ADVERTORIAL
The mission of Sandbanks Style has been to create a range of inflatable SUP boards which rival the very best from the most famous brands but , for a much more competitive price , delivered with exceptional customer service and the best five-year warranty in the market . The company has also become recognised for boards that look stylish with a wide choice of artistic graphic designs and have leading performance and quality .
The tremendous growth of Sandbanks Style over the past few years has been all the more remarkable since the company has , until recently , shunned traditional advertising and funding search platforms like Google . It has depended simply on word of mouth , customers ’ rave reviews shared across social media and , of course , the benefits that come from being the choice of so many rental schools . However , in their next phase to become one of the most prominent players , they are now joining the advertisers , but unlike most , they are not increasing their SUP prices this year .
Founder Andy Belcher initially set up Sandbanks Style due to his frustrations in trying to buy a high-quality SUP back in 2014 . The only choices seemed to be good but very expensive brands around £ 850 or proliferation of cheap internet brands from around £ 250 , none of which appeared to be worth buying . He determined that it should be possible to make a top-quality board and bring it to market for a lot less by keeping low overheads and avoiding corporate greed .
Andy explained his goals in setting up the business were different to typical corporations . It is a small family business with no external shareholders or investors
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to impress ; the focus is simply on customers and the market . Andy claims to have partly set the business up to show his son Jordan how to run a good business , with a focus on being strong on ethics , being charitable , green and environmentally sound , but most importantly on exceeding the expectations of customers , leaving no stone unturned in efforts to impress every single customer . The company planted around 28,000 trees in 2021 , and for the past seven years , Andy ’ s salary has been shared between several charities .
Spectacular designs
Multiple specialist magazine reviews have confirmed that Sandbanks are achieving their ambitions , gaining results in stiffness , glide speed , stability and durability to not only match but exceed many of the most expensive brands . Graphics and style are , of course , always down to personal taste , but Sandbanks offer a wide range of spectacular designs for their highly successful and popular all-rounder models , named ‘ Ultimate ’.
The philosophy behind the Ultimate board is to leverage the very best in materials and construction techniques to deliver a board that is so stiff that it can be shaped more like a Touring board , to provide classleading speed for a 10 ’ 6 x 32 ” board whilst still having exceptional stability . Hence providing a board that is ideal for beginners but with features and performance to impress intermediates , light enough to be used by a child and strong enough to carry two heavy adults together . Sandbanks also make a 4.75 ” version of this board called Elite for those who prefer a thinner profile .
Sandbanks welcome and have very special terms for clubs and rental outlets and even have a particular model for schools , which has helped them become one of the fastest-growing providers to the rental market in the UK and gain incredible referrals and comparisons from professionals who previously used the more expensive famous top brands .
For those individuals looking to upgrade to high-performance boards suitable for going further and faster , Sandbanks produce two exceptional Touring boards , which are so good that they even have several race wins , yet are still very stable and easy to ride for those with even modest SUP experience . New to the range this year is the speedy Elite Sports Pro , which is an ideal choice for those wanting to replace a budget board with a significant performance upgrade but without investing much more money .
In addition , the range includes specific ; kids , teens , wave , surf , extra stable cruisers , yoga boards , and giant six and 12-person models . In each case , the boards are built with topquality , shaped for excellent performance , and all are of exceptional value .
Canoes / kayaks
For 2022 , Sandbanks also have created two distinct lines of canoes / kayaks made from high-end drop stitch , which rival their fibreglass counterparts for performance , whilst having all the convenience associated with inflatable SUPS miles away from historic inflatable canoes , which had such terrible limitations . For those who have yet to experience a high-end drop stitch kayak , you need to have a go . For the same effort , you go twice as far / fast as a comparable SUP , you have the comfort of sitting down , and there is almost no risk of falling in . The two sports are similar but different / complementary , and an increasing number of SUP users are getting seduced by the speed and extended exploring range of kayaks .
Like most brands , Sandbanks Style sells via the internet , but they have a team of experts to advise any customer by phone and a physical shop just outside Sandbanks in Lilliput Poole . The aim is always to provide value and service that is second to none , and they even provide 0 % finance on all SUPs and Kayaks . They also sell through a range of specialist retailers spread throughout the country , and the boards can be tried at an extensive list of rental locations in nearly every area of the UK .