Nothing says summer like a day on the water. Be it canoeing, kayaking, canoeing, canoeing, tubing, or some other method of floating, liquid access is a long-term way to stay cool in the heat. Of all the ways you can get on the water, one of the easiest and most enjoyable is stand-up paddle boarding (SUP).
I’ve been testing Bote’s Breeze Aero inflatable paddle board for a few months now in bays, marshes and lakes, and I’m here to say it’s been a long time (like decades) since I’ve had any fun like this on the water. If you’re looking for a way to get fit, explore the hidden corners of a swamp or lake, or keep your kids entertained and cool on long summer days, the Breeze Aero has it all.
Inflatable SUP
Paddleboard is a multi-purpose water vehicle. They can be used to explore narrow, winding waterways, or as a kind of floating platform for children to play on. But traditional paddle boards don’t excel at storing and transporting easily into the water: They’re big, heavy, and awkward. That’s where inflatable SUPs like the Breeze Aero come in. That’s everything great about a sturdy paddle board, but it packs up for easy storage in your apartment or car trunk.
The additional buoyancy provided by the air makes them more stable, lighter and much easier to carry. (Let’s face it, though, carrying a nearly 12-foot, 25-pound object is always awkward, especially if there’s any wind.) Falling on an inflatable SUP is also less painful. significantly more than on a solid board, which is worth keeping in mind if you’re buying for the whole family.
The downside is that the inflatable SUP boards take time to set up as you need to inflate and mount the fins in the case of the Bote Breeze Aero and they are not as fast as the solid boards, as they have to be thicker. The inflation time isn’t too bad, about 10 minutes with the hand pump — less if you automatic pump ($200). Of course, you have to carry the pump, which will add some weight. Inflatable SUPs are less maneuverable than hardboards, but slow speeds and predictable turns are qualities that are a plus for beginners.
I’ve used both solid and inflatable boards in the past and happen to prefer the stability of inflatable boards. Breeze Aero is my favorite inflatable board. It strikes a good balance between weight, size and durability. It’s not as stiff as some of the three-layer boards out there, but it’s much lighter.
Photo: Bote
The Breeze Aero comes in two lengths, 10 feet, 8 inches, and an 11 foot, 6 inch version that I tested. For most people, I would recommend the larger size. The price includes 3 adjustable paddle pads, a 10-inch detachable fin (also has two permanently attached side fins), a fixing kit, a hand pump and a backpack.
Breeze Aero is made of bearing PVC bonded together with a synthetic drop stitch, which is a method of knitting warp threads together so that when the threads reach their maximum length (when you are fully inflated) , they will keep. The end result was a very sturdy research board that resisted everything I threw at it — including the landing rocks, the many gnarled tree limbs that scratched its underside, and the transport on the roof. my car.
