I tried stand up paddle boarding for the first time last year at the Hilton Waikiki, yes it was a lagoon but I enjoyed it. Fast forward a few months and I rented a board a few times from LB SUP rental and really enjoyed that as well. Fast forward a couple more months and I purchased the Body Glove Navigator 11 inflatable stand up paddle board or iSUP from Costco’s website. Within a few days of receiving it I was on the water and my life has been changed ever since, ok maybe it’s not that dramatic but I paddle pretty often.
For starters buying from Costco is a breeze but you probably know how great they are already. As soon as I got my board I started unpacking it in my living room and quickly realized an 11 foot board should really be outside. A few minutes later I had my kids hard at work alternating pumping up the board with the included pump. It took about 13 minutes to get it fully inflated to 15 psi and that includes me finishing up the last 7 pounds or so because it was difficult for my kids. Easy as pie.
Putting the paddle together is nothing though attaching the leash to the D ring can cause grief if you don’t know that you unvelcrow the string from the leash (don’t untie the cord), slip the string through the D ring and then back through itself. Finally put the string back on the leash like it was before, below all the layers of Velcro.
Finally, go paddle. Take a reusable water bottle with you utilizing the Velcro handle, open it up and wrap the bottle in it. Slap on some coral/ocean safe suntan lotion and go for it.
A few things to note about Body Glove Navigator is that it’s really made at its core as a shallow water river board. It has a thruster set up with 3 fins but they are all short and flexible. I’ve heard the 2018 model fins are stiffer. I paddle around the marina or around a tiny island mostly and I tend to slide sideways across the water when it’s windy or the tide is moving me. The fins don’t do much for tracking. I don’t mind too much because I’m paddling for exercise and to get away from everything for a bit.
Paddling though is a piece of cake. I can easily cut through the water at 3+ mph and turn pretty easily. The board is 34 inches wide so it can be difficult to get the paddle vertical to paddle straight. The plastic and aluminum paddle is light enough and durable, it breaks down into 3 pieces and is easily cleaned though it can take a few days to try the top portion.
I can’t talk to much about the lease, it seems fine and been able to withstand being in salt water and sun dozens if not 100 times or more but I rarely use have it attached to me.
I do want to go over 2 negative experiences I’ve had because I’d like to think this is a fair review.
There was a bubble under the trackpad after less then a month of use, I contacted Body Glove and they graciously replaced it and I haven’t had any problems with my new board.
My pump broke last week. I was taking my young cousin out for her first time paddle boarding and I wanted to add some air to the board before we went out. Low and behold it wouldn’t push air so I ended up paddling her on the front of my other Body Glove board. She was pretty bummed but didn’t want to tell me. Anyways I emailed Body Glove and they sent me instructions on how to fix it. It works again but I’m sad that my cousin didn’t get to try something new.
The quality of the way the trackpad was glued to my replacement board is totally sub par. When it’s fully inflated the different pieces of trackpad don’t touch is a few spots. There’s random spots of glue on on of the edges, there’s dry glue near the handle where it shouldn't be and so on.
Don’t get me wrong about any of these less than ideal issues, I would buy this board again in a heartbeat and guess what I did. I have 2 of them.
All in all I really love my Body Glove Navigator 11 iSUP, it has gotten me out on the water way more often than I usually would go, I’m in much better shape because I added SUPing to my exercise routine and maybe most importantly my tan is fantastic.
I recommend this board so much so I have 2 of them and I paid for both. Now if I can only get my wife to join me paddling someday.
Included Items in Box:
iSUP
Paddle
Pump and hose
Leash
Patch kit
Phone pouch
Backpack for storage