Two years ago we went on record saying that stand up paddle boards were 'the future'. Now, they’re considered mainstream for recreational paddling, but there has always been one big problem.

Pumping them up. 

So now, a Slovenian based company called SipaBoards have designed a solution. A self inflating stand up paddle board (with a jet engine!) Now, as we speak you can buy electric pumps for stand up paddle boards. Battery powered, and with enough charge to do a couple of boards, these electric pumps feature a two stage system that begins with a high flow fan to get most of the pumping work done, and then backs it up with a compressor to handle the higher pressures. They work great, (when they’re working) but present a problem once you’re finished pumping. Where do you put it?

That’s why SipaBoards made this, an integrated pump that slots into the board, and you take it paddling with you! Now you can quite literally ride your bike to the beach, unroll your board, turn the pump on, go and lock up your bike, get dressed and return to a fully inflated stand up paddle board. It looks like Sipa have used a compressor pump only, which means less moving parts (therefor better durability) and a higher total pressure to pump that board with. They say it takes around 5 minutes to fully inflate the board, just enough time to get changed!

 Also designed into the system is a jet drive, like a jet ski. Details are very scarce right now about his this works, but apparently it's on the bottom of the pump system (or possible an alternative to the pump system). By using a jet drive, it creates minimal drag on the board for normal paddling, and allows you to go over shallow water without fear of a prop strike. SipaBoards say they're launching a kickstarter project soon, so keep an eye out for it and the details of the 'SipaDrive' unit. 

Check out the video of it in action, it’s sped up a little to save you an entire 5 minutes of watching a board inflate with air.

#News #StandUpPaddle #Paddling