries oils that most adhesives absorb, which is what turns a Type A patch gummy on a board you trusted to hold air.
Use Type A for nearly every other material type, meaning hard boards, fiberglass, nylon, Hypalon rafts. Check the box before you buy, because the two kits look nearly identical on the shelf.
Make sure to double-check your owner’s manual for manufacturer recommendations on patching the correct material.
Aluminum Locking D Carabiners
Make sure you get the kind of carabiner that locks, whether that is an auto lock or twist lock. It is a standard boating safety standard, as non-locking carabiners can attach themselves to something underwater, your PFD, or other hazards, potentially increasing the risk of drowning or ripping other things.
Aluminum is much less prone to breaking down from water contact, and the D shape offers the most flexibility for paddleboard uses. The Black Diamond RockLock Screwgate is the one I settled on: 24 kN closed-gate strength, 25 mm gate opening, 85 grams. Worth knowing it is a climbing and belay carabiner rather than a marine-rated one, which is fine for lashing gear but is not the same as a rescue-rated connector.
Black Diamond is based out of Salt Lake City, Utah, and this carabiner is made in Taiwan.
Anchor
Use an anchor to remain stationary while enjoying the beauty around you. You’ll need an anchor, releasable cable ties, rope, and a small knife.
A note on the cable ties, because this article used to specify an oddly low 18 lb rating without explaining why. The point of a light tie in an anchor rig is that it is a deliberate weak link: if the anchor jams in rocks, the tie gives before the board does and you get your board back. If you want that behavior, keep the low-rated ties and know that is what they are for. The releasable ties linked here are the other approach, letting you undo the rig on the water by hand, which I have come to prefer.
Anchoring deserves a real warning rather than a passing mention. A fixed line to the bottom in moving water can pull a board under, and this is a recognized entrapment and capsize hazard rather than a remote possibility. Anchor in still water. Never cleat the line somewhere you cannot reach from the water. Carry the knife where you can get it one-handed while swimming, which means on your PFD rather than in a dry bag. A blunt-tip marine rescue knife in a sheath is the right tool here; a pocket folder with a clip point is what I linked for years and it is a poor choice with cold wet hands.
Rail Savers
If you spent over a thousand dollars on a really nice paddleboard, you hardly want to scratch it up.
Rail savers are essentially a clear bra for the edges of your paddleboard so you can safely rest the SUP on its side or bump into rocks without damaging the sides.
You’ll need to watch the video on the Amazon order page on how to install this properly.
This one is sold by the Santa Barbara Surfing Store, based out of California, United States.
Electric Pump
There are two electric pumps which get a lot of mentions in different SUP communities. Both are very similar in build quality, features, and price. I ended up trying both of them and thought them to be great options. In spite of this, I went with a third option, the OutdoorMaster Cachalot 2S.
August 2026 update: the Cachalot 2S has been discontinued and is no longer available anywhere. OutdoorMaster’s current rechargeable equivalent is the Shark 3, which is what the links below now point to. It carries a 74 Wh battery against the Cachalot’s 57.72 Wh, inflates a 10’6″ board to 15 PSI in about three minutes fifty, and charges over USB-C at 45 W as well as from a 12V car socket. The notes below describe my experience with the Cachalot; the Shark 3 is a bigger battery in the same product line rather than something I have tested for a season.
The battery pumped up 3 SUPs to 12-14 PSI on a single charge, which I tested repeatedly. It is quicker than many others out there. I’ve secretly raced other paddlers in the Lake Natoma parking lot. One correction to what this section used to say: I had written that the Cachalot recharged over USB-C. It does not. Its USB port is an output for charging a phone, and the pump itself takes power from the 12V car socket. The Shark 3 replacing it does charge over USB-C, at 45 W.
Both pumps display the current PSI of the paddleboard, and auto-shut off at whatever PSI you set it to. Great for leaving unattended to put on sunscreen and get the rest of your gear ready. The PSI check comes into play if you’re evaluating a leak and is very helpful.
If you want to evaluate the others, which are a bit cheaper, they are included below as viable options.
- Nixy Ventus
- OutdoorMaster Shark 2S (the Shark II I originally tested is no longer sold new; the 2S is its direct successor and carries a larger 88.8 Wh battery)
Each air pump supports auto shut off capabilities, dual stages, up to 20 PSI, and can pump up multiple paddleboards back to back without overheating.
The Nixy Ventus mentions supporting a battery pack, but you can use any type of portable battery pack that includes a 12V DC car plug.
Pump Pro Tip: The intake is often on the bottom and can suck up debris and dirt and fail faster over time. Set it on your SUP or on cardboard to help protect the intake fan.
UV Protectant
303 Aerospace Protectant is the bona fide and go to for many high-end products, from cars to boats to outdoor furniture. It adds UV protection to all sorts of vinyl and plastic.
When spending hundreds of dollars on a paddleboard, this is one product you should be using to help preserve it in good condition and looking great on the water.
I like to get a large multipack of cheap microfiber cloths just for paddleboard accessories – they get dirty fast from the paddleboard environment.
