Top 5 reasons boat owners love inflatable SUP’s
We put together a scientific survey to determine the most common reasons why boat owners have an inflatable paddle board onboard. As the results came flooding in, we knew were on to something groundbreaking.
The consensus: almost no one we asked had a paddle board on their boat. Minds blown …
Fortunately for our researchers at Slingshot headquarters, several of our staff have boats, and almost all of us have inflatable paddle boards. So, using our expert experience, we put together a list of our personal five favorite reasons inflatable paddle boards and boats go together like pretzels and beer.
1. Portable and packable
When space is at a premium, the packable, pumpable practicality of an inflatable paddle board is priceless. When not in use, Slingshot’s Crossbreed Inflatable rolls up and fits in a custom backpack that can be stored in a hatch, under a seat or on the deck, out of the way. It takes about ten minutes to pump to full pressure and less than half that time to deflate and roll up. Unless you have a yacht with tons of storage, an inflatable is the only practical option for adding the fun of a paddle board to your boating routine.
2. Soft and durable
Standard hard SUPs tend to be fragile. They dent, ding and scuff easily … as do boats. With an inflatable paddle board, you don’t have to worry about either one. Although the Crossbreed pumps up to a quite firm 15-20 PSI for paddling performance, the material is soft and cushy enough that it stands zero chance giving or receiving dings, dents and damage over the course of a rambunctious day on the water.
3. Fun for everyone
Chances are, most people on your boat won’t be serious paddlers, and many will have rarely (or never) paddled at all. For everyone but the elite few, the size, shape, buoyancy and stability of the Crossbreed Inflatable is the perfect combination of user-friendly performance and all-around versatility. The cushy material softens the fall for kids and the less surefooted, while the Crossbreed’s unique shape and construction give it surprisingly high performance and efficiency for an inflatable. When fully pumped up, many people mistake it for a hardboard because its maintains its shape and rigidity so well in the water.
4. Awesome beach accessory
Friends, families, dogs, kids, crazy cousins, lawn chairs, sandcastles, coolers, barbeques, dirt, sand, sticks, stones … you name it, this board can handle it. When you pull up to a beach with your boat, having a nearly-indestructible paddle board you can unload and use in a thousand ways is priceless. Cross-over uses we’ve seen include- wind block, a barbeque stand, boat bumper, gear shuttle, air mattress, dog anchor, sand sled, diving board, swim platform, keg carrier, dog anchor, wrestling mat, picnic table.
5. A towable teaching tool
An excellent teaching tool for first-time wakeboarders or wake surfers, the Crossbreed Inflatable is stable and buoyant enough to stand on and hold the rope without having to water start, and soft enough to stumble or fall on without fear of injury. Additionally, Slingshot’s design incorporates D-Rings into the nose and tail of the board where it can be attached to a rope and pulled behind a boat to get it off the deck and out of the way without having to pack it up.