The electric stand-up paddleboard is not a replacement for the classic SUP with manual drive, but an upgrade, similar to an e-bike to the original bicycle. Die-hard paddlers may scoff, but there are actually es some points where the electric board proves its worth.

Hazards

We describe a situation, which unfortunately happens very often:

You get on the water early in the morning and head out of the bay. It's an almost perfect day and you paddle on confidently. After a while, you feel your shins burn a little. After an hour and a few miles further, the sun is higher and you're ready to head back. Waves begin to ripple across the bay and sweat is running down your forehead. This shows that your are paddling very strenuously.

The wind picks up and the tide comes in. Your return point begins to shift and you feel the heavy strain in your legs. You notice that the current is pulling you further and further out, the waves are knee high, and by now you are fighting an offshore wind that is shifting.

What can follow is either an exhausted finish or a rescue mission. And as stand-up paddling is fast becoming one of the most popular sports, es is also causing a growing number of rescues. Around 90 percent are due to changing conditions and a lack of route planning. Tragically, even a sport as relaxed as paddleboarding often ends in the worst-case scenarios.

What WE are counting on is a small electric motor, which can be used as a paddle support in bad weather, among other things.

Safer and more useful

With an integrated motor, the ride on these boards is not affected in any way. The e-Fin is inserted into the existing fin mount as usual before riding. If at some point you want to ride with the electronic assistance, all you have to do is turn a knob on the control unit and the motor will accelerate the board up to eight kilometers per hour.

If you don't want to ride with permanent support, you can set it to "Auto" mode. In this mode, the e-Fin only drives with every paddle stroke through the water, as you are already used to from pedelecs. In this mode the paddling range drastically goes up and you can still exercise your muscles at the same time.

In addition to safety, es helps newcomers to SUP get started faster. Es therefore gives more speed, a greater range, a safer experience and a shorter learning curve.