Frequently asked questions

The most frequently asked questions answered simply.

Yes, of course you can come by our office in Berlin. You can test our entire range and get advice. If you like something, you can take it right away and have fun.

Please make an appointment for a consultation during opening hours so we can take our time with you.
Tel: +49 30 206 547 16
E-Mail: info@grandtoursports.com

Or simply make an appointment for a consultation using this contact form.

  • Our goal is and always has been to provide our customers with the best possible product.
  • Premium quality from German development.
  • We only use high quality materials and our focus is not on the cheapest manufacturing methods and materials.
  • On the contrary – we use only the latest innovations and the best materials available on the market.
  • We are also the only German manufacturer to use the best and densest dropstitch fabric in our entire inflatable SUP line.
  • X – Cross dropstitch is the most stable and torsionally stiff fabric on the market.
  • Double layer construction (2 layers of PVC, thermally bonded) is a standard at GTS.
  • We constantly control the quality of our products and know all suppliers personally.
  • Our arrangement in water rescue is unique.
  • We have been supplying the DLRG and DRK/BRK with rescue / RESCUE boards for several years.
  • These companies expect the best service and reliable quality.
  • Our suppliers are regularly visited by quality managers to check production and working conditions.
  • We stand for fair trade, sustainability and the best, long-lasting quality.
  • Our customers have trusted us for more than 10 years.
  • We are available for you around the clock and find a solution, should you ever have a problem. Customer loyalty is very important to us! Become a GTS-TEAMRIDER and part of our community.

GTS boards and paddles are developed in Germany. Together with engineers and designers we optimize boards and paddles. Raw material suppliers inform us regularly about advantageous changes in materials.
Our production facilities in Asia are researching compounds and materials that will last. Together, an international team of experts is constantly trying to develop the products further.
Our special focus is on the equipment of the boards and paddles. Our Touring Board collection has been in great demand for many years. Luggage nets and handles in the right positions add value for every SUP paddler.
A patented valve cover and our Noise Protection are unique features on our boards. All boards have a special tail shape that prevents a wake and suppresses the suction effect.

On the GTS boards you will find everything in the right place and are always ready for another adventure.

Our customers are quality-conscious buyers who are not only interested in the lowest price. They care about the best product for you. The materials should be of high quality, light and comfortable. The handling should also be simple and self-explanatory. Our customers attach great importance to customer loyalty and personal advice.

Transparency creates trust – visit one of our dealers or us in the showroom of GTS grandtoursports Berlin.

We have partners who know our products very well and can recommend and sell you the right material.
Support our trade with authorized dealers. You get a consultation or a test drive in our test centers.
This creates trust and gives you the opportunity to find the right product.
You can buy anything online these days, but you can’t test a 3-4m board online yet, plus no one will talk to you at the consultation.

We want to support our partners and stand for fair trade.
Contact them. You can find GTS authorized partners here.

We’ll help you make the decision to buy a paddle. In our shop you will find a selection of paddles.
With our filter you can find out which paddle fits you by entering your body size.
The recommended paddles are many and varied.

We’ll explain the differences.

GTS N95, N90, River 94 are cheapest paddles in our collection.
The paddle shafts are made of glass fibre plastic (GRP) and the paddle surfaces are made of PVC using the injection moulding process.
Series production is much faster than with GRP or carbon paddle surfaces. These paddles are about 200 – 300 g heavier than carbon paddles.
For a small budget you get a top SUP paddle, which is suitable for beginners. GTS NARROW and PROWAVE are carbon paddles in different constructions and consist of different carbon fabrics. The carbon designation UD, 3K and 12K indicate the carbon weave pattern. For example, 12K means that 12,000 filaments are woven per “tow”. UD Carbon means unidirectional and has no pattern. 3 K carbon fabric is the lightest fabric and the paddles have a slight flex: we only offer these paddles in one piece.
They weigh about 450 g and will be adjusted to your size. Racing drivers prefer this one.
In the PRO series we offer paddles in silver Texalium-Carbon Composit. These paddles are very stable, have less flex and feel very direct. We offer this series of paddles in 1,2,3 pieces, they are also very light and do not need any connecting clips.
NARROW PRO BLACK EDITION is made of carbon weave in which the weave shape results in hexagonal honeycombs.
This form of weaving carbon has the advantage that less carbon is used with the same strength properties.
The paddles are ultra strong, offer little flex and are very light.

