Stand-up paddle boarding is fun, but spending all that time on your feet can get tiring, especially when you’re working to keep your balance in the water. Sometimes, you just want to sit down while you continue exploring the waters. That won’t be a problem with the new BOTE Rider Series Lowrider Aero.
Billed as a “SUP-kayak hybrid,” the inflatable watercraft is an erstwhile regular SUP that you can use for stand-up paddling if that’s what you feel like doing for the day. Except, it also comes with a detachable seat, so you can ride it like a sit-down kayak if you want to give your tired feet a break, making it quite the versatile watercraft without the need to add any accessories.
The BOTE Rider Series LowRider Aero is an inflatable board that looks plenty similar to most standard SUPs. It’s got a pointed nose, a flat tail, a raised rocker, and a thruster-style three-fin setup at the bottom, with a high-performance design that, the outfit claims, is focused to deliver heaps of speed and stability. Just like other BOTE SUPS, it’s fitted with a number of appointments for taking accessories, such as D-rings along the deck pad (for tying down a cooler), Rac mounts (if you want to use BOTE’s various RAC accessories), a Magnepod mount (for magnetically attaching compatible BOTE accessories) and two bungee sections for securing backpacks and other loose gear.
The similarly inflatable seat can be installed at the top of the hand well, securing it using tie-downs on each side of the board. Because it’s inflatable, you can bring the seat deflated during the ride, then only inflate it later once you feel the need to give your legs a break. The seat has an adjustable backrest, by the way, giving you the option to position it at the most comfortable angle.
The BOTE Rider Series LowRider Aero comes in two models: Solo and Tandem. As you can probably imagine, Solo is a single-person SUP and Tandem is a dual-person SUP. Solo measures 10.5 feet long, weighs 30 pounds, and supports up to 300 pounds, while Tandem measures 11.5 feet, weighs 38 pounds, and accommodates up to 500 pounds of weight. Yes, we do wish they reinforced it more to support 600 pounds on the Tandem, so bigger couples can carry more gear, but we guess that’s asking too much, considering it’s only a foot longer. Both boards are full trax, by the way, so most of the top deck should be covered in a grippy traction surface.
The SUP is compatible with a whole lot of the outfit’s accessories, including the KULA cooler, the Magnepod bottles, the Travelink (which adds a carry handle to the board), and the Racs line, which gives you a ton of options for fishing add-ons. Each set comes with a travel bag, which comes with backpack straps and wheels, so you can either carry it on your back or tow it.
The BOTE Rider Series LowRider Aero is available now, priced at $799 for Solo and $899 for Tandem.