303 has multiple product lines for different materials – make sure you are using the right one accordingly and check labels.
Bonus: Get the Quick Wax too and use it on the underside of your board to glide through the water or drag your paddleboard over the beach sand and rocks easier.
Quick Dry Towels
Having a quick dry towel on hand, stowed away in your dry bag will come in handy for so many different situations.
Whether you want to dry off your phone, wipe your hands, dry water off some gear, there are all sorts of uses.
I keep both a small and large towel folded up and ready to go in my dry bag at all times.
There’s not a lot to the selection process on these. Pick out something with a pattern you like. Look for ones that mention being sand free.
Paddleboard in Comfort
Aero SUP Paddle Seat
This is an inflatable seat for your SUP that will attach to D-rings and allow you to sit very comfortably, while still allowing room for a kid, dog, or another adult on board. The seat has soft foam padding and an adjustable reclining angle.
The BOTE Aero seat this section originally linked is no longer available. The link now points to a Freein drop-stitch seat cushion, which inflates the same way and attaches to standard D-rings.
Premium Dry Bag
The YETI Panga 50L is the toughest zip-closure duffel in this class. Unlike a roll-top, it survives a dunking without depending on you having rolled the seal properly.
YETI tests it to IPX7, which is submersion to one meter for 30 minutes rather than the one foot I originally wrote here, this dry bag is safe enough to hold my camera gear and flip the paddleboard. It is also one of the easier-to-open-and-close dry bags out there. Zipper lube is great too.
The material is tough enough to resist getting banged up against rocks and punctures.
It can function as a backpack or duffle, and is easily strapped to your board.
At $350 list and around $325 on Amazon, it’s one of the more pricey options.
Made by YETI and based out of Texas, United States with this model made in China.
Budget Dry Bag
For a basic bag to keep your stuff dry, a roll-top dry sack does the job for a fraction of the Panga. The NRS Ether HydroLock this section used to recommend was discontinued, and the variant linked here was the 2 liter, which is phone-and-wallet sized rather than the general-purpose bag described. The link now goes to a MARCHWAY floating roll-top, which comes in 5 through 40 liter sizes so you can match it to what you actually carry.
A roll-top closes by folding the opening over itself several times and buckling it down, which is a single seal rather than the double seal I had described here.
Worth being precise about what a roll-top is: it is water resistant against splash and a brief dunking, not a rated submersible container. No roll-top dry sack I have found publishes an IP rating. If the contents genuinely cannot get wet, that is what the Panga above is for.
Most roll-tops give you a D-ring on the closure buckle and little else, so plan on running a bungee over the bag rather than clipping it down by itself.
MARCHWAY floating dry bags are widely stocked and come in enough sizes to cover a phone or a change of clothes for two.
Dog Board Pad
Give your dog some extra comfort while paddling with you.
This SUP pad is made out of 3M peel-n-stick EVA foam, 3mm thick.
Your dog will get its own spot with a reasonably priced and easily replaceable pad. It may be warranted because of the wear-and-tear caused by toenail scratches from your dog jumping on and off the board.
The Seattle Sports dog pad this section originally recommended is discontinued at Amazon and gone from the brand catalog. The link now points to a Drydiet traction pad, 20.87 by 12.6 inches of non-slip EVA, which does the same job.
Paddleboard in Style
Choose your paddleboard accessories for style! Whether you want to light up at night, or add some flair for tropical vibes during the day, these are some fun toys to bling out your SUP with.
The paddleboard pictured above was decorated and setup by Stephanie St.Clair Youngblood, a paddleboarder with a keen sense of style on the water in Northern California.
For anything requiring electricity, aim for at least an IP67 rating. Under IEC 60529 that second digit is what matters: a 7 means the thing survives being submerged a meter deep for half an hour, which is exactly the accident you are protecting against when a board flips. An 8 is better still, rated for continuous immersion past a meter. A 5 is not a lesser version of the same protection. It means jets of water only, with no immersion rating at all, so an IP65 accessory strapped to a craft that tips is a matter of when rather than whether. Check the battery compartment’s rating separately from the light’s; manufacturers often rate the two differently and quote whichever number is higher.
I had this backwards for years. The advice here used to describe IP68 as short-period submersion and offer IP65 as an acceptable fallback. IP67 is the short-period rating, and IP65 is not a fallback at all.
Gaffers Tape
You’ll want to add some extra adhesion to some of your paddleboard accessories to make sure they don’t fall off, and gaffers tape is a great way to go.
You can get the tape in white, black, a color to match your SUP, or get these pictured, which are neon and UV reactive.
Glofin
The GloFin is a lighted fin that attaches to your paddleboard. While it will set you back around $200, there is nothing else like it on the market.
Fits these paddle boards: screw in, slide in, or snap in. All three attachment styles are free variants you pick at checkout.