Features
The carbon juices and paddle surfaces are built in manufactory construction. Many steps are necessary to produce a carbon paddle. Precision is very important so that the juices and connections are tight. Carbon paddles are very durable and hardly lose their value. They are light, stiff and very stable.

There are different paddle shapes and places of use. You can use a classic teardrop shaped paddle for surfing or for small paddling trips.

A narrower blade shape with almost straight edges offers you advantages on tours and long distances.
Compared to a teardrop shaped paddle, a NARROW (narrow) paddle is easier to paddle in feel.
The pressure distribution is perceived as lighter.
Three-piece paddles are easy to transport and store. They are ideal travel companions, and visually as well as in performance they are in no way inferior to the 2-piece.
A 2-piece paddle weighs less than a 3-piece paddle of the same design. Ambitious paddlers prefer 2- and 3-piece paddles for training.

Author Jan Herrmann / Physiotherapist

Stand Up Paddling – Benefit for body and soul…

Nature, water, sun, movement, rest, action, excitement, relaxation, fun…. all this at once? You can’t? Go! – PADDLE SURFING.
The working day was long again, the head is tired, the body sluggish, now one should actually go out again, move.
But there he is again, yelping and grimly showing his teeth: the inner pig dog.
Now for a jog or a summer-hot gym?… Oh no…!
But why not go out on the river again? PADDLE SURFING?
The head gets a rest and the rest? Yeah, he’s gonna have to really go for it:

THE FEET:
All day in the shoe, under the table. Cue kink-sink-splay. Now they get to balance.
It’s amazing how much power is activated. Like small actuators, the foot muscles have to keep the balance.
It tightens! And not just the feet.
UNDERKING / TOPKING:
Oh man, oh man. It’s humming.
The entire leg musculature is activated – muscle soreness guaranteed.
And it is precisely the interaction of foot and leg muscles in conjunction with external stimuli, such as the coolness of the water, that promotes circulation and tightens the connective tissue – goodbye cellulite!
PO-BAUCH-LENDENWIRGLING COLUMN:
Keeping balance, providing propulsion, maybe headwind, not falling into the water – quite a variety of things our body has to do here on the board. The pelvis and hip joints are constantly compensating for all kinds of unexpected movements.
The stomach has to hold out. If he wasn’t so tense right now. I wouldn’t move a foot.
And you soon realize that. You won’t get that washboard stomach right away, but you will soon.
And the lower back? So often plagued by pain? Possibly the most important effect of SUP – Stand-Up Paddling is the activation and strengthening of the deep back muscles. In our civilized everyday life, it is precisely these structures that are the stepchildren: not promoted, not needed, weak!
But now on the board – work, work, work. Stability!
UPPER BACK / SHOULDER BELTS:
Oh how the burden of everyday life presses! You slouch…and you become.
We almost always work in a forward-facing way in our everyday lives – desk, computer, workbench, car steering wheel.
Practically, as our nature is now, we will – KRUMM round back.
In PADDLE SURFING, the load pattern rotates. Our arms no longer work forward – no, the paddle has to be behind! The shoulder girdle straightens up, the muscles fixing the shoulder blades are stimulated.
The arm muscles, of course, also have to work properly.
HEAD:
The head gets the beautiful: beautiful views, nature, air, light, relaxation, deceleration.
And in addition, a completely new and unfamiliar perspective of our world, which we actually thought we knew well.
HEART / CIRCULAR RUN:
From a theoretical point of view, this is a moderate endurance training at low intensities with a comprehensive activation of the supporting and trunk muscles over a longer period of time.
The result? ENERGY CONSUMPTION! Can be felt immediately after landing as a bearish hunger!
And with regular use: weight reduction.
So, what can we say: sport for body and mind. Ideal!
But be careful: don’t forget your SUN CREAM and SUN HAT!

