Watch our online “How to Row the Oar Board^®” video and you will see that with practice you can become proficient at sculling very quickly.

Yes! In fact inflatable SUPs have several advantages over hard body ones. The main one is how well they can handle bumping up on beaches or hitting hard objects like rocks or being dinged by paddle blades without substantial damage. Another advantage is how small they are when deflated and rolled up inside their backpack. The weight of an inflatable is about the same as an average hard board.

Our new line of inflatable SUPs called the Fitness Row 12, the Adventure Row 13’4″, and the Adventure Row 16 are now available and at a great price!

No. Oars are priced separately as many rowers already have sculling oars. We offer our custom carbon fibre 2-part sculling oars that owners find are easier to store and transport.

No however the Oar Board ® works best on boards with a flush deck. Most rowers prefer Paddle Boards with a width of 30” or more for added stability. For boards with recessed decks ask about our adaptor fittings. We are happy to advise on the suitability of any paddleboard if you email or call with the brand name and length or even better email a link.

The unit installs in less than 5 minutes and can be removed in 2 minutes.

See our set up video.

The Oar Board^® features a sliding rigger system. The seat is fixed and does not move. The rigger and foot stop are mounted on a special carriage, which slides. The rower grips the oar handles in exactly the same way as a regular slide seat boat and the stroke is identical.

The sliding rigger concept was originally developed over 50 years ago. It was significantly faster than a sliding seat when used in a racing shell. It was subsequently outlawed from competitive racing in the 1988 Olympic rowing event and fell out of favour. Lucky for us it works perfectly as a way to convert a stand up paddle board into a single or even a double person sculling boat.

With a sliding seat the rowers weight slips back and forth with each stroke and with a sliding rigger the rowers weight remains stationery. This means that on a short Stand Up Paddleboard pitching or “hobby horsing” are eliminated with a fixed seat/sliding rigger. The stroke itself is the exact same coordinated motion as the sliding seat stroke. It takes only a few strokes to get used to a sliding rigger and it is very smooth.

A huge breakthrough with inflatable SUPs came a few years ago with an innovation called drop stitch construction.

On the inside of drop stitch type inflatable SUPs are hundreds of tiny strings spaced a centimeter or so apart that run from the deck to the bottom.

When the board is partially inflated these stretch proof strings get tight, making the board extra rigid.

At 15 lbs psi fully inflated they get really really rigid.

Yes, it’s fully adjustable with four slots for foot stop placement on the sliding rigger suitable for the shortest to the tallest of rowers.

See the Oar Board^® set up video on this.

Kwik Lok stainless steel buckles secure a pair of 2″ webbing straps that simply go around the SUP. They are very thin and cause no noticeable drag when rowing. They set up in seconds. Four high density neoprene compression pads mounted on the each of the Oar Board^®s underside corners grip the deck acting like suction cups when the straps are tight, while protecting the deck surface. The new inflatable SUPs the Fitness Row 12, the Adventure Row 13’4″ and the Adventure Row 16 feature special fittings on deck for attaching the straps which makes the Oar Board^® easier to install or remove.

See the Oar Board^® set up video on this easy step.

Here is a one minute video that demonstrates how this is done:

Can’t see the embedded video? Click this link: https://vimeo.com/193457545

Here’s a quick 47 second video to demonstrate how easy it is to install the fin on your new Adventure or Fitness Row SUP.

Can’t see the embedded video? Click this link: https://vimeo.com/232107614

Still have some questions?

Give us a call
Toll Free
1-800-663-7481
International
00+1-250-361-2621

Or send an email to
sales@OarBoard.com

It is constructed using non-corrosive material specifically and built for salt water. It features an ultra-tough black polymer plastic frame, carriage, foot stretcher and seat with powder coated marine-grade aluminum outriggers and struts with stainless steel and nylon fittings. These marine grade materials mean the unit requires nothing more than hosing off to keep any grit off your tracks wash away any salt and keep it a clean looking machine.

The sliding rigger carriage is removable and can be further disassembled by removing and compressing the outriggers arms. It completely disassembles back to its compact shipping size in just a few minutes.

Our new line of inflatable SUPs called the Fitness Row 12, the Adventure Row 13’4″ and the Adventure Row 16 are now available. When deflated they will roll up and fit into a backpack. This makes them ideal for storage or transport. Inflatables are about the same weight as most hard body boards and able to handle bumping up on beaches or hitting hard objects like rocks or being dinged by paddle blades without substantial damage.

See the Setup Video. Also check out our Oar Board^® travel bags and SUP Dolly for more storage and handling ideas.

Wearing a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) is a personal responsibility. The laws regarding wearing PFDs vary from country to country. For rowers and standup paddlers the most suitable type of PFD is the inflatable belt type which is ultra light and super comfortable. Most importantly the belt type of PFD does not interfere with the oar stroke or paddle stroke. So don’t be surprised if well meaning people ask, “Where’s your lifejacket?”, as these belt type PFDs are sleek, small and hard to see. The old fashioned vest type can be used, however many people find this type too bulky and uncomfortably hot to wear in warm weather.