Author Topic: Any motorized paddleboards?  (Read 4218 times)

SUPlakes

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Any motorized paddleboards?
« on: March 26, 2017, 12:33:43 PM »
I saw this on Adventure Capitalists and thought it was pretty cool - http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/23/adventure-capitalists-vc-invests-in-motorized-paddleboard-start-up.html

I don't think I want to spend that much on one, but was wondering if anyone has used one, how they worked and what they thought. 

Badger

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2017, 12:42:39 PM »

I think a boat with an outboard motor would be a lot more comfortable and fun.
Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
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Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
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Night Wing

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2017, 07:30:58 PM »
A motorized sup is not for me. Takes all the fun out of manual paddling as far as I am concerned.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

PonoBill

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2017, 10:08:16 PM »
Five miles an hour? And that's three times faster than he paddles? A lot of money for modest performance and a simple design. It would make a lot more sense as a jet that is flat to the bottom. Like the pod things that were around for a while.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

Night Wing

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2017, 07:34:17 AM »
Another thing to consider depending on which state you live in.

In the state of Texas, if you put any type of motor on a sup, out Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) will consider the sup to be a motorized vessel and we would have to have registration TX numbers (and there is a monetary fee for those) on the side of the sup where those numbers could be "easily seen". Seeing those numbers on a sup would be quite difficult and if they can't bee seen, I imagine a ticket would be issued by our game wardens which prowl our freshwater lakes and saltwater bays.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2017, 07:40:05 AM by Night Wing »
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

2Rivers

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2017, 02:33:32 PM »
I got to try one of these...
https://www.wavejet.com/catalogue/sup-classic-110-full-system_17/
I prefer to paddle!
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Badger

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« Last Edit: March 27, 2017, 04:03:03 PM by Badger »
Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
Axis HPS 980 / PNG 1300
Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
Me - 6'0" - 165lbs - 66yo

Night Wing

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #7 on: March 28, 2017, 02:37:39 AM »
@Badger

I think the jury will be out on these. Would I buy either one of these? The answer is "no".
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

Badger

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2017, 03:43:02 AM »
I like the idea of going fast but don't understand why they make them so short. I would want a longer more stable board that you could just cruise along at high speed and lay out some nice wide turns. I don't need it to turn on a dime.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2017, 03:48:05 AM by Badger »
Kalama E3 6'1 x 23" 105L
Axis HPS 980 / PNG 1300
Sunova Flow  8'10 X 31"  119L
Me - 6'0" - 165lbs - 66yo

Night Wing

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #9 on: March 28, 2017, 06:37:01 AM »
So far these videos show almost calm to little wind conditions. I wonder how this board would do in a good amount of chop with a good deal of wind. I bet the battery one wouldn't last that long time wise before the battery needs recharging under the conditions I just stated.
Blue Planet Duke: 10'5" x 32" x 4.5" @ 190 Liters (2 Dukes)
Sup Sports Hammer: 8'11" x 31" x 4" @ 140 Liters
SUP Sports One World: 11'1" x 30" x 4.5" @ 173 Liters
CJ Nelson Parallax: 9'3" x 23 1/2" x 3 3/16" @ 78.8 Liters (prone surfing longboard; Thunderbolt Technologies build in Red construction)

PonoBill

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #10 on: March 28, 2017, 08:27:13 AM »
The five esurfboards in the video are all more sophisticated than the one listed in Adventure Capitalists, though the last one--the water wolf--looks like an accident waiting to happen. You can buy a wavejet propulsion pod for the same price as that clumsy Adventure Capitalists thing. The only people who would buy that clumsy thing are ones who don't know what is available.

I think you folks underestimate battery life and power of current e-toys, I'm not sure why. A typical e-bike battery in the $400 range is 12-14AH at 52V. A high output eBike pack is 20AH at 52 to 72V.  That's 700 to 1500 watt-hours. A person being VERY efficient with great conditioning might put out 300 watt-hours, but certainly not with a paddle. A 500 watt motor is like having two Connor Baxters helping you paddle, except these Connors weigh 7.5 pounds each.

Yes, the gas powered ones are a lot more powerful and have greater range. But an electric motor is a very simple device, super compact, and easy to waterproof. Doesn't need air. Stick it on the mast of a foil or the bottom of a board, or better yet use it to power a jet pump and you're done.

Painful to see how closed-minded so many folks are--it's the same lack of imagination and "it's not what I do so it's wrong" attitude that surfers have about SUP.  So common that there should be a word for the attitude. There's probably a German word, but it's likely just as many syllables as the phrase.

Compare the complexity of an eFoil or just an eBoard to a modern jetski. That's what they will ultimately compete with. It's not a surfboard, it's not a SUP, it's a potentially much simpler, much lighter, much less noisy and intrusive jetski. That flies.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2017, 08:40:20 AM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

SUPlakes

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #11 on: March 28, 2017, 12:27:59 PM »

Ok, thanks for the replies.  Figured there weren't many good options out there since it isn't really mainstream.  Could be a good thing.  I'm enjoy mountain biking but hope eBikes don't catch on and remain illegal on most trails

PonoBill

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Re: Any motorized paddleboards?
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2017, 12:32:15 PM »
They already have, and they won't.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

 


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