Orca

Perfect board to take a friend. I originally bought this board along with a Jimmy Styx Scout SE at Westmarine in 2013. I picked this one up for $499 and I think the Scout was $799. Since then I've bought several additional boards but I've kept the Orca. It's really light at 24lbs, and paddles very nicely in all sorts of conditions. The cheap price and soft top construction make it worry free, so what if it hits the dock, no kid gloves when tossing it on the car or laying it on pavement. The biggest problem is that the top deck is a bit too slick. I added an aftermarket eva foam deck pad to solve that issue. Your want a higher end board if your getting serious about the sport, but this makes a great second to take a friend and hopefully get them into the sport. Since I've bought this board, I have bought a Wakooda Inflatable board, a 11'6 Wander on Water hard board and a locally made custom fiberglass board. I still like the Orca a lot but the inflatable offers the same pros of being durable and carefree, with the addition of being easy to store and take on a plane. Considering the price and intended usage it's 4 stars. BTW it came with a heavy junky paddle, like most boards that come with a free paddle. Pros Light Cheap Durable Cons Not much grip on top Inflatable boards are similarly durable and cheap. Usage Exercise, Surf, Touring

Great board for the price. Board this board for $500 to have a second board to loan to guests.. It now one of 4 boards I own, I find it tracks well and easily holds my weight. Only issue is the softtop is not as soft and is more slippery as the padding on a real hard board, I am thinking about adding padding. Does everything pretty good, just not super fast.. Overall a decent option as second board and a pretty good ride in most conditions.. Pros Lightweight (24lb) Very bouyant Cons Soft top a little slippery No deckpad Easily dent by car straps... Usage Exercise and touring...