Yes, the SUP craze has definitely kept some paddlesport shops alive.
I have tried SUP, very briefly. I'm around them enough to see the attraction. They aren't that hard to stand on - at least, not for a practiced canoe poler.
If you aren't in shape, you will feel it over your whole body - but, like poling, once you are conditioned to it, it isn't as hard as it looks. They don't take up much storage space and don't require any special vehicle to transport. They can't be swamped, and are therefore much less likely to be pinned or wrapped. You don't have to outfit them with flotation or other special gear to make them safe for rough water. They're easy to get back on in the water. That fact has contributed greatly to the learning curve.
I watched some local paddlers struggle to use them on the rivers when they first started showing up here, and had my doubts about their usefulness. But some of them have learned to use them well and have progressed to running as much as class 3 with them. Some of them now have multiple boards for different uses, just as many of us do with canoes.
These people (the ones I am acquainted with) are not fools. They know how to read current and are well versed in river safety. They wear appropriate gear for the conditions, up to and including helmets and drysuits. I have no doubt that they are capable of doing multi-day trips if they become motivated to do so. It is possible to add attachment points to the boards. There is plenty of room to carry gear in dry bags on an appropriately sized board. There is even at least one model that is designed to accept a seat, which effectively makes it a SOT, and has securement rigging included.
But why would they choose that over a touring kayak or a canoe? I guess I don't know, ssince I haven't seen anyone tripping with one that I could ask. But I expect that an avid SUPer might do it because he can. And because using the same craft that he is most familiar with and conditioned for just seems the natural thing to do.
There is a woman who has been tripping with a SUP and posting videos online. Been a wwhile since I've seen her videos, but IIRC, she's in Europe somewhere. I do expect to see a few adventurous souls taking up the challenge here before long, and I expect that they will do well with it.
Just because we see a lot of people trying SUP as a fad and llooking foolish for various reasons or a lot of inferior examples of the craft, doesn't mean it isn't a legitimate pursuit. Just look around you at all the canoes and kayaks, many of them of inferior design, being paddled about by ignorant people who are in over their heads.
I think tripping on a SUP would be a cool thing to try. But I'm maxed-out on hobbies, so someone else is going to have to do it. One thing I know that those SUP nuts know too...........you guys who aren't standing are missing out on some great views.
