Boardworks Badfish MCIT Inflatable SUP Review

We give a lot of attention to race and touring style stand up paddleboards with our weekly Friday Night Free Fun Paddleboard Races, but another type of SUP we really like is the inflatable, and one of the best has to be the Boardworks Badfish MCIT Inflatable.

Most people give us a weird look when we start talking about inflatable boards - "an inflatable board? that sounds really stiff..." but the truth is, through various sorcery and high tech construction techniques, these boards perform and paddle great.

You inflate the deck and the rails separately, and with no more than 14 PSI, it was surprisingly quick to inflate.

The major upside is obvious - packs down into a large backpack you can travel with or keep in the back of your car for after work paddles. But there are other benefits too - you can't ding or crack these boards like you could a hard board, making them a favorite for crazy people who like to take their boards into whitewater or tidal zones.

Jared has run up to class III whitewater on an inflatable stand up paddle board, and others have used them for the unique sport of rock hopping - paddling through swells on the ocean to get over, through or around intertidal rocks - bouncing off sharp, barnacled outcroppings without any ill-effects.

The MCIT in particular performs well because of its 3-chamber design that makes it more stable, more rigid and makes it track better than other inflatables we've tested.

The pack, though bulky, makes it easy to get where you're going, and the included pump makes inflating easy.

It may not be a race board, but most of us aren't racers either. It's the perfect board for checking out new paddling spots, great for touring and adventure. It's also great for families as its tough as nails and softer to land on when someone takes a spill.

Shop the Boardworks Badfish MCIT Inflatable here - it's free shipping!