You’ll be doing a very intense full body workout from the minute you get on your SUP board and get fit.
SUP – Stand-Up-Paddling activates all muscles of the trunk and supporting muscles.
Even the smallest muscles that are neglected in everyday life are activated and trained.
We all want to grow old in dignity and move around as unassisted as possible.
To do this, we need to train our sense of balance and certain muscle groups.
SUP paddling you can do until old age. You just need to feel healthy and be a good swimmer.
A sport comparable to hiking and cycling, but with added health benefits.
You can visit a fitness centre to train specific muscle groups.
SUP – Stand-Up-Paddling you can do when and where you want and enjoy the peace and quiet or go on a trip with friends or family.

  • You should always feel healthy, be a good swimmer. Go on the water sober
  • Thunderstorms and storms are a no-go – so always check the weather and get forecasts.
  • Do not take unnecessary risks with your health and your life
  • Avoid busy federal waterways and waters with commercial vessel and boat traffic.
  • You can also find waters permitted for water hikers on the Internet in many canoe and kayak forums.
  • Think of provisions and the right clothes
  • Adapt to the countries and local rules and customs. Always respect other cultures, customs and protect nature and wildlife. Treat other people with respect and follow the rule on the water
  • Be a role model for other paddling friends

Of course you can paddle all year round. With the right equipment and preparation, you can paddle almost any body of water.
From the warmest waters to the coldest conditions, paddling is possible.
In cold waters a dry suit is recommended and even vital.
You should carry enough drinks and provisions with you, a telephone is recommended.
Always tell one person that you are going paddling, where you are going and when you will be back.
Planning together will help you in a pinch and in an emergency you can count on help.

This example explains it well:

Compare SUP to another muscle-powered sport, such as cycling.
Where do you buy your bike?
There is a huge selection of cheap bikes at discount stores and many online platforms.
Often large retail groups are behind the products. Products are mass produced, at the lowest possible price. There is usually no room for innovation and sustainability or fair trade.
Find out who is behind a brand.
Most discounters order thousands of uniform boards and paddles – and at a very low purchase price.
The products are mostly available in uniform sizes and colors, there is usually no choice.
The working conditions of some manufacturers are unfair and workers not infrequently suffer poisoning from the adhesives in poor ventilation.
On various trips to Asian production sites, we have noticed various deficiencies.
There were not infrequently products of well-known sports discounters, which produce under these described conditions.
At the discounter or in the supermarket you do not get professional advice and you can rarely test the material or inspect it in the original.
You care more about the price than the size ? Do you then also buy a child’s bike for yourself just because it’s cheap?
It’s your decision – you buy without advice, without having tested the material and possibly the wrong size.
We therefore recommend that you buy a board or paddle that suits you in a specialist shop – take advantage of the advice and support the specialist shop.

– you pay what you get now !

We develop all GTS grandtoursports products in Germany.
Together with our employees and service providers we want to manufacture and sell the best touring SUP boards and paddles.
Our team consists of passionate paddlers, engineers, designers, graphic artists, accountants, sales and marketing specialists. Our boards are used at ISO certified partners in ASIA. We manufacture in China, Korea and Vietnam.
We produce our fins in Germany.
The GTS grandtoursports brand is dedicated to developing, manufacturing and marketing the best touring SUP equipment.
The focus is on performance and quality of our products.

Some of our boards have a second air chamber. These boards usually weigh about 1 kg more than the same model without DCT (Double Chamber Technology). In some European countries you can navigate federal waterways only with a board, which has 2 separate air chambers.
The second chamber increases safety by a factor of 100 when paddling far from shore.
In the event of a failure, you have an independent buoyancy aid. Heavy paddlers from 110 kg or touring paddlers with a lot of luggage use the additional torsional stiffness.
When using a dual chamber board, the order of filling and releasing the air is very important.
First fill the small, inlying chamber. The outer large chamber is then filled with the intended air pressure.
First deflate the large chamber and then deflate the small chamber.
Use our included pump with the Dealt function. This way you get all the air out and can stow your board well again. Close the valve with the pump during the deflationary process.

For longer storage (2 weeks or more), we recommend storing the board full size with a little air.
Fill the board with approximately 7 – 8 psi. – until it’s stiff.

If you don’t have room for it,
store the board without air and fold it to 3/3 parts without rolling it up.

When you want to use your board for the first time after a long period of storage, lay it out flat for 20 minutes without filling it with air.
After 20 minutes, inflate the board to the ideal air pressure of 10 psi – 14.5 psi / 1 bar.

Shorter storage (during the season) – You can fold the board as you received it.
Please store your board in a dry and protected place without temperature fluctuations of 10 degrees Celsius – 30 degrees Celsius.
Never store your board in a car for long periods of time in the summer.
It can quickly get over 50 degrees Celsius in the car.
Glued joints can become unstable, which can cause damage to the board.

You can clean your board with water. You need a microfiber cloth or a soft sponge for cleaning.
Leave the water on the dirty areas for about 2-3 minutes.
You can loosen most dirt with a cloth or sponge.
If the dirt is stubborn and clear water does not work for cleaning, use a special PVC cleaner.

Please note that the cleaner is solvent free and environmentally safe.

GTS grandtoursports offer a biodegradable cleaner and maintenance product.
These two cleaners can be used to dissolve almost all soiling.
Both of these products are biodegradable and can be used on land and in water without concern.
The surface is resealed with Magic ECO CARE.

Your board will live longer if you don’t expose it to the sun unnecessarily. UV radiation is responsible for over 90% of all defective boards.

UV radiation damages the adhesives and removes the plasticizers from the materials.
In the water you can’t avoid the sun’s rays, but on land you should try to find a shady spot for your gear.

We can reassure you – your board is absolutely fine!
Every board, no matter the manufacturer or model, has this bump.
This is created when installing the valve or when installing a surf sail option.
The
lower and upper deck are connected by dropstitch threads. When installing these
components, the threads are separated. This creates a bump opposite the component.
This does not affect the driving characteristics nor is the bump a disadvantage.

Each inflatable SUP board is assembled from more than 90 individual parts.
We use the best fabric material in two-ply construction – we weld them together and do not use glue.
All other components are glued. The standing area and all other superstructures, such as: Finnebox, handles, nets and D-rings, are glued on.
The sidewall, called the rail, is glued to the lower and upper deck with two layers (strips). Smaller veins at the edges are possible.
It is an enormous effort to build a board of this quality.
Please check your board after purchase for optical defects and point them out to us.

After the boards are completed, they are observed for a day and are filled with air to check for leaks. After that the boards are packed and shipped to us.
Due to the storage and the small pack size, marks can occur opposite components such as D-rings, net ropes and fin boxes.
After the first few paddles, however, these marks disappear again.

You have a legal right of withdrawal of 14 days from the date of purchase.
The shipping costs are to be paid by the buyer when returning the product.
We offer a two-year warranty and then a one-year warranty on all GTS products.
*not on consumables, such as cleaner and maintenance product, only when registering your board

If you register the product via our website, the warranty is extended to 24 months.

We offer you free support over the life cycle of your GTS product.

We can help in almost every case and offer contact to professional and authorized repair shops.
If you need a replacement, please contact our support.
You want to dispose of your old defective board free of charge?
Just send us your board and we will recycle and dispose of it for you.
In this case we offer you a new board at good conditions.

You can find a detailed overview of our boards under:

GTS Boards

GTS Hardboards

Do the following points apply to you?

  • I have a trade and would like to know more about GTS grandtoursports, I need a consultation.
  • I would like to trade with GTS grandtoursports products, run a water sports school, purchase equipment for my company.
  • I would like to learn more and become an “authorized partner”.

Then we look forward to hearing from you at: https://grandtoursports.com/haendler-werden/ .

If you need further assistance, please contact our support.

Tel: +49 30 351 049 58
E-Mail: info@grandtoursports.com