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startup<br />
the client puts the paddleboard back in the<br />
box it arrived in and slaps a pre-paid label<br />
on it. SUPrents sets up the pickup.<br />
The paddleboards for rent range from<br />
10 feet to the Megalodon—a 50-pound,<br />
15-foot-long inflatable paddleboard that<br />
carries up to seven adults. The startup also<br />
plans to offer kayaks the same way in the<br />
near future. “Some people are hesitant to<br />
try standup paddleboarding, but their kids<br />
want to, so to be able to rent everything<br />
in one place, that’s the ultimate goal,”<br />
Allen said. Last spring, a public school<br />
in Chicago rented thirty-five boards for<br />
P.E. class. The opportunity to rent in bulk<br />
is something the pair hopes to explore<br />
more. Allen and Lindstrom understand<br />
not everyone has thousands of dollars to<br />
purchase a paddleboard. “You don’t need<br />
to spend that kind of money on something<br />
that you’re going to use once a summer,”<br />
Allen said. SUPrents paddleboards can be<br />
rented for as few as two days in California<br />
and the Pacific Northwest, and up to two<br />
weeks across the country. Renting one<br />
10- to 12-foot board for two weeks costs<br />
between $229 and $289 and the boards can<br />
be paired with automatic pumps and life<br />
jackets. “We felt like we were being gouged<br />
when we were renting and we didn’t want<br />
to do that to other people,” Allen said.<br />
Not only are their homes in Spokane<br />
and Bend, Oregon, overflowing with<br />
paddleboards, they’re also overflowing<br />
with pride. “When we get orders, we give<br />
a little virtual high five,” Allen said. One<br />
of their favorite things is to see where the<br />
board is headed. “Even though it costs<br />
more to ship to the East Coast, it’s always<br />
kind of exciting to see an order from<br />
there,” he said. Allen puts a pin on a map<br />
of the United States on each place they<br />
send a board. SUPrents primarily ships to<br />
the West Coast, but orders have started to<br />
spread across the country. “It’s an amazing<br />
feeling every time we get to put a new pin<br />
on the map,” Allen said. “Our paddleboards<br />
are going to places I’ve never even been. It<br />
blows my mind.”<br />
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER <strong>2017</strong> <strong>1889</strong> WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 45
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