After a month or so of ownership and 2 weeks of intensive use, I feel about qualified to give my thoughts on this piece of kit. Thanks heaps to the gang at Wetspot for getting the package together for me before the trip. You really can't beat the service and industry knowledge provided by Scotty and the gang.So what you are looking at is a 12'6 hunk of inflatable love in the sun.
This baby holds a comfortable 30" width and wears it well. Looking sleek and sexy. With 6" of depth it means that it's not just for the feint hearted. Recommended for passengers up to 104kg or 230lbs. One of the nice things about an inflato is that they don't damage easily. Great for the kids to play on and the parents to enjoy as well.
My experiences with this board might be a little different from most, so I thought they might be worth sharing.
Some of the advantages to an inflatable SUP are storage and transport. They roll up relatively small and you can fit them most places. This included as checked luggage on my flights both internationally and internally in Australia and USA. Much easier than paying for and worrying about a hard board. Hiring a car on my travels was no problem as this will fit in anything.
The One comes with a handy back pack style bag which is comfortable to wear and you don't need to be some sort of origami expert to fit the board back in the bag after the first use. In fact it fits so easily in the bag that also fitted my Naish 3 piece paddle, PFD (full vest), the pump which comes with the board and booties, as well as a towel. Total weight at weigh in at the airport was 16.4 kg. Well under my allowable, and well within the range of carrying on my back comfortably. The board itself is a handy 11kg. Very easy to carry when inflated.
The pump
The pump that comes with the board is completely adequate if you have a little bit of weight behind you. Total pump up time from 0- 14PSI is 5min. With the caveat that I have seen smaller framed females struggle when it gets to the higher pressures. I weigh about 80Kg and happily use my weight in the final stages. I can certainly see this being a limiting factor for some. There are certainly a range of 12v pumps that can help with this, although most will only be for the low pressure part of the workout.
Touring
I spent a considerable amount of time paddling casually around lakes, so have a pretty good feel for the touring style. This board is comfortable, stable and forgiving in a range of conditions. My initial thoughts were that it would be hard work to drag an inflato through the water, Not so. It glides and feels pretty good and with the width is fine should you encounter the wake of a water ski boat or the like.
Racing
I've tested it in two different scenarios here, and yes, it is slower than a hard board. To give you an indication of how much slower, a course that takes me about 24:30 on my NSP Cocomat 14' flatwater race board, the One goes around in 27:30. Certainly no disgrace there. This is on a flat water course with 2 turns.
Racing it down river on the Bow in Calgary, I found the hard boards getting away from me when the flow was fast and the water smooth. When it got a little lumpy the inflato held its own quite nicely in smoothing out some of the bumps.
You will never go as fast as a hard board, but your frustration will be limited by the fact that you can actually generate some speed.
Transportability
So you've got a board that fits in a backpack. Is it simply storage and no roof racks that are its only attraction? hell no! spending around 6 hours with this thing on my back over 3 days I felt none the worse for it. Yes you will find back packs made for trekking more comfortable, and there are probably ways that this one could be made moreso, but given what it is and what it is designed for, I think they do a pretty good job. The straps are nice and thick and padded and positioned quite well for where the weight sits in the pack. The ability to do a hike in and paddle is a feature that I encourage everyone to take advantage of.
Paddle - Makani 8.0 Vario RDS 3 piece
If you are going to get a board for the specific purpose of ease of transport, it is worth considering a paddle that will match it. This carbon/glass fusion from Naish performed beautifully. Fitting inside the board backpack it traveled well. It is quick to assemble, lightweight and strong. Performance was as good as any 2 piece paddle that I have used with the usual extra bit of flex, but comfortable and tireless to paddle with.
Price
Just because it is inflatable, doesn't mean it is a toy. In fact the opposite. When you buy an inflatable of this quality, you are getting a serious bit of kit. As such, it comes with a price tag that reflects what you get in some respects. The Makani paddle comes in at $400, which quite frankly is a bargain in my books for a light weight travel friendly paddle that performs as well as this one does. It is race ready.The Naish One comes in at $1650 RRP. If you take off price of roof racks and storage headaches, it actually works out very affordable. Can you find cheaper iSUPs? absolutely. Why are they cheaper? because you get what you pay for. If I'm going to invest in this sort of equipment, I want good quality and I want to buy it from someone that can back up what they sell. Wetspot
Bottom line. Great package. Facilitated some awesome paddling. This is a versatile board for every level of paddler.
