Bote Lowrider Aero Paddleboard Review: This SUP Knows What’s Up

4 days ago 5

The archetypal happening I noticed erstwhile taking the Lowrider retired of the retention container (which is overmuch nicer than Bote's older bags, much connected that below) was the monolithic rear fin. It's overmuch longer than the detachable fin connected the Breeze Aero, and by acold the deepest fin I've seen connected a paddleboard. A sailor person of excavation quipped, "That paddleboard has a draft."

That heavy fin makes the Lowrider way straighter, which means you aren't perpetually veering and correcting people arsenic you paddle. Relative to the Breeze Aero and different boards I've used, determination is acold little side-to-side question erstwhile paddling. The larger aboveground country of the fin besides makes the committee a spot much unchangeable successful unsmooth water, particularly erstwhile combined with the width of this board.

I've agelong wanted to bash immoderate multiday paddleboarding trips, and I've gone truthful acold arsenic to load up astir three-quarters of my gear, lone to determine it conscionable wasn't going to work. The Lowrider, however, is susceptible of specified feats. I did not person clip to really bash a trip, but I did load it up and paddle around. As you mightiness expect, it was heavy, sat little successful the water, and was dilatory to turn, but it wasn't that bad, particularly if you enactment the spot connected truthful you tin power backmost and distant betwixt lasting and sitting. It's astir apt extracurricular astir people's usage cases, but if you're a weirdo similar me, cognize that this is astir apt your champion stake for paddlepacking.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

The Lowrider Is a Little Higher

Speaking of the seats, they're rather comfy and stable. They tin beryllium attached successful a assortment of ways. There are 3 tie-down points connected each broadside of the board, and the seats themselves person a strap that allows you to set the magnitude you're lying back. They ne'er get rather arsenic upright arsenic you'd beryllium successful a kayak, but I paddled respective miles and had nary backmost strain oregon different pain.

One happening to support successful caput if you're a seasoned kayaker: You're overmuch higher connected the h2o than you would beryllium successful a kayak. You aren't going to privation to paddle thing technical, but it's inactive a stable, comfy experience, and the committee is plentifulness maneuverable. Cruising level water, it was amazingly accelerated and agile (for thing this size), and the Lowrider didn't blink adjacent erstwhile I took it retired successful a 15-knot upwind with beauteous bully chop. To my caput this is 1 of the champion reasons to get a hybrid. On those unsmooth days erstwhile you aren't going to beryllium lasting up, you tin inactive get retired connected the water.

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