- 3,200 lumens in brilliant white
- 85 minutes at max brightness
- Lithium ion rechargeable battery
- USB-C charging port
- Waterproof to 100 meters, drop proof, aluminum body construction
This section carried the previous generation’s numbers for a long time and every one of them was wrong. Esca redesigned the GloFin: it doubled to 3,200 lumens, moved from Micro-USB to USB-C, and now publishes a 100 meter depth rating instead of a plain “waterproof.” I had also written that the slide-in adapter costs about $50. It does not exist as a separate purchase. All three fitments ship as free variants at the same $199.95.
Made by Esca Surf and based out of Florida, United States with all products assembled and made in the USA.
Battery Powered LED Rope Lights
33 feet long with 16 colors, which is enough to light up an entire paddleboard. Read the ratings carefully though, because these fail the standard I set two paragraphs up: the battery case is IP68, but the rope itself is only IP65, meaning splash and spray rather than submersion. Treat them as decoration for a calm evening on flat water, keep the battery case out of the bilge, and expect to replace them if the board goes over.
The legal part, which this article should have said years ago: decorative color is not a navigation light and cannot substitute for one. Under 33 CFR 83.25, a paddleboard under way after dark must show an all-round white light or have a white torch ready to shine in time to prevent a collision. Rope lights cycling through red and green are worse than useless here, because 33 CFR 83.20(b) prohibits lights that can be mistaken for the ones the rules specify, and a red or green glow reads to an approaching boater as your sidelights, telling them a heading you are not on. Carry a white light. Save the colors for daylight and for keeping track of your group.
Have your eyes on some other paddleboard accessories? What have you found that works really well on your paddleboard adventures? Leave a comment and let me know.
Ready for paddleboarding adventures?
Mineral Sunscreen Spay
As an avid outdoor enthusiast and photographer, mineral sunscreen spray has become a part of my essential gear when embarking on spontaneous adventures. Whether I’m heading out for sunrise paddleboarding or evening kayaking, hiking to see breathtaking views, or any number of impromptu adventures, I prioritize better skin-care habits.
Lake Clementine
Located on the North Fork of the American River in the Auburn State Recreation Area, Lake Clementine is one of the most beautifully serene spots I’ve paddled at throughout Northern California. Great for paddboarding, kayaking, hiking, boating, and swimming. Have fun for the day or make it an unforgettable camping trip, and discover why this is truly one of California’s hidden gems.
Juniper Lake
Located in Lassen Volcanic National Park, Juniper Lake is one of those picturesque mountain lakes renowned for its clarity and brilliant green and blue colors. This lake sits at 6,800 feet in elevation and is nestled in a small valley which protects it from the stronger winds. This area is great for those who love to explore, paddle, and camp along a peaceful mountain lake.
Let’s go!
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Article Updates
August 5, 2026: Completed the link audit. Nine of the twenty products linked here had gone unavailable, discontinued, or used-only since publication, including both electric pump recommendations and every towel link. All nine now point to in-stock replacements verified against Amazon’s Product Advertising API on this date: the Cachalot 2S to the OutdoorMaster Shark 3, the Shark II to the Shark 2S, the Seattle Sports bungee kit and dog pad to current equivalents, the BOTE seat to a Freein drop-stitch cushion, the NRS Ether HydroLock to a MARCHWAY roll-top, and both towels plus the gaffer tape to live listings. Replaced four bare Amazon search links with specific products. Corrected the GloFin specifications, every one of which described the previous generation: 1,600 to 3,200 lumens, Micro-USB to USB-C, a plain waterproof claim to the published 100 meter rating, and the runtime figures to 85 minutes at maximum brightness. Removed a claim that the slide-in adapter costs about $50; all three fitments ship as free variants. Corrected the IP rating guidance, which had IP68 described as short-period submersion (that is IP67) and offered IP65 as an acceptable fallback (IP65 carries no immersion protection at all), and disclosed that the recommended rope lights are IP65 on the rope with only the battery case at IP68. Added the navigation-light requirement under 33 CFR 83.25 and the prohibition on lights mistakable for navigation lights under 33 CFR 83.20(b). Added PFD and leash guidance. Strengthened the anchoring warning to name the entrapment hazard and moved the knife from a contingency to required, reachable equipment. Corrected the YETI Panga from “up to a foot” to its tested IPX7 one-meter rating and from $300 to $350 list. Corrected the Cachalot’s charging: its USB port is an output, not a charge-in. Made Type B the explicit default for inflatable boards. Fixed the Black Diamond origin claim and added the carabiner’s 24 kN rating. Explained the low-rated cable tie as a deliberate weak link. Removed a broken legacy table-of-contents shortcode that had been printing as literal text on the page.
August 4, 2026: Added the affiliate disclosure this page should have carried.
July 19, 2024: Added quick dry towels.
July 15, 2024: Edited for clarity.
July 12, 2024: New pump info and added Cachalot 2S.
1. Premium Dry Bag – Yeti
I could not verify this model made in China anywhere for this particular product…Are you sure it’s correct?
“Made by YETI and based out of Texas, United States with this model made in China.”
2. Budget Dry Bag
I could not verify NRS manufactured in Taiwan anywhere for this particular product.
“Made by NRS, and based out of Idaho, United States, manufactured in Taiwan.”
I called both companies to verify where the specific products were made.