I've eyeballed and eyerolled these in the past. One of the perks of my current job is we often end up with offers to test products. None of my coworkers had any interest, so I ended up with Bote's Rackham Aero 12'4" iSUP. Fully kitted out. Paddle Sheath, SUP and kayak paddle, seat, sand spike sheath, fishing rack, and (arriving any day now, I've been assured) the new pedal drive system.
I'll be doing a review and some additional content for work, but figured here was a good place for an "unofficial" review. Thoughts so far...
For me, the biggest surprise is how stable the thing is. Athletic I'm not, but I had 0 issues hopping on the board with no prior experience aside from canoe/kayak experience. I can 100% see sight fishing small creeks or inshore flats in this thing. Plenty of stability to cast and fight fish. 400lb weight capacity, so you can bet it's getting deer blood on it at some point this year, just because I can. Overall, I kinda feel like it has more usable room than any of my canoes or kayaks. Almost as roomy as my 1436 jon boat.
It may be my lack of experience, but it's a bit of a dog to paddle. I clocked myself at a bit better than 2mph last night. Hoping the pedal drive fixes that problem when it comes in.
The inflatable thing is...different. Takes about 8 minutes to inflate with the included hand pump. But it fits in a trunk or back seat. I can tow and cartop, so not much advantage personally, but I imagine for a lot of folks that would be huge.
The rack is clever. I can see there being a market for adding the rack to other small craft. But they missed an opportunity by not putting backpack straps on the case it comes in.
I'll be doing a review and some additional content for work, but figured here was a good place for an "unofficial" review. Thoughts so far...
For me, the biggest surprise is how stable the thing is. Athletic I'm not, but I had 0 issues hopping on the board with no prior experience aside from canoe/kayak experience. I can 100% see sight fishing small creeks or inshore flats in this thing. Plenty of stability to cast and fight fish. 400lb weight capacity, so you can bet it's getting deer blood on it at some point this year, just because I can. Overall, I kinda feel like it has more usable room than any of my canoes or kayaks. Almost as roomy as my 1436 jon boat.
It may be my lack of experience, but it's a bit of a dog to paddle. I clocked myself at a bit better than 2mph last night. Hoping the pedal drive fixes that problem when it comes in.
The inflatable thing is...different. Takes about 8 minutes to inflate with the included hand pump. But it fits in a trunk or back seat. I can tow and cartop, so not much advantage personally, but I imagine for a lot of folks that would be huge.
The rack is clever. I can see there being a market for adding the rack to other small craft. But they missed an opportunity by not putting backpack straps on the case it comes in.