The first thing I noticed upon removing the Lowrider from the storage bag (which is much better than Bote’s old bags, more on that below) was the huge tail fin. It’s much longer than the Breeze Aero’s removable fin and by far the deepest fin I’ve seen on a paddleboard. A fellow sailor joked, “That paddleboard has a draft.”
That deep keel makes the Lowrider follow a straighter path, meaning you don’t have to constantly turn and correct course while paddling. Compared to the Breeze Aero and other boards I’ve used, there’s a lot less side-to-side movement when paddling. The larger keel surface also makes the board a bit more stable in rough water, especially when combined with the width of this board.
I’ve been wanting to do multi-day paddleboard trips for a while now, and I got as far as carrying around three-quarters of my gear, only to decide that it just wasn’t going to work. The Lowrider, however, is capable of such feats. I didn’t have time to take an actual trip, but I loaded it up and paddled. As expected, it was heavy, sat lower in the water, and was slow to turn, but it wasn’t too bad, especially if you attach the seat to it so you can switch from standing to sitting positions. It’s probably out of most people’s range, but if you’re a weirdo like me, you should know that this is probably your best bet for paddlepacking.
Photography: Scott Gilbertson
The Lowrider is a little bit taller
As for the seats, they are quite comfortable and stable. They can be attached in a variety of ways. There are three tie-down points on each side of the board, and the seats have a strap that allows you to adjust the back tilt. They are never as upright as in a kayak, but I paddled for several miles and had no back or other pain.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re an experienced kayaker: you’re much higher in the water than you are in a kayak. You’re not going to want to paddle anything technical, but it’s still a stable and comfortable experience, and the board is very maneuverable. Riding in flat water, it was surprisingly fast and agile (for something this size), and the Lowrider didn’t flinch even when I took it out in a 15-knot wind with quite a bit of swell. In my opinion, this is one of the best reasons to buy a hybrid. On those rough days when you’re not going to be standing up, you can still get out on